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01/05/06
This post is dedicated for all the women out there who think that having a baby will make their boyfriend/husband's stay with them.
I'm here to tell you that having a baby is STRESSFUL on a relationship. Geez. I love my husband very much...and of course I wouldn't do anything different if given the chance...but MAN this is hard.
Well, let me tell you what's going on with David first. They should be performing the hernia surgery on David next week. I spoke with the doctor the other day, and he told me that while they have him down they are going to go ahead and insert a GTube, which is a feeding button. The doctor said that because of his brain damage, if they were to wait until he was able to drink from the bottle, David would be in the hospital for two or three more months. So they will be inserting the button in David so that he will be able to get the nutrition he needs, and get to come home.
So Javier says that he doesn't want David to have the GTube. Javier says he's okay with David staying in the hospital for two or three more months if that means he won't have to have this surgical procedure. Javier says that I'm being selfish by being okay with the feeding tube because all I want is to have David home, and I need to quit rushing it. He tells me that if it means that he won't have to endure another surgery than we can sacrifice a few more months of visiting the hospital.
I don't feel like I am being selfish, especially since it wasn't MY idea to put the tube in David. I personally HATE the fact that he has to have it...but it isn't up to me, you know? And I don't feel like the only reason I want him to have it is because I want him home. If the doctor says he needs it, than he needs it. It's not like I went to the doctor and said "hey...can you do an unecessary surgical procedure on my baby, who has already faced more challenges than most people do in their lifetime?"
Anyways, the Ped got a chance to talk to Javier this morning, and was able to convince him that staying in the NICU is not an option. Thank God. What I don't get is why didn't he just believe me when I told him that's what the doctor said? Ug.
BTW this was NOT a "let's bash Javier" post...just so you know...I'm only trying to convey the fact that having a baby is stressful on a relationship.
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01/09/06
David is scheduled to have his surgeries tommorrow morning, at eight am. He will have the hernia surgery, along with what they call a "stomach wrap" (I haven't read anything about this yet, but will today) which apparently prevents reflux, and of course the GTube. There is a total of three incisions (two small ones down by his groin, along with a larger one from the bottom of his ribcage to the belly button) and one puncture (for the GTube). The total procedure will take about three hours. He will be completely under so will not feel or remember anything. When he wakes up he will be heavily sedated with narcotic pain medication to relieve pain. I will not be able to hold him for at least 24 hours after the surgery. HOPEFULLY (and here's where I need your prayers) he will come off the vent immediately following the surgery, and we will not have to remain in the hospital for even longer due to an inability to wean off the vent.
Please keep David and the rest of in your prayers.
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01/10/06
Update on David's surgery
David did pretty good today...thank you all so much for the prayers!!! There were no complications from the surgery, and he was already back off of the vent by the time we got to see him, thank God. He wasn't holding his stats really high, though, but he has so many things in his poor little nose, it's gotta be hard to breath! (he's got a repogal tube to suction his tummy in one nostril, his NG tube for his meds in his other nostril, plus the nasal canula) So they've put him under and oxygen tent. The nurse says she is not anticipating that he'll have to go back on the vent. When he first got back to the room you could tell he was in pain because his heartrate was going about 200 beats per minute, and he was breathing really fast, at about 100 breaths per minute. And, of course he was crying. But the nurse gave him enough pain meds to calm him down. Poor kid. Anyways, here are the pictures from today:
This is before the surgery:
With his special nurse friend, Staci, he was born on her birthday so they have a special bond!! (On a side note, this is the nurse who asked me which company I was going to get our home health care through because she wanted to get a part time job so she could come over and take care of him...and she was serious!!)
Being brave for Daddy (who has a cold btw)
All wrapped up in the blanket that one of our favorite nurses, Pat gave him:
On their way out....mommy is crying.....good thing you can't see her!!!!
First time off the third floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And here are the pictures from after the surgery...they're a little graphic...so there's your warning:
I didn't take many pictures from after the surgery because, frankly...I don't like to look at them. But....one day maybe he will want to see them?? Who knows.
On a side note...here's a comparison picture from when he was first born:
To now...this is the same camera case:
OK...and just a few leftover recent pics that don't pertain to anything but I didn't want to leave them out!!!
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01/12/06
David feels so much better now!!!
David is doing so much better today! I finally got to hold him...and he loved it, except for when we were actually moving him...that part was painful. He finally started to have bowel sounds so they started giving him 3cc's of formula every three hours. As soon as they know he's tolerating that they will start going up to full feeds again. Hopefully he will get the drainage tube out tommorrow...and soon they will begin using the GTube, meaning they can take the dobhoff out (the yellow feeding tube). Anyways, here are the pictures from today.
The white cloth across the top is holding the syringe so that his stomach stuff will go into it. (Gross, I know)
David weighed in at nine pounds, one ounce tonight!! Last night he was nine pounds, nine ounces...but alot of that was water weight.
We got this outfit from a very nice lady named Amber that I met online :) And the blanket is shaped like a baseball...it came with another baseball outfit...but he can't wear that one because it doesn't button up to leave room for his tube. Oh, and that bear you see was a Christmas present from his Aunt Amy!!!
Smiling!!!!
