Overdue

Wow! My post is so overdue I had to go back and see where I stopped. It is difficult to have time for much of anything other than Jack here which is just fine because he is our number one priority! My nerves have been so frazzled at times I'm not sure if will be able to ever unwind.  It's so hard to watch him hurt when he's maxed out the pain meds. I check every line coming out of him to make sure they aren't a culprit. When it's nothing else, all I can do is sit with him and let him cry it out. The other thing about this surgery is that Jack is only 3. I believe Jack understands most of everything I tell him but it is hard to rationalize that you can't sit or scoot over your chest tube lines because you will pull them out. Or that I know it is uncomfortable, but if you sit still the blood pressure cuff will stop squeezing you so tightly. Anyways, this has been one of the most challenging experiences of my life. 

The PICC line was placed late afternoon Tuesday. They put him on a clear liquid diet starting at 12am Monday. There was no scheduled time for the cath lab so I thought it would be early considering the clear liquid diet. Well it wasn't. Finally after all the jello I could possibly feed him they called him to come to waiting area at 2:40pm. He was getting incredibly irritable- assuming because he had had nothing to eat in almost 24 hours. There was some "discussion" on whether they would be kind enough to remove his neck line and redress his chest tubes while under anesthesia since he had been so irritated the previous days. They sent me off when they took him back and I had no idea what to expect after the PICC line. After an hour of fresh air they called and I went up pleasantly surprised.  The amazing physicians assistant personally went over to the cath lab to take care of Jack's line removal, bandage change and got all the sticky of his sweet skin as she could! That was so above and beyond her duties I still can't thank her enough. She just makes sure to tell Jack that he can't make too many more girlfriends other than her on the floor! 

We got back to the room sometime after 8pm. Wednesday Dr. Bradley decided that his drainage on his middle tube had decreased enough for it to be pulled!! The docs and nurses all told me once that comes back you begin to get personality back. He skipped a nap Wednesday and played all day. We went to the children's atrium twice but it was so difficult with the 2 chest drainage boxes and the IV pole. 

Today Jack's nurse and the nurse practitioner helped convince the docs to let him off the IV meds for an hour to play in the atrium. They did and today he by far has been the happiest. He is starting to like everyone and has been talking, smiling, waving and blowing kisses. Tomorrow we are looking at fully coming off the IV meds and another chest tube!! Drainage has dropped significantly!! As of the moment it looks like we could be out of here by the end of the month! Maybe even next week!