I am going to try to keep this short, sloppy, and, as a result, it will be short on both feelings and details. But, it will be mostly good news. :)
So, after we got our good news on Cade, I went home to let out the dogs and ended up crashing for a few hours. Then I went back to the hospital just in time to find Jill getting prepped for her picc line. Long story short, they ended up putting Jill through a bunch of pain, and poked two extra holes in her upper arm and still failed to get the line in. Jill said she had enough and would live with an IV at home.
That night I slept at home so I wouldn't have to get up at the butt crack of dawn to let the dogs out. I ended up sleeping in due to my phone being dead.
By the time that I got back to the hospital, Jill had her wound vac in place and was getting ready to be discharged. We ended up getting out of there at about 3:00 p.m. From there, drove to Children's to go see Cade. Me, being the monster that I am, didn't bother asking Jill if she needed a wheelchair to get to the room. The relatively short walk really tuckered her out.
When we got to see Cade, his little isolette was covered. That means that his biliruben levels were low enough to take away his bililight which is good news. That also means that he didn't need his cool goggles anymore which allowed his head skin to look more normal. He was especially cute and I didn't have the camera. *sigh*
Marie, was taking care of him as usual. She told us even more good news. Cade was off of blood pressure regulator, dopamine. Then, she asked us if we wanted to hold him. Jill and I looked at each other with the "I don't think that I am qualified to hold such a frail little thing" look. But, we were assured that all was going to be OK by Marie.
Jill held him first, and seeing them together brought a tear to my eye. After a bit, I got to hold him. I could have sat there for a very long time. Eventually, Jill had to use the bathroom and that was Marie's queue to put Cade away and for us to exit stage left.
I found Jill a chair, got her to the bathroom, and got her home safely. Once there, Jill got a temp of 102. We called the Dr. on the downside of the spike. She said, if it happens again, we need to come back in. That did not make Jill happy. Thankfully, she did not spike another temp. We went to bed early and slept well. It was really nice to be able to be close to my wife again. I missed the closeness.
We woke up today, had some breakfast, and spent most of our time with the home health care nurse. Jill and I are now able administer IV medication to an existing peripheral IV (it isn't rocket surgery). Also, Jill's negative pressure wound dressings have been changed.
Now, were are on to putting crap away, opening mail, and coming up with a list of bureaucratic BS that has to be done as a result of this fiasco.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
A bit more good news...
Jill may get to go home some time in the not so distant future. There was talk of putting in a picc line and having a home heath care nurse administer the antibiotics at home for a week or two. Add to that the fact that her open wound is looking good and should heal even faster with the addition of negative pressure therapy. Finally, I think that I can tell that Jill is getting better because she has enough energy to get ticked at me when I don't call her to tell her that I am spending the night in the NICU in hopes of getting Cade's ultrasound results early. Sadly, it is taking someone for freakin' ever to get the results to me. I will update once the results are in.
To: Bill, Mae, Shawn, Molly, Chad, Korine, and Kirk
Thank you so much for the cute toys and gift certificates. You spent too much. But, thank you nevertheless.
A Pretty Good Day
Today was a pretty good day for Jill and I. I slept a lot since I was at Children's with Cade until about 4 a.m. Jill was a real go-getter this morning. She got up, ordered and ate some breakfast, took a shower, shaved her legs, plucked her brows, and basically, just took some personal care of herself. To me, those are good signs that she is feeling better.
In the afternoon, Marcy came for a visit and we all went to go see Cade. We met with his Dr. for the week. Although Cade was ping ponging like last night, they, I believe, were able to lean out some of his settings (I don't remember which ones though.). I like all of the detailed technical information that they provide when I show up. Jill, on the other hand, gets freaked out about all of it because she just wants to sit and visit with him. So, I am just going to have to remember to keep my need for information supressed until Jill gets used to life at the NICU.
