The doctors now believe there is no fistula in Nathan's gut. Monday was chaotic, with the surgeon coming in and ordering emergency surgery. After the dust settled and more test results came back, they realized that it was not as urgent as they initially thought. They want to push the surgery back to give him more time to heal.
Since changing from morphine to Toridol, his pain has been under control. He's been very active and talkative, and his vocabulary has been increasing noticeably. While this sounds like an odd thing to note, he's been in the hospital during a stage of his life where vocabulary really starts to take off. Not being in his class surely has had an impact on his progress, but Christa has been taking every step to try and keep him moving along with other kids his age.
The surgeon has scheduled Nathan's fourth (that's 4th) surgery for next Thursday, two days after Christmas. They will be going in to remove the blockage and reattach everything again. There is a chance that they might need to leave an ostomy again, if his intestines are still dilated. Hopefully this will not be necessary. We won't know until the procedure is complete.
One of the nurse practitioners spilled the beans today. They've been planning a very nice surprise for me and Christa. Apparently they're going to order dinner for us on Christmas Eve from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse! I've never eaten there, but I've always heard great things about them. I don't think I've had steak since we went into the hospital, so this is a wonderful surprise. I only wish we could do something for all of the hospital staff, but our finances are really tight and there are so many wonderful people there. Oh, and a big "shout-out" to Lindsey, Nathan's favorite nurse. ;-)
I might have mentioned it before, but I ran into one of the PICU doctors today who made me think about this again. We're routinely asked how we (Christa and I) are doing. It's such a weird question to us, since the act of being here and doing everything we do is completely involuntary. The easiest way to describe what we feel is simply "we don't have a choice". But that phrase carries such a negative connotation; that's not what is intended. It's just that what we do, we do out of necessity. It's not like we think about it, we just do it. You don't have the luxury of making a choice to do any of this each day, you just do. I have a hard time believing this is a unique quality to us, since it would seem to be inherent in all parents. But based on some of the reactions we get and stories we here, I can't help but wonder. I suspect that some of it goes with the inner-city atmosphere. Who knows. All I know is that we just keep plugging away, hoping that today will be the day we have a breakthrough.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Dear Jason & Christa,
Having had children myself, I can't imagine what it's been like for you. Some of what you do is inherent in being a parent, but you're being stretched to the limits.
I have been to Ruth Chris steakhouse, and you're going to love it. Savor every moment and bite, you soooo deserve this!
Love,
Aunt Barb
Post a Comment