The Roller Coaster

 

I am going to have to come up with a new word for "tired" as the old one simply does not cover the depths and breadth of how I feel today. I am beyond exhausted, I feel greasy and I am sure the nurses cut a rather large path around me because I smell. And frankly Scarlet....I don't give a damn! 

It seems like eons ago since we sat at Yingling and waited for our tricycle on wheels to take us on this adventure of epic proportions. Adventure was the proper word. In just three short days I have been to places I have never been and been taken back to places I hoped I would never have to see again. It is all for the good though (or so I keep telling myself) for the though the journey is full of trials....the destination will be worth every second of the journey. That is pretty profound for 6 a.m. and no sleep....right????!

Yesterday was nothing but one big roller coaster ride. We started out rocky, improved, got rocky again.....improved and then got rocky again. By 11 p.m. last night....I was settling for fair just to keep my sanity. David started yesterday in the post op recovery room where they had kept him for the night. Although they were trying to keep me calm....I knew that his high heart rate had the whole recovery team a little on edge. The nurses in the recovery were amazing. Amazing because they were so professional and conscientious where David was concerned and amazing in the fact that none of them killed me and then hid my body........ as I know I drove those poor girls to distraction.  I can't help it. It is in my DNA! When it comes to my child....I want to be there and I want to know what is going on every second....even if it means I am being a pain in the ass! Luckily these nurses understood that and humored my constant calls and camping out outside the recovery even after they had kicked me out for the 10th time.

Before allowing David to go to the floor....the nurses decided they needed orders for an EKG to see if there was an under lying cause for his high heart rate. His blood pressure was good and his O2 sats were good,,,,but his heart rate even yesterday morning was in the 170's and he still had a temp. *****Little fun fact I learned yesterday. Kids who have spine surgeries and other ortho type surgeries seldom run fevers afterwards. HOWEVER....kids who have hip surgeries almost always do!!!!! Good to know!******* Anyway....orders for the EKG were obtained and the test came back great. No under lying cause was found so they attributed the heart rate to anesthesia (the increased heart rate started during surgery) and possibly a little bit towards pain. After changing dressings and getting checked out by the doctor, respiratory therapy and ALL the nurses...we were on our way to the room.

Grandma Carol (Tim's mom) awaited us in the room and David drifted in and out of sleep. The night before they had given him a couple of small doses of morphine through his IV but once on the floor they stopped the morphine and switched to loritab. They were also giving him valum regularly which was keeping him beyond relaxed and sending him  into (in my opinion) way too deep of a sleep. It was keeping him from coughing thus causing his drainage and congestion to start settling. Once I realized what was going on....I asked them to give him NO MORE valum. They agreed.

As the day progressed his heart rate started trending down. First the 150's, then 140's, 130's and finally I was really happy when he stayed in the low 120's. His temp went up and down and he would go into heavy sweats drenching his gown and bed but again this was a post op hurdle we simply had to get through. The nurses were so attentive and we had a stream of nursing students that were the best I had ever seen. They not only met Davids needs....but also seemed to anticipate them. Each one appeared to be more diligent than the next and I was highly impressed. I have had no doubt that David has been in the best hands possible since he has been here. Outside the NICU after David was born....I don't think he has ever been taken such good care of. Kudo's to Shriners staffing.

At noon yesterday....David managed to snarf (I don't use that word lightly) pancakes, tater tots and sausage. He was so hungry. He even ate with his eyes closed. Physical therapy came in and removed the pad from between his legs and manipulated both his knees and hips and he did not even flinch. I attribute this to the valum. We will be seeing PT again today and then starting tomorrow (pt doesn't come in on the weekends) I will be doing his PT. Let's see how he does without valum?! They also came in and removed his catheter yesterday afternoon. This allowed me to learn the easiest ways to manipulate his positions and to change him. For awhile it will take two people to do this as he is a bit bulky and as his pain meds go down and his pain goes up...he may not be too agreeable to being moved. I think however I will soon get the hang of changing him and moving him and maybe able to do a lot on my own.

After a fairly decent day yesterday...the evening started taking a bit of a down turn. His throat was full of congestion and his sats began dropping into the low 90's and the high 80's. His heart rate had also begun increasing and we were heading back up into the 140's, 150's and even 160's. His new trends were constantly setting off the alarms and his congestion was becoming a major concern. Respiratory therapy came in and suctioned him several times with little effect so they decided to put him on oxygen. The oxygen helped but because he was too out of it to cough on his own....suctioning has become a regular thing.

The night started out with me napping just long enough to make me even more tired. Between David's sats heading south every time the congestion built up and then him moving to cause a signal loss in the monitor.....we had bells and whistles going off all night. There was a steady stream of staff checking, positioning, changing, and suctioning all night. Trust me though....I am not complaining. I have been in hospitals where you scarcely saw a soul from 11 to 7. This is much better!!!!!

Through all that was going on with David yesterday.....500 miles away at home....Z was going through day two of not being able to keep anything down. If he even looked at food he was throwing up and what was worse is....he had never been sick without Mom! He was worried about school (although he did try to make it yesterday morning only to be sent home shortly after arriving). By evening he had thrown up so much and I was getting worried as he was getting scared he wasn't going to stop. I finally told him he had to find someone to come stay with him as every time he called David was doing some new heart rate or breathing antics that were causing me to pull out huge chunks of my hair. I couldn't do anything for either of these kids and I was about to lose it. Luckily dear Niki stepped up and went to stay the night with Z. It took a huge load off my mind. I am blessed beyond words to have the friends I have!!!!

So today begins day four of our journey and day two post surgery. He is still on oxygen but as he becomes less drugged he is coughing a little more. His sats are 100 and the heart rate is at about 155. His fever seems to be gone (for now) and he appears very comfortable. Today he will have to cough more and do PT....neither of which will make him happy, but this is all part of going through what he has to go through to get to where he needs to be. I plan on jumping in and learning how to change dressings and how to efficiently change his diapers and move him in bed with as little help as I can manage. I will also be getting a crash course in his PT. It will be a big day for all of us. I guess it is a good thing I brought clean clothes and deodorant!