Tonight, like this afternoon and last night, Cade is ping ponging in terms of his parameters. They now have him on morphine 24/7 to keep him from fidgeting. They also figured out that he does much better on his stomach in terms of his comfort level. So, they have specified that he be on his stomach 50% of the time
As of this moment, the are in the process of returning some blood that was destined Cade due to the fact that it didn't have an expiration date on it. I am glad that they do their job around here.
The reason that he is getting the blood is that his bone marrow just isn't kicking out enough for his needs.
I just hope that the morning brings further recovery for Jill and reduced ventricle size and reduced blood clot size for Cade.
In the afternoon, Marcy came for a visit and we all went to go see Cade. We met with his Dr. for the week. Although Cade was ping ponging like last night, they, I believe, were able to lean out some of his settings (I don't remember which ones though.). I like all of the detailed technical information that they provide when I show up. Jill, on the other hand, gets freaked out about all of it because she just wants to sit and visit with him. So, I am just going to have to remember to keep my need for information supressed until Jill gets used to life at the NICU.
Tonight, like this afternoon and last night, Cade is ping ponging in terms of his parameters. They now have him on morphine 24/7 to keep him from fidgeting. They also figured out that he does much better on his stomach in terms of his comfort level. So, they have specified that he be on his stomach 50% of the time
As of this moment, the are in the process of returning some blood that was destined Cade due to the fact that it didn't have an expiration date on it. I am glad that they do their job around here.
The reason that he is getting the blood is that his bone marrow just isn't kicking out enough for his needs.
I just hope that the morning brings further recovery for Jill and reduced ventricle size and reduced blood clot size for Cade.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Can We Go Home Now?
Last night, upon returning to the room, I was greeted by an awake Jill. She had just had another shivering bout and a temperature spike. After a fairly good night's sleep, Jill was checked out by her swarm of doctors and was started on a new antibiotic.
Not too much later, she had another shiver attack and spiked a fever. After that, Jill asked, "Can we go home now?". I have never given serious thought to signing anyone out of the hospital, until today.
In the midst of our low, Linda, Reg, and Marcy showed up to brighten the day. After visiting for a bit, Jill decided that it was time to wash the two rounds of sweat away. Since she needed some help, we both got clean (instead of thinking of us naked at this point, try focusing on pink elephants in stead) while the rest of the Southerton clan went to go see Cade who was doing quite well the day after his surgery.
On a side note, I owe Lind and Reg some dough for dog food, cat litter, window glass, etc. I keep forgetting to give it to them. Sorry. The check will be in the mail on Monday. And, thanks for being there for us.
On the bright side of things, this new antibiotic SHOULD making Jill start to feel better by Monday morning.
With hope in their hearts that Jill would start feeling better, Linda and Reg headed back to Proctor.
Tonight was pretty cool because Dad, Andy, Jill, and Sue all made it down. We went out for dinner at a Chinese place in Dinky Town. Truth be told, it was nice to get out of the hospital. It would have been nicer yet if Jill would have been well enough to go along. I am thinking that we will need a night out on the town after all of this is said and done.
After dinner, we all went up to see Jill and say "Hi". After that, we all went down to see Cade. Since it was after 9 p.m., we had to ask for the rules to be bent to allow non-immediate family in to see him. The nurse attending to Cade made an exception which was cool. It made me happy to see Grandma and how amazed she was at how little Cade is. She said something like, "I sure hope that The Good Lord is looking out for him." I hope so too.
After that, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.
For the rest of the evening, Jill dozed while I watched stuff about Alaska on Discovery. She seems to be looking much better. Maybe tomorrow, she will really start feeling better and we can do some walking and pumping.
As I write this, Cade is making the little red light that lets the nurses know that one of the parameters is out of range go off. If it goes off at all, it is not to my liking. But, tonight he has been quite agitated and antsy. In total though, he has been pretty stable with reduced dopamine requirements. The only issue tonight seems to be O2/vent related.
Goodnight,
Sean
Oh yeah, pics!
