I didn't want to talk to anybody after being with her. I was glad to be there by myself in the ICU waiting room (thankfully they had nice large comfortable chairs). The mexican children in the waiting room stared at me the way children do--just briefly before they know you are looking. I smiled at one little girl and she smiled back. I'm not sure how I looked, but I was stare worthy for small children. I decided to call Priscila to meet me at the hospital so that I could follow her to the hotel. I didn't want to have to focus on finding my way back to the hotel. For 60 pesos I got a cappuccino out one of those coffee vending machines. I met Rob and Jacob at the hotel and we all had a nice supper together. Rob had kept Jacob occupied the whole day. That was a blessing as all of this could have been much less pleasant for Jacob. One of the ladies from church gave Jacob some legos as well, which he loves to use to build things.
I am grateful as I reflect on how Melody looked in ICU. She seemed very peaceful and not in any pain. I have not seen her face look so relaxed in a long, long time--she had continuous pain in her sleep so she truly is the most pain free ever. From what I understand, as the ketamine floods her brain it completely stops the synthesis of glutamate, thereby cutting off the RSD cycle at the root cause. The nurse was taking very good care of her. They obviously know what they are doing and are following all the protocols to prevent infection. Dr. Cantu has developed a technique to make recovery smoother. He lets the patients sleep one extra day by giving them propofol after he stops ketamine. This keeps the patient in sedation while the body eliminates the ketamine and that makes the side effects less prominent. I see why RSD patients come back to Dr. Cantu--he instills much confidence medically and is also very kind.
