Tuesday, Jan 13 at 6:18AM

Approximately 4:10 a.m. this morning, I woke up to the sound of deep and laborous breathing by Cau Nam. Right away, Anh Danh and I rushed to reaffix Cau Nam's breathing tube back on his nose. Cau Nam violently pushed the air tube away with the deliberate strength of a person fighting for air, only this time he was rejecting the only life line we could offer. After repeated struggles between Cau Nam and Anh Danh and I to reinsert the air tube, Anh Danh ran out to get the nurses. Cau Nam's eyes had turned white as he struggles helplessly for air with deep desperate breathes.

Several nurses rushed in and replaced the oxygen tube with the breathing treatment involving medicine to open up his lungs. They turned it up to the maximum level, and helped to put it on Cau Nam as Anh Danh and I struggled to hold Cau Nam's hands back and keep it from fighting to pull the mask off. Cau Nam continued to resist the breathing treatment, and after trying for about 5 minutes, we switched back to another breathing mask of pure oxygen. The struggle with Cau Nam continued and lasted for another 10 - 12 minutes minutes as Cau Nam's resistance got weaker and weaker. However, the moment that we would let off, Cau Nam would reach to remove the breathing mask.

The nurses affixed a probe on Cau Nam's forehead to get an oxygen and pulse reading on Cau Nam. A portable pulse oxymeter was also placed on his index finger. Cau Nam continued to struggle for nearly another 10 minutes. Reading from the unit attached to the probe indicated an oxygen level of 90%, while reading from the portable pulse oxymeter read 84%. Within a minute or two of the initial reading, his oxygen level quickly jumped to 100%. After several more minutes of registering 100% oxygen level, Cau Nam finally relaxed and allowed the breathing mask to remain. His heart was beating around 128 - 130 beats per minute.

For the next hour Cau Nam remained still, allowing the breathing mask which had been turned up all the way to provide him with much needed oxygen. His eyes remained open all the while. It was only until about an hour later that Cau Nam moved to pull the breathing mask from his face again. I replaced it, and explained to him that he needed to keep it on. Cau Nam complied. His one eyed-gaze remained fixed on me for what seemed like an eternity until he closed both eyes and drifted off to sleep. His pulse was 124 beats per minute by this time.

About ten minutes later, Cau Nam again pulled his breathing mask away. Anh Danh replayed the same scene with him in replacing the mask and urging Cau Nam to keep it on. This time, Cau Nam actually responded in verbal agreement. The nurse came in to replace the fleur-evac tank which held the fluid that had been drained from him for the past 2 days. Cau Nam fell into a deep sleep with both of us watching over him as his pulse dropped to 120 beats per minute.

At 6:00, all is back to normal as if nothing had ever happened. For the next half hour, Cau Nam would reach to remove his oxygen mask and the probe on his forehead every now and then only to have Anh Danh and I quickly rush to replace them and assure him that he needed them. On hearing this, he would then allow us to put them back on. Anh Danh asked Cau Nam whether or not he understands him, and Cau Nam says he does. Cau Nam then drifts back to sleep and Anh Danh and I attempt to cool him off with a damp wash cloth and fanning. Looking on, I can't help but wonder what was going through Cau Nam's mind all the while he was violently struggling push the oxygen mask away repeatedly.

Quoc