Day 38

We've had another roller coaster kind of day... I've about had it with these. Around 5am, he decided he wasn't going to be comfortable anymore. He's dozed off and on all day, but he can't seem to get any good comfortable sleep... That means he stays sleepy all the time, and we don't have any alert periods to play with him. Not that he'd feel up to playing anyway... We were expecting his lipase to go down today since they stopped the feeds, and instead they've doubled, to 2848. As expected, he seems to be in a little more pain. They've called in a GI consult, but we won't talk to them to see what they've decided until tomorrow morning. His ultrasound didn't show any gallstones, but did show the duct to be a little enlarged. I'm not really sure what that means just yet, but hopefully they'll be able to answer my questions in the morning.

He's also had more trouble with his breathing today, especially compared to how well he's been doing in that area the past week. His chest x-ray this morning showed more fluid in his lungs, and his oxygen saturation has been up and down. He also seems to be working harder to breathe, and breathing faster. They've upped his diuretics and turned his O2 back up for now, and hopefully we'll get it all under control before it becomes a major issue.

Adults who can describe pancreatitis say it's incredibly painful, especially once the numbers start getting so high. He's only had to have one dose of morphine all day, and I don't know how he does it. I'm sure I'd be crying for drugs 24/7 if I were him.... He's such a tough little man!!

The last low of the day, and I'll move on... Another family with us in the CICU was told today that their little boy isn't going to make it. Please keep them in your prayers tonight, as I can't begin to imagine the grief they are feeling this evening.

We did have a few ups today as well... My mother-in-law took me to the mall to get the girls some Christmas presents, and we went to lunch. I'm still not a huge fan of the pre-Christmas crowds, but it was good to get away for a little bit. Besides, I'm pretty sure my girls didn't want a box of surgical gloves as a Christmas present. My friend Michelle was here when we got back... Her visit made my day! I hadn't seen her in so long, and she didn't have a cute pregnant belly when I saw her last either. I was so excited to finally get to sit down with her and catch up. (And I'm pretty disappointed in myself for forgetting to have her sign Holden's heart pillow.)

So those are the highs and lows of our day in here... One of these days, we'll have more highs than lows. :)

I can't believe how long his hair has gotten!

 Granny came to visit yesterday...

 As usual, I can never seem to catch the smiles as they happen... These are as close as I got.

 Holden's favorite nurse, Stephanie. She abandoned us to go on vacation for a week. :) And I'm not sure what he's doing here... The tongue is a constant theme.