I hope everyone had a excellent Christmas!!!! And I hope you all havea happy new year.
It was very nice having Nathan home for Christmas. He was still battling a cold, so he slept most of the day. But he did get to open a few gifts. He got a lot of stuff.
Just to let everyone know that today Nathan woke us up gagging from all the flem he had from the cold he has been battling the last few days, and threw up most of his formula. I was concerned that he had aspirated, so I decided to take him to the ER, just to get him checked out. I am really glad I listened to my gut. He had aspirated some, and after all the blood work, and x-rayscame back they said Nathan has RSV. It is a respiratory viral infection. They did admit him AGAIN!!!! He is on antibiotics for the aspiration, and on oxygen and being monitor for the RSV. They say it is the time of year for it in kids, and its harder for them to get rid of it. I guess there are like 15 kids on this floor who have it. With the RSV, he can't be in contact with any other kids, so we have our own room, which is one nice thing. We are hoping he will be coming home Monday or Tuesday.
The Wood Family
Friday, December 26, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Nathan's First Christmas
T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house......We played with Nathan and got ready for Christmas Day :)
This is one of my favorite pictures. I love his shirt. He definitly does not need mistletoe to get kisses!!
And I had to get a picture of me with our little man.
This is one of my favorite pictures. I love his shirt. He definitly does not need mistletoe to get kisses!!
And I had to get a picture of me with our little man.We let Nathan open up 1 gift on Christmas eve. It was from a friend of mine. She had dropped it off when Nathan was in the hospital.
This right here is my greatest gift of all!!!!
Of course we had to get a picture of Nathan in a Santa Hat.
And we didn't forget to leave cookies and milk out for Santa.
We checked on Nathan just after midnight and he is sound asleep. I cannot wait to celebrate our First Christmas together has a whole family.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!
I only played for a little bit. I was just exhausted so while everyone played, I slept.
My favorite 2 men in the world!!!!
Then later in the day Grandma, Grandpa, Bryan, Gaga and Lindsay came by to exchange gifts.
Grandma also got a First Christmas as a Grandma Ornament from Nathan, and we also gave them a Picture frame of Nathan.
Nathan got to see his Gaga too. He just loves her so much.
He really cleaned up.~lol It was a great day!!!!! It was THE BEST Christmas I have ever had. And he was for sure all tuckered out at the end of the day.
Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!
This right here is my greatest gift of all!!!!Of course we had to get a picture of Nathan in a Santa Hat.
And we didn't forget to leave cookies and milk out for Santa.
We checked on Nathan just after midnight and he is sound asleep. I cannot wait to celebrate our First Christmas together has a whole family.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!
Santa Came!!!!
Today we celebrated Nathan's first Christmas. He has been battling a cold, and threw up some in the morning, but he did open a few gifts, which we video taped. After about 10 minutes, he got real fussy, and wanted to nap. So we laid him back down. After about a half hour he was up again, and finished opening his gifts.
Then Grandma, Papa, Mike and Melissa came by to exchange gifts. He had so much fun with all the toys he got.
We got our WII.
Grandma got a First Christmas as a Grandma Ornament from Nathan, and we gave them a Picture frame of Nathan.
After we opened Gifts, it was time to play with them all.
We broke out the Wii, and played for a long time.
I only played for a little bit. I was just exhausted so while everyone played, I slept.
My favorite 2 men in the world!!!!
Then later in the day Grandma, Grandpa, Bryan, Gaga and Lindsay came by to exchange gifts.
Grandma also got a First Christmas as a Grandma Ornament from Nathan, and we also gave them a Picture frame of Nathan.
Nathan got to see his Gaga too. He just loves her so much.
He really cleaned up.~lol It was a great day!!!!! It was THE BEST Christmas I have ever had. And he was for sure all tuckered out at the end of the day.
Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Nathan & Bananas
Today was the first time we tried Banana's. Nathan LOVED them. The nutritionist at the hospital wants him to have higher calorie foods, and banana's are one of them. So while we were waiting for Nathan to be released from the hospital, we decided to give them a try, and he loved them.
Were Home!!!!!
Well we are home!!!!! After 17 days in the hospital, we are finally home. We actually thought they were not going to release us because he lost an ounce, and thew up after his overnight feeding. But the doctor said he will throw up, but with the new medication, and feeding schedule, it will be less often. So they were comfortable in sending us home. It feels so good, to take our boy home. He seems SO much happier. I just hope he can keep up the good work, and gain some weight. There will be a visiting nurse that comes in twice a week for weight checks. We also had the nurse come in to go over his new machine. It is totally different than the one in the hospital. It is nice, because the machine is small. But it still has to be on a IV pole.
We gave Nathan his big Christmas gift early. He bought him a bouncer, and he just LOVES it. He does not use his feet too much yet, but I am sure he will soon.
That's it for now. I will post again, after the holidays.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.
Happy Birthday Matt!!!!!
We gave Nathan his big Christmas gift early. He bought him a bouncer, and he just LOVES it. He does not use his feet too much yet, but I am sure he will soon.
That's it for now. I will post again, after the holidays.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.
Happy Birthday Matt!!!!!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Friday Update
Well last night was the first night for the continous 10 hour feed. Nathan did great!!!!! He woke up maybe twice, but slept pretty good. He never threw up during the feed. That is definilty a plus. The feed was over at 7:30am. Then at 9:30am he was actinglike he was really hungry. So I made him a bottle and some oatmeal. He ate pretty well, but then we threw it up. I just think that his belly was over full. That was the only time he threw up. We had a pretty up and down day today. He was crabby for awhile, but had his good mood moments.
We got the "official" results from the MRI and that came back PERFECT!!! Dr. Holtrop came in and was talking about doing the GJ tube, and/or doing the surgery that closes that flap in his throat that caused the reflux. But after taking awhile to think about it, they have decided to not do either of them at the moment. She said that if we can get this controlled with medication, they would rather forgo surgery. She said they are looking to send us home tomorrow, if Nathan does well over night, and gains more weight. I really hope we can go home tomorrow. We are SO ready to get out of here. 16 days is WAY to long.
We got a voice mail from the people who deliver all of Nathan's supplies, and they said they were already at the house with the stuff. So I called back and let them know, we were still in the hospital. They said they wanted to deliver everything today, instead of the weekend. I let them know why can go back to the house in the next hour or so, and I would have my dad come by and receive everything. They agreed to that. I called the house and my dad said he would go over there and get the stuff. They also have a nurse on call for us, so whenever we get discharged she will come over to help us get set up.
We are praying we can go home tomorrow, and if that is the case, I plan on sleeping ALL DAY Sunday.~Lol Kevin is taking the bulk of our stuff to the car tonight, so we won't have a lot to take out Saturday or Sunday.
Well that is it for now, I hope to report on the next post that we are home.
We got the "official" results from the MRI and that came back PERFECT!!! Dr. Holtrop came in and was talking about doing the GJ tube, and/or doing the surgery that closes that flap in his throat that caused the reflux. But after taking awhile to think about it, they have decided to not do either of them at the moment. She said that if we can get this controlled with medication, they would rather forgo surgery. She said they are looking to send us home tomorrow, if Nathan does well over night, and gains more weight. I really hope we can go home tomorrow. We are SO ready to get out of here. 16 days is WAY to long.
We got a voice mail from the people who deliver all of Nathan's supplies, and they said they were already at the house with the stuff. So I called back and let them know, we were still in the hospital. They said they wanted to deliver everything today, instead of the weekend. I let them know why can go back to the house in the next hour or so, and I would have my dad come by and receive everything. They agreed to that. I called the house and my dad said he would go over there and get the stuff. They also have a nurse on call for us, so whenever we get discharged she will come over to help us get set up.
We are praying we can go home tomorrow, and if that is the case, I plan on sleeping ALL DAY Sunday.~Lol Kevin is taking the bulk of our stuff to the car tonight, so we won't have a lot to take out Saturday or Sunday.
Well that is it for now, I hope to report on the next post that we are home.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Nathan & Squash
Nathan got his first taste of squash today. He loved them. He ate 3 whole ounces. I think its safe to say we have another vegetable we love. I fed him another jar later in the day, and he ate the whole 4 ounces. Plus he kept it down, which is definitely a plus.
