On the Outside Looking In

DAY 11

Daddy or Bubby should really be writing this post because I spent the whole day feeling completely powerless, stuck on the outside whilst all sorts of  things were going on in Room 5, 8B.

I woke up this morning not displaying any symptoms and wondering if I’d really just needed the marathon 11-hour sleep that I had.  After discussing it with the Craig, we decided that I should take an extra day to stay away, just in case. So I’ve spent the last two days popping Cold FX, vitamins C and B, oil of oregano, and spritzing my nose with Hydrasense.  And I also just downed a cup of hot lemon, garlic, ginger and honey to boost my immune system. I am still tired, but not sure if I actually have anything, so find myself analyzing every sniffle and possible throat dryness.  I am keeping fingers crossed that I’ll wake up tomorrow feeling 100 percent and can then head back to the hospital. Apparently I have to check in with the charge nurse first so she can evaluate how I look.

I spent the day lounging around, doing a few emails, and then spent a satisfactory hour poking around The World’s Biggest Bookstore to choose some new books for Bean. Lately he has really been into Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (check it out!) so I picked up a couple of other Mo Willems books. (Knuffle Bunny and The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!)

But enough about me. From what I hear, it was quite the eventful day for the little man. I kept calling, desperate for updates and freaking out about any new information I got. Although it was expected that Gavin wouldn’t be feeling too well, apparently he was not well AT ALL for the first part of the day. Craig reports that he woke up feeling fine and was quite playful, but after awhile lay down on the bed, completely lethargic and clearly in pain, and then complained of stomach pains and threw up quite spectacularly in front of the fellow. She, of course, sprang into action ordering a battery of tests, and ten minutes later Gav perked up again and wanted to play “guys.” (Little People) He also then spiked a fever of 39 degrees.

I gather that there was some concern because of the stomach complaints, and the feeding plan has been revisited. For whatever reason, Gavin is simply not tolerating his formula feeds anymore, and after this morning’s barf was not given any more formula. The decision was made to start TPN tonight, and he will get a very slow formula feed tomorrow (10 ml an hour) to keep his digestive system working.  They ordered a chest x-ray to check for infection, and also to check the shunt tubing position in his abdomen.  All was well there. (Knock on wood) They also ordered an abdominal ultrasound to see if there was any blockage, or problems with his liver, gall bladder, or kidneys. We don’t have the official report yet, but our fellow looked at the scans and didn’t notice any issues. (Again, KOW) Gavin’s platelet count was also very low and so he got a platelet transfusion this morning.  He may require another platelet transfusion tomorrow, depending on how his counts look. It is one of the things that they often need to transfuse very frequently, to avoid the risk of bleeding.  In addition to all of this, a doctor from infectious diseases popped in to evaluate him, but was happy with how he looked and how he was behaving, and ruled out the possibility of shunt infection at this time.  This is my biggest fear right now, and I’m praying to all the powers that be that his shunt continues to work properly.

It has been very frustrating for me to stay away when I feel that my baby needs me so much right now. I spoke to him on the phone tonight and he told me that he was going to sleep. Baby Bean, have a good sleep, I am sending you all my healing energy! I love you!