Day 37

The CICU is fast losing its appeal... Now that we can see a light at the end of the tunnel, patience is running very thin! All of these little setbacks add days to our stay here, and I am fairly certain we won't be leaving anytime soon. (Although I have to say, as much as we want to be out of here, we're really going to miss a lot of the people we see every day... I love some of his nurses and doctors.) His lipase (numbers they use to measure pancreas function) were in the 900's yesterday, and this morning they had jumped up to 1400... Luckily, he doesn't seem to be in as much pain as he was in last time the numbers jumped. They've stopped his feeds again (he didn't even do well on the Tolerex), and it looks like he'll require a longer fasting period to heal. The surgeons are also talking about unplugging his belly drain again... It's been capped off since Saturday, and they're wondering if that may be making things worse. Personally, I think it's the feeds more than anything, but I left my medical degree at the house. :) In all other areas, he's doing really well. He's not having any problems with the Vapotherm, and his O2 sats have been great. They're weaning him reeeeaaallly slowly on that... I think they're all scared of him now, haha. His meds seem to be under control, and he seems pretty comfortable. So keep those prayers up for pancreas healing, and we can get out of this place!

On another note... Children's offers so much to the kids who have to live here... I have been so impressed by how much they try and do for them, especially over the holidays. The library here is giving away books this week, and I found a couple of cute tiny books for Holden to read in bed... Now he won't have to hold the big books up with his feet! If you have any old books you're looking to get rid of, please consider donating them to the hospital's library. They can use books for all ages.

Another highlight of the day yesterday was a visit from a couple of Dallas Cowboys and a cheerleader. Marion Barber, Teddy Williams and a cheerleader named Megan came through yesterday afternoon, and Holden now has two personalized and autographed pictures, one of the team and one of the cheerleaders. He doesn't seem to care too much, but I thought it was pretty cool. :)