Hi everyone,
The four of us are beginning to settle in at home now. It took a couple of days for Peter to adjust to the new sights and sounds around the house, but he seems to enjoy the 24-hour access as much as we do!
One thing Peter has had to adjust to is temperature fluctuation. He is quite hot-natured and often likes to wear just a diaper with the air conditioning cranked up. A cool washcloth hat also helps sometimes.
We are also learning how to keep a "cool head" when all the alarms on Peter's machines go off at once. Example: Peter has a dirty diaper, which makes him very angry. He cries. The ventilator starts beeping because it senses the high pressure of his breaths. He kicks his feet, and the oxygen sensor on his foot also starts beeping frantically because the movement gives a false reading. The crying leads to a surfeit of phlegm, so we turn on the suction pump (sounds like a quiet air compressor) to suction his trach while one of us is dealing with the diaper. This is usually the point when the phone rings and the food pump beeps because it has run out of milk.
Speaking of food...Peter's bottle feeding has been improving exponentially. We haven't weighed him since he was discharged but we're sure he's gaining and growing. He's now working on a second chin--no mean feat when you're on a fat-free diet. He gets tube feeding for 16 hours a day, bottle feeding whenever he's hungry.
People have asked us about the nursing care. The nurses come to our house in three 8-hour shifts every day, at least for this first month. One week in, it has been quite a study in personalities. It is amazing how the nursing profession reaches across generations and walks of life. We are grateful for their medical expertise, enthusiasm and experience.
The four of us are beginning to settle in at home now. It took a couple of days for Peter to adjust to the new sights and sounds around the house, but he seems to enjoy the 24-hour access as much as we do!
One thing Peter has had to adjust to is temperature fluctuation. He is quite hot-natured and often likes to wear just a diaper with the air conditioning cranked up. A cool washcloth hat also helps sometimes.
We are also learning how to keep a "cool head" when all the alarms on Peter's machines go off at once. Example: Peter has a dirty diaper, which makes him very angry. He cries. The ventilator starts beeping because it senses the high pressure of his breaths. He kicks his feet, and the oxygen sensor on his foot also starts beeping frantically because the movement gives a false reading. The crying leads to a surfeit of phlegm, so we turn on the suction pump (sounds like a quiet air compressor) to suction his trach while one of us is dealing with the diaper. This is usually the point when the phone rings and the food pump beeps because it has run out of milk.
Speaking of food...Peter's bottle feeding has been improving exponentially. We haven't weighed him since he was discharged but we're sure he's gaining and growing. He's now working on a second chin--no mean feat when you're on a fat-free diet. He gets tube feeding for 16 hours a day, bottle feeding whenever he's hungry.
People have asked us about the nursing care. The nurses come to our house in three 8-hour shifts every day, at least for this first month. One week in, it has been quite a study in personalities. It is amazing how the nursing profession reaches across generations and walks of life. We are grateful for their medical expertise, enthusiasm and experience.
Love the picture with the washcloth! Cooler weather will be coming soon. So happy to hear Peter is enjoying his bottle so much!
ReplyDeleteLove and continued prayers,
The Van Heests