Sunday
We were finally settled in the ICU around 2:30pm. He had constant visits from doctors, nurses and the respiratory therapist (RT). It was a scary time, but walking through the ICU and seeing the other children on the floor made me so grateful that his illness is minor compared to what other families are enduring. I also appreciate that Sam is so young, too young to be afraid or know what's going on. He sleeps constantly, and we're anxious for open eyes. That will come.
That night Michael and I sat across from each other in the cafeteria. We let out the Big Sigh. The worst was over, and we recounted the ER visit. It was still so fresh and we were still affected by the memories of it. I suddenly remembered a story my Aunt Karen told me just the day before. It included a quote by my great Aunt Edna: "If God hadn't given me the strength for this day, He wouldn't have given me this day."
Back up in the room, we pulled out the bed and prepared for a long night. We took turns hopping up to check Sam every time an alarm went off, which usually occurred when his cannula slipped from his nose. He was still on the high-flow O2 machine. The doctors wanted to treat him aggressively at first to see how he'd respond, so the RT reduced his O2 to 6 lpm at 70% that evening, but later that night his O2 level consistently dropped below 90 so we had to raise it back up. He still had a 101-degree fever that didn't seem to want to subsist, even with the Tylenol.
So many people were praying for our guy, and we felt the love.
Monday, 1/14
After 8 weeks of maternity leave, I called in a personal day on my first day back to work. My office has been incredibly understanding and flexible.
We spent Monday in waiting. Waiting for the next doctor check-up. Waiting to see if he'd improved enough to lower the Oxygen. Waiting for the next dose of Tylenol. Waiting for the nurse to suction his airways. Still waiting for him to open his eyes.
He was still on the IV, and we asked the nurse how long he could stay on the IV alone before they put in a feeding tube. She assured us he could go a couple days on the fluids and we were in no danger of needing to insert one. The magic number we were aiming for was 5 lpm of O2. At that point he could begin feeding.
Around lunchtime Mom came to visit. Since Adam isn't allowed on the floor, Michael took him out to lunch and I showed off Sam and explained all his monitors. He gets coughing fits and "foams" or "bubbles" at the mouth from the congestion. I requested the nurse suction him out. Once he was settled again I suggested we go down and get lunch. Mom's reaction: "And leave him all alone?" So Gramma rocked her youngest grandson while I went down to grab lunch and visit with Adam in the cafeteria.
I was exhausted. Michael was, too. After three straight nights of poor sleep and all the stress and anxiety of the days, I knew I had to take care of myself better. I was too antsy to nap in the room. I decided to go home that night and get good sleep in my own bed. I also decided to go back to work on Tuesday. There's little I could do for Sam at the hospital and the distraction might be good.
Tuesday, 1/15
He made great progress overnight. His chest sounded good (though still having chest retractions during breathing), his fever was gone and he had moments of wakefulness. He was also off the high-flow O2 (but still on regular O2). He was cleared to start eating! He still had coughing fits but his stats stayed high during them, and that was very good.
When I arrived Tuesday afternoon I found him in a sweet little hospital gown. He'd already drained 3 bottles and was now off the IV. Happy he has an appetite! I picked him up to feed him and was thrilled to see him open his eyes. I told him I was glad they hadn't turned brown while he was sleeping.
I was only able to stay a couple of hours with him since Adam couldn't be there with us. The daily routine became me leaving work early, picking up Adam, driving the 30 minutes to the hospital, swapping places with Michael, and he and Adam going out to dinner for a couple hours so I could be with Sam. When they came back, we'd swap again and Adam and I would go back home and straight to bed.
Wednesday, 1/16
Since Sam was off the high-flow O2 we were cleared to move from the ICU once a bed became available. We didn't mind. We liked how attentive the staff was in ICU.
He had no big change or improvements. Doctors were still weaning him off the O2. His eating was inconsistent, sometimes a full bottle, sometimes barely any.
