Well I forgot to post last night, so I am doing it today. Paul and I went to go see Namine yesterday. I was finally feeling better, but not today. We got her dressed up in her baby's first Thanksgiving day outfit, well half of it. She is getting so big that she actually fit the onesie. Paul will upload the pictures tonight when he gets home. We didn't stay at the hospital and try there Thanksgiving dinner we went down to my sisters house, and like most people we will get to enjoy a second dinner tomorrow. You can never have to much Thanksgiving dinner. We all just wish that Namine was there to enjoy in our celebrations.
She was such a smiley baby yesterday when we visited it was nice. She didn't have any destats last night. The doctors are still trying to ween her off the vent. We think she is taking full advantage of being on it. She has learned how to blow raspberries and slowly learning how to make noise. It will be so awesome when she can make noise around the trac.
Hopefully by tomorrow I will be feeling better. This cold just keeps going and coming back it is getting annoying.
As far as Namine is concerned she is doing great. I think that she is missing her mommy and daddy and not being home, but we have to follow what the docs say.
One more thing before I let you all go. Paul and I are so excited we were driving in New Berlin coming home from shopping and we were looking at all of the construction and guess what they are building just down the road from us... a Children's Hospital Clinic. We are so excited, now hopefully when she has to go somewhere we can just go there instead of all the way to Wauwatosa. Ok well we will post again soon. We love you all and ask that you keep praying.
Love,
Jessica, Paul and Namine
Friday, November 28, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Vent
Yesterday Paul went after work to see Namine and she was back on the vent. She had a couple of times where she destated and so for her best interest they put her back on the vent. One of the doctors said that they may have been rushing her and they don't want to do that. So it may just take a few more days before she can come off the vent completely.
I called this morning and the nurse told me that she had just one time last night that she destated and they suctioned her and she was fine. I pray that the rest of the day goes the same, but better. I haven't been able to see Namine since Sunday so I am hoping that after being on the antibiotic for 24 hours that it will be ok to see her.
I miss my little munchkin. Well I or Paul will try to post again tonight to keep you all updated. Keep storming heaven for our little angel and miracles will happen.
Happy Pre-Thanksgiving!
God's Blessings,
Jessica, Paul and Namine
I called this morning and the nurse told me that she had just one time last night that she destated and they suctioned her and she was fine. I pray that the rest of the day goes the same, but better. I haven't been able to see Namine since Sunday so I am hoping that after being on the antibiotic for 24 hours that it will be ok to see her.
I miss my little munchkin. Well I or Paul will try to post again tonight to keep you all updated. Keep storming heaven for our little angel and miracles will happen.
Happy Pre-Thanksgiving!
God's Blessings,
Jessica, Paul and Namine
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Off Vent
Hello Everyone,
I just wanted to let you all know that we are still in the hospital, but definitely on our way home again. They took Namine off of the C-Pap yesterday and she is doing excellent. She is till on quite a bit of oxygen, but they are slowly weening her down. She has come a long way since last Thursday.
I have not been able to go up and see her because I came down with a sore throat yesterday and I could not get in to see the doc until today. They are putting me on an antibiotic as a precaution, but he thinks that I have strep, so it is best. It just stinks that I can't go and see her. All I want to do is hug and kiss her and never put her down.
Paul has gone to see her and stayed there for a couple of hours last night until she fell fast asleep listening to him sing. I am going to have to get him to sing into a tape recorder so that we can just play it for her all the time.
I will say the only thing good about being home by myself is the cleaning that I have gotten done. I just wish our dryer would quit breaking so that I could finish the laundry.
Well I am getting hungry finally so I am going to go and grab something to eat and I will try and keep you all updated as our new time to come home.
We love you all! Keep storming heaven, we need more miracles.
Love,
Jessica, Paul and Namine Eiche
I just wanted to let you all know that we are still in the hospital, but definitely on our way home again. They took Namine off of the C-Pap yesterday and she is doing excellent. She is till on quite a bit of oxygen, but they are slowly weening her down. She has come a long way since last Thursday.
I have not been able to go up and see her because I came down with a sore throat yesterday and I could not get in to see the doc until today. They are putting me on an antibiotic as a precaution, but he thinks that I have strep, so it is best. It just stinks that I can't go and see her. All I want to do is hug and kiss her and never put her down.
