It was supposed to be a routine visit. We arrived for his 2 o'clock care appointment and took his temperature and changed him and everything was normal. Then we took him out of the incubator so Kate could hold him. That's not where the unexpected twist comes (which I know you're expecting, so I suppose I should just call it a plain old twist).
That's not a photoshop zoomie filter effect by the way, that's an accidental in-camera effect I got by zooming the lens while taking the shot. I don't know if you care or not, but I thought it was kinda neat. Anyway, here we were enjoying some quiet calm with Cole snoozing soundly on Kate's chest:
Nice right? Peaceful. Until he wriggled around and pulled his breathing tube out. One thing we've learned about Cole is that he is the master of his own destiny. He doesn't care what our plan is, or what the nurse's plan is. He knows what's best for him and he makes it happen. That's how we like to think of it anyway. Although that isn't exactly how we were looking at it while he was laying limp and turning blue in Kate's arms. We were feeling awful and scared and honestly I was preparing myself for the worst, which felt terribly empty, and hurt. 23 alarms went off, 47 nurses appeared and a manually squeezed oxygen bellows was placed on his face and he was whisked back into the incubator and calmly the nurses got his heart rate back up. Of course. They see this all the time. I keep forgetting that this is a roller-coaster ride that I'm on, and that Cole is in a tenuous situation while in the hands of miracle workers.
Funnily, they had been talking about putting him back on CPAP and taking the ventilator out. They were thinking that the intubation may have caused a little irritation which may have caused some of the breathing problems he was having which may have turned into Pneumonia. Which sounds like an awful result, but considering the alternative it was totally the way to go. However, he has grown a little and they're hoping he has developed enough to be able to handle the CPAP.
So there you have it. He's back on CPAP because he wanted to be, and 6 hours after the shit hit the fan, he's doing well.
Cheers, little man. Enjoy your new outfit, and thanks for the heart attack!
There's a baby in there somewhere.
2 comments:
Wow, what a drama, you guys must have been freaking out. It sounds like Cole's medical team is so cool and collected, and you guys can feed from their energy. Man, I admire how you're handling this day-by-day drama.
Adam + Kate (+ Cole, who -- given his progress -- will prob be able to read this blog by the time he leaves the hospital),
Thank you for sharing this blog -- and through it, your little family -- with us. I've laughed, I've cried...it's a beautiful thing. Your son, as well, is a beautiful thing (even in his pink raisin costume--so original!). I'm blown away by his strength and determination!
Also, FYI, from one of your previous posts: Tic Tacs are actually marketed as the "1 1/2 calorie breath mint"...which I'm not saying to be obnoxious and correct you on something irrelevant, but rather to point out that Cole, at his 24 calories, could be eating 16 whole Tic Tacs! Way to go, big guy!
Much love to all of you- Becca
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