Sorry that we did not have a post last night... it was a very long, exhausting day so I just decided to skip it and go to bed. So here is a summary of what has been happening for the last couple of days:
TUESDAY AFTERNOON/ EVENING – As mentioned in the previous post, we classified Tuesday as a “good” day. Pop and Grandma Annie drove up from Dallas for a quick visit and spent a few hours with the little guy.
WEDNESDAY – When Jen arrived at the PICU, Nate was struggling. She worked to get him squared away and he finally calmed down after his breathing treatment, VEST and Cough Machine. Dad & Annie stopped by for a little while before heading back to Dallas. The PICU had several groups of student nurses and many of them asked a lot of questions about Nate, SMA and his level of care.
The afternoon was pretty crazy and stressful with all the nurses -- Nate really just wanted to rest and not be the focus of all the attention. He did not take a long nap so he was fussy and uncomfortable due to the pain in his left leg.
THURSDAY – The morning started off better that Wednesday’s did! One of Nate’s favorite nurses, Jessica, took care of him overnight and he slept well until 5:00AM. Dr. Carey ordered a CT scan of his sinuses and this was scheduled for 10:00AM but was delayed until 11:30AM. It was a very quick procedure and, even though he had been given a sedative, he was awake for the entire time. He finally fell asleep only after we got back to the room and got him turned on his side. He then proceeded to sleep for the next 5 hours and 20 minutes!
The results of the CT scan were good – he has a minor sinus infection, not a major one. We think that he has been battling a major sinus infection over the last couple of months and unfortunately, it got to the point of ending up in the hospital. As most of you know, he can't blow his nose or cough, so all that mucus was staying up in his nose and getting thicker and thicker. We would suction big globs/clots out periodically, but the remainder would stay up there and more would accumulate and the infection became more severe. If we had done the CT scan when we were first admitted, we are convinced it would've showed a lot of blockage and swelling. We believe the IV antibiotics, saline breathing treatments, and the healing essential oils have really helped improve the condition of his sinuses. A major antibiotic protocol will not be needed but Dr. Carey will keep him on some antibiotics to keep everything in check. At least we now believe we have some answers, we can get him totally recovered and when we come home, we'll have a preventative plan so this doesn't happen again!
We also tested Nate for allergies and there are only 2 areas of concern. The reactions were in the Mild to Moderate range so nothing major, just things to watch. We’ll talk more with Dr. Carey about how to handle this issue going forward.
Nate’s chest x-ray looked better today – more air in the lungs and less “haziness” in certain areas. All of us were very pleased to see this improvement and we can hear improved airflow in both lungs.
Nate’s x-ray on his left leg did not look so good – he has another fracture in the upper portion of the left femur. It is very similar to the first fracture in his upper right femur but not as severe. Dr. Holderness reviewed the x-rays this morning but we did not hear back from him on how to treat this fracture. He will be in the office on Friday afternoon and we’ll get a game plan together at that time.
Overall, Nate is slowly but surely headed in the right direction. We thank you for your prayers, your support, your messages, your phone calls and your visits. Nate is definitely tired of seeing Mommy & Daddy so much…every time that both of us stand by the bed, I think he looks at us and wonders, “OK, what are you going to do to me now???”
Our goal is to bring Nate home by Thanksgiving so keep those prayers coming. Dr. Carey said his discharge will hinge on improved chest x-rays and another one will be taken on Saturday.
Thanks for checking on the little guy…Good night!
TUESDAY AFTERNOON/ EVENING – As mentioned in the previous post, we classified Tuesday as a “good” day. Pop and Grandma Annie drove up from Dallas for a quick visit and spent a few hours with the little guy.
WEDNESDAY – When Jen arrived at the PICU, Nate was struggling. She worked to get him squared away and he finally calmed down after his breathing treatment, VEST and Cough Machine. Dad & Annie stopped by for a little while before heading back to Dallas. The PICU had several groups of student nurses and many of them asked a lot of questions about Nate, SMA and his level of care.
The afternoon was pretty crazy and stressful with all the nurses -- Nate really just wanted to rest and not be the focus of all the attention. He did not take a long nap so he was fussy and uncomfortable due to the pain in his left leg.
THURSDAY – The morning started off better that Wednesday’s did! One of Nate’s favorite nurses, Jessica, took care of him overnight and he slept well until 5:00AM. Dr. Carey ordered a CT scan of his sinuses and this was scheduled for 10:00AM but was delayed until 11:30AM. It was a very quick procedure and, even though he had been given a sedative, he was awake for the entire time. He finally fell asleep only after we got back to the room and got him turned on his side. He then proceeded to sleep for the next 5 hours and 20 minutes!
The results of the CT scan were good – he has a minor sinus infection, not a major one. We think that he has been battling a major sinus infection over the last couple of months and unfortunately, it got to the point of ending up in the hospital. As most of you know, he can't blow his nose or cough, so all that mucus was staying up in his nose and getting thicker and thicker. We would suction big globs/clots out periodically, but the remainder would stay up there and more would accumulate and the infection became more severe. If we had done the CT scan when we were first admitted, we are convinced it would've showed a lot of blockage and swelling. We believe the IV antibiotics, saline breathing treatments, and the healing essential oils have really helped improve the condition of his sinuses. A major antibiotic protocol will not be needed but Dr. Carey will keep him on some antibiotics to keep everything in check. At least we now believe we have some answers, we can get him totally recovered and when we come home, we'll have a preventative plan so this doesn't happen again!
We also tested Nate for allergies and there are only 2 areas of concern. The reactions were in the Mild to Moderate range so nothing major, just things to watch. We’ll talk more with Dr. Carey about how to handle this issue going forward.
Nate’s chest x-ray looked better today – more air in the lungs and less “haziness” in certain areas. All of us were very pleased to see this improvement and we can hear improved airflow in both lungs.
Nate’s x-ray on his left leg did not look so good – he has another fracture in the upper portion of the left femur. It is very similar to the first fracture in his upper right femur but not as severe. Dr. Holderness reviewed the x-rays this morning but we did not hear back from him on how to treat this fracture. He will be in the office on Friday afternoon and we’ll get a game plan together at that time.
Overall, Nate is slowly but surely headed in the right direction. We thank you for your prayers, your support, your messages, your phone calls and your visits. Nate is definitely tired of seeing Mommy & Daddy so much…every time that both of us stand by the bed, I think he looks at us and wonders, “OK, what are you going to do to me now???”
Our goal is to bring Nate home by Thanksgiving so keep those prayers coming. Dr. Carey said his discharge will hinge on improved chest x-rays and another one will be taken on Saturday.
Thanks for checking on the little guy…Good night!
1 comment:
So happy to hear a little good news. Nathan's fighting spirit is obvious.
What an ordeal for all of you. I know you're emotionally and physically drained.
Prayers continue.
With my love,
Sue
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