Wednesday & Thursday Update
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
All in all today was a pretty good day. Since he was just being monitored for the day, I went to work and left Kevin to take care of Nathan. Kevin said that Nathan was pretty fussy for about half of the day but then he was in a pretty good mood the later part of the day. I got up to the hospital about 4:15 and as i headed down the hallway to his room, he was walking with Grandpa to meet me. It took him about 5 mins to realize i was standing in front of him because he was too busy checking out all the nurses. Once he realized i was standing in front of him, he got the biggest smile and was so excited to see me. He has pretty much refused the bottle, so pretty much 99% of his feedings are through the tube. He kept all of the feeds down except for his 11PM feeding. About 1/2 way through his 11PM feed, he just gagged and threw it all up. And since he had to stop all food at midnight because of his MRI in the morning, we decided to not finish the feeding because we did not want to upset his stomach more.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Kevin and I slept pretty good last night but the nurse came in to let us know that transport was on their way to pick him up. I couldn't believe that Kevin and I had slept till 8AM but when i looked at the clock, it was actually 6:30AM. So as i was trying to wake up, our nurse was talking to Nathan and he was just laughing and cooing at her. He is such a flirt! He got into an even better mood when he realized his favorite transport lady was taking him down for his MRI. So we got down to the 2nd floor and into one of the cubicles to await the nurse to take us into the MRI room. The transport lady came back to give Nathan a bag which contained a smaller bag of frogs that Nathan can take into the tub with him. He was so excited to yet get another new toy. The anesthesiologist came in and started getting the tools they needed to put him asleep. They said that we could stay until they put him to sleep. We thought it was really weird that we got to stay but we were excited too that we could stay with him till he got to sleep. I really wish I would have been able to videotape how fast it was before he was out. They laid him on the gurney and the one doctor started putting the medication into his IV and the other doctor had the oxygen mask by his nose. Nathan was talking and trying to grab the oxygen mask and within like 20 seconds he let out this big yawn and was out. It kind of freaked us out cuz his eyes were still open. Like i said, i really really wish we could have video taped it. But the doctor said the MRI could take anywhere between an hour to 3 hours depending on the shots they got. So we went into the waiting room and i think Kevin and i pretty much passed out the entire time we were in there. The MRI took about an hour and a half. After the MRI was over, we were told we could go up to the room till he was brought up. Transport brought him up about 20 mins after we got to the room. He was pretty fussy when he got up to the room so i held him for a while. We got to feed him and he did pretty well and kept it down. He was still fussy when my mom, his grandma, came in the room but once he heard her voice, he got really excited and started laughing. She definitely has the magic touch.
Later on in the day Kevin and his dad wanted to take Nathan for a walk but we were instructed to stay in our rooms because there was an incident down the hall from us. Not really sure what happened but security and Detroit Police were up here and they escorted a couple from the room. We've now changed his eating habits again and we really think its going to work. The new feeding schedule is that during the day he will need to consume 8oz of formula whether by bottle or mixed with cereal. They have also upped his calorie intake from 24 calories to 27 calories. He will have to eat a 4oz jar of baby food (fruit) twice a day and a 2-4oz jar of baby food (vegetable) twice a day. Then at night he will get 13 oz of formula through his G Tube over a 10 hour period. We really think that this is going to help because he really loves anything by spoon and refuses to take the bottle. We decided to try squash for the first time today and he absolutely loved it.
We got the test results back from his stool sample and that came back negative and the results from the MD blood test came back negative as well. Later in the day we got the (unofficial) results of the MRI and that came back PERFECT! We will get the official results back tomorrow. Dr. Ferguson came by to see how Nathan was doing so i decided to ask him if he could give us an estimate on when we could come home. He said that if he does well with this overnight feed and gains some weight, he could probably come home Saturday or Sunday. That was like music to my ears. Dr. Holtrop came in and says she has something in mind that she kind of wants to ponder overnight and she will get back to me tomorrow to let me know if its something that may work. She is really trying to avoid changing the G Tube to the JG Tube, which will make it go to his small intestine rather than his stomach.
Auntie Lindsay showed up around 5:45 tonight and Monkey was so excited to see her. She brought him this really cool Christmas Bear. He is wearing a hat and scarf...Too cute! They played and he was smiling and laughing. He was so excited to see her after she had been gone for so long. As i type this, Lindsay and I are watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory while Nathan is sleeping as well as getting his first overnight feeding through his tube. So far so good!
That's it for now. I will post again tomorrow evening!
All in all today was a pretty good day. Since he was just being monitored for the day, I went to work and left Kevin to take care of Nathan. Kevin said that Nathan was pretty fussy for about half of the day but then he was in a pretty good mood the later part of the day. I got up to the hospital about 4:15 and as i headed down the hallway to his room, he was walking with Grandpa to meet me. It took him about 5 mins to realize i was standing in front of him because he was too busy checking out all the nurses. Once he realized i was standing in front of him, he got the biggest smile and was so excited to see me. He has pretty much refused the bottle, so pretty much 99% of his feedings are through the tube. He kept all of the feeds down except for his 11PM feeding. About 1/2 way through his 11PM feed, he just gagged and threw it all up. And since he had to stop all food at midnight because of his MRI in the morning, we decided to not finish the feeding because we did not want to upset his stomach more.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Kevin and I slept pretty good last night but the nurse came in to let us know that transport was on their way to pick him up. I couldn't believe that Kevin and I had slept till 8AM but when i looked at the clock, it was actually 6:30AM. So as i was trying to wake up, our nurse was talking to Nathan and he was just laughing and cooing at her. He is such a flirt! He got into an even better mood when he realized his favorite transport lady was taking him down for his MRI. So we got down to the 2nd floor and into one of the cubicles to await the nurse to take us into the MRI room. The transport lady came back to give Nathan a bag which contained a smaller bag of frogs that Nathan can take into the tub with him. He was so excited to yet get another new toy. The anesthesiologist came in and started getting the tools they needed to put him asleep. They said that we could stay until they put him to sleep. We thought it was really weird that we got to stay but we were excited too that we could stay with him till he got to sleep. I really wish I would have been able to videotape how fast it was before he was out. They laid him on the gurney and the one doctor started putting the medication into his IV and the other doctor had the oxygen mask by his nose. Nathan was talking and trying to grab the oxygen mask and within like 20 seconds he let out this big yawn and was out. It kind of freaked us out cuz his eyes were still open. Like i said, i really really wish we could have video taped it. But the doctor said the MRI could take anywhere between an hour to 3 hours depending on the shots they got. So we went into the waiting room and i think Kevin and i pretty much passed out the entire time we were in there. The MRI took about an hour and a half. After the MRI was over, we were told we could go up to the room till he was brought up. Transport brought him up about 20 mins after we got to the room. He was pretty fussy when he got up to the room so i held him for a while. We got to feed him and he did pretty well and kept it down. He was still fussy when my mom, his grandma, came in the room but once he heard her voice, he got really excited and started laughing. She definitely has the magic touch.
Later on in the day Kevin and his dad wanted to take Nathan for a walk but we were instructed to stay in our rooms because there was an incident down the hall from us. Not really sure what happened but security and Detroit Police were up here and they escorted a couple from the room. We've now changed his eating habits again and we really think its going to work. The new feeding schedule is that during the day he will need to consume 8oz of formula whether by bottle or mixed with cereal. They have also upped his calorie intake from 24 calories to 27 calories. He will have to eat a 4oz jar of baby food (fruit) twice a day and a 2-4oz jar of baby food (vegetable) twice a day. Then at night he will get 13 oz of formula through his G Tube over a 10 hour period. We really think that this is going to help because he really loves anything by spoon and refuses to take the bottle. We decided to try squash for the first time today and he absolutely loved it.
We got the test results back from his stool sample and that came back negative and the results from the MD blood test came back negative as well. Later in the day we got the (unofficial) results of the MRI and that came back PERFECT! We will get the official results back tomorrow. Dr. Ferguson came by to see how Nathan was doing so i decided to ask him if he could give us an estimate on when we could come home. He said that if he does well with this overnight feed and gains some weight, he could probably come home Saturday or Sunday. That was like music to my ears. Dr. Holtrop came in and says she has something in mind that she kind of wants to ponder overnight and she will get back to me tomorrow to let me know if its something that may work. She is really trying to avoid changing the G Tube to the JG Tube, which will make it go to his small intestine rather than his stomach.
Auntie Lindsay showed up around 5:45 tonight and Monkey was so excited to see her. She brought him this really cool Christmas Bear. He is wearing a hat and scarf...Too cute! They played and he was smiling and laughing. He was so excited to see her after she had been gone for so long. As i type this, Lindsay and I are watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory while Nathan is sleeping as well as getting his first overnight feeding through his tube. So far so good!
That's it for now. I will post again tomorrow evening!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Monday and Tuesday Update
Monday, December 15, 2008
Well today Nathan was at his highest weight ever. That made us happy, but he is still throwing up, and on the oxygen. Kevin is off today, so I went into work. I only have 2 more FMLA days left. Once I got to work, I sent an email to our HR manager, to see if there is anything else I can do. I gave him a brief summary of what is going on. I also let him know I love my job there, and don't want to lose it. I am hoping he will meet with me and give me some options, that will work for us. I guess only time will tell.
