Josh did well yesterday but was a little restless as they weaned off his sedation. Turns out he's not a fan of all the various tubes and wires or that the nurses want him to lay on his right side. In order to keep their babies from pulling out their tubes and to avoid restraints they weigh down their limbs with stuffed animals. So it's a good thing Josh has lots of furry friends.
We had a visit yesterday from the child life specialists so now we're "official" and have his name on the wall above his bed. It's a small thing but it really generates a sense of community among the parents. It's an open unit so you can't help but witness other people and their baby's struggle while coping with your own. We have met many other amazing parents who have such fortitude.
The good news is that today we've been greeted with two little eyeballs that we haven't seen since Wednesday morning. He's still pretty groggy but after they take his chest tube out this morning they'll turn off the constant morphine infusion. Provided that all goes well they'll be able to remove his breathing tube later this afternoon or evening. Once those are out we should be able to hold him so we are crossing our fingers that his lungs cooperate.
In sad news though, Scott's dad is doing very poorly. He was enrolled in hospice yesterday and is declining quickly. Thankfully here in Ann Arbor, we're already half way to their home outside of grand rapids. So, Aunty Em has come to keep me company and Scott has left to say goodbye to his dad and give his mom support. They've been married almost 61 years and as attached as we are already to Josh, I can't imagine losing your life partner. So if you could all extend your prayers to include Stan and Phyllis we would appreciate it.
okay, i love that they use stuffed animals to keep babies from pulling at their tubes. That is hilarious, and adorable. So, how tricky is it to monitor/manage a baby's pain after something like this when they can't talk? I would imagine it's quite a challenge. That's great that he's waking up and improving, though. It must be such a relief. And how bittersweet for that to coincide with such sad news about Scott's dad. I lost my own dad to cancer, so my heart really goes out to him (and you, too).
ReplyDeleteMarie - they keep them on a constant infusion of morphine for the first three days with a pretty high dose the first day. Everyday after that they cut it in half. In addition they watch his pulse and how fidgety he seems and give him extra doses based on that.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind thoughts about Scott's dad.
I am so sorry to hear about Scott's dad. Hi family will be in my prayers. It sounds like Josh is moving a long nicely though. I do like the stuffed animals!!!
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