Day 11

10:00 pm - I am definitely a meat and potatoes kind of gal, and not just in my diet...but in my blog posts as well.  Lately, I have been trying to sum up a lot of medical jargon and long-windedness into three short and sweet updates a day.  But after my recent posts about the oxygen weaning process, several people have asked me to explain a little bit more.  So, here is my feeble attempt...  The doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists keep a watchful eye on Hayes and his respiratory status at all times.  When it is determined that he is ready to be weaned from a specific breathing machine, they work together to lower the level of oxygen that he is receiving.  (Typically, in very small increments.)  And after the necessary changes are made, we all stare at the monitors that indicate his blood-oxygen level to see what his little body will do.  If they stay at an appropriate level, we do a little cheer and then go on about our day.  If they dip lower than they should, his oxygen is bumped back up to where it had previously been.  This pattern of lowering the oxygen and watching his numbers continues on throughout the weaning process at a very conservative pace...usually with several hours in between changes.  Some times it can even take days.  Once he is at the minimum level of support for that specific machine though, it is time to move onto the next less invasive one.  Right now, he is on the lowest possible setting for the standard nasal cannula.  So, I bet you are wondering where he will go from here.  The answer to that is - room air!  Woo-hoo!

2:00 pm - Our goal for the day has been weaning - weaning Hayes off the nasal cannula, weaning him off the breathing treatments, and weaning him off of his pain medication.  And so far...so good!  His oxygen is down to a minimal amount, he is getting better at coughing and clearing his throat on his own, and he is all smiles (and much more awake!) without all of his pain medication.  Speaking of which - Hayes says it's time to play!!

9:00 am - Remember in one of my previous posts how I said that all moms end up hitting a wall?  Well, I forgot to add that all moms also get to a point where all they want to do is get the heck out of the hospital.  And yup, I'm at that point!  After ten days in the hospital, I think I have reached my limit of interrupted sleep, screaming babies next door, and being confined to a room.  Not to mention the fact that I also terribly miss the feel of the sunshine on my face, loving on my sweet kitty cat, and snuggling with my husband at night.  I feel like discharge is so close...almost within reach.  We have jumped so many hurdles, and Hayes is doing better than I could have ever imagined.  But, we have that one little factor that is keeping us from packing up and waving good-bye - his lungs.  (Which I guess is kind of a big deal...)  Everyone is confident that he will be weaned off the nasal cannula soon, so let's just see what is in store for today!