Not too much later, she had another shiver attack and spiked a fever. After that, Jill asked, "Can we go home now?". I have never given serious thought to signing anyone out of the hospital, until today.
In the midst of our low, Linda, Reg, and Marcy showed up to brighten the day. After visiting for a bit, Jill decided that it was time to wash the two rounds of sweat away. Since she needed some help, we both got clean (instead of thinking of us naked at this point, try focusing on pink elephants in stead) while the rest of the Southerton clan went to go see Cade who was doing quite well the day after his surgery.
On a side note, I owe Lind and Reg some dough for dog food, cat litter, window glass, etc. I keep forgetting to give it to them. Sorry. The check will be in the mail on Monday. And, thanks for being there for us.
On the bright side of things, this new antibiotic SHOULD making Jill start to feel better by Monday morning.
With hope in their hearts that Jill would start feeling better, Linda and Reg headed back to Proctor.
Tonight was pretty cool because Dad, Andy, Jill, and Sue all made it down. We went out for dinner at a Chinese place in Dinky Town. Truth be told, it was nice to get out of the hospital. It would have been nicer yet if Jill would have been well enough to go along. I am thinking that we will need a night out on the town after all of this is said and done.
After dinner, we all went up to see Jill and say "Hi". After that, we all went down to see Cade. Since it was after 9 p.m., we had to ask for the rules to be bent to allow non-immediate family in to see him. The nurse attending to Cade made an exception which was cool. It made me happy to see Grandma and how amazed she was at how little Cade is. She said something like, "I sure hope that The Good Lord is looking out for him." I hope so too.
After that, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.
For the rest of the evening, Jill dozed while I watched stuff about Alaska on Discovery. She seems to be looking much better. Maybe tomorrow, she will really start feeling better and we can do some walking and pumping.
As I write this, Cade is making the little red light that lets the nurses know that one of the parameters is out of range go off. If it goes off at all, it is not to my liking. But, tonight he has been quite agitated and antsy. In total though, he has been pretty stable with reduced dopamine requirements. The only issue tonight seems to be O2/vent related.
Goodnight,
Sean
Oh yeah, pics!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Some Good News (For Once)
Jill
Well, after all was well with the CAT scan and we thought we were out of the woods, one of Jill's blood cultures (drawn from her arm) turned up positive for gram-negative bacteria which could mean that, somehow, bacteria that normally resides in her bowel made it into her blood stream.
This info got a whole bunch of doctors and nurses in a tizzy. There was talk of possible exploratory surgery. Everyone got pretty concerned.
Before that though, one the the big-wig medical troubleshooters, a general surgeon, was called in to review the case. He looked at the case, looked at Jill and how well she was doing throughout the day, and basically said, he couldn't justify cutting her open. So, that is one giant monkey off our backs.
I am hopeful that Jill has rounded the corner and is on her way to recovery. Now, maybe Linda and Reg can go home and have a bit of their life back too.
Cade
Cade went in for his PDA surgery. He finally went under the knife at about 5:20 pm. About 40 minutes later, he was out and the surgery seems to have been a success. Andy was here and mentioned that he couldn't get his oil changed that fast. The doctor and anesthesiologist were great. Right now Cade is still basically out of it. But, his murmur is gone.
He is a bit heavier after the surgery (babies tend to withhold water after surgery). He is needing some oxygen in his ventilator air. And, he needed a small bump in his dopamine levels to increase his blood pressure. Taken together, these are slightly negative things. But, in the grand scheme of things, they are all relatively minor and expected after a surgery.
So, what I am trying to say is that I am extremely grateful for Cade making it out alive and well. So, there is another giant burden lifted off of our chests.
Now, if only the blood in his ventricles would continue to dissipate and the ventricles themselves return to normal size, that would eliminate the last of our major worries for the moment. Another ultrasound is scheduled for Monday. So, hopefully we will see then.
In a further bit of good news, Dad, Sue, and Grandma Bober are all supposed to be coming down this morning to see Jill and Cade. Jill and I are extremely curious as to how grandma will react when introduced to her great grandson.
