Whew!

Finally a chance to breathe.  it has been a whirlwind since surgery.

They took him back to surgery at 4:45.   

They called me to recovery around 6:30.

He was wide awake.  has quite the antenna!  Wish I had packed the camera cord so I could upload it.  When I get home.

He was kind of upset, but when he saw me he just really let it all out.  I found out later that Dr. Boaz told the nurse at that point to really "milk him up."  so he'd calm down.   She gave him morphine and it calmed him down. We read books "in our head".  

He asked repeatedly for chocolate milk.

With the pressure monitor hooked up I could see his pressures spiking each time he'd cry.  He wants them to stay below 25, preferably 20.  But when he screamed it was well over 50!  wow.  

this monitor is pretty interesting.   So far he mostly stays around 3-8.  But he has also mostly been lying in bed watching Thomas movies so far or sleeping.  When he talks it goes up to 15 or 17.  We'll see what the night holds.  

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So for the craziness...

Dr. Boaz had Gloria admit us to 9West.  Great!  As you know, we were all moved in... pack n play set up and all.  Then surgery.  And then they tell us that because of the type of monitor Boaz put in Owen has to be in the ICU.

I guess it's kind of a situation where there is an across the board rule that should probably be taken on a case by case basis.

Apparently this type of monitor is most usually used on brain trauma patients (like from a car accident)—so obviously they would need to be in the ICU anyway.

But Owen is not sick.  He just needs monitored for diagnostic purposes.  And they do monitors similar to this on the floor, but not this one.  symmantics.  Our nurse thinks Dr. Boaz was pretty surprised by it.  As is the ICU staff, they just don't know what to do with themselves b/c he's not really "sick".

So, never having been in the ICU before it has been interesting.

A) we have our very own nurse.  Owen is his only patient.

2) they are very very very very very thorough in the ICU.  very.  It's driving me a bit nuts.  like seriously didn't leave our room until 9:30.  Asking me medical history stuff I haven't ever been asked and then random stuff about his eating and sleeping and bowel movements, even mosquito bites. ... yes, he has exactly 5 mosquito bites and it appears he's itched them today.  No, I don't know if he "always" does that.  No, I don't think he needs benadryll for it.  ...x the nurse, the NP, the doc...  Oh. my. word.

and C) this meant Evie could not stay in-room with me.  So we hastily made plans for Kim to drive her to Mindy's for the night.  The nurse found me some pumping supplies.  But as we waited she fell asleep in the pack-n-play.  

Apparently it is okay for her to be with us during the DAY when I'm awake, but if I'm asleep, they don't want to be responsible for her... Obviously I'm responsible for her.  The rule is ridiculous in our case, but I can see why they have it.  there are a lot of idiot people out there who would try to bring toddlers for weeks on end etc.   

So we figured we'd wake her up and then Kim would have to bring her in hopping mad in the morning.  Seemed like a pain after the rough day Evie put up with, especially since I knew she'd be out for the night now until 6am.  So I asked the doctor that came in if there was ANY possible way we could work something out.  he said it was up to the charge nurse, but he'd see what he could do.  Our personal nurse, Wade, was fine with it.  So, long story short, we're keeping her with us until otherwise notified!  So nice.

If it's a rule that we really can't break, then we'll be happy to follow it, but seriously, she's an infant.  it's one night.  come on!   I wouldn't have brought her if I knew you would make me come to ICU and not on 9 where she IS aloud.  

This room is tiny though.  very crowded.  Kim and I have chairs.  Hers lays back—kind of.  I may try to lay with Owen in the bed.  the bathroom isn't even on the floor.  Boy, the Tower is sooooo nice.  sniff sniff.

BUT the staff has been really really super.  if not overly so.  I can't complain.  He's getting amazing care!  Thankful for that.

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Other than that.... how's Owen?

Well, he has been really funny.  In recover he became obsessed with the thought of drinking chocolate milk.  He hadn't eaten for 24 hours.  

Kept asking the nurse for it.  "where's my chocolate milk?  Can I have it now?  Is that a refrigerator [pointing across the room at a cabinet]?  You can get milk in it.  Are you ready to get me my milk now?"

Right before we headed to the ICU she says to herself, "Am I forgetting anything [papers, stickers, wires unhooked]?"

Owen immediately pipes up..."My milk!"

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He is feeling pretty good.  When we rolled out of recovery and Kim saw him, he says, "Kimmy,  Dr. Boaz he put a straw on my head. on the top."

in the room, continued to be obsessed with getting that milk.  They'd ask him a question and he would answer then immediately retort "Can I have my chocolate milk now, pwease?"  It was so funny.

He did get his chocolate milk.  and some chicken nuggets.  gross.

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We let him watch Thomas.  A movie he had never seen.  He was entranced.  Finally made him go to sleep at 9:30.  

Once again he has that silly bed that can't sense such a small boy and just folds him up in a ditch.  ridiculous.  technology gone awry I say.

Hopefully tonight will replicate home fairly well... oh, minus the beeping, the arm splints, the antenna in his head, and the sinking bed, oh and the nurse coming in for assessments all night.   should be no problem.

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Dr. Boaz spoke to me a while in recovery and said several times he thinks this was definitely the thing to do.  He seems excited to learn the results.  I have to say, I am scared to death of the results.

While I want him to feel better, I'm kind of scared of some of the possibilities.   Eric thinks jumping to expansion seems rather sudden and I agree.  We'll definitely push to explore ALL OTHER POSSIBLE OPTIONS before that decision is made.  We'll see.  This monitor thing should tell us more.

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We'll see how tomorrow goes.  He's going to be pretty crushed that we don't get to play with Harvey and Molly now in the play room on 9West.  boo.  

He has been pretty good about not touching the "antenna."  The way it sticks out of his head (just above the forehead to the right) he can kind of see the top of it if he looks up.  He'll say, "What's that on my head? Is it a straw?  What did Dr. Boaz put on my head?"

If I make the mistake of saying something like, "That's the straw Dr. Boaz put in your head to check on your shunt."  He is sure to correct me with, "No! It's ON my head!  Not IN it."   (well, actually....)

It looks more invasive and massive than it really is.  Only a teeny tiny wire is actually in his brain, in the ventricles.  When they pull it tomorrow it will be bed side and may or may not need one suture to close.

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Even though he's had quite the unplanned day, he's doing amazingly well.  He's being cute and funny.  Says please and thank you.  but also being rather bossy.   If the nurse goes to look at his IV under the arm splint, Owen says, "It looks fine."   

 I think the staff is smitten with him.  

I sure am.