Good morning! We are back at the hospital for the day. Christopher had a bit of a spell after I spoke to his nurse overnight. He dropped his oxygen level and required some suctioning to clear the secretions from his airway. It only lasted a few seconds and wasn’t considered a severe spell. They’re not sure what caused it – quite possibly he just decided to hold his breath which interferes with the ventilator. At any rate, his oxygen levels are fine this morning and they tell us these spells are quite common.
His chest x-ray last night did show a tiny bit of his left lung had collapsed, which is really common after surgery on the chest. They were repeating it this morning as we arrived in the room, and the lung has already reinflated on its own.
He is more awake today for sure, trying to turn his head and open his eyes when he hears our voices. The nurses keep commenting on his beautiful blue eyes, as he pops them open whenever they touch him.
He is entirely off the blood pressure medication now and his blood pressure is good. It does go up when they touch him or when he hears us, but that’s a normal response and is considered appropriate and good. They have warned us that he may well need more blood pressure medication in the next few days, particularly when the breathing tube comes out, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.
We noticed this morning that he is a bit more pale than he was yesterday. It’s hard to say why that is. He’s not anemic, which is good. It’s possible that it’s because he’s just not quite as warm as he was yesterday, but his temperature is still within normal limits so they aren’t worried about it. It’s just very noticeable to me because I was revelling in his pinkness yesterday! The nurse told us that babies often look a bit worse on the day after surgery than they do immediately after surgery, probably just because they have been through so much stress.
Brad and I are doing well. We both had a good night’s sleep, which makes coping with all of these things much easier. It was hard to leave Christopher last night but I think it was the right decision. We are better able to cope with each little hurdle now that we are feeling better rested.
Thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers headed our way. Keep them coming - they are working!
So glad you were able to get some rest so you can think more clearly and face today. It sounds like overall, he really is doing great. Sending all our Seattle love to you!
Posted by: Virginia See | 06/22/2011 at 12:17 PM
Hi guys. I am thinking about you all and I'm glad that Christopher is doing so well. Stay strong.
Posted by: Amanda Graham | 06/22/2011 at 04:14 PM
My heart and thoughts are with you guys right now. I hope he mends quickly. This must be so very difficult, but it seems that you're coping well. I'm sure the rest helped, as difficult as it was to leave him. Big hugs to you all. XOXO
Posted by: Trina | 06/22/2011 at 08:27 PM
Hi guys, I'm so glad to hear that Christopher is doing well today, especially responding to your voices! And I'm glad that you got some much needed rest, that is really important too. Thinking of you all during this difficult time.
Posted by: Apps 55753818692 849610074 Dfdaa2a77305aed169c7513bc7c07cee | 06/22/2011 at 08:37 PM
Hi, Nikki,
I don't know if we've ever met- -I am a family doc in Collingwood and good friends with Kate McLachlin and Alex Fraser. They forwarded your link to me thinking that I knew you...anyway I just had to tell you that I am thinking of and praying for you and your little boy. We went through a similar crisis with our first born. When he was 10 months old he got a really bad case of RSV and was intubated in the ICU of sick kids for a whole week. I don't know exactly what you're going through but I feel our stories are similar. When we went through this with Toby, I remember one of the things I worried about was if he would ever be the same again after having been intubated, on morphine for a week, poked and proded etc etc. It was very reassuring for me to hear of other kids who had been through anything remotely similar and know they are doing OK. So rest assured- - Toby is now a healthy, active, happy 3 year old. It hasn't scarred or slowed him down in the least. So once you get through this, you'll be through it, and can leave the heartwrenching memories behind and enjoy a normal child. Stay strong. This, too, shall pass, and you will have many many years of enjoying your precious Christopher. Sending you lots of prayers from Collingwood,
:) Alyssa
Posted by: Lyssboyd.blogspot.com | 06/23/2011 at 01:11 PM