Until then, here are some more pics.
How dare you shove this thing in my mouth!
Oh my! Mikey, I think I like it.
Sweet relief.
Here is a picture that the Dr. drew of my heart and the statistical probability of stuff going wrong.
I have a patch but not on my pirate eye.
Yaaar! Deb, you salty dog, I'll cut yer guts out and use em for chum.
No, I said, pat your mouth and rub your chest. Like meeeee!
I really like this tube. It satisfies my oral fixation.
I am so mad right now!
Well, after all was well with the CAT scan and we thought we were out of the woods, one of Jill's blood cultures (drawn from her arm) turned up positive for gram-negative bacteria which could mean that, somehow, bacteria that normally resides in her bowel made it into her blood stream.
This info got a whole bunch of doctors and nurses in a tizzy. There was talk of possible exploratory surgery. Everyone got pretty concerned.
Before that though, one the the big-wig medical troubleshooters, a general surgeon, was called in to review the case. He looked at the case, looked at Jill and how well she was doing throughout the day, and basically said, he couldn't justify cutting her open. So, that is one giant monkey off our backs.
I am hopeful that Jill has rounded the corner and is on her way to recovery. Now, maybe Linda and Reg can go home and have a bit of their life back too.
Cade
Cade went in for his PDA surgery. He finally went under the knife at about 5:20 pm. About 40 minutes later, he was out and the surgery seems to have been a success. Andy was here and mentioned that he couldn't get his oil changed that fast. The doctor and anesthesiologist were great. Right now Cade is still basically out of it. But, his murmur is gone.
He is a bit heavier after the surgery (babies tend to withhold water after surgery). He is needing some oxygen in his ventilator air. And, he needed a small bump in his dopamine levels to increase his blood pressure. Taken together, these are slightly negative things. But, in the grand scheme of things, they are all relatively minor and expected after a surgery.
So, what I am trying to say is that I am extremely grateful for Cade making it out alive and well. So, there is another giant burden lifted off of our chests.
Now, if only the blood in his ventricles would continue to dissipate and the ventricles themselves return to normal size, that would eliminate the last of our major worries for the moment. Another ultrasound is scheduled for Monday. So, hopefully we will see then.
In a further bit of good news, Dad, Sue, and Grandma Bober are all supposed to be coming down this morning to see Jill and Cade. Jill and I are extremely curious as to how grandma will react when introduced to her great grandson.
Until then, here are some more pics.
How dare you shove this thing in my mouth!
Oh my! Mikey, I think I like it.
Sweet relief.
Here is a picture that the Dr. drew of my heart and the statistical probability of stuff going wrong.
I have a patch but not on my pirate eye.
Yaaar! Deb, you salty dog, I'll cut yer guts out and use em for chum.
No, I said, pat your mouth and rub your chest. Like meeeee!
I really like this tube. It satisfies my oral fixation.
I am so mad right now!
Friday, April 25, 2008
So Where Were We?
Jill
Last night was another long one for Jill. After the fever spike, she finally got to go to sleep with the help of some Flexerol to help with the back spasms. After that though, she was awakened to drink the CAT scan drink three times and was poked by the needle bearing butcher at least three times as well. Thankfully though, the last few times she has been poked for blood, the guy was actually good at what he did. In fact, Jill didn't even feel it once. So, all in all, she really didn't get much sleep and hasn't had real food in God knows how long.
But, on the bright side, her NG tube is out, the CAT scan showed that all is well in terms of her lungs/bowel, and she has been cleared to consume clear liquids. So, thankfully, it wasn't a worst case scenario kind of deal.
Cade
Dr. Bonnie Landrum call this morning and let us know that Cade's heart mummer is louder. So, she is suggesting that Cade undergo surgery to either tie off, or tie off and cut his ductus. He is scheduled to go in at about 1:30 pm CST. I will do my best to keep this up to date with his status. Basically, the theory here is that the murmur is causing the BP issues and once those issues are resolved, he will have a better platform to grow and thrive from.