Kevin said Nathan had a pretty good day. Throwing up aside, he was in a good mood. Kevin texted me later in the day, and said that the Detroit Pistons were up at the hospital and wanted to know if one of them could meet Nathan. Um, of course!!!!!! I was hoping I could make it up there beforehand, but I didn't. Nathan got his picture taken with the Piston (Walter Hermann) and he gave him a stuffed animal wearing a Pistons bib. It was SO sweet. We of course got a couple pictures. They even took a Polaroid shot and he signed it. That was so nice of them to take time to come up here.
Later in the evening I was holding Nathan, and Kevin was talking to him, and a worker came in our room with balloons and said this is for room 631. Well I never thought they were for us, so I asked bed 1 or 2. He said 1. I was shocked, said thank you, and received the gift. So as I am holding Nathan, Kevin proceeds to open the gift. Besides the balloons, there was this adorable teddy bear. It made Nathan very happy. I opened the card and started crying. (Happy tears) It was from The Brown family. Julia was my birth buddy from babyfit. Babyfit is a website that I have been on since trying to conceive. It brings others together who are TTC, pregnant, or are already mommies. They are there for support, and to answer any questions needed. Well Julia was on my May mommy team. We were both due around the same time, and basically went through our whole pregnancy together. Toward the end the team made up a birth buddy list, were we would exchange numbers, and when one of us would go into labor, we would inform our buddy, and they would inform the group. I got paired with Julia. She is such a sweetheart, and to take the time and money to give Nathan a gift during this ruff time is unbelievable. So thank you so very much Julia. You are the best.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
I woke up sicker than ever this morning, but still decided to go to work. So I got Nathan's bottle ready, ran to the bathroom got dressed for work, and headed back to the room. Once the bottle was ready I picked Nathan up, sat in the chair and all of a sudden with no warning Nathan threw up all over me. After the nurse came in, she told us not to feed him, and she would talk to the doctor. So after I changed my clothes, I called work to let them know that I was going to be late that I had to run home and get new work clothes. After talking with Dr. Ferguson, I decided it would probably be better if I stayed here, so I can get more info from the doctors. After awhile, I left the hospital because I had to run to the bank, and the post office. Kevin also ordered me to stay home to get some rest, since I have been running on fumes. I did take a long nap, which felt great. I feel slightly better, but not really. Before returning to the hospital my friend Shelley came by to bring me some cookies, and even brought a gift for Nathan. It was so sweet of her. She even offered to take my laundry home with her, do it, and bring it back tomorrow. I declined, but it was so nice of her to offer. I just love my mommy group. I left the house about 5pm and seen that it had already started snowing. I didn't get back to the hospital until about 7:15. The weather and roads were horrible. I couldn't do more than 35 on the freeway. But I made it safe!!!
Once I got back Kevin gave me a update on what's next. They are doing a MRI tomorrow to rule out anything neurological. They are also taking more blood work tomorrow. They are testing for MD, even though they think it will be negative. They also gave us some more things that may work. One is surgery related. We are still taking things day by day. So we will see what happens with the MRI tomorrow. I am going into work, and leaving about 1:30pm. The MRI is at 2:30. I will update tomorrow night.
Good Night everyone!!!!
Well today Nathan was at his highest weight ever. That made us happy, but he is still throwing up, and on the oxygen. Kevin is off today, so I went into work. I only have 2 more FMLA days left. Once I got to work, I sent an email to our HR manager, to see if there is anything else I can do. I gave him a brief summary of what is going on. I also let him know I love my job there, and don't want to lose it. I am hoping he will meet with me and give me some options, that will work for us. I guess only time will tell.
Kevin said Nathan had a pretty good day. Throwing up aside, he was in a good mood. Kevin texted me later in the day, and said that the Detroit Pistons were up at the hospital and wanted to know if one of them could meet Nathan. Um, of course!!!!!! I was hoping I could make it up there beforehand, but I didn't. Nathan got his picture taken with the Piston (Walter Hermann) and he gave him a stuffed animal wearing a Pistons bib. It was SO sweet. We of course got a couple pictures. They even took a Polaroid shot and he signed it. That was so nice of them to take time to come up here.
Later in the evening I was holding Nathan, and Kevin was talking to him, and a worker came in our room with balloons and said this is for room 631. Well I never thought they were for us, so I asked bed 1 or 2. He said 1. I was shocked, said thank you, and received the gift. So as I am holding Nathan, Kevin proceeds to open the gift. Besides the balloons, there was this adorable teddy bear. It made Nathan very happy. I opened the card and started crying. (Happy tears) It was from The Brown family. Julia was my birth buddy from babyfit. Babyfit is a website that I have been on since trying to conceive. It brings others together who are TTC, pregnant, or are already mommies. They are there for support, and to answer any questions needed. Well Julia was on my May mommy team. We were both due around the same time, and basically went through our whole pregnancy together. Toward the end the team made up a birth buddy list, were we would exchange numbers, and when one of us would go into labor, we would inform our buddy, and they would inform the group. I got paired with Julia. She is such a sweetheart, and to take the time and money to give Nathan a gift during this ruff time is unbelievable. So thank you so very much Julia. You are the best.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
I woke up sicker than ever this morning, but still decided to go to work. So I got Nathan's bottle ready, ran to the bathroom got dressed for work, and headed back to the room. Once the bottle was ready I picked Nathan up, sat in the chair and all of a sudden with no warning Nathan threw up all over me. After the nurse came in, she told us not to feed him, and she would talk to the doctor. So after I changed my clothes, I called work to let them know that I was going to be late that I had to run home and get new work clothes. After talking with Dr. Ferguson, I decided it would probably be better if I stayed here, so I can get more info from the doctors. After awhile, I left the hospital because I had to run to the bank, and the post office. Kevin also ordered me to stay home to get some rest, since I have been running on fumes. I did take a long nap, which felt great. I feel slightly better, but not really. Before returning to the hospital my friend Shelley came by to bring me some cookies, and even brought a gift for Nathan. It was so sweet of her. She even offered to take my laundry home with her, do it, and bring it back tomorrow. I declined, but it was so nice of her to offer. I just love my mommy group. I left the house about 5pm and seen that it had already started snowing. I didn't get back to the hospital until about 7:15. The weather and roads were horrible. I couldn't do more than 35 on the freeway. But I made it safe!!!
Once I got back Kevin gave me a update on what's next. They are doing a MRI tomorrow to rule out anything neurological. They are also taking more blood work tomorrow. They are testing for MD, even though they think it will be negative. They also gave us some more things that may work. One is surgery related. We are still taking things day by day. So we will see what happens with the MRI tomorrow. I am going into work, and leaving about 1:30pm. The MRI is at 2:30. I will update tomorrow night.
Good Night everyone!!!!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Sunday Update
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Nathan was in a pretty good mood today, he was laughing, talking and playing. But he also slept a lot during the day. There are a few set backs. He still needs oxygen, is still on morphine, and is throwing up. They tried taking him off the oxygen, but he went down to 78%. So they had to put him back on it. After surgery he started on the morphine every 3 hours, then to every 4 hours, then to 6, and then every 8 hours, with Tylenol in between. But last night, he was in a lot of pain so we had to go back to giving him morphine every 6 hours. As for the throwing up, He threw up real bad right before his 8pm feeding. He scared us really bad. Amanda (the RN) said they are now going to be checking his stomach contents, before each feed. If his tummy is full then he will skip that feeding. To check his stomach, they hook up a syringe to the tube, and start pulling it back. Whatever is in his tummy will go up into the syringe. If his belly is full they will skip that feeding. They do put back whatever they pull out. (Hey, that's a great diet. You can eat whatever you want, and just extract it from your belly. I'll never gain weight again~lol jk) He did keep down all the feedings during the night, so that was good.
I go back to work Monday, and I am not looking forward to it. Kevin doesn't want me to leave either, because he is scared to be alone. I keep telling him, he will be fine, and that if he needs any help to ask the nurses. That is what they are there for. I also have a horrible cold now. I have the whole head cold thing. So I am taking medicine for it, and wearing masks around Nathan. Last thing we need is for him to catch something. The nurses said if I wear the masks, he will be fine.
They are still talking about sending him home Tuesday, but we are not letting them kick us out, until we know Nathan is 100%. Because I am not taking him home early, to turn around and come right back. Even though, I really want him home.
Nathan was in a pretty good mood today, he was laughing, talking and playing. But he also slept a lot during the day. There are a few set backs. He still needs oxygen, is still on morphine, and is throwing up. They tried taking him off the oxygen, but he went down to 78%. So they had to put him back on it. After surgery he started on the morphine every 3 hours, then to every 4 hours, then to 6, and then every 8 hours, with Tylenol in between. But last night, he was in a lot of pain so we had to go back to giving him morphine every 6 hours. As for the throwing up, He threw up real bad right before his 8pm feeding. He scared us really bad. Amanda (the RN) said they are now going to be checking his stomach contents, before each feed. If his tummy is full then he will skip that feeding. To check his stomach, they hook up a syringe to the tube, and start pulling it back. Whatever is in his tummy will go up into the syringe. If his belly is full they will skip that feeding. They do put back whatever they pull out. (Hey, that's a great diet. You can eat whatever you want, and just extract it from your belly. I'll never gain weight again~lol jk) He did keep down all the feedings during the night, so that was good.
