Skip to main content

Sunday Update: 9/25/05

It was hard to leave last night; Matt looked pretty sad when we called the nurses in to restrain him. I think he was feeling pretty dejected…and that was really hard to watch. But, I knew that I had to do it and so we all said goodnight and left together. I think it’ll be good for him to get used to having us around during the day, then sleeping at night. It’ll be good to get him in some sort of a routine. I called my dad when I got home and he was very reassuring. He is the calm one in our family, and I needed his soothing ways to help comfort me. Thanks Dad for that!! I felt much better after talking to him and was able to go to sleep knowing that Matt was going to be ok.

When I got here this morning Matt had two nurses in here and guess what they were doing…reinserting another feeding tube! Apparently our Matt had had enough of that tube and yanked it out in the night…twice! They had his arms restrained and also had big mitts on his hands, which look like soft boxing gloves, and yet he was still able to get it out! They think he managed to get the mitt off with his teeth and then pull the tube out by scrunching way down in bed. While I was upset that it happened, I was kind of glad it did. We have been so worried about that happening and have spent so much time watching it, that it’s good to have it happen, and get it over with. He survived…he’ll be fine. It’s not pleasant, but he’s so much stronger now and more able to fight off infections etc. I am reassured by his growing strength. We all kind of had a chuckle at his determination to get the tube out. It gives us hope that he’ll be able to keep fighting to get better and will have the stamina it takes to withstand the rehabilitation. The nurses have also ordered a sitter to come in and be with him at night. The sitter will just basically sit and watch him to be sure he doesn’t get that tube out again. That will also put our minds at ease!

We have spent most of the day with Matt on his side waiting for that darn tube to make it’s way down through his stomach. Apparently when they got it in, it was just to the top of his stomach and it needs to get down to his small intestine. He’s had 3 x-rays and we are waiting for #4 to see if it is finally down where it needs to be. I’m a little frustrated because he hasn’t been able to get up in the chair at all today and he really needs to get in the routine of doing that. However, it’s more important to get this feeding tube lined up correctly at this point. I guess it’s better that it happened today, when they don’t do any of the therapies, rather than tomorrow. I just hope he’s rested up and ready to start working hard tomorrow!!

Well, it’s nearly 8:00 PM and Matt is still on his side in an attempt to get that stupid tube down through his stomach. I got here at 7:30 today and they were putting this tube in, so needless to say I am quite irritated that it has not been settled and he hasn’t had any food in since he pulled it out at 2:00 AM. I am glad for his spunk and determination to get that tube out…but I am more than irritated at the nurse who was here last night when he did it…TWICE. I mean, come on! How hard can it be to realize he needs closer monitoring???!!! The good news is…she’s his nurse again tonight! Yahoo. The same nurse, who mistakenly charted that his pupils were equal, and was on duty when he pulled out his feeding tube two times in one night, is on again tonight. Great, she’s spectacular. I keep praying for patience to deal with this sort of thing. I am finding that the nursing staff up here on the ‘neuro’ floor are not as skilled at dealing with this type of injury as I had previously thought. No offense to anyone in the nursing field. I just get frustrated when they don’t:
a) Realize his condition and understand that he is going to recover (I’ve had too many ‘oooohhh, what happened?!’-type responses. Not exactly how you should behave around the family!)
b) Understand that HE IS STRONG! Don’t let the fact that he’s laying there calm for the moment fool you. He is more than capable of sitting up and reaching his hands!
c) Realize that he’s not a baby and you don’t need to talk to him as though he were.
d) DO YOUR JOB AND TAKE CARE SO THIS STUFF DOESN’T HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grr. Sorry, I’m off my soapbox now. I just hate that he’s missed an entire day messing around with this crap. Patience. We are all in dire need of some patience.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WE'RE ADOPTING!!

Bah! I said it…er wrote it…out loud. There it is, in black and white for the world to see. (Pause for a drink and a breath) Matt and I are in the very early stages of planning to adopt. We have had a few meetings with an adoption agency, we are gathering the necessary information, and we are making plans to get this ball officially rolling SOON. It has been a very long and winding road to get us to this point, and honestly I never thought we’d get here. Adoption isn’t what we started out hoping for. It isn’t where we thought we’d end up. But here we are – gearing up for what will surely be a life-changing experience for us with hearts full of hope and excitement. The topic of adoption has come up in the past, but we quickly dismissed it for one reason or another. Matt and I have had our fair share of insecurities about whether or not adoption would be a good option for us. Who would look at our family profile and pick us?? It was a burning question that we probably still have ...
5 comments
Read more

I may as well tell you...

I had a miscarriage. I’ve debated for weeks whether or not to acknowledge it publicly. It’s such a personal thing…and this is such a public medium. But a few months have gone by and I’m no closer to feeling ok about it and truly nothing else on my mind really compares, so here I am, letting the world in on my secret. Over the past few weeks I’ve found very little comfort in the fact that only a small handful of people know about the miscarriage. It became nearly unbearable this week, during all our wonderful family Christmas celebrations. Being surrounded by so many people who love me and support me and have no idea how my heart has been broken – it’s a lonely place to be. Not that I would want them all to bombard me with pity or questions or sad looks in their eyes – I realize I can’t have it both ways. But a little acknowledgement goes a long way and I simply can’t ignore or deny the fact that something major happened in my life and impacted me, impacts me still.   It was a ...
4 comments
Read more

Carrie Anne - The Beginning of the Story

So, I’ve been trying to sort out how to start this story. It’s been difficult to articulate. Difficult to pick which details to share, and which to hold close. But it’s a story too good, too beautiful, not to share – so here goes! When Matt and I first became parents, we thought our family was complete. We envisioned raising Ethan surrounded by loving friends and family – just the two of us. Given all that we had gone through to finally become parents, we felt content with just the one child. The most adorable boy in the whole wide world. Our Ethan was the apple of our eyes – the most amazing gift. We marveled at all of his accomplishments, soaked up all his love and personality, and celebrated the joy of parenthood at every exhausting, wonderful turn. Along the way, we’ve built a strong and loving relationship with Ethan’s birthmother. We visit yearly, and stay in close contact with pictures, emails, and texts. I have attempted to describe my feelings for her many times over the...
1 comment
Read more