Me
I would like to just take a second to thank everyone for all that they have done for us. I wish that I could make a list and tell everyone thank you and name what they have done specifically but, I can't. All that I can say is that all of our family and friends (Yes, that means you) have been awesome, bar none. Although I am not the most pious person, I am grateful for all of the thoughts and prayers everyone has been sending our way.
THANK YOU!
Sean
Last night was another long one for Jill. After the fever spike, she finally got to go to sleep with the help of some Flexerol to help with the back spasms. After that though, she was awakened to drink the CAT scan drink three times and was poked by the needle bearing butcher at least three times as well. Thankfully though, the last few times she has been poked for blood, the guy was actually good at what he did. In fact, Jill didn't even feel it once. So, all in all, she really didn't get much sleep and hasn't had real food in God knows how long.
But, on the bright side, her NG tube is out, the CAT scan showed that all is well in terms of her lungs/bowel, and she has been cleared to consume clear liquids. So, thankfully, it wasn't a worst case scenario kind of deal.
Cade
Dr. Bonnie Landrum call this morning and let us know that Cade's heart mummer is louder. So, she is suggesting that Cade undergo surgery to either tie off, or tie off and cut his ductus. He is scheduled to go in at about 1:30 pm CST. I will do my best to keep this up to date with his status. Basically, the theory here is that the murmur is causing the BP issues and once those issues are resolved, he will have a better platform to grow and thrive from.
Me
I would like to just take a second to thank everyone for all that they have done for us. I wish that I could make a list and tell everyone thank you and name what they have done specifically but, I can't. All that I can say is that all of our family and friends (Yes, that means you) have been awesome, bar none. Although I am not the most pious person, I am grateful for all of the thoughts and prayers everyone has been sending our way.
THANK YOU!
Sean
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Early Evening Update
Cade
As far as I know, the cute little bugger is doing as well as can be expected. But, here is a link to some pics from earlier today and this afternoon. What I do remember is that both of his eyes are now open, he has a nook, and the EKG revealed that his heart murmur is due to PDA which can be treated with surgery or meds. But, in his case, it will have to be surgery due to the fact that the medication to close the ductus conflicts with the hydrocortozone he is on to help with his adrenal response.
Jill
Jill just scared the shit out of me. It all started with an, "Is it cold in here?". And, it ended with violent shivers, a brief temp spike, and more lab work. After a consult with the Dr. on call, if it isn't a urinary tract infection or an abscess, then it is probably "milk fever". Let's hope that it is milk fever. At the moment though, all is well.
As far as I know, the cute little bugger is doing as well as can be expected. But, here is a link to some pics from earlier today and this afternoon. What I do remember is that both of his eyes are now open, he has a nook, and the EKG revealed that his heart murmur is due to PDA which can be treated with surgery or meds. But, in his case, it will have to be surgery due to the fact that the medication to close the ductus conflicts with the hydrocortozone he is on to help with his adrenal response.
Jill
Jill just scared the shit out of me. It all started with an, "Is it cold in here?". And, it ended with violent shivers, a brief temp spike, and more lab work. After a consult with the Dr. on call, if it isn't a urinary tract infection or an abscess, then it is probably "milk fever". Let's hope that it is milk fever. At the moment though, all is well.
Quick Early (for me) Update
Jill
Today, they are going to clamp Jill's hose for four hours to see if she fills up or if things start flowing more. The bowel sounds this morning were sluggish though. She has also had some back spasms. Hopefully, we will go for some more walks today to get things really moving.
Cade
Dr. Bonnie called with an update for Cade. They did the ultrasound and found that his ventricles have gotten larger. On the bright side of life, it appears as though the blood clots are dissolving. Since his blood pressure seems to be out of control and they have detected a heart murmur, they kept him on dopamine and have ordered an EKG to see if the murmur is due to patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Other than that though, things seems to be quite stable and normal.