I go back to work Monday, and I am not looking forward to it. Kevin doesn't want me to leave either, because he is scared to be alone. I keep telling him, he will be fine, and that if he needs any help to ask the nurses. That is what they are there for. I also have a horrible cold now. I have the whole head cold thing. So I am taking medicine for it, and wearing masks around Nathan. Last thing we need is for him to catch something. The nurses said if I wear the masks, he will be fine.
They are still talking about sending him home Tuesday, but we are not letting them kick us out, until we know Nathan is 100%. Because I am not taking him home early, to turn around and come right back. Even though, I really want him home.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Friday evening & Saturday Update
Friday evening, December 12, 2008
Nathan had a pretty good evening and night. We had them keep the morphine coming every 3 hours. We just wanted to make sure he was as comfortable as possible. They also gave him one dose of Motrin, cause he his temp was a little high. It worked, and it has been normal since. He needed oxygen through the night. Every so often he would wake up and cry, but after singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to him, he would go right back to sleep. At the sight were the tube is, he did not have any bleeding, and there was very little drainage. Tonight was the first night I was here by myself. It went well. I slept pretty well, but it was more of broken up sleep. I would get up after hour or so, cause Nathan kept pulling his oxygen from his nose, and the alarm would go off, because it would go under 92%. Yet, I still felt pretty rested.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The nurse woke me up at 7am for Nathan's daily weight check. They normally do it around 5am, but she wanted to do it around 7am since that was also the time for his next dose of morphine. So as she was zeroing out the scale, I got Nathan all undressed, and got ready to pick him up. I was scared because I had not held him since the surgery. As I picked him up, he wanted to stretch, and he arched his back, and stretched out his stomach. All of a sudden he started screaming. I freaked out. I thought he was in SO much pain, and I also thought the tube was going to pop right out. So I hurried and laid him on the scale. He just kept screaming. He weighed 12 pounds 1 ounce. (Not bad since he had not had any food since 12am Friday morning) After that was done, I hurried him back to the bed. But once I laid him down, he was out. Fell right asleep. So I don't think he was in pain, I think he was just scared. I mean I did have to wake him up, and disturb him. But he got his dose of morphine, so I'm sure if he was hurting, that pain went away. We also decided to start spreading out the morphine. We went from every 3 hours to every 4 hours. And then to every 5 hours.
Little while later Dr. El-baba came in to check his tube site, and said it looks very well. And that we can start the pedilite. The first 2 doses would be through the tube to make sure it works okay. If it does and he keeps it down, we can switch to formula. It took awhile to get the first feed done, because they had to order the pump. Once it finally arrived I watched the nurse Tami do the first feed. It looks to be pretty easy. She did say the pump we have to bring home may be different. He did great, and kept that down. 3 hours later we did it again, this time she watched me do it. It wasn't bad, but there is a lot to remember. After that since mom was up, I decided to go home for a bit. I hadn't been home since last Sunday, so it was time. Once I got home, I went through the mail, played with the cats, took a nice long shower (so much better than the hospital shower) and then decided to take a nap. Well it was a real restless sleep. I kept hearing Nathan crying and the alarms of the monitor going off. Needless to say I left the house and headed back. I was gone for about 3 hours.
When I got back Kevin said Nathan did great. He took 3 ounces of formula by mouth, and kept it down. YAY!!!! He also said they changed the morphine back to every 4 hours, cause 5 was too long, and he was hurting really bad. Since I came back mom decided she was going to head home, so she handed Nathan over to me. I am scared to hold him, cause I don't want to hurt him. But he opened his eyes, and gave me a lil smile. Then grandma blew kisses to him, and he smiled and was talking a bit. It was SO sweet. He is in bed right now resting, Kevin is on the floor in his makeshift bed, and I am in the chair. Well that's about it for tonight. I also want to again, say thanks to everyone who has been keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. We really appreciate everything.
My thought for the future:
Seeing all the things that Nathan needs for the tube, I am wondering how in the heck are we going to be able to go anywhere. I mean the machine and the feeding bag have to be on a pole, and its not small by any means. I don't know how this is going to work. Am I ever going to be able to take him shopping with me, or are we going to be able to make play dates?? I think its going to take some time to get things figured out. I want to keep his life as normal as possible, and I don't want this to restrict him. I hope we can make it work.
Nathan had a pretty good evening and night. We had them keep the morphine coming every 3 hours. We just wanted to make sure he was as comfortable as possible. They also gave him one dose of Motrin, cause he his temp was a little high. It worked, and it has been normal since. He needed oxygen through the night. Every so often he would wake up and cry, but after singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to him, he would go right back to sleep. At the sight were the tube is, he did not have any bleeding, and there was very little drainage. Tonight was the first night I was here by myself. It went well. I slept pretty well, but it was more of broken up sleep. I would get up after hour or so, cause Nathan kept pulling his oxygen from his nose, and the alarm would go off, because it would go under 92%. Yet, I still felt pretty rested.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The nurse woke me up at 7am for Nathan's daily weight check. They normally do it around 5am, but she wanted to do it around 7am since that was also the time for his next dose of morphine. So as she was zeroing out the scale, I got Nathan all undressed, and got ready to pick him up. I was scared because I had not held him since the surgery. As I picked him up, he wanted to stretch, and he arched his back, and stretched out his stomach. All of a sudden he started screaming. I freaked out. I thought he was in SO much pain, and I also thought the tube was going to pop right out. So I hurried and laid him on the scale. He just kept screaming. He weighed 12 pounds 1 ounce. (Not bad since he had not had any food since 12am Friday morning) After that was done, I hurried him back to the bed. But once I laid him down, he was out. Fell right asleep. So I don't think he was in pain, I think he was just scared. I mean I did have to wake him up, and disturb him. But he got his dose of morphine, so I'm sure if he was hurting, that pain went away. We also decided to start spreading out the morphine. We went from every 3 hours to every 4 hours. And then to every 5 hours.
Little while later Dr. El-baba came in to check his tube site, and said it looks very well. And that we can start the pedilite. The first 2 doses would be through the tube to make sure it works okay. If it does and he keeps it down, we can switch to formula. It took awhile to get the first feed done, because they had to order the pump. Once it finally arrived I watched the nurse Tami do the first feed. It looks to be pretty easy. She did say the pump we have to bring home may be different. He did great, and kept that down. 3 hours later we did it again, this time she watched me do it. It wasn't bad, but there is a lot to remember. After that since mom was up, I decided to go home for a bit. I hadn't been home since last Sunday, so it was time. Once I got home, I went through the mail, played with the cats, took a nice long shower (so much better than the hospital shower) and then decided to take a nap. Well it was a real restless sleep. I kept hearing Nathan crying and the alarms of the monitor going off. Needless to say I left the house and headed back. I was gone for about 3 hours.
When I got back Kevin said Nathan did great. He took 3 ounces of formula by mouth, and kept it down. YAY!!!! He also said they changed the morphine back to every 4 hours, cause 5 was too long, and he was hurting really bad. Since I came back mom decided she was going to head home, so she handed Nathan over to me. I am scared to hold him, cause I don't want to hurt him. But he opened his eyes, and gave me a lil smile. Then grandma blew kisses to him, and he smiled and was talking a bit. It was SO sweet. He is in bed right now resting, Kevin is on the floor in his makeshift bed, and I am in the chair. Well that's about it for tonight. I also want to again, say thanks to everyone who has been keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. We really appreciate everything.
My thought for the future:
Seeing all the things that Nathan needs for the tube, I am wondering how in the heck are we going to be able to go anywhere. I mean the machine and the feeding bag have to be on a pole, and its not small by any means. I don't know how this is going to work. Am I ever going to be able to take him shopping with me, or are we going to be able to make play dates?? I think its going to take some time to get things figured out. I want to keep his life as normal as possible, and I don't want this to restrict him. I hope we can make it work.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday and Friday Update
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Today was pretty uneventful. When Dr. Ferguson came in, in the morning, they advised us they may try to schedule him for the G tube today. But we would have to wait to talk with Dr. El-baba. His results for the brain ultrasound came back just fine. They also tested his stool to see if he caught a cold, since he has been having diarrhea. That came back negative as well. He weighed in at 12 pounds 4 ounces. I had decided after I talked to the Dr. to come home and get a few hours of sleep, if they were not going to do the G tube. Well that didn't happen!!! The Dr. was in surgery most of the day and he did not get to see us until about 5pm. As I talked to the doctor, they decided they were going to schedule the surgery for tomorrow morning. The doctor also said that if all goes well, then he may be able to come home Sunday or Monday. I also spoke with the discharge nurse, and she advised me, that there will be things we will be taking home to care for him. And that a nurse would come to our home the day he is discharged to help us out. Then we will have a nurse come by from time to time to help us out. Well since it was after 5pm I decided it wasn't worth going home for a few hours and coming back. So I decided to nap there. Kevin got up to the hospital after work about 7pm. He was SO happy to be back. He took Naters for a walk, and Nathan absolutely LOVED it. He was smiling, flirting, and talking to all the nurses. It was SO cute. It was nice to see him in a great mood and smiling.
