Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Uncomfortable

Today was a rather quiet day for us in the PCICU. We found out this morning when we called that Chase had been moved to another "room" in the unit. They aren't really rooms but more like "slots" in one big room. We weren't sure why we were moved after 2 weeks in the same spot, but were told it had to do with how they pair the patients with the nurses. ((sigh)) I miss my cozy corner spot where it's dark, quiet and away from the germs that fly in every time the doors open. It's not a big deal though -- we just miss our old spot.

So Chase seemed to be feeling a bit uncomfortable most of the day today. They are still looking into whether or not he has an infection. His white blood cell count was slightly elevated, but they won't get the "official" results back on that until tomorrow. He's been increasing on his continuous feeds but had quite a bit of residual in his tummy this afternoon. I wasn't sure if that was part of what was making him seem uncomfortable or not. He also seemed to be moving his feeds along rather well but wasn't having great stools. Maybe that was the culprit? I don't know. It was a bit annoying today because we felt like we had to stay on the nurse to be sure Chase got what he needed, when he needed it. Even Chase's surgeon came by at one point to check on him and seemed a bit concerned that they hadn't started antibiotics yet even though they had concerns about an infection. That was around 1PM and I kept asking about the antibiotics, which still hadn't been administered when I had to leave the unit at 4:30PM. There was also blood cultures to be drawn, urine to be tested, feeds to be resumed, etc. and none of this had been done when I left. It was very frustrating since the entire time we've been in the PCICU, we've had EXCELLENT and ATTENTIVE care by an outstanding group of nurses who truly cared for Chase and his every need in a very timely manner. I guess now that his recovery is progressing so smoothly, he's not as "high maintenance" as he once was so there's less urgency in his care. I'm not a fan of this mindset!

Anyway, it was pretty quiet today with the exception of the issues we had with his care. Hubs and I are going back up shortly so we can follow up to be sure that all of the things that were supposed to be done, actually were done. Plus, I'm sure I don't have to tell you what a HUGE blessing and joy it is that I can finally hold my son pretty much any ol' time I want to! It's so amazing to hold him in my arms and stare into his beautiful face. God truly has given us a miracle from above!

As far as we know, we're still scheduled for the bronchoscopy tomorrow afternoon. I've been assured this is a pretty minor procedure. In fact, Chase won't be intubated for sure. They'll do the procedure and when they're done, if he needs the help, he'll be intubated but only for a short time. Once he's back in the PCICU and comes out of the anesthesia, he'll be extubated. So it made me feel better to know he won't 100% for sure have a breathing tube put back in, and even if he does, it'll only be for a short time. Whew!

Please do pray for Chase tomorrow around 1PM as he goes to the OR for this procedure. I know God has had His hand on Chase from before we even knew he would be joining our family, and He has been faithfully watching over our precious son since he was born just 15 short days ago. We look forward to a positive report tomorrow afternoon!

Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers for our sweet boy!

3 comments:

  1. I'll be in Philadelphia but you KNOW I'll be praying.

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  2. It's 12:30am, and I am already praying for Chase and this day.

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  3. Hoping you're getting some rest. How wonderful that you can hold Chase anytime you want now. Thinking of you all.

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