Today, they are going to clamp Jill's hose for four hours to see if she fills up or if things start flowing more. The bowel sounds this morning were sluggish though. She has also had some back spasms. Hopefully, we will go for some more walks today to get things really moving.
Cade
Dr. Bonnie called with an update for Cade. They did the ultrasound and found that his ventricles have gotten larger. On the bright side of life, it appears as though the blood clots are dissolving. Since his blood pressure seems to be out of control and they have detected a heart murmur, they kept him on dopamine and have ordered an EKG to see if the murmur is due to patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Other than that though, things seems to be quite stable and normal.
Comme Si Comme Ca
Updates updates updates. Get y're red hot updates.
Jill
Today I will classify as a good day for Jill. She was in relatively little pain. She did get stuck too many times by bloodletting with the sight of Ray Charles and the dexterity of an op. Other than that, it looks like tube might come out tomorrow as her bowel sounds seem to be picking up.
On the interesting side of life, it looks like I get to pack Jill's c section open wound for the next six weeks.
Cade
Today was so so for little Caders. On the plus side, he opened one eye. Now I know what baby pirates look like. His bilirubin has continued to drop. He is still on room air. The amount of ventilator assistance needed has decreased. His potassium has decreased. And, he no longer needs insulin as his glucose level is good.
On the negative side of things, twice today, his blood pressure dropped. The first time, they introduced saline to increase his circulating volume. The second time it happened, they put him back on the dopamine drip. At first, they estimated the amount he would need too high and his blood pressure spiked. Now, they have it at the level they would like.
They are theorizing that his dips might be caused by the blood on the brain. But, the doctors don't know for sure. So, they are taking a stab and ordering another ultrasound for this morning. He also has an x-ray scheduled for tomorrow to look at the development of his lungs.
In the mean time, here are some more pics and maybe even a video.
Jill
Today I will classify as a good day for Jill. She was in relatively little pain. She did get stuck too many times by bloodletting with the sight of Ray Charles and the dexterity of an op. Other than that, it looks like tube might come out tomorrow as her bowel sounds seem to be picking up.
On the interesting side of life, it looks like I get to pack Jill's c section open wound for the next six weeks.
Cade
Today was so so for little Caders. On the plus side, he opened one eye. Now I know what baby pirates look like. His bilirubin has continued to drop. He is still on room air. The amount of ventilator assistance needed has decreased. His potassium has decreased. And, he no longer needs insulin as his glucose level is good.
On the negative side of things, twice today, his blood pressure dropped. The first time, they introduced saline to increase his circulating volume. The second time it happened, they put him back on the dopamine drip. At first, they estimated the amount he would need too high and his blood pressure spiked. Now, they have it at the level they would like.
They are theorizing that his dips might be caused by the blood on the brain. But, the doctors don't know for sure. So, they are taking a stab and ordering another ultrasound for this morning. He also has an x-ray scheduled for tomorrow to look at the development of his lungs.
In the mean time, here are some more pics and maybe even a video.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Positive Vibes
Look at mah butt ma! (He so has Jill's cute cheeks!)
I have boucoup dexterity.
Thank God they aren't doing it the "old fashioned way", son.
Austin's Fasha?
Isolette Angel!
Tube's-eye view.
Now that it looks as though we are out of the woods from Jill's perspective, here is a Cade update. Today, Linda, Reg, and I went to go see Cade (they made a run back down when they heard of Jill's latest predicament).
As always, he is as cute as cute can be. Can anyone say "proud father"? We talked to the Kelly, Cade's afternoon nurse. She let us know that Cade is now COMPLETELY OFF OF HIS BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATION! Awwwwe yeah baby! Also, he might be able to get off of the bililight by the end of tongiht. The only slightly negative news was that his potassium was a bit on the high side at last check. But, Kelly assured me that norally that is correctable via a change in his IV fluids.
Three cheers for good news, progress, and other shoes not dropping.