Friday, December 12, 2008
The nurse came in about 5am to get his weight, and of course wouldn't you know it, he lost. He weighed in at 11 pounds 15 ounces. I just don't get it. I really hope by having this G tube, that will help him gain the weight. I really hope we are not putting him through that for nothing. After he was weighed I decided to go back to sleep. Kevin was already sleeping soundly on the floor. The nurse came in about 7:00 am to wake me up, and let me know, they are going to come get Nathan about 8:30am. Since I couldn't fall back asleep I decided to watch a little bit of the news. (News update: The Senate declined the bailout loan for the big 3 automakers, andthey believe they found the remains of Little Kaylee who has been missing for about 7 months) The student nurses cam in to take Nathan's Vitals about 8am, and said they would take another set at about 8:15am before transport comes to get Nathan. Well at about 8:35am or so, transport came, and we took Nathan down to the 2nd floor for his surgery. Once we got there, the nurse and anastegologist came in and asked a few questions. They said the surgery would take about an hour. So they took our little man, and we went to the waiting room. Waiting seemed to take FOREVER!!!! About an hour later Dr. El-baba came out to talk with us. He said everything went well, and even gave us a picture of what the tube looks like from inside his belly. He said that he will be probably have it for at least 4 months or so, but could be longer. He said some kids have it in for years. (GOD, I hope it won't be in for years)
After talking to the Dr. we went up to his room to wait for him. It seemed to take a long time, but then the nurse came in and said Nathan was very uncomfortable so they were keeping him a bit longer to give him a high dose this drug that the 6th floor can't get. Finally he came up. It was SO good to see out little boy. He was very cranky, and fussy, but he wasn't really awake either. They took his vitals and showed us the tube. Its right above his belly button. Kevin held him for a long while then we had him put back in bed. That way he would be more comfy. The nurse said that she docent think he is in much pain, but that he just doesn't like the way the drugs are making him feel. I am sure its a little of both. Right now as I type this he is resting comfortably. I hope he can get plenty of rest today. That's it for now. I will post more when I can.
Today was pretty uneventful. When Dr. Ferguson came in, in the morning, they advised us they may try to schedule him for the G tube today. But we would have to wait to talk with Dr. El-baba. His results for the brain ultrasound came back just fine. They also tested his stool to see if he caught a cold, since he has been having diarrhea. That came back negative as well. He weighed in at 12 pounds 4 ounces. I had decided after I talked to the Dr. to come home and get a few hours of sleep, if they were not going to do the G tube. Well that didn't happen!!! The Dr. was in surgery most of the day and he did not get to see us until about 5pm. As I talked to the doctor, they decided they were going to schedule the surgery for tomorrow morning. The doctor also said that if all goes well, then he may be able to come home Sunday or Monday. I also spoke with the discharge nurse, and she advised me, that there will be things we will be taking home to care for him. And that a nurse would come to our home the day he is discharged to help us out. Then we will have a nurse come by from time to time to help us out. Well since it was after 5pm I decided it wasn't worth going home for a few hours and coming back. So I decided to nap there. Kevin got up to the hospital after work about 7pm. He was SO happy to be back. He took Naters for a walk, and Nathan absolutely LOVED it. He was smiling, flirting, and talking to all the nurses. It was SO cute. It was nice to see him in a great mood and smiling.
Friday, December 12, 2008
The nurse came in about 5am to get his weight, and of course wouldn't you know it, he lost. He weighed in at 11 pounds 15 ounces. I just don't get it. I really hope by having this G tube, that will help him gain the weight. I really hope we are not putting him through that for nothing. After he was weighed I decided to go back to sleep. Kevin was already sleeping soundly on the floor. The nurse came in about 7:00 am to wake me up, and let me know, they are going to come get Nathan about 8:30am. Since I couldn't fall back asleep I decided to watch a little bit of the news. (News update: The Senate declined the bailout loan for the big 3 automakers, andthey believe they found the remains of Little Kaylee who has been missing for about 7 months) The student nurses cam in to take Nathan's Vitals about 8am, and said they would take another set at about 8:15am before transport comes to get Nathan. Well at about 8:35am or so, transport came, and we took Nathan down to the 2nd floor for his surgery. Once we got there, the nurse and anastegologist came in and asked a few questions. They said the surgery would take about an hour. So they took our little man, and we went to the waiting room. Waiting seemed to take FOREVER!!!! About an hour later Dr. El-baba came out to talk with us. He said everything went well, and even gave us a picture of what the tube looks like from inside his belly. He said that he will be probably have it for at least 4 months or so, but could be longer. He said some kids have it in for years. (GOD, I hope it won't be in for years)
After talking to the Dr. we went up to his room to wait for him. It seemed to take a long time, but then the nurse came in and said Nathan was very uncomfortable so they were keeping him a bit longer to give him a high dose this drug that the 6th floor can't get. Finally he came up. It was SO good to see out little boy. He was very cranky, and fussy, but he wasn't really awake either. They took his vitals and showed us the tube. Its right above his belly button. Kevin held him for a long while then we had him put back in bed. That way he would be more comfy. The nurse said that she docent think he is in much pain, but that he just doesn't like the way the drugs are making him feel. I am sure its a little of both. Right now as I type this he is resting comfortably. I hope he can get plenty of rest today. That's it for now. I will post more when I can.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday & Wednesday Update
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Well Today was the first day I went to work since Nathan has been in the hospital. It was VERY hard to leave. Before I went to work, the nurse came in to weigh him and again he lost. He weighed 12 pounds 4 ounces. He is still throwing up, and we don't know why. Now it is a waiting game. We have to wait for the doctors to come in before we know what the next step is. So I got to work, and everyone came up to me to ask for an update. I let them know what is going on, and then I got some things together and started work. There is not much for me, since nothing has come over from Ford's. Kristal called me in the morning, and we talked about Nathan and his progress. So I tried to do a little research online, but didn't come up with much. I am not sure what I am looking for. Kevin called me a few times, and I got to hear Nathan talking. Man I miss him already. I did not want to be at work.
Kevin said the Lactation consultant came in to watch Nathan at his feeding. She said his upper lip is tight, and we can do some exercise to help that. (What kind of exercise can be done, who knows??) She also said his lower lip is perfect, and he has weak cheeks. (Lol) I guess she is going to work with him to help him suck the bottle better. Later in the day about 2:45pm Kevin said Dr. El-baba came in and said he ordered the scope for tomorrow. They will down his throat with the scope then take a small biopsy. As much as I want everything to be okay, I am hoping they can't find the issue and fix it. I guess only time will tell. Also while Melissa was holding Nathan, I guess he sneezed and coughed at the same time, and the tube came out. So they had to remove that tube, and place a new one down. I feel so bad for him. He shouldn't have to go through that again.
After work, I stopped and grabbed a bite to eat, then headed up to the hospital. WOW I didn't realize rush hour is SO bad~lol But it was nice to clear my head. I got up here about 5:40pm. He was SO happy to see his momma. I let Kevin rest most of the night, cause he came down this the Diego flu. (There was this child we shared a room with named Diego that was sick, and well ever since then everyone got it. Me, Kevin, Mom, Dad, Bryan, Hank, Terri) We are just getting anxious about the scope tomorrow. (They classify it as a surgery) The anastegiolist came in and asked a bunch of questions, and advised we have to stop feeding him at 1:00am. Kevin and I must have been SO exhausted, cause the nurse took most of the evening feedings. We really like Charlene, she is great.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Nathans last feeding was at 1am. I guess he did not throw up his food, which is a great thing. But he did throw up some mucus about 5:30am. Then he got weighed, and wouldn't you know it, he lost. He weighed in at 12 pounds 1 ounce. They said its cause he stopped eating early. After he was weighed we all went back to sleep. I don't think we got up until 8:45pm. They came to get him for the scope around 9:30am. We went down stairs and talked to the antegiolist some more, and they gave us an idea about how long the procedure was going to take. Afterwards we said our good byes, and went to the waiting room. Dr. El-baba came out about 10:20am and let us know Nathan did great. And guess what??? There are NO blockages. Everything looks good. We even got a picture as a souvenir. He is just stumped and doesn't understand what it could be. The next step is to get the results of the biopsy tomorrow, then we will go from there. He said that what will probably end up happening is they will put the G tube through the stomach on Friday, and take out the NG tube. He thinks that maybe that will help him from not throwing up, since there will be nothing irritating him. The tube will probably stay in for a few months, and he will be here in the hospital for about another week. I guess we will know more tomorrow.
