Scotty is now on his way back to MO. He just called from somewhere in Indiana. He’s encountered some rain, but says the temperature is too high right now for it to freeze. Please continue to pray for his safety as he returns home today.
Owen is scheduled to have his nissen fundoplication and g-tube procedures done on April 9th. However, the doctors are hoping to get him in sooner. Since the PICC line didn’t work, they are going to push for a broviac (an implanted port). They still believe it is necessary for Owen to have a central line and are trying to avoid the repeated sticks from needles and IVs. Also called a central venous catheter, the broviac, is placed in the large vein leading directly into the heart. A small incision would be made near the collarbone and the catheter would be tunneled through the skin to an exit site (where another small incision would be). Getting the broviac would be the ace in the hole- as far as getting into surgery sooner than April 9th. Since the broviac has to be placed during surgery, they could do the nissen and g-tube at the same time. They determined that the bacterial growth in his mucous is gram negative bacilli. More specifically- the bacterial growth is E coli. They said it is sensitive to the zosyn and it should work effectively in fighting it. Owen is in the process of having another blood transfusion because his blood count was down. He’s having minimal drainage out of his chest tube- a little over 5 mls since 11 a.m. The ventilator was moved down to 16 breaths per minute at 9 a.m. this morning. At about 2 p.m. his vent was again turned down to 14 breaths per minute. The respiratory therapist is planning on weaning him down by 2 again- and put him at 12 breaths per minute by the end of this evening. He is still receiving 25% oxygen at this time- though this is very close to room air and they aren’t at all bothered with this setting. Mr. Owen is going to be sprinting on Sunday. No, he’s not going to be trying out the no-skid marks on the bottom of his socks! Regarding his ventilator/breathing, they are going to allow him to do some sprints tomorrow. This will help strengthen him and prepare him for extubation. Essentially, he would be breathing on his own and the ventilator would kick in if he didn’t take a breath in 20 seconds. Due to the diarrhea, the dietician has added pectin (which is like fiber) to his Vivonex 10 formula. The pectin will be increased over the next several days and hopefully help alleviate the diarrhea. O-man’s been running another fever today, but it is slowly going down. Actually, as of 4:07 p.m. his temperature is 98 degrees. PRAISE GOD!
I’m excited because I’m going to church with my friend, Beth. She drives the shuttle and works nights at the RMH. She’s going to stay in my room tonight when she gets done working and then we are going to go to church together. Please pray that my ears would be open to hear the message. Pray that I have peace of mind and a clear head to listen to the message. Pray that I find sweet comfort and restoration in the house of the Lord. I can’t wait to break out in song and praise to the Lord. We have so much to be thankful for regarding our precious son.
Pray for Scott this week as he starts back to work. Pray for my safety as I get to and from the hospital each day. The Lord has provided friends throughout our stay at the RMH. Pray against the spirit of loneliness. Pray for our little Owie. He’s continues to fight everyday. He wiggles out of his restraints and everybody around him notices that he has a special spirit. The Lord is using Owen in a mighty way and we believe He will continue to use him to touch the people who cross his path. He has a funny little snore now- due to an air leak from the breathing tube. I was teasing Scott last night and told him that both of my boys snore. Blessing to all of you- Shannon
GOD IS FAITHFUL! Owen had another good night. He had an additional breathing “sprint” from 9-10 p.m. last night. They were planning on extubating him today following doctor rounds. This plan changed after talking to the surgeons’ schedulers. On Wednesday he will be having a broviac catheter placed in his chest. They will be unable to do the other two surgeries (nissen fundoplication & g-tube) at this time. The date for those two procedures remains set for April 9th. They only have a 30-minute opening on Wednesday in which to fit the broviac procedure. They are tentatively planning to extubate on Thursday. They are going to give him a few days to rest comfortably before his next procedure. The doctors didn’t want to extubate today and reintubate on Wednesday. That could be overly irritating to the tracheitis (or e coli growth in his mucous). He’s currently set at 10 breaths per minute on his ventilator. The oxygen level is still 25%- which is barely just a spit of oxygen. Then they are looking at taking the chest tube out a few days after that if everything is going well. We should be able to move to the floor (A6) and out of the CICU by the end of the week. Owen has had a pretty low key day. He received some sedation throughout the day to help him get comfortable. He’s been having some mucous-based spit up the last several days. It is a good sign that things are breaking up and not settling in his chest. Our nurse over the weekend put some duoderm on his cheeks to help protect them against all the tape. I was grateful that someone was looking out for his poor, irritated mug. The nurses think it is funny that he still slides around in the bed- even while he is under sedation. We have to keep a constant roll under his bottom to keep him from scooting to the very end of the bed. I’m happy to have the chance to change diapers again today. Owie’s poopies seem to be having a little more substance to them. Hopefully the diarrhea is a thing of the past for right now. He is up to 2% pectin within his formula now. The physical therapist came and worked with Owers this afternoon on his range of motion. He didn’t seem to care if she bent his legs or worked with the lower half of his body. He didn’t even wake up for that part of the therapy. He still has a lot of tension in his neck (Could we say these doctors are pains right in the neck?). He’s also carrying tension through his shoulders. Christy, PT, said that is to be expected following surgery and throughout being intubated. I gave Owie a mini manicure today. He didn’t seem to object at all. There’s not a lot to report today, but we have learned to be satisfied with stability. Sometimes staying constant is good progress. This journey has taught me to be mindful of what is happening right in front of my eyes. Sometimes we are too busy to see the positive things staring us in the face. I heard a line on the radio the other night that has stuck with me since then. It went something like this-‘I stand in awe of every mountain you move’. Wow, I’m reminded of being in Dayton and wondering how our little guy would make it through heart surgery. “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20) I remember a few months ago- the revelations I experienced while traveling through the Great Smoky Mountains. God is bringing all this together and showing me how to fully trust Him. This wouldn’t be so vivid in my mind if I hadn’t had the opportunity to witness his tremendous handiwork last August. I would be so bold to ask you today- What Mt. Everest is standing in your way? With God on your side, mountains crumble to molehills. I choose to keep my eyes on my Savior. I won’t even need dynamite to get through the next mountain (surgery). I just rest in the presence of the Lord. Keep praying, friends!