Blogger stinks for uploading. So, here is a link to today's photos.
Obstruction. Going... Going... Gone?
It looks as though we MAY have rounded the corner. The stomach pump is coming up clean after a couple of clogs. And, thing are moving in the other direction as well. You don't know how happy I am that this didn't end up in some sort of surgery.
As for the c section scar infection, we will see where that goes. All in all though, both Jill and I would say that we are much relieved.
On a lighter note...
As for the c section scar infection, we will see where that goes. All in all though, both Jill and I would say that we are much relieved.
On a lighter note...
Insult. Say Hello Injury.
Last night, Jill was in some major stomach pain. They tried many things to relieve it. A CAT scan today showed that Jill has and ileus, or partial bowel obstruction. Right now, she has a tube that goes through her nose and into her stomach to constantly pump out any bile that may accumulate.
At he same time, the c section scar that everyone thought looked sooooooooo good proved to be infected. So they pulled her staples, re-opened the wound, flushed it with water, and packed it with gauze.
At the moment, she is sleeping peacefully and I am wondering who to send the complaints to.
At he same time, the c section scar that everyone thought looked sooooooooo good proved to be infected. So they pulled her staples, re-opened the wound, flushed it with water, and packed it with gauze.
At the moment, she is sleeping peacefully and I am wondering who to send the complaints to.
Horse Shit
Today was not a good day. Today, we found out that Cade suffered a moderate-severe intraventricular hemorrhage sometime during/after birth. What does that mean? All in all, it means that Cade has a 50% chance of having a completely normal life. The other 50% means that he would suffer from some sort of developmental disorder.
In the short-term, they need to find out if he is continuing to bleed or not. We will know in a week at the next crainial ultrasound. If he doesn't bleed anymore, the clots should be disolved by the body. If he does bleed more, he may need a small line that leads to a resivoir on the top of his head so the crainial pressure can be relieved. Later, if the need for drainage continues a shunt could be placed from his head down into his bowel.
On the bright side of things, since this PROBABLY happened at delivery, the fact that he continues to improve in terms of his over all health makes me very hopeful that he will someday have a fullfilling life.
Jill and I are both dragging butt at this point. Here are some pics from today:
The Dr.'s rendition of what happened
Cade Doing His Best Dr. Evil
In the short-term, they need to find out if he is continuing to bleed or not. We will know in a week at the next crainial ultrasound. If he doesn't bleed anymore, the clots should be disolved by the body. If he does bleed more, he may need a small line that leads to a resivoir on the top of his head so the crainial pressure can be relieved. Later, if the need for drainage continues a shunt could be placed from his head down into his bowel.
On the bright side of things, since this PROBABLY happened at delivery, the fact that he continues to improve in terms of his over all health makes me very hopeful that he will someday have a fullfilling life.
Jill and I are both dragging butt at this point. Here are some pics from today:
The Dr.'s rendition of what happened
Cade Doing His Best Dr. Evil
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Finally, A Respite
Pics from today.
Yesterday was a trip. Nurse Ratchet a.k.a Nurse Nancy really kicked Jill's butt. By the end of the day, Jill had sat up, gotten out of bed, washed up a bit, had her catheter removed (which then requires many more bathroom trips), pumped, gone to see her little lovin' man at Children's, and ate some real food. Oh, and the she is now off of the IV pain killers too.
Couple all of that with visits from Grandpa Reg, Grandma Linda, Auntie Marcy, Grandpa Phil, Grandma Barb, Uncle Andy, and Auntie Jill. Throw in some phone calls from concerned, willing to help, loved ones, and you have the makings for a whirlwind day.
The icing on the cake is that. for the most part, she and I slept well too.
Today brings even more good news. We got a call from our Dr. and were informed that Cade is doing even better. He is on room air, off of the oscillator (and on a regular ventilator) , being weened from the nitric oxide, and his while blood cell count is going up (which means that he is mounting a response to infection). It looks like everyone's well-wishes and prayers are paying off.