I wondered if his throat was sore or if he just lacked the energy, but he had the saddest little cry. It's weak and he can only manage a high pitch. Makes me think of a kitten. He has prolonged periods of alertness... now we were wanting smiles to show us he was feeling better.
Also, Sam's IV port was removed -- it was by his own doing but I was glad to see one fewer tube connected to him.
His godfather "Uncle" Dave came up to visit Michael and Sam and then out to lunch. I'm sure it was great for Michael to have the distraction and some time away from the hospital.
Thursday
His cough will likely linger well after we go home, but as a precaution, they took a mucus sample to test for pertussis (whooping cough). The doctor doesn't think he has it but we want to rule it out. It'll take a day for the results.
Late morning he's moved up a floor to the general medical/surgical floor. Food is allowed in the rooms up here which makes it more convenient for Michael. To put RSV in perspective, 80% of the patients on this floor have Bronchiolitis!
This was a hard day for me. His cough and elevated respiratory rate didn't seem to be improving and his eating suffered. The doctors put him on Zantac in case reflux was contributing to his coughing.
I felt so helpless. Picking him up didn't comfort him, and, as a Mom, I had this hope that he'd see me or be in my arms and immediately be soothed. Michael mentioned it must be hard to be away from him all day, but, honestly, on days like today, it's harder to be there watching him. Plus, since we were no longer in ICU, I felt like the staff wasn't jumping on his needs fast enough. We'd been spoiled by the constant attention downstairs.
By day's end, though, the nurse upped his O2 so he wasn't working so hard to breath. His respiratory rate improved and he ate better. That was comforting.
Friday
Friday! I sure hoped to be home by now but I was looking forward to spending more time with Sam over the weekend. I packed a bag for Adam and me and we headed downtown to the hospital, then Michael took Adam to Aunt Amy's for the night.
When I arrived, I was greeted by smiles! Amazing how those little dimples can make a Momma feel better. Sweet relief that he's feeling better.
He's still on a whiff of oxygen, just 1/8th of a liter. Once we get get him completely off the O2 with sustained levels for several hours, we can go home. His pertussis test was negative -- one fewer worry.
Finally Michael and I were able to spend a night together. We rented a couple of movies... surely our future date nights can be better than this!
Saturday
The goal today is to get him off the oxygen. Around noon they turned it off, but after an hour of room air he needed to be put back on. His levels dip when he sleeps and we want to be sure he can maintain the 90-100 level during naps and overnight. It looked like it would be one more night here.
Our little man is grubby! He's a sweater and I felt like he was a sticky mess with matted hair. I couldn't stand it anymore and gave him a quick sponge bath with some cleaning wipes. I am a believer that a shower can make you feel better so maybe this will help. I can't wait to get him home and give him a thorough bath.
Meanwhile, Adam spent the day and night with Aunt Amy and his cousins. Michael went down for a few hours to visit with him, too. He hasn't seen much of him this week. I hadn't planned on leaving Adam there for two nights in a row but it worked out that way for the best. Besides, he could now attend cousin Sophie's 7th birthday slumber party! I told Amy please no makeup or glitter for my kid...
Michael and I, again, ordered in dinner and settled in with a movie. We had a video call with some of Mindy's family to show him off when he was awake and smiling. Sharing the love!
Overnight the nurse turned off the O2, but again, he had to resume after an hour. We'd try again in the morning.
Sunday
Here and now. Sam has been off the O2 since 8am and for the last two hours he's maintained his levels, not even dipping below 90 once, even during his nap. Fingers crossed! If he can keep this up through lunch we'll likely be going home today! What's nice is the nurse removed his cannula... we're almost there!
I'm heading down to Amy's to hang with my little man again. Hopefully we'll both we coming back soon to pick up Michael and Sam!
Thank you for all the prayers and texts and calls and well-wishes!! We'll keep you posted!
