Succumbing to Peer Pressure

I didn't MEAN to start a blog. But she made me do it.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Lochlan Updates

My sweet Lochlan got his port put in 2 weeks ago.It was traumatic for mommy and daddy, but he pulled throiugh with a minimum of fuss all things considered. They didn't start the surgery until after noon, so he was VERY hungry and crabby by then. He didn't want to wake up afterwards- or to breathe on his own so he was on a vent longer than we expected. But he DID wake up eventually. And we brought him home. He had some pain, so we had codeine for him. Which he resisted. And inhaled.

So 3 days after he got his port he spiked a fever. They put him in the hospital (FYI when they put HIM in the hospital they put ME in the hospital b/c I never leave his side, not even to chase down my own meals or coffee). They admitted him for line sepsis. They took a chest xray, drew labs, took a urine sample, started a peripheral IV (grrr)put him on hard core antibiotics and waited. A day or 2 in the IV blew and they restarted in his port which was SO much easier and better. We hung out for a few more days while he developed ear infections and they diagnosed his aspiration pnuemonia and UTI. But *not* line sepsis. So we got to keep the port.

After 5 days in the hospital we came home. That night the hospital called. His discharge labs were worse than his admitting labs. Maybe we should come back in? They'd call some other docs and take a vote. I called MY pediatrician who let us stay home. The next day we saw the ped in his office and he reviewed the labs and looked at Loch and called the immunologist. The next day we started IVIG
That also went REALLY well though the infusion took a little over 7 hours.

Its been over a week since starting IVIG. His ears and pneumonia are worse. He runs around with NO symptoms though. The immunologist says thats because his immune system is too screwed up right now to make symptoms. If germs get in your nose your body reacts. It makes extra snot to wash the germs out. If germs get in your lungs your body surrounds them and then makes you cough them out. If you got bacteria in a cut your body would send white blood cells and so on making up pus and swelling and redness and warmth from the increased blood supply to the area. His white count and other parts of the immune system are so weak that they aren't even trying. They just let the germs do what they will.

He's on new/more breathing treatments. New antibiotics.

I hope they work

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Love Thursday

Its love Thursday, so here's my entry

Love Is...

Starting an IV and drawing several tubes of blood in ONE painless poke

Love Is...
every day home from the hospital, even if we're still on antibiotics

Love is...

all 4 kids giggling together

Love is...

brothers, who love being brothers

Love is...
days and nights spent in the company of the ones I adore