Showing posts with label Day 1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Day 1. Show all posts

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The Day After




It was another long day at the hospital. Because there were no beds available in the step-down unit (aka regular cardiac wing where the kids go when they leave intensive care) Luna stayed in the CICU. It was just as well. Though she is doing perfectly well, actually well ahead of the curve, she was really uncomfortable. Her mood/attitude was somewhere between stoic and resentful. We didn't see a smile out of her all day. Of course, how can we blame her. And she seemed almost angry with me. She wouldn't look at me. She starred at the TV-all. day. long. Health-wise she's in excellent shape. Her sats were rising nicely all day. When we got there in the morning she was in the low seventies, and by the time we left she was in the eighties. She did have the help of a little oxygen-the kind of devise that has two tubes that goes up into your nostrils. She spent much of the day scratching and pulling at it. Luna did what she needed to do in order to prove she was fast-tracking it outta the ICU which consited of eating (tons, 5 bottles in the time we were there and poop (it's a big deal after surgery that your bowels work-poor Lu-she'll read this in as an adult and be mortified). Little by little wires and leads are being taken off of her. For meds she's taking an antibiotic for the drain tube that protrudes from her heart. This is by far the ickiest 'thing', it's a drain bulb that pulls excess blood off her heart. It'll come out tomorrow morning-and will be the last bout of big pain she should endure. Otherwise she's on lasix to pull the excess fluid off her lungs, Tylenol, and morphine as needed. Tonight everything will be pulled from her except for an IV (so they can administer meds as needed), so she'll be almost line-free when she arrives to her new hospital digs tomorrow am. The doctors are predicting she'll be discharged sometime Monday. Fingers crossed. Mama would do anything to be in her own bed watching TV with both girls right now.

Monday, September 22, 2008

The Glenn is upon us.

I can't believe it, but we're here. Today was pre-op, and honestly, it was a breeze. Maybe I'm just getting used to hospitals and all the tests, but seriously it was e-z. Mama is pretty tired and I have a fresh baked apple pie waiting for me in the kitchen (that Memere made today. She even etched L.V with a heart in the crust, I mean, seriously, how sweet??)

This morning Paul, Luna and I all hit the road at 6:15am for a 7:30 arrival at Children's. Naturally we hit traffic so we were an hour late. But it was fine. The day consisted of an EKG, blood work, then a weight, height, sats, and blood pressure check. Luna continues to grow well (as I said before this babe can eat, eat, eat!!)

Her vitals were perfect. Strangely her sats have improved, despite the fact that she has more than doubled her weight and almost her height. I say strange because as the babies grow, they begin to outgrow their temporary shunts. For whatever reason her sats range from 86 all the way up to 93 (!!).
Her weight is 15.5 lb and she grew a whopping three and half inches since our 4 month appointment. She was born at 19 inches, then she hung out at about 23 inches, and now she is 26.3 inches!!

Along her getting her vitals we talked with her card, and anesthesiologist and several nurses.

The rest of the week goes like this:

Tomorrow: 7:30 am arrival for anesthesia so she may have her MRI and echo. I was a little bummed to find out that rather than ingesting the oral sedation she had for her last sedated echo, Luna will actually be put under general anaesthesia. Yuck. This of course requires her to 'come to' in a recovery room. All for good cause, that is to keep her totally and completely still for the MRI so the doctors may see all organs before she goes in for surgery.

Wednesday: 7.30 am arrival for surgery. We're in the first slot, which is good, less waiting around.

Tomorrow Sienna is joining us, so the four of us will go in together. The hardest part is Luna can't eat after 1:30 tonight. And as I said, this baby can eat.

That's all for now...think happy thoughts for us!