He had no big change or improvements. Doctors were still weaning him off the O2. His eating was inconsistent, sometimes a full bottle, sometimes barely any.I wondered if his throat was sore or if he just lacked the energy, but he had the saddest little cry. It's weak and he can only manage a high pitch. Makes me think of a kitten. He has prolonged periods of alertness... now we were wanting smiles to show us he was feeling better.
Also, Sam's IV port was removed -- it was by his own doing but I was glad to see one fewer tube connected to him.
His godfather "Uncle" Dave came up to visit Michael and Sam and then out to lunch. I'm sure it was great for Michael to have the distraction and some time away from the hospital.
Thursday
His cough will likely linger well after we go home, but as a precaution, they took a mucus sample to test for pertussis (whooping cough). The doctor doesn't think he has it but we want to rule it out. It'll take a day for the results.Late morning he's moved up a floor to the general medical/surgical floor. Food is allowed in the rooms up here which makes it more convenient for Michael. To put RSV in perspective, 80% of the patients on this floor have Bronchiolitis!
This was a hard day for me. His cough and elevated respiratory rate didn't seem to be improving and his eating suffered. The doctors put him on Zantac in case reflux was contributing to his coughing.
I felt so helpless. Picking him up didn't comfort him, and, as a Mom, I had this hope that he'd see me or be in my arms and immediately be soothed. Michael mentioned it must be hard to be away from him all day, but, honestly, on days like today, it's harder to be there watching him. Plus, since we were no longer in ICU, I felt like the staff wasn't jumping on his needs fast enough. We'd been spoiled by the constant attention downstairs.
By day's end, though, the nurse upped his O2 so he wasn't working so hard to breath. His respiratory rate improved and he ate better. That was comforting.
Friday
Friday! I sure hoped to be home by now but I was looking forward to spending more time with Sam over the weekend. I packed a bag for Adam and me and we headed downtown to the hospital, then Michael took Adam to Aunt Amy's for the night.When I arrived, I was greeted by smiles! Amazing how those little dimples can make a Momma feel better. Sweet relief that he's feeling better.
He's still on a whiff of oxygen, just 1/8th of a liter. Once we get get him completely off the O2 with sustained levels for several hours, we can go home. His pertussis test was negative -- one fewer worry.
Finally Michael and I were able to spend a night together. We rented a couple of movies... surely our future date nights can be better than this!
Saturday
The goal today is to get him off the oxygen. Around noon they turned it off, but after an hour of room air he needed to be put back on. His levels dip when he sleeps and we want to be sure he can maintain the 90-100 level during naps and overnight. It looked like it would be one more night here.Our little man is grubby! He's a sweater and I felt like he was a sticky mess with matted hair. I couldn't stand it anymore and gave him a quick sponge bath with some cleaning wipes. I am a believer that a shower can make you feel better so maybe this will help. I can't wait to get him home and give him a thorough bath.
Meanwhile, Adam spent the day and night with Aunt Amy and his cousins. Michael went down for a few hours to visit with him, too. He hasn't seen much of him this week. I hadn't planned on leaving Adam there for two nights in a row but it worked out that way for the best. Besides, he could now attend cousin Sophie's 7th birthday slumber party! I told Amy please no makeup or glitter for my kid...Michael and I, again, ordered in dinner and settled in with a movie. We had a video call with some of Mindy's family to show him off when he was awake and smiling. Sharing the love!
Overnight the nurse turned off the O2, but again, he had to resume after an hour. We'd try again in the morning.Sunday
Here and now. Sam has been off the O2 since 8am and for the last two hours he's maintained his levels, not even dipping below 90 once, even during his nap. Fingers crossed! If he can keep this up through lunch we'll likely be going home today! What's nice is the nurse removed his cannula... we're almost there!
I'm heading down to Amy's to hang with my little man again. Hopefully we'll both we coming back soon to pick up Michael and Sam!
Thank you for all the prayers and texts and calls and well-wishes!! We'll keep you posted!
awww... love that the hospital gave him a wabbanub (paci pal)!
ReplyDelete