Slow and Steady- Week 2

Brody's second week has consisted of a very slow and steady recovery. We started off having issues with getting the extra fluid to drain, but finally we had some success. Because he had so much fluid to lose and an x-ray showed quite a bit of that fluid around his lugs, they put in a chest tube to help drain. This really helped to do the trick. The rest of the week consisted of getting that fluid out so we could move forward with other aspects of recovery. Eventually they started coming off his meds and started decreasing his levels on his breathing tube. By the end of the week, he was quite annoyed with the breathing tube. His sedation and pain meds were off and so he was more aware of how annoyed he was. On top of that, he was still being fed liquids through his lines and so he wasn't feeling completely satisfied food wise. For about 3 days straight he would not sleep; literally would not sleep. He was very fussy and agitated and nothing really worked to get him comfortable because we still couldn't hold him at this point. His fussiness also was a side effect of the withdraws he was having from not being on his narcotics anymore. My little guy was now fighting a drug addiction. It sounds funny, but it is completely normal. They put him on a special medicine that helps to wean him off of the dependency and they take the levels down day by day. You can't just pull these babies off the drugs all together because the side effects could be harmful to him and his recovery. Finally, they had worked with his breathing enough that he was able to come off the breathing tube. I was one happy Momma when they removed that thing. Brody seemed to be a lot more content and finally started sleeping. Brody started being fed on a continuous drip that went straight into the belly. When they started this, they noticed his chest tube was filling with fat. When inserting the chest tube, something got nicked and now his fats were draining out of him (not a good combo for an already tiny baby). It wasn't anything the doctors did wrong, because the thing that got nicked, can't be seen. Now what they have had to do is put him on a special formula that is fat-free, but high in calories. Eventually they will be able to take out the chest tube and all will be well. Each week we see him get better and better and it really has made things easier on us. My goal is to try and update this blog every week, but it can be difficult to get done. By the time we leave the hospital, get home and eat dinner it's time to pump and go to bed to be up early the next morning. So, I end up choosing sleep over getting on the computer. I love to put my updates out there because I know so many people our interested in Brody and have embraced his story. I love hearing stories from friends and family about people we don't even know asking about Brody and how he is doing. Just recently we heard Brody had made the prayer list at a church and we have no idea who goes there that even put him on the list. Truly amazing!

2 Weeks Old - 10 days post surgery

 

The window washers scared the poo out of me. Not what you are expecting when you look out the window of the 17th floor. Way cool though.

 

 

Brody is able to receive mail. You have the option on Texas Childrens' website to send a patient a greeting card. We started asking for these greetings so that we could make them into a book and show it to Brody when he is older, so he knows just how many people were rooting for him. It is amazing how many of these we have gotten from people we don't know. It really has been a nice piece of encouragement for all three of us. If you would like to send Brody a message, click on the link below. All you need is his name (Brody Bish) and room number (CVICU 18).

Send Brody a message