They've started bringing me my own chair for rounds. Ha. That's what you get when you've been in the PICU for two weeks, I guess. This afternoon, the Attending even brought me over to the room across the hall where everyone scrutinizes the x-rays. I got an interesting peek at a cat scan that I probably wasn't supposed to see, and then they pulled up two of Ike-a-saurus' chest x-rays so that I could learn how to compare them.
His x-ray from this morning looked terrible. A whole lobe on his left side was hazy. But by this afternoon, it had cleared up considerably. Not completely, but I could see it looked better. They have been doing this IPV treatment today. It's like the CPT gentle beatings, but from the inside out. It looks like they hook up a car battery to his trach and it pounds air into his lungs. Somehow he just sucks his paci and sleeps through it. Then he spends the next few hours barfing mucus. That part is horrible, but I guess it's helping. It is the saddest, weirdest thing to see him cry and not make any noise.
He coughed so hard, he blew the feeding tube out of his nose - all the way up from his small intestine. Poor dude.
This whole hazy lung/barfing mucus extravaganza was not part of the original plan. It is new and disconcerting. They have him on antibiotics to knock it out before it turns into pneumonia, and they seem quite non-panicky about it. But it makes me a little panicky.
Right now he is napping and so maybe I will nap, too. I have no idea if I will go home today to see the kids or not. I want to see them so badly, but I can't leave him all by himself to barf mucus for three hours. The nurses keep an eye on his monitor from outside the room, and it has been looking great today, ironically. So I'm afraid if I leave him he will just sit in here alone, hacking up junk. That's no good at all.
Nap first. Worry about further plans later.
He looks so cute and back to his old self without the tube in his nose. I hate for them to put it back.
*hug*
Posted by: Alison Strobel Morrow | February 27, 2009 at 05:52 PM
Glad the afternoon xray looked better, even if it means barfing out the mucus-- poor baby! And poor mama. *hugs*
Posted by: Allie | February 27, 2009 at 06:05 PM
We're praying for you and sweet Ike-a-saurus! He might be the cutest baby ever :)
Posted by: K | February 27, 2009 at 07:01 PM
If only you could clone you and clone your emotions as well as the body, then you be in two places at the same and feel good about both! Alas. I am sending positive vibes and prayers and whatever else you need for that cloning thing to happen and for Ike to have clear lungs AND no vomit!
Posted by: Frances | February 27, 2009 at 08:06 PM
Vomiting mucous sounds like = BAD, but the fact that he's getting it out of his body = GOOD, I'm hoping? Mother Goddess, Kari....let some conclusion and some rest come soon.
Posted by: reen | February 27, 2009 at 11:29 PM
*hugs* hang in there...
Posted by: Jennifer | February 27, 2009 at 11:34 PM
Still here thinking about you guys. Damn...
Posted by: Debbie T. | February 28, 2009 at 12:38 AM
Still thinking about you and your precious family. When my son had his tube hanging out of his nose, I always thought it looked like spaghetti - anything for a laugh in the midst of craziness. Hang in there!!!
Posted by: Arin | February 28, 2009 at 09:58 PM
hugs, still sending you and your's good vibes.
Posted by: Angela | March 01, 2009 at 01:36 AM
Sorry, Mama, that barf or rama doesn't sound fun for either one of you. I'm hoping next week is better than this week, just like this week was better than last week,and that it's a ateady upward trend. Hugs to you and yours.
Posted by: Lindsay | March 01, 2009 at 01:49 AM