Today, we are going to get Jill showered and get her to see her little Caders at least one more time.
Finally, during our morning pump, saw some colostrum.
TTFN,
Sean
PS Cade is losing water weight which is a good thing and is to be expected.
Yesterday was a trip. Nurse Ratchet a.k.a Nurse Nancy really kicked Jill's butt. By the end of the day, Jill had sat up, gotten out of bed, washed up a bit, had her catheter removed (which then requires many more bathroom trips), pumped, gone to see her little lovin' man at Children's, and ate some real food. Oh, and the she is now off of the IV pain killers too.
Couple all of that with visits from Grandpa Reg, Grandma Linda, Auntie Marcy, Grandpa Phil, Grandma Barb, Uncle Andy, and Auntie Jill. Throw in some phone calls from concerned, willing to help, loved ones, and you have the makings for a whirlwind day.
The icing on the cake is that. for the most part, she and I slept well too.
Today brings even more good news. We got a call from our Dr. and were informed that Cade is doing even better. He is on room air, off of the oscillator (and on a regular ventilator) , being weened from the nitric oxide, and his while blood cell count is going up (which means that he is mounting a response to infection). It looks like everyone's well-wishes and prayers are paying off.
Today, we are going to get Jill showered and get her to see her little Caders at least one more time.
Finally, during our morning pump, saw some colostrum.
TTFN,
Sean
PS Cade is losing water weight which is a good thing and is to be expected.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Um... Yeah... We are going to need you to come in on Friday.
Sean here again.
On Friday, April 18, 2008 Cade Burton Bober was born unto this world. It may never be the same again! Hurray!
Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure.
He is 930g which is about 2.1 pounds. He is 14 inches long. If he were a walleye, I would say he is a keeper. Since he is our son, I KNOW he is a keeper no matter what his size.
Why so soon?
About 25 hours ago, Jill's temp spiked. The nurses and doctors feared an infection. So, they had to take the baby via c section in order to save them both. It was the right thing to do. Jill did have an infection. Cade probably does too. But, we will have to wait one more day for the cultures to develop to be sure what kind of infection.
As of this moment, Jill is sleeping at Abbott Northwestern (5th Floor, Station 54, Room 5477). She is fighting her infection and c section pain. However, she is recovering well. Her fever may have broken. Let's hope so.
As for Cade, he is in the best place on the face of this world at the moment...Children's Hospital. His vitals are good and a million people are praying for him. But, the Dr. that delivered him is "concerned" and the nurses say, "take it day by day".
They have also told me that it is up to him to mount a defense and get his immune system ramped up.
Cade, please keep on fighting. We all love you very much and want you to grow up to live a happy, healthy, productive, life.
With Love,
Sean and Jill
On Friday, April 18, 2008 Cade Burton Bober was born unto this world. It may never be the same again! Hurray!
Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure.
He is 930g which is about 2.1 pounds. He is 14 inches long. If he were a walleye, I would say he is a keeper. Since he is our son, I KNOW he is a keeper no matter what his size.
Why so soon?
About 25 hours ago, Jill's temp spiked. The nurses and doctors feared an infection. So, they had to take the baby via c section in order to save them both. It was the right thing to do. Jill did have an infection. Cade probably does too. But, we will have to wait one more day for the cultures to develop to be sure what kind of infection.
As of this moment, Jill is sleeping at Abbott Northwestern (5th Floor, Station 54, Room 5477). She is fighting her infection and c section pain. However, she is recovering well. Her fever may have broken. Let's hope so.
As for Cade, he is in the best place on the face of this world at the moment...Children's Hospital. His vitals are good and a million people are praying for him. But, the Dr. that delivered him is "concerned" and the nurses say, "take it day by day".
They have also told me that it is up to him to mount a defense and get his immune system ramped up.
Cade, please keep on fighting. We all love you very much and want you to grow up to live a happy, healthy, productive, life.
With Love,
Sean and Jill
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
