Deep Thoughts from PICU

What does a parent do or think as their child gets better in PICU?
- Try to be put in the shoes of a Resident by attempting to stay awake the entire time they have to (30 hours)
- Learns to be patient and overcome your fears as each step in the healing process changes your level of comfort (my apologies to the night staff in my previous post...a Resident came in after my post and discussed the reasons for his low heart rate and sudden change in the way he reacted to breathing treatments, suction, etc). No he didn't read my post, but we were asking so many questions the nurse went and got him:).
- Recaps and revisits her anatomy of the speech and hearing mechanisms and neurology class(Thanks Dr. Healey and Dr. Hux) knowledge learned in Grad school 6 years ago. *The vagus nerve when activated causes the heart rate to go down and not up and now that his paralytic gets out of his body, his body will be feeling and reacting. This causing his heart rate to go down and not up. Ahhh...I get it! I am relieved, but not enough to sleep though.
- Thinks she is big stuff looking out on the lights of downtown Omaha and feeling like I am in a big town...too bad Kenner and I can't experience the aura of it.
- Takes nursing 101 and feels that she could do almost all of this stuff herself...except changing the diapers. I am paying them, so I will sit back and watch that, right?. I did my job potty training him:)
- Determines that no matter how much or how little a person sleeps their morning breath is still horrendous no matter if you sleep or not. *hope you aren't eating your morning breakfast!
- Finds out the mini favorites of Kenner's mind and body (he prefers to sleep on one side and will automatically move there after the RT says, "All done Kenner, time to go to sleep." Almost instantaniously he moves and relaxes.
- Discovers how much her children make her laugh each day and when that is taken away how much she misses that. *Kenner was uncomfortable earlier in the evening and I asked him if we should read him a book and he did a little "bubbi" nodd. All of us (2 nurses, Grandma Carlece and I) looked at each other. Thanks Kenner for making mommy and Grandma laugh. We hope more come today.
- Finding the positive in everything is easy to do when you know you have our God on our side. Thank you Jesus (as Kenner would say) for all that you have helped me through and continue to work to help heal Kenner!
- Knowing that there are more family and friends out there that really care than a person could ever imagine. Kenner is the most popular kid up here with a window full of 16 balloons (I know specifics aren't needed...but really what else is a person going to do at 4:55 in the morning), candy, toys for when he wakes up. I am very sorry if I don't sound thankful or have things I need when you ask. I am not usually in these shoes nor do I know how to accept help. I appreciate all the prayers and little things that people have helped with: drying my laundry that I started while at home on Monday, picking my garden, mowing our lawn, helping with our kitchen, putting our trash out, and the snacks and games brought to me. There aren't enough words nor I am I sure how to describe the thankfulness I have for such a great support.

On another note: Dillon (boy from Sutton who had a heart attack) was moved up to a recovery floor AMEN! New prayer request: Ridge - he was born with a 1/2 a heart from Paxil that his mother was taking, which she found out a day after he was born that 8 out of 10 women have children with heart defects when taking it during pregnancy. His mom told me that all her friends are in the PICU, because she doesn't get out much. Pray that his little body would slow down enough to heal, so he may become strong again. Once strong, his family has to make a decision to move to St. Louis and wait for a transplant. Difficult decisions when they already picked up their family and moved to Omaha and when they have a 1 year old and 7 year old girls. He is 2 and looks just like Kenner.

I will post more later - Rhi