Since we were not allowed in the recovery room, we ran to Subway (in another hospital) Nathan was back up about 10 minutes after we got back from subway. He looked so peaceful, and was sound asleep. Once he woke up, we were allowed to give him pedilite. If he could keeep that down, he can have his formula again. Well he chugged down 3 ounces, and so far its staying down. He is now again asleep, and I hope he sleeps for awhile, because he relly needs to rest. Kevin went back to work this afternoon, so Melissa is staying up here with me for the night. I am hoping Kevin will so home after work, and get some rest. Only time will tell.
Well Today was the first day I went to work since Nathan has been in the hospital. It was VERY hard to leave. Before I went to work, the nurse came in to weigh him and again he lost. He weighed 12 pounds 4 ounces. He is still throwing up, and we don't know why. Now it is a waiting game. We have to wait for the doctors to come in before we know what the next step is. So I got to work, and everyone came up to me to ask for an update. I let them know what is going on, and then I got some things together and started work. There is not much for me, since nothing has come over from Ford's. Kristal called me in the morning, and we talked about Nathan and his progress. So I tried to do a little research online, but didn't come up with much. I am not sure what I am looking for. Kevin called me a few times, and I got to hear Nathan talking. Man I miss him already. I did not want to be at work.
Kevin said the Lactation consultant came in to watch Nathan at his feeding. She said his upper lip is tight, and we can do some exercise to help that. (What kind of exercise can be done, who knows??) She also said his lower lip is perfect, and he has weak cheeks. (Lol) I guess she is going to work with him to help him suck the bottle better. Later in the day about 2:45pm Kevin said Dr. El-baba came in and said he ordered the scope for tomorrow. They will down his throat with the scope then take a small biopsy. As much as I want everything to be okay, I am hoping they can't find the issue and fix it. I guess only time will tell. Also while Melissa was holding Nathan, I guess he sneezed and coughed at the same time, and the tube came out. So they had to remove that tube, and place a new one down. I feel so bad for him. He shouldn't have to go through that again.
After work, I stopped and grabbed a bite to eat, then headed up to the hospital. WOW I didn't realize rush hour is SO bad~lol But it was nice to clear my head. I got up here about 5:40pm. He was SO happy to see his momma. I let Kevin rest most of the night, cause he came down this the Diego flu. (There was this child we shared a room with named Diego that was sick, and well ever since then everyone got it. Me, Kevin, Mom, Dad, Bryan, Hank, Terri) We are just getting anxious about the scope tomorrow. (They classify it as a surgery) The anastegiolist came in and asked a bunch of questions, and advised we have to stop feeding him at 1:00am. Kevin and I must have been SO exhausted, cause the nurse took most of the evening feedings. We really like Charlene, she is great.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Nathans last feeding was at 1am. I guess he did not throw up his food, which is a great thing. But he did throw up some mucus about 5:30am. Then he got weighed, and wouldn't you know it, he lost. He weighed in at 12 pounds 1 ounce. They said its cause he stopped eating early. After he was weighed we all went back to sleep. I don't think we got up until 8:45pm. They came to get him for the scope around 9:30am. We went down stairs and talked to the antegiolist some more, and they gave us an idea about how long the procedure was going to take. Afterwards we said our good byes, and went to the waiting room. Dr. El-baba came out about 10:20am and let us know Nathan did great. And guess what??? There are NO blockages. Everything looks good. We even got a picture as a souvenir. He is just stumped and doesn't understand what it could be. The next step is to get the results of the biopsy tomorrow, then we will go from there. He said that what will probably end up happening is they will put the G tube through the stomach on Friday, and take out the NG tube. He thinks that maybe that will help him from not throwing up, since there will be nothing irritating him. The tube will probably stay in for a few months, and he will be here in the hospital for about another week. I guess we will know more tomorrow.
Since we were not allowed in the recovery room, we ran to Subway (in another hospital) Nathan was back up about 10 minutes after we got back from subway. He looked so peaceful, and was sound asleep. Once he woke up, we were allowed to give him pedilite. If he could keeep that down, he can have his formula again. Well he chugged down 3 ounces, and so far its staying down. He is now again asleep, and I hope he sleeps for awhile, because he relly needs to rest. Kevin went back to work this afternoon, so Melissa is staying up here with me for the night. I am hoping Kevin will so home after work, and get some rest. Only time will tell.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Monday Update
Monday, December 8, 2008
Today was a on and off day. Nathan was in a good mood for the latter part of the day. He had his upper and lower GI testing today, and that was HORRIBLE. They strapped him down to this boards, with his arms above his head, and then they started the Barium. One good thing is that he did not have to ingest it. They did it all through the tube. He was a real trooper through the whole thing, but when he would scream and cry, all I wanted to do was beat up all those people, grab him and run. When they got the the upper GI part they pulled out part of the feeding tube, so they did not have to make him drink it. Then I had to hold his arms above his head for the rest of the test. It was heartbreaking, cause he would wrap his little fingers around my finger, and would just squeeze it. I was SO glad when it was over. We got back to the room, and he just passed out. So we fed him through the tube.
Poor little man threw up most of the food he had today, so I pray this does not set his weight back. Later in the day Dr. El-baba came in and said the test came back normal. So he wants to wait until tomorrow before he schedules anything. So as of now Nathan is not scheduled for the scope. As long as he does not have any test tomorrow, I will be returning to work. Which is breaking my heart. I hate that I have to go back, but I know I need to. Kevin and I are just SO exhausted, we don't know what way is up anymore. But I can't see leaving him, not one bit. So I am going to try to go to sleep early, so I can try and function at work tomorrow, if I have to go in.
I just tube fed Nathan, and now he is sleeping on his daddy. They are watching Jeopardy. We don't have many channels here. They are doing shift change right now, so I don't know who is going to be his nurse tonight. He did have Melissa again. This is the 3rd time we have had her during the day. She is SO nice, and we really like her. Well not much new to report. We just hope they can figure things out soon. We are ready to take our Naters home.
Today was a on and off day. Nathan was in a good mood for the latter part of the day. He had his upper and lower GI testing today, and that was HORRIBLE. They strapped him down to this boards, with his arms above his head, and then they started the Barium. One good thing is that he did not have to ingest it. They did it all through the tube. He was a real trooper through the whole thing, but when he would scream and cry, all I wanted to do was beat up all those people, grab him and run. When they got the the upper GI part they pulled out part of the feeding tube, so they did not have to make him drink it. Then I had to hold his arms above his head for the rest of the test. It was heartbreaking, cause he would wrap his little fingers around my finger, and would just squeeze it. I was SO glad when it was over. We got back to the room, and he just passed out. So we fed him through the tube.
Poor little man threw up most of the food he had today, so I pray this does not set his weight back. Later in the day Dr. El-baba came in and said the test came back normal. So he wants to wait until tomorrow before he schedules anything. So as of now Nathan is not scheduled for the scope. As long as he does not have any test tomorrow, I will be returning to work. Which is breaking my heart. I hate that I have to go back, but I know I need to. Kevin and I are just SO exhausted, we don't know what way is up anymore. But I can't see leaving him, not one bit. So I am going to try to go to sleep early, so I can try and function at work tomorrow, if I have to go in.
I just tube fed Nathan, and now he is sleeping on his daddy. They are watching Jeopardy. We don't have many channels here. They are doing shift change right now, so I don't know who is going to be his nurse tonight. He did have Melissa again. This is the 3rd time we have had her during the day. She is SO nice, and we really like her. Well not much new to report. We just hope they can figure things out soon. We are ready to take our Naters home.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Update on our little Naters
Its 9:11pm on Sunday, and as I give this update, Nathan is sleeping soundly on his daddy.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Saturday was a REAL ruff day. Nathan was just miserable. He did not take to well to the every 3 hour feeding of 4 ounces. He threw up most of it. It was hard for him to get up every 3 hours in the middle of the night. Nathan showed a weight loss at his 5:30am weight check. So when the doctors came in they were not pleased. Kevin and I got real mad at the doctors, because we were telling them that he can't handle that much food that often. They kept tellin us, that he needs to eat to gain weight, and help his brain function. Well no s**t. We understand he needs it, but he can't handle it. SO as I am sitting there balling my eyes out, Kevin was getting kinda loud. I guess you can say, we reached our breaking point. After we calmed down, we talked with the doctor, he changed his feedings to 3 1/2 ounces every 3 hours, plus put him on medicine to help him not throw up and settle his stomach. It seems to be working.
