Hello out there! We’ve had an eventful two days, as most of you already know from a couple of facebook updates.
L is doing well!
I’ll recap the last couple of days to add some context. Starting Wednesday L was more lethargic, cold, and out of it than normal. This isn’t unheard of, if often takes time to determine if he will bounce back from that on his own, or if something bigger is happening.
Thursday morning, when I checked on him he was flushed, uncharacteristically warm, and had some foamy residue near his mouth, (perhaps a sign he had spit up, or worse, aspirated). I talked with the nurse as soon as she arrived and we knew to be on alert for L, and keep a close eye on his stats. She knows the boys well. I am thankful for her.
Long story short, by mid afernoon we knew we should have him checked on, so I took him in to the local ER. They are small, and will never be where our twins spend a night – but they always do a good job of assessing the situation well, and helping us react accordingly. I am thakful for them.
L arrived at the children’s hospital via air around 10:00 pm. It took a few hours to get settled in, and hand over relevant history, meds, and respiratory procedures. He was clearly in good hands and he rested well. I was worried about switching locations, just because change can be scary, and if this was a big event, I was taking a risk by going with an unknown. But they have taken great care of L. I am thankful for them as well.
As of right now, L is down to 1 L of oxygen, with occassional room air trials. He is getting the same respiratory treatment we do at home, but 4 times per day, with albuterol each time. His chest x-ray has a little abnormality, but rather than clouding up overnight as we’ve seen in the past, it held pretty steady. This is probably not a serious aspiration event, but just a virus, or a case of his secretions and fluids getting the best of him. They have stopped the antibiotic with that in mind, and are seeing how he holds. Currently, it does NOT seem we are headed down the familiar, dreaded path of a decline, leading to intubation. I AM THANKFUL FOR THAT.
It seems everyone has reacted appropriately, and we are where we should be. I’d like to think our awareness and knowledge of the boys helped head this one off, but that might imply that if it doesn’t go so well next time, that maybe we should have done something differently. And truth be told – I think we have a history or reacting pretty well. However, at the end of the day, whether we land in this comfy spot of observation with a puff of oxygen, or with an extended ICU stay with intubation, chest tubes, and blood transfusions is mostly out of the control of his nurse and me. I think in either case we can attribute it to L being L, and God being God.
I snapped this photo today. The blanket, which I love, is from Modern Burlap. I love how peaceful L is. It wasn’t until afterward that I noticed the light shining in on him like a ray of sun from heaven. I never know where these times will take us, and I do know sometimes I wish I could choose a different path. But no matter what we’ve remained in God’s hands. So in that way, this photo shows beauty despite circumstances, which might just be another way to describe L being L, and God being God.
