"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." John 10:27
Today was a tough one for Kyle...and me. I have not been able to hold Kyle since last Wednesday - Joe had the honor while he was here and prior to that Kyle had a couple active days and I wasn't allowed to hold him. The nurse said that I could finally Kangaroo with him at 3:00 today and I was so excited. However, when the time came to begin, the nurse noticed blood in Kyle's breathing tube and paged his doctor. They feared that he had a possible Pulmonary Hemorrhage, which is basically bleeding in the lungs. Instead of holding him, things shifted gears very quickly and an xray, platelet count and blood work were ordered.
I have been with Kyle many times before when blood was taken, but it has always been by a small prick in his foot. Today they needed blood from a vein and I never realized how tiny his veins are, they are literally the size of a piece of thread. After several tries, they were not able to get blood from a vein in his arm and had to take blood from a vein in his head. To make matters worse, once they got the blood and sent it down to the lab, it was rejected because there was some clotting in the blood. They had to repeat the whole procedure again. I became sick to my stomach watching this and for the first I had to leave the room because it was to painful to watch what they were doing to him.
I am so thankful to report that the xray did not show any bleeding in Kyle's lungs! Yesterday, Kyle self-extubated, which means he pulled out his breathing tube. When the tube was reinserted, it was inserted to far, which caused some irritation and therefore the blood in his breathing tube. Kyle's tube was reinserted correctly and there has not been any bleeding since.
Madison and Joe flew home last night. As always, we had a really nice visit. When I was back in Ohio, I was able to watch Madison's last cheerleading game and she did so well. Her squad performed a half-time dance to a High School Musical song and it was absolutely adorable! Once we were back in Florida, the visit was pretty mellow. We were all a little tired from the drive down as we essentially missed a night sleeping. Other than the trip to Sea World and visits to the hospital, we did not do too much. Madison made friends with a little girl named Sara here at the Ronald Mc Donald House and spent a lot of time playing with her. Sara is nine years old and was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer when she was six. Today Sara's Grandma approached me with tears in her eyes to let me know how much Sara enjoyed playing with Madison. She said it meant a lot to Sara because many kids avoid her or treat her differently since she lost her hair due to chemo. They were grateful because Madison treated her just like a regular kid. I am so proud of the special little girl Madison is growing up to be!
Kyle's surgery is scheduled for 7:00 AM Friday morning. Please continue to pray that it will go smoothly.
Much Love,
Jennifer, Joe, Madison and Kyle
Today was a tough one for Kyle...and me. I have not been able to hold Kyle since last Wednesday - Joe had the honor while he was here and prior to that Kyle had a couple active days and I wasn't allowed to hold him. The nurse said that I could finally Kangaroo with him at 3:00 today and I was so excited. However, when the time came to begin, the nurse noticed blood in Kyle's breathing tube and paged his doctor. They feared that he had a possible Pulmonary Hemorrhage, which is basically bleeding in the lungs. Instead of holding him, things shifted gears very quickly and an xray, platelet count and blood work were ordered.
I have been with Kyle many times before when blood was taken, but it has always been by a small prick in his foot. Today they needed blood from a vein and I never realized how tiny his veins are, they are literally the size of a piece of thread. After several tries, they were not able to get blood from a vein in his arm and had to take blood from a vein in his head. To make matters worse, once they got the blood and sent it down to the lab, it was rejected because there was some clotting in the blood. They had to repeat the whole procedure again. I became sick to my stomach watching this and for the first I had to leave the room because it was to painful to watch what they were doing to him.
I am so thankful to report that the xray did not show any bleeding in Kyle's lungs! Yesterday, Kyle self-extubated, which means he pulled out his breathing tube. When the tube was reinserted, it was inserted to far, which caused some irritation and therefore the blood in his breathing tube. Kyle's tube was reinserted correctly and there has not been any bleeding since.
Madison and Joe flew home last night. As always, we had a really nice visit. When I was back in Ohio, I was able to watch Madison's last cheerleading game and she did so well. Her squad performed a half-time dance to a High School Musical song and it was absolutely adorable! Once we were back in Florida, the visit was pretty mellow. We were all a little tired from the drive down as we essentially missed a night sleeping. Other than the trip to Sea World and visits to the hospital, we did not do too much. Madison made friends with a little girl named Sara here at the Ronald Mc Donald House and spent a lot of time playing with her. Sara is nine years old and was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer when she was six. Today Sara's Grandma approached me with tears in her eyes to let me know how much Sara enjoyed playing with Madison. She said it meant a lot to Sara because many kids avoid her or treat her differently since she lost her hair due to chemo. They were grateful because Madison treated her just like a regular kid. I am so proud of the special little girl Madison is growing up to be!
Kyle's surgery is scheduled for 7:00 AM Friday morning. Please continue to pray that it will go smoothly.
Much Love,
Jennifer, Joe, Madison and Kyle
P.S. The top picture above is Madison changing Kyle's diaper for the first time - Joe and I keep teasing her that she better practice because she is going to have diaper duty when Kyle comes home. The other is from her game on Saturday.
4 comments:
Jennifer,
I am so sorry things were so rough for you and Kyle today. I'm sure you're also still trying to recuperate from your "jet lag" of the quick, tiring trip.
I am hearing from many of our friends often that they are praying for you. They feel like they know you from your blog, and we have all become very involved following the daily successes and challenges.
Thank God there was no bleeding in Kyle's lungs. We will pray that he will be able to rest and prepare for Friday, if the surgery remains necessary.
Is Kyle still in a private room, or did he have to go back to the "big house" once they discovered the ductus had re-opened?
Joe, give Madison a big hug from Aunt Karen. She is so sweet and kind, and we are so proud of her.
Love and prayers,
Aunt Karen
Hi Jen -
Happy Birthday to you! You are so strong I know watching Kyle have procedures done must be so hard.
Madison - We are so proud of you. You are such a special big sister and friend. The story about your little friend Sara is a wonderful example of how remarkable you are.
Joe - The poem you wrote to Kyle yesterday is lovely and so perfect.
Kyle- We are praying for you every minute and will be praying especially hard for you on Friday that your surgery goes perfectly.
We love and miss you all and are looking forward to seeing all of you soon.
Angela, Dad and Katie
Hi Jennifer and Kyle,
My Red Hat Friends are all praying for Kyle's surgery to go well and then on to steady growth spurts.
Keep up your dialogues with God; he truly does hear your prayers.
If there is anything that I can do, please let me know. I know Madison is excited about her Spring Break with you two.
Love,
Pattie
Jennifer,
Your Mom brought in a diaper from Kyle. What a tiny, precious, miracle he is. I enjoy visiting the blog every day and wish all of you many prayers.
I hope you enjoy your birthday, even with all that you have to worry about.
I will be praying for an uneventful surgery tomorrow.
Cheryl Carter
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