He has pretty much refused the bottle all together. So we are giving all his feeding through the tube. We still offer the bottle to him beforehand, but he never takes it. He cried a lot most of the day, he was just so uncomfy. They had to put in a IV to give him some more fluids, so now our lil man has a IV in his foot, and a tube down his nose. I hate seeing him like this. He had to have a ultrasound done, so we went down about 5pm for that. (Results came back normal) The nurses have been real great. The nurse Saturday night did not want to wake him up, so he could get a good night sleep, so at his midnight feeding she did not wake him up, but just fed him through the tube. (Kevin and I must have been knocked out, cause we did not hear her come in to feed him) I think Saturday was the worst day so far.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
At his 3am feeding he woke up about 15 minutes prior to his feeding, and was in a panic. He started crying and gagging real bad. It was horrible. He didn't really throw up though, so that was good. Once he calmed down, he took 1 ounce from the bottle and the rest was in the tube. The nurse told us she was going to weigh him before his next feeding, so we would have a "dry weight". So Nathan was weighed about 5:45am. He weighed in at 12 pounds 4 ounces. We were THRILLED!!!!!! But we asked the nurse if the IV bar would make the weight a lot higher. She said to take 1 ounce off for the IV bar. (So did the doc) Dr. El-Baba came in and was pleased with his weight, and said to keep up what we are doing. He also said they we can give Nathan his oatmeal and pears again. (Which we did and he was SO happy to get his pears) The doctor said Nathan will be here for another 3 to 7 days, and Monday they are doing the Barium upper GI test. He is putting off the scope for now, but is sure he will still have it. Kevin and I are now trying to figure out our work schedules, to see who will be up here and when. I should be going back Tuesday, as long as no major testing will take place. As much as I don't want to return to work, I have to make some money. The bills don't stop, because we are in the hospital.
My mom and Kevin's dad came up about 1:30pm to hang out, and kick us out. Kevin and I decided to take them up on their offer, since we were in desperate need of a shower~Lol. So Kevin and I went home, and when we walked in, we noticed the cats broke one of our ornaments. I was pissed, it was one of our dated ones. BUT, I can't be mad at them, its hard for them with us not being home. After we cleaned that up, I jumped in the shower, and man did it feel good. I did not want to leave. Afterwards we packed up some more stuff, then laid down about 4pm to take a short nap. It was really a restless one, but a least my headache went away. We got back up to the hospital around 7:40pm. We are so happy we are back. We really missed him. I did bring up stuff to do our Christmas cards. I really want to get them out this year. It is now 10:07pm, and Nathan is eating from his bottle. (YAY!!!) I am hoping he will finish it. Well that's all I have for now. I will update again, as soon as I can.
We also want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. It means a lot!!
UPDATE: Nathan took 2 1/2 ounces by bottle and 1 ounces through the tube!!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Saturday was a REAL ruff day. Nathan was just miserable. He did not take to well to the every 3 hour feeding of 4 ounces. He threw up most of it. It was hard for him to get up every 3 hours in the middle of the night. Nathan showed a weight loss at his 5:30am weight check. So when the doctors came in they were not pleased. Kevin and I got real mad at the doctors, because we were telling them that he can't handle that much food that often. They kept tellin us, that he needs to eat to gain weight, and help his brain function. Well no s**t. We understand he needs it, but he can't handle it. SO as I am sitting there balling my eyes out, Kevin was getting kinda loud. I guess you can say, we reached our breaking point. After we calmed down, we talked with the doctor, he changed his feedings to 3 1/2 ounces every 3 hours, plus put him on medicine to help him not throw up and settle his stomach. It seems to be working.
He has pretty much refused the bottle all together. So we are giving all his feeding through the tube. We still offer the bottle to him beforehand, but he never takes it. He cried a lot most of the day, he was just so uncomfy. They had to put in a IV to give him some more fluids, so now our lil man has a IV in his foot, and a tube down his nose. I hate seeing him like this. He had to have a ultrasound done, so we went down about 5pm for that. (Results came back normal) The nurses have been real great. The nurse Saturday night did not want to wake him up, so he could get a good night sleep, so at his midnight feeding she did not wake him up, but just fed him through the tube. (Kevin and I must have been knocked out, cause we did not hear her come in to feed him) I think Saturday was the worst day so far.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
At his 3am feeding he woke up about 15 minutes prior to his feeding, and was in a panic. He started crying and gagging real bad. It was horrible. He didn't really throw up though, so that was good. Once he calmed down, he took 1 ounce from the bottle and the rest was in the tube. The nurse told us she was going to weigh him before his next feeding, so we would have a "dry weight". So Nathan was weighed about 5:45am. He weighed in at 12 pounds 4 ounces. We were THRILLED!!!!!! But we asked the nurse if the IV bar would make the weight a lot higher. She said to take 1 ounce off for the IV bar. (So did the doc) Dr. El-Baba came in and was pleased with his weight, and said to keep up what we are doing. He also said they we can give Nathan his oatmeal and pears again. (Which we did and he was SO happy to get his pears) The doctor said Nathan will be here for another 3 to 7 days, and Monday they are doing the Barium upper GI test. He is putting off the scope for now, but is sure he will still have it. Kevin and I are now trying to figure out our work schedules, to see who will be up here and when. I should be going back Tuesday, as long as no major testing will take place. As much as I don't want to return to work, I have to make some money. The bills don't stop, because we are in the hospital.
My mom and Kevin's dad came up about 1:30pm to hang out, and kick us out. Kevin and I decided to take them up on their offer, since we were in desperate need of a shower~Lol. So Kevin and I went home, and when we walked in, we noticed the cats broke one of our ornaments. I was pissed, it was one of our dated ones. BUT, I can't be mad at them, its hard for them with us not being home. After we cleaned that up, I jumped in the shower, and man did it feel good. I did not want to leave. Afterwards we packed up some more stuff, then laid down about 4pm to take a short nap. It was really a restless one, but a least my headache went away. We got back up to the hospital around 7:40pm. We are so happy we are back. We really missed him. I did bring up stuff to do our Christmas cards. I really want to get them out this year. It is now 10:07pm, and Nathan is eating from his bottle. (YAY!!!) I am hoping he will finish it. Well that's all I have for now. I will update again, as soon as I can.
We also want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. It means a lot!!
UPDATE: Nathan took 2 1/2 ounces by bottle and 1 ounces through the tube!!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
My thoughts
Well it is Saturday, December 6th @ 1:15am, and I cannot sleep. I am sitting on this uncomfy chair looking over at Naters sleeping in the crib, and seeing Kevin laying on the hard floor thinking to myself what is happening here??? How did we get here? I just don't understand how this is happening. I mean Nathan started out on the right track, and then it just stopped. You wouldn't know it by his personality, but he is a sick baby. I mean being 6 months and only weighing 11 pounds 11 ounces??? What is going on?? It's not like we don't feed him. He eats, but the pounds do not add on. I have never heard of this happening before.
So just a re-cap. Nathan was admitted into the hospital yesterday because of his FTT (failure to thrive) due to him being VERY under weight. This morning the Gi doctor came in and said they were going to put a tube down him from his nose to his stomach to help him gain the weight. Basically what will happen is, we will feed Nathan normally from his bottle, and what he does not finish the rest will be put into the tube. They are having him take in 4 ounces every 3 hours. He is talking about having the tube stay in place for a month. He explained that they will show us how to feed him with the tube, and also how to changed it out to place a new one in. I guess it has to be replaced every so often. I told him, there is NO WAY I am going to take the tube out, and force another one through is nose. Thank god for Emily. She is a nurse here, and a really good friend. She lives about 2 miles from us, and said she will come over and replace it when needed, and if we needed anything to give her a buzz. Again THANK GOD for her. So it was around 3pm on Friday I think that they came for us to take Nathan to the pain room (well treatment room they call it) Kevin and I walked with Nathan down there, while 2 nurses came in and got things ready. They asked me to hold down Nathan's hands while one held his head still, and the other inserted the tube. I couldn't do it. Kevin was the strong one, who could. SO as they have my baby all pinned down, in goes the tube. Nathan is screaming his head off, and gagging, while I am balling my eyes out. I just wanted to punch those chicks, scoop up my son and run. It was HORRIBLE!!!!! After it was inserted Kevin picked him up to comfort him, and all Nathan could do was cry and gag while I am still balling my eyes out. It was hard for awhile but Nathan finally calmed down, and got back to his happy self. You can tell it bothers him from time to time, but of course it would.
