Saturday, December 11, 2010

No Tubes, No Drains, NOOOO Problem!

Sorry, Jeff Foxworthy, but it was too perfect of an opportunity to pass up!  :-) 

Matthew got all of his drains out Friday: catheter, epidural, and drainage tube for the blood that would seep from his chest.  He did really well with all of them except one.  Ya'll can probably guess which one THAT was!  He is off all pain meds except Tylenol 3 every 4 hours, and he takes that in tablet form.  (Trust me, that's a good thing! Thursday night, every time Jason & his nurse would try to get him to swallow the liquid pain meds, he'd spit it out or just refuse to open his mouth.)

It's currently 4:12 A.M. Saturday morning.  I know this is an odd time to blog, but he woke up around 2:30-3:00 in pain, took his meds, went back to sleep...BUT...I'm still up!  Guess I've been working nights too long, huh?  Anyway, the plan is for him to go home this morning if we can get him to go to the bathroom and IF the surgeon says he's good to go.  He's walking around a lot without any help and with every step, you can see his color and attitude improve.  He complains mostly about his sternum and back hurting.  I'm sure the back pain comes from lying in this silly hospital bed all week.  He can't lie on his side or belly for a while.  His sternum hurts cause they had to basically break & re-shape it in surgery to get the pressure off his heart & lungs.

For those who've been wondering, Scott has been sleeping at the hotel across the street from the hospital with my parents who came down to help us.  They'll be going home Sat or Sunday.  (I am hoping they stay one more day, but knowing Mom & Dad,they'll leave Saturday!)  Jason's been dropping Scott off at school in the mornings, then we go home & sleep til the bus drops him off.  Next, Jason wakes me up, I shower & we head back here to spend some "family" time with Matt. (Scott & Matt have been playing the Wii in the hospital Playroom every chance they can.  Hmmmm....maybe they oughta get a Wii for Christmas?) 

Friday night, Mom & Dad came over & sat with Jason and Matt while I took Scott to Barnes & Noble for a "Polar Express" Party.  They read the book to the kids, served them hot cocoa & cookies, then did arts & crafts.  The "little" kids made ornaments out of felt paper, and the "big" kids made gingerbread houses out of graham crackers and icing.  I wish I would've taken a picture of Scott's house cause it was really good!  He is my artist!

I actually remembered to take some pics of Matthew earlier tonight, but I forgot the USB cable to the computer again!  (the one that connects the computer to the camera for downloading)  Maybe when we get home, I'll remember to download them and post pics so ya'll can see him.

Please let me know if there's anything we can do for you guys.  We really appreciate all the prayers, text messages, e-mails and facebook posts letting us know you are there for us.

Love,
Dea

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Up and At 'Em

Happy Hump Day Everyone!  It's literally been a hump for us today!  Matthew had a temp of 100.7 overnight, but all day it's been right at 98.  :-)  He's been up all day, walking around and playing the Wii in the Playroom here at the hospital.  His IV has been disconnected, but they left the "heplock" in to give IV pain meds if needed.  He still has his epidural and catheter.  (Like most "men", he doesn't like the catheter AT ALL!) 

Last night, he looked at me, and told me to "Tell Dad to stop snoring.  He's too loud & I can't sleep."  Jason was sleeping in the parent's bed next to the window at the time so it was pretty funny.  Also, Matt has been eating much better ( M&M's and Butterfingers) and drinking so that's a good thing!  Granny's been keeping him busy and making sure he gets a bath every day.  For those who know my Mom, this isn't a surprise. 

His surgeon came by this afternoon while I was home sleeping, and he said that if he continues to improve, he'll probably get to go home this weekend.  I had planned on posting some pics of Matthew, but I forgot the USB cable that attaches the camera to the computer so it'll be another day.  Hopefully I'll remember to bring it tomorrow.  I am headed to work so Jason will be sitting with him tonight.  Fortunately, I work at the same hospital so I can periodically come check on him.  I work on the ground floor, and he's on the 4th floor so it's not too bad.

Thank you for all your continued prayers and support.  We really appreciate all of you.

Love,
Dea & Jason

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Surgery Time!

Yesterday was Matthew's surgery to repair his pectus excavatum.  For those unfamiliar with this, it is where the cartilage that holds the ribs to the sternum is too tight and makes the sternum cave in onto the lungs and heart.  He had kind of a rough night, but right now he is sleeping peacefully.  Today will be the hardest day of all.  The pain will really hit today.  We've got to get him out of bed and walking.  He isn't going to like that at all!  He has an epidural for pain, but any movement makes him hurt.  Over the night, he had a fever of 103.7.  NOT GOOD!  It's common to have a fever after surgery, but it's still scary when it's my son with the fever.

Right now, as I'm typing this, Jason is snoring in the "parent's bed" in Matt's room, and I'm sitting in the chair next to Matthew's bed holding his hand when he whimpers and watching movies on TV.  My parents are in town all week, and they'll be here shortly to "relieve" me.  (Like I'm gonna leave when he's in here!)  I want to scoop him up and wrap him in a great big bear hug, but I'm afraid it'll hurt him too much.  Please pray that when he gets up today that his lungs will expand like they're supposed to so we can avoid pneumonia.

Love,
Dea