We're back again with Brett to start hospitalization #6. This one isn't that much of a surprise to us. Over the past 5 days or so we have noticed Brett not feeling quite as well as he normally does. He was scheduled to do the infant PFTs (pulmonary function tests) today, which would mean general anesthesia. I emailed his doctor yesterday and let him know about Brett's subtle change in behavior, and how I wasn't sure what he would think when he saw Brett. That way, he had a heads up on the situation. When we got here, he already had Brett on the list for a bed, just in case he needed to be admitted. This was wise, because they did end up wanting Brett to stay. There is just no point in performing a test (pft) that is designed to provide us more information, but might set him back quite a bit if he is ill in some other way we're not sure about now. We are working on testing various immune function in Brett, and we already know he is compromised in that area. We postponed those tests to stay on the safe side.
Brett is on contact precautions until the results of his viral panels come back. At that point if they show no virus, we will be able to stop wearing the gloves and the gowns. Although I am wearing a mask in the photo, he's not actually on droplet precautions yet. These precautions are not for Brett's sake - they are supposed to help protect other people in the hospital from any virus Brett's body might be harboring. Mark and Gantt both have stuffy sinuses and runny noses, so there is a good possibility that Brett might have some of the same virus. They will be drawing blood to test whether he is still negative for that infection in his blood or not, and then they will decide whether he can keep his Broviac central line or not. We hope we will only be here for 48 hours for observation and testing. If all the tests come back great, it is possible he would do the infant PFTs on Friday.
Praying for your family often. I saw Nicole Smith over the weekend and enjoyed watching Dylan play soccer in the field beside Anna's. She said she keeps up with your blog regularly and prays for your family as well. Dylan will be 5 in August!
ReplyDeleteJennifer, I so admire your strength, perseverance, positivity, knowledge about cf, and faith. As a mother of three, and loving wife, you seem to balance everything with grace and maturity beyond your years. I am praying for Brett and your entire family. What a cutie he is, and you look stunning in your mask and gown:). Linda Baker
ReplyDeleteHi there! It was so nice to run into you at the hospital yesterday. I didn't ever personally take care of Brett while he was in the NICU, but I remember him and your family well... I always thought he was such a *CUTE* little baby!! When I heard you had a blog (shortly after he left our unit), I've been checking it ever since. So anyway, I had no idea y'all were arriving for him to be ADMITTED... that stinks, but hopefully some more insight can be gained. I still can't get over how big he is in person... he looks great and the pictures just don't capture his true size! All your boys are beautiful and your whole family is in my prayers and thoughts.
ReplyDeleteLove, Calissa Kneip
Melinda - yes! Nicole and I do keep up somewhat - although we've still never met yet. I Maybe you can help convince NIcole to get on facebook --- it'd be a lot easier to keep up with each other that way!
ReplyDeleteCalissa - I didn't know we would be admitted, either! Well, I had packed my bags and everything just in case, so I suspected it...but he was supposed to do infant PFTs, as described. I'm so glad I ran into you and you told me you keep up with the blog. It is nice to know who is still reading!
Linda - Ha ha! That is funny about the gown. Thank you for the encouraging words!!
Jennifer, the stomach bug finally made it to our house. Dillon had it yesterday, but seems to be over it. Now we're just waiting to see if anyone else gets it. Under the circumstances, Jason won't offer to come to the hospital this week (just in case he's a carrier). Prayerfully, you won't be there next week, but if so, we'll touch base then to see what you need. In the meantime, we keep you in our prayers.
ReplyDeleteMolly