Yesterday, we went to the hospital in the morning and spent a couple of hours with Aiden. Not much had changed. His belly was still very full of air and they had put in a second IV in his little hand for the antibiotics they were giving him. They had put him on the oscillating ventilator that he was on after he was first born. This ventilator forces up to 600 little puffs of air per minute into his lungs to keep the air sacks in his lungs open. His belly was so distended that you could see the coils of his intestines bulging up under his skin. Amaraa hadn't been to visit for a couple of days because she had been coughing. When she had been to visit him last, Aiden was in the closed incubator with nothing but a nasal cannula and a feeding tube. It was hard for her to see him on the ventilator with IVs and monitor wires everywhere and she was pretty emotional.
At lunchtime, we went and had some Korean food. It had been so long since Amaraa and I had been out to eat together that a little lunch ended up feeling like a full-on date. After lunch, we headed back to the hospital. Aiden was sedated so that he can tolerate the breathing tube in his throat, so he was sleeping peacefully when we returned. We sat with him for a little while and then drove home.
Jasmine and Skylar are still struggling with their sicknesses. Jasmine is still coughing and has a slight fever. Skylar now has an ear infection and has been in quite a bit of pain from that. All of the sickness is getting old. It would be really nice just to have one day when everyone in the family is well. For now, it looks like that's not in the cards.
At lunchtime, we went and had some Korean food. It had been so long since Amaraa and I had been out to eat together that a little lunch ended up feeling like a full-on date. After lunch, we headed back to the hospital. Aiden was sedated so that he can tolerate the breathing tube in his throat, so he was sleeping peacefully when we returned. We sat with him for a little while and then drove home.
Today, my parents called and said they were in town. Since Aiden was struggling, they decided to come up and be with us at the hospital. Aiden was better in some ways and worse in others. He had gotten rid of most of the air in his belly, but his breathing was worse. The latest x-rays of his lungs indicated that he might have pneumonia. The neonatologist said they needed to put a "pick" line (central line) catheter into him. The blood vessels in the arms are so small that they can collapse pretty quickly. The pick line will allow them to give him medications faster and easier without the risk of collapse. Dr. Cheatham also said they were going to put in an arterial line so they could draw blood more easily without having to poke Aiden's little foot every time. We sat with Aiden for a couple of hours. When they got ready to put the arterial line in, we decided to get out of their way and go home.
Jasmine and Skylar are still struggling with their sicknesses. Jasmine is still coughing and has a slight fever. Skylar now has an ear infection and has been in quite a bit of pain from that. All of the sickness is getting old. It would be really nice just to have one day when everyone in the family is well. For now, it looks like that's not in the cards.
Oh your poor little guy! I am so sorry! This is an awful time of year with all the sickness going around. I'm sorry he is having to work so hard! Our thoughts and prayers are with you. The sun has finally come out so hopefully some warmer temperatures will get everyone feeling better! You all are such incredibly strong people, what a wonderful example you are to the rest of us!
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