Back in the Hospital Again

What a long day we've had at UNC. We got here about 13 hours ago for a routine CF Clinic appointment. Brett has been looking so great and gaining weight steadily and overall seemed to be doing very well. Today when we got here, the first thing they did was check vitals, including checking his oxygen saturation (sats). The pulse oximeter read 87! The goal is for it to be 100%, and at least 97 or above. This was the first sign that all was not right. He was laboring to breathe slightly, but it was very subtle at the time. We did an albuterol treatment then a chest PT and the sats went up to about 92 but that was the highest it read. Next we went downstairs for a chest x-ray, not really expecting to see much, because his lungs sounded absolutely clear by listening with a stethoscope. That is what is so sneaky about CF! The disease starts in the teeny tiny distal airways, and the changes are so subtle it's hard to notice. After the x-ray we went back to clinic and checked the sats one more time, and it wasn't any better. It was then decided that he couldn't go home without better oxygen saturation, so we would stay the night, get a regular IV to start a general lung coverage antibiotic until we could see what was going on - wishfully thinking it was just a mucus plug or something causing this. He was started on a half liter of oxygen at that point. However, once the x-ray came back it showed a very bad exacerbation in his lungs - due to some sort of irritant (bacteria, virus, etc.) that has caused his airways to become inflamed and constricted. It was decided then that he will indeed be on another 2-3 week course of IV antibiotics again. Trouble is, now we don't have a broviac anymore. So tomorrow I think they are going to try to get a PICC line in him and see how that goes. If they can't do it, he may have to have another broviac put in to administer the medications for the long period of time that it's necessary.

Our appointment was for 11AM, and we finally got back to be seen at 11:45 AM. By 2:00 or so it was decided we'd be staying at least overnight, but I had to wait on a bed, and they knew it'd be quite a while. So my phone battery was dead and I had to use their phones to start calling and trying to arrange for childcare and someone to bring me my overnight stuff, since Rob has just had shoulder surgery and can't take care of a baby! Or drive out here on the narcotics he's taking for pain!

The staff here were incredibly accomodating, as usual. They sat with Brett while I ran up to buy a sandwich for dinner. At 6:00 the clinic closed so we had to go wait in the ER (because he still needed oxygen) until the room was ready. The room got ready about 8:30ish and we began to try to get settled. They tried once unsuccessfully to get an IV in his foot. A little bit later on they tried his hand, and got it to work, so that's all done and we did all his medications and treatments for the night. He is one tired puppy! He didn't get his naps today like usual and being here all day having stuff done to him has wiped him out. I'm pretty tired, too, with a huge headache! So now he's asleep and I'm going to bed to try to get a little sleep, as I expect tomorrow will be a pretty eventful day. Thanks for your prayers and support!