Saturday, November 8, 2008

Day Three at the LCH

I’m starting to get that feeling like, “wait, what day is it?” There is not much of a difference between Friday or Saturday (or Sunday, or Monday, or Tuesday…) except that DJ was off work and able to spend the day with us at the hospital. Things are still just trekkin’ along. I am sure in a couple days I will start to get a little cabin fever. I am going to make it a goal to get out of here a little, but it is hard to leave Colin’s side. Or at least leave the hospital. I have gone down to the cafeteria, and the short break is good. In a way, it’s fun to get to spend so much time with Colin and family that has been visiting.

We really like the nurses and doctors. It has been an interesting couple of days though. They are implementing a computer charting system, and so everybody is running a little slow as they adjust to the change. One nurse said “I’m good at being a nurse, not a computer nerd.” I think that it’s kind of funny. But it is very cool that Colin’s records will be accessible and clearer than in the traditional paper charting method! We are probably good for them to learn on though, as I am extremely laid back and patient, and Colin is content no matter what’s happening. I figured, we aren’t going anywhere, so why should I care if it takes them 10 extra minutes to get all the info in order.
For those of you who want to know more about Colin’s medical status, the samples taken during the broncoscopy are showing the same things as the culture from his mouth taken a week ago. So, we are on the right medication and should not need to change anything there. Basically, as they watch the culture develop they may decide to change the dosage to treat his infection accurately. Not a biggie.

They weighed him today and will continue to weigh him daily to track his growth and make sure his digestion is on track. He was 17lb7oz! That means either the scale is way different than the one in the doctor’s office, or it means he has gained 9 oz in just 5 days… he was 16lb14oz last Monday! That is a HUGE jump for Colin! I’m very proud on his growth. Along with this weight gain is developmental growth. He is so close to crawling and is trying to sit up from laying on his back all on his own. We know that the moment he can do it… life is gonna get a little trickier as we will have to keep our eyes on him all the time! But it is so exciting to watch my little boy learn and grow.

One last thing I want to share is that we spoke with Colin’s pulmonologist, Dr. Ashe today, and he shared with us his enthusiasm towards the latest CF research and developments. He recently attended the annual CF conference, and he said for the first time is 18 or so years, you could feel the excitement as they revealed some positive things that are being tested and studied. It’s wonderful news. Because everything they learn and develop can be passed on to Colin, to improve his life and, hopefully, EXTEND his life. We are truly thankful for our doctors and that we live in a place where we can get TOP NOTCH care so close to home. We know that Colin is in good hands. As his parents, we’ll do everything we can for him. His doctors are knowledgeable and prepared to care for Colin. But the best of all is that Colin’s life is completely in God’s hands.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hang in there guys! We're thinking about you all a lot!

Anonymous said...

Becky,

I am thinking about Colin, you and DJ. I was out of town for the past week in the woods, literally and didn't have internet or phone. Hope that you are well. Let me know if I can do anything. Being far away from you and the family is hard when a hospital visit is involved. I love you so much. thanks for the blog updates.

love sarah