Last night was fine until the nurse came in to give Judah his IV meds at 2. When she was checking his IV, she realized that it was no longer usable, and the charge nurse concurred. Time for a new IV. I wanted to cry, because this 1st IV was the 4th attempt after blowing 3 veins in his hands and arm. I honestly didn't think they'd be able to find a place to put a new IV, and all I could see happening was a repeat from Thursday morning. I started praying right away, called Jared, and then headed to the treatment room with Judah's nurse and the charge nurse. To their credit, they made the experience a little easier just by being so sad that they had to do this. The charge nurse spent the majority of the time just looking at all the possibilities, carefully weighing each one. After 1 blown vein in his arm, she was able to get the IV in his other hand. [I don't even know why it's important for me to write down these details. I guess it's just part of the process, part of my journey with him, remembering and dealing with all the ups and downs.] The rest of the night was good for Judah, but the morning came too quickly.
He's napping now and I'm glad. He's doing really well, improving and acting more like himself each day; but he tires easily. Visits from his siblings - which are most definitely the highlights of his days - leave him exhausted. They came this morning before church, all dressed up, and made Judah's day. Then the nurse took out his scalp IV and gave him a bath, and that was enough to knock him out. It only took 5 minutes of cuddling with him before he was sleeping soundly. Later today we'll hit the playroom for awhile again. He's so cute in there, crawling around and exploring in his little hospital gown.
Judah's urologist and the hospitalist (pediatrician) came by early this morning. They're both happy with how he's improving overall. He's been without a fever for well over 24 hrs. now, he's eating normally, he's well hydrated, he's interactive and smiling. Here's the kicker: he still has an elevated CRP (C-Reactive Protein) level. This is a protein that comes from the liver. The liver puts out more of this in response to an attack on the body. It's a good sign that his CRP was so elevated on Thursday, because that told them that his body was fighting; however, the fact that it's still elevated is an indication that he's not well enough to go home. In a normal kid, after 24 hrs with no fever and consistent progress, they wouldn't follow the CRP so closely. But Judah... Ah, my dear, sweet boy... Because of his adrenal insufficiency and the obstruction, they're just not comfortable switching to oral antibiotics and releasing him until that number changes significantly. His urologist wants it to be normal before they stop IV meds. The hospitalist would be fine if it were just much lower, but not necessarily normal. One would send us home maybe on Tuesday. The other would potentially send us home tomorrow. I have learned that when you have multiple specialists involved in the same case (which Judah always does), there are differing viewpoints, perspectives, and philosophies. Especially when dealing with parts of medicine that can be somewhat gray, i.e. CRP levels and when it's safe to switch to oral antibiotics. What's most important to me is that each doctor is genuinely concerned about Judah and doing what they believe to be in his best interest. I don't believe that any of the doctors want to keep him here unnecessarily; and I do believe that they are acting out of a conviction to be conservative in Judah's case because of the complexities of his illnesses. That doesn't mean that I won't have a conversation with someone if I strongly believe it's time to go home. But I'm not quite there yet. Judah was very sick. This infection and the obstruction are serious, and I certainly don't take lightly his vulnerability. That said, I'm tired of hospital food, this pull-out chair, and visits from my family. I want to live with my family, not just see them occasionally. And Judah needs them, too.
This afternoon I'm trading with Jared and he's going to take a night shift. I don't know how well I'll sleep at home with him and Judah here, but I really need to be home for some quality time with the kids. They need my attention...not to mention the piles of laundry and housework that do, too. Although I have to say, Jared does a good job of keeping the housework under control. The kids get clean, the floors get swept, the toys get put away. I'm looking forward to a pizza night with the kids, reading another chapter (or 3) of Little House in the Big Woods, and tucking them in. And my own shower. And my smelly soap. And my own pillow.
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