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01/15/06
David's got a rash :(
David is feeling all the way better...almost. The dobhoff tube is out of his nose, and he's no longer on an IV...therefore can't get any pain meds either. But he seems to be okay, except for when you pick him up to move him. They will be running all kinds of blood work tonight, if it comes back good he will probably get his four month shots tomorrow. And yes, he is five and a half months old...but because of the surgery & RSV & a million other things they've held off.
David has developed a rash on his forehead. They washed his head with Selsun Blue today, and it seemed to help a little. Here are the latest pics:
Our least favorite nurse (sorry but it's true), Judy, holding David while we waited for the 10 minutes to be up so we could rinse the shampoo out:
David's rash:
David with Mommy:
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01/21/06
Getting closer :)
Well time is winding down....the time for him to come home is getting closer...and I am NERVOUS. We went Friday to learn all about the equipment he will come home on: the apnea monitor (which is LOUD...like immediate migraine loud), the feeding machine (which I missed the instruction on that one, since the apnea monitor woke up David and he was screaming...Javier will have to show me how to use that later), the portable oxygen tanks, and the nebulizer for his breathing treatments he'll get every three hours. Javier put the carseat in his car (we need to get another base for my car...but we'll be using his most of the time anyways, since his has an air conditioner) the other day. And Thursday I put together both of his bouncy seats, and cleaned out his crib (it was full of stuff) and cleaned the whole house. I think we're finally ready.
Well, anyways, here are the latest pictures:
David loving on Carolyn, the nurse:
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01/26/06
David is HOME!!!!
On Saturday night I went up to the hospital to room in...Javier came when he got off of work on Sunday. David was finally able to come home on Monday, January 23rd. (Which ironically was my due date for my first baby, who I lost.)
I have a ton of pictures, but no time to put them on here...as soon as I get a chance to catch my breath there will be lots, I promise.
This mommy thing is ALOT of work...probably even more so since he's got so many medications and machines still hooked up to him. Between drawing up & giving meds, breathing treatments every three hours, and doing the normal stuff like making bottles, washing them, etc. it seems like I have less time to actually LOVE on David than I did when he was in the hospital. But I'm hoping that in a while things will settle down and I will have more time. We have a home health nurse from 8a-5p everyday so that helps alot.
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David's first doctor's appointment was today, and I had to work, which sucks. BUT...he's up to NINE pounds, FOURTEEN ounces!! And the doc said he's in the 25th percentile for development, with his adjusted age of course. I'm not really sure what this means. Hopefully next doctors appointmet I will be able to go so I can ask more questions.
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Food for thought....I was only pregnant with David for two weeks longer than he was in the hospital.
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OK here are the pictures...and I was wrong earlier, it's not 9lbs, 14 oz, it's 9lb 8oz...which is still quite a gain from the 9lbs 1oz he was when we left the hospital.
Getting into the car with Daddy:
Finally at home!!!
Biggest day of his life & he sleeps through it!!!
First bath at home...well sponge bath really since I can't get him all the way wet until he gets his mickey button:
All clean and in his robe!!!
David says "wake up, Daddy!!!"
My nephew Wes giving David his breathing treatment
haha bad picture
playing in his bouncer:
This is our home health nurse, Valerie. I'm not sure how I feel about her yet.
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01/30/06
David's back in the hospital.....
OK not alot of time, so I'll tell you all more later...but David's been readmitted to the hospital. Friday David started to breath really fast, so I was instructed to give him breathing treatments every two hours for a coarse of 24 hours. So I did that and it seemed to help...but when we went into the doctors appointment today David was statting in the 60s (I don't think that's entirely accurate because they were messing with him realy bad)...anyways, they've readmitted him. They did some xrays and discovered that he is retaining fluid in his lungs. And thinking back, that makes sense, because his little hands were a little swollen, as were his testicular area....AND...he gained 9 oz since Friday.
Anyways...pray that he makes a quick recovery so he can come back home where he belongs ok?
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01/31/06
Update on David
Well, you may have heard the news already...but David has been readmitted to the PICU :(
We went in for a scheduled doctor's appointment on Monday, and when we got there, their machine said he was statting in the 60's (which I don't think it entirely accurate...I mean, he just didn't LOOK like he was statting that low, you know?) but anyways, they had to put him up to 2liters of oxygen to get him to go back into the 90's. So, they sent him over to the PICU where they did xrays and discovered that he has "wet" lungs. I also had noticed that his little fingers & testicular area was swollen. Well, among the tests that they gave him, they also did a RSV test, which came back positive :(
He was doing pretty good yesterday, just real fussy. But then someone (and I really don't know who, but it doesn't matter) messed up his meds and ended up overdosing him on his baclofen. So he was so lethargic that his breathing slowed down to about 15 breaths per minute. SOOO...they had to put him back on Vapotherm this morning :( He was so sedated that he slept completely through his finger getting pricked! The meds are beginning to wear off, though, slowly but surely, and he's starting to wake up. He's so swollen though.
And this totally sucks because I did everything humanly possible to prevent him from getting RSV...from washing my hands a million times a day, sanitizing EVERYTHING all the time, limited visitors, etc...all to no avail.
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