Transferred to Peds

HEAR YE, HEAR YE!  We have great news!! After six days in the PICU, FG was finally considered stable enough to be transferred to the regular Pediatric Unit of the hospital two evenings ago.   Having reduced his oxygen levels down to 4 Liters and 21% - which is equivalent to what we're breathing plus a slight puff of humidified pressure to ease his work of breathing - the Intensivists took out his feeding tube, allowed me to nurse and decreed his stats no longer warranted intensive care.  

THANK GOD!

Now that we are over on the regular floor, FG is back under the care of his regular pediatrician's office and one of the attending physicians will be visiting him daily until they decide that he is ready to be discharged.  Finding that he is still having some difficulty breathing - he is continuing to bob his head, retract around his clavicle and in between his ribs, work quite hard to nurse and gasp or wheeze when his oxygen is reduced too much - the main doctor following his case has prescribed a reduction of 0.25 liters of oxygen per day to ensure a slow and smooth return to unsupported respiration.  We understand this is exceptionally slow and, as such, we've been battling the residents who continue to aggressively come in and attempt to fully remove his oxygen, but with understanding nurses, a gigantic "DO NOT TOUCH HIS OXYGEN!" note on his file and a respiratory therapist visiting two times daily he continues to get the care that he requires despite the occasional treatment plan battle.

One of the respiratory therapists has submitted a request for us to receive a specialized consultation with a pediatric pulmonologist in the next few days, so that examination will provide quite a bit of comfort and insight into what we're still dealing with and what we have to look forward to upon returning home.  It is my understanding that this lung specialist is one who is quite familiar with our pediatrician's office, so I am relieved to be broadening our long term health care team for the better.  We shall see what comes of his visit.

The final bit of good news to share is that, since we're no longer in the PICU and barred from receiving visitors under the age of 12 years, FG and I are finally able to see and hug his siblings.  Having only seen them over Skype (I still haven't left the hospital and likely won't), GW, GV and Grandmama were a very welcome addition to our otherwise monotonous environment.  They were quite curious about the medical gadgets, how to "order" toys via the call button, what cookies were deliverable with our dining trays and that allusive magical question of "when can he come home?"  We've assured them that discharge will happen and that it looks like it will be sometime next week . Quite adorably, they reassured us that homecoming can't happen soon enough to suit their tastes as they miss their (their emphasis, not mine) baby brother.

Me too, kids, me too.