He fell asleep for a good while afterwards, and when he woke up Kevin said he sucked down his 4 ounces. Which was awesome, so no tube feeding. About 8:30pm the nurse came in and wanted to give him his medicine. (For his acid reflux) He was sleeping on me, so I asked her if she could just give it to him through the tube. I mean he already had been through so much, why make him taste and swallow yucky medicine. So she was nice enough to do it. (I am going to keep doing that while the tube is in. Why not help him out some, if I can??) 9pm rolled around and it was time for his feeding. Again my little man ate all 4 ounces. Afterward he fell asleep. So I decided to sleep since his next feeding was only 3 hours away. I woke up to him being fussy, and seen Kevin was holding him and feeding him. He ended up taking 3 ounces, so the last ounce was put through the tube. It didn't phase him at all. He slept through the whole thing. His next feeding is at 3am. Which I should be sleeping until then, but my mind is reeling, and I cannot turn it off. I figured this would help.
We are hoping he will be released Sunday, but we are not for sure yet. They are still doing his stool test (72 hrs), and we still have to learn about this tube. Part of me is really scared to bring him home, but I know that is what will be best for him. I have also decided to give him his big Christmas present early. He was chillin in this bouncer saucer in the play room and was loving it. So we are going to give him his bouncer when we get home. I think he will really enjoy it.
On the lighter side. Nathan played bingo yesterday and won all 3 rounds. He won this sweet toy, a bag full of alphabet blocks, and the stackable rings. He loves his new toys. (Except the blocks, which are being put away for later) His grandma also bought him this HUGE Diego balloon, which he LOVES. He has been in a pretty good mood for the most part. Its nice to see him smiling after all he has been through. He is such a trooper. Well its 1;45AM, and my eyes are getting heavy again. So I am going to get off of here, and try to rest. His next feeding is a 3am.
Bye for now!!!!
So just a re-cap. Nathan was admitted into the hospital yesterday because of his FTT (failure to thrive) due to him being VERY under weight. This morning the Gi doctor came in and said they were going to put a tube down him from his nose to his stomach to help him gain the weight. Basically what will happen is, we will feed Nathan normally from his bottle, and what he does not finish the rest will be put into the tube. They are having him take in 4 ounces every 3 hours. He is talking about having the tube stay in place for a month. He explained that they will show us how to feed him with the tube, and also how to changed it out to place a new one in. I guess it has to be replaced every so often. I told him, there is NO WAY I am going to take the tube out, and force another one through is nose. Thank god for Emily. She is a nurse here, and a really good friend. She lives about 2 miles from us, and said she will come over and replace it when needed, and if we needed anything to give her a buzz. Again THANK GOD for her. So it was around 3pm on Friday I think that they came for us to take Nathan to the pain room (well treatment room they call it) Kevin and I walked with Nathan down there, while 2 nurses came in and got things ready. They asked me to hold down Nathan's hands while one held his head still, and the other inserted the tube. I couldn't do it. Kevin was the strong one, who could. SO as they have my baby all pinned down, in goes the tube. Nathan is screaming his head off, and gagging, while I am balling my eyes out. I just wanted to punch those chicks, scoop up my son and run. It was HORRIBLE!!!!! After it was inserted Kevin picked him up to comfort him, and all Nathan could do was cry and gag while I am still balling my eyes out. It was hard for awhile but Nathan finally calmed down, and got back to his happy self. You can tell it bothers him from time to time, but of course it would.
He fell asleep for a good while afterwards, and when he woke up Kevin said he sucked down his 4 ounces. Which was awesome, so no tube feeding. About 8:30pm the nurse came in and wanted to give him his medicine. (For his acid reflux) He was sleeping on me, so I asked her if she could just give it to him through the tube. I mean he already had been through so much, why make him taste and swallow yucky medicine. So she was nice enough to do it. (I am going to keep doing that while the tube is in. Why not help him out some, if I can??) 9pm rolled around and it was time for his feeding. Again my little man ate all 4 ounces. Afterward he fell asleep. So I decided to sleep since his next feeding was only 3 hours away. I woke up to him being fussy, and seen Kevin was holding him and feeding him. He ended up taking 3 ounces, so the last ounce was put through the tube. It didn't phase him at all. He slept through the whole thing. His next feeding is at 3am. Which I should be sleeping until then, but my mind is reeling, and I cannot turn it off. I figured this would help.
We are hoping he will be released Sunday, but we are not for sure yet. They are still doing his stool test (72 hrs), and we still have to learn about this tube. Part of me is really scared to bring him home, but I know that is what will be best for him. I have also decided to give him his big Christmas present early. He was chillin in this bouncer saucer in the play room and was loving it. So we are going to give him his bouncer when we get home. I think he will really enjoy it.
On the lighter side. Nathan played bingo yesterday and won all 3 rounds. He won this sweet toy, a bag full of alphabet blocks, and the stackable rings. He loves his new toys. (Except the blocks, which are being put away for later) His grandma also bought him this HUGE Diego balloon, which he LOVES. He has been in a pretty good mood for the most part. Its nice to see him smiling after all he has been through. He is such a trooper. Well its 1;45AM, and my eyes are getting heavy again. So I am going to get off of here, and try to rest. His next feeding is a 3am.
Bye for now!!!!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Nathan & Sweet Potatoes
After I got home from work, Nathan was ready to eat. So I made him a bottle, and Kevin fed him. After the bottle he was still a little hungry, so I decided instead of pears I would try the Sweet Potatoes. Well he Loved them. There was no fussiness, or anything. He ate about a 1/4 of the container. Well later on in the evening after his play date, I made him a bottle, and he just did not want it. So I mixed the formula with Oatmeal cereal and pears, and he didn't even want that. So I decided to pull out the rest of the Sweet potatoes. Well he polished off the container, and then ate a whole container (stage 2) of pears. He was So happy afterwards. I think we have his first favorite Veggie. We are going to try Squash Saturday!!
Monday, December 1, 2008
6 Months Old
Its hard to believe that 6 months ago I brought Nathan into this world, and life has not been the same since. In fact, it is 100 times better. I really truly cannot imagine my life without him. He brings such joy to our lives. A lot has happen over the last month. He is still battling his FTT. He has seen a GI specialist, and has met his new doctor. We have seen an improvement in his weight, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that he keeps is up. We have started introducing stage 1 foods. He is in LOVE with pears, but is not crazy about Veggies yet. Nathan has learned to give kisses, but only if he is in a good mood~Lol He is still rolling all around the house, and still trying to figure out how to crawl. He gets those legs under his butt, and tries, but no luck just yet. His third tooth has come through. They look so cute!!! He is such a happy baby, and seems to be doing much better. I can't believe that Christmas is right around the corner. I told myself and others that I was not going all out since he is too young to know what is going on, but that did not last long. He is growing up right in front of my eyes, I keep wondering where my little baby went.
Besides his mommy and daddy, Nathan definitely has a favorite. He is IN LOVE with his Uncle Bryan. Every time he sees Bryan, his face lights up. If I have a hard time getting Nathan to sleep, I can hand him to his Uncle, and he calms down and falls asleep on him. If Nathan is sleeping and Bryan comes over and starts talking, he becomes wide awake and gets SO excited!!!!!! Fred bear and Roscoe are getting MORE comfortable with Nathan. Bear loves to lay on the floor with Nathan when he is playing. Nathan can even kick him, and pull his hair, and Bear does not seem to mind too much. I still closely monitor it, and make sure I am sitting right there, just in case. Bear also sleeps in Nathan's room by the rocking chair, and if Roscoe is not laying on our bed, he is laying in the doorway of Nathan's room. Its too cute.
WOW!!! 6 more months, and Nathan will be a year!!!! I know its going to go by SO fast!!!! I am enjoying EVERY minute of him. I can't wait to get home from work, just to see him. When he is playing on the floor, I get down on the floor and play with him. We have SO much fun!!!! His laugh is SO adorable and cute. I can't stop smiling when I am with him. He is the most important man in my life. I told Kevin that I was sorry, but I found another love of my life. Kevin agrees.
Besides his mommy and daddy, Nathan definitely has a favorite. He is IN LOVE with his Uncle Bryan. Every time he sees Bryan, his face lights up. If I have a hard time getting Nathan to sleep, I can hand him to his Uncle, and he calms down and falls asleep on him. If Nathan is sleeping and Bryan comes over and starts talking, he becomes wide awake and gets SO excited!!!!!! Fred bear and Roscoe are getting MORE comfortable with Nathan. Bear loves to lay on the floor with Nathan when he is playing. Nathan can even kick him, and pull his hair, and Bear does not seem to mind too much. I still closely monitor it, and make sure I am sitting right there, just in case. Bear also sleeps in Nathan's room by the rocking chair, and if Roscoe is not laying on our bed, he is laying in the doorway of Nathan's room. Its too cute.
WOW!!! 6 more months, and Nathan will be a year!!!! I know its going to go by SO fast!!!! I am enjoying EVERY minute of him. I can't wait to get home from work, just to see him. When he is playing on the floor, I get down on the floor and play with him. We have SO much fun!!!! His laugh is SO adorable and cute. I can't stop smiling when I am with him. He is the most important man in my life. I told Kevin that I was sorry, but I found another love of my life. Kevin agrees.
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