Paul has gone to see her and stayed there for a couple of hours last night until she fell fast asleep listening to him sing. I am going to have to get him to sing into a tape recorder so that we can just play it for her all the time.
I will say the only thing good about being home by myself is the cleaning that I have gotten done. I just wish our dryer would quit breaking so that I could finish the laundry.
Well I am getting hungry finally so I am going to go and grab something to eat and I will try and keep you all updated as our new time to come home.
We love you all! Keep storming heaven, we need more miracles.
Love,
Jessica, Paul and Namine Eiche
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Getting better
Hello all.
Namine is still in the PICU, but she's getting better. She's smiley again today - a big change for the better! They're weening her off the vent, so hopefully we'll be able to come home soon.
The emptiness of home without her is too much. It hurts, missing her.
night and day
there's a burning
down inside of me
burning love
with a yearning
that won't let me be
down I go
and I just can't
take it all alone
I really should be
holding you
holding you
loving you
loving you
Namine is still in the PICU, but she's getting better. She's smiley again today - a big change for the better! They're weening her off the vent, so hopefully we'll be able to come home soon.
The emptiness of home without her is too much. It hurts, missing her.
night and day
there's a burning
down inside of me
burning love
with a yearning
that won't let me be
down I go
and I just can't
take it all alone
I really should be
holding you
holding you
loving you
loving you
Friday, November 21, 2008
PICU
Dear Family and Friends,
We have re-entered the hospital. We are in the PICU again. Namine started to have more secretions and became really tired and some what irritable. Namine was doing ok until Thursday morning when she started to have to be suctioned at least every hour if not more than that with all of her secretions, by Thursday night she was dropping her stats into the high 50's and having a very hard time breathing. We rushed her to the hospital where she needed to be bagged to keep her stats up. They finally got her stable and moved us to the PICU. She was just very irritable and unconsolable and no matter what I tried or they tried she was just not happy. At about 6:30AM they decided to put her on C-PAP. She is doing all of the breathing, it is just giving her a positive pressure to open her airway more. They are not thinking that we will be home by Thanksgiving:( Well I just wanted to update people and let you all know what happened. I am going to get back to her and try to get some sleep myself. We love you all and ask that you continue to pray for us.
God's Blessings,
Jessica, Paul and Namine Eiche
We have re-entered the hospital. We are in the PICU again. Namine started to have more secretions and became really tired and some what irritable. Namine was doing ok until Thursday morning when she started to have to be suctioned at least every hour if not more than that with all of her secretions, by Thursday night she was dropping her stats into the high 50's and having a very hard time breathing. We rushed her to the hospital where she needed to be bagged to keep her stats up. They finally got her stable and moved us to the PICU. She was just very irritable and unconsolable and no matter what I tried or they tried she was just not happy. At about 6:30AM they decided to put her on C-PAP. She is doing all of the breathing, it is just giving her a positive pressure to open her airway more. They are not thinking that we will be home by Thanksgiving:( Well I just wanted to update people and let you all know what happened. I am going to get back to her and try to get some sleep myself. We love you all and ask that you continue to pray for us.
God's Blessings,
Jessica, Paul and Namine Eiche
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
I wrote you all a book
Okay, kids. It's been a little while, but I think it's time for an update.
You know by now that Namine is home. Actually, she's been home for a week and a day, and her mom and I are exhausted. Happy, but tired none the less. On Friday (I think. The days blur together) we had to take her to the cardiac doctor.
Now, for those uneducated in the matter of trach patients, a sorority to which our little one now belongs, I shall explain something prior to my story. If you know the details, skip ahead to the next paragraph.
The air given to her by way of the trach is oxygen. Because this is essentially going through her throat and not her mouth (which provides humidity), she requires external humidity, and her humidifier machine is probably one of two pieces of equipment that is not portable (the other being her main oxygen tank itself, due to its size; its little brother is small enough, but it only holds about two hours' worth). To solve this problem in going places, Namine has what is called an HME (short for heat/moisture exchange), also known as an "artificial nose." It is a small devise that fits over her trach tube which, as she breathes, collects moisture for her. The problem is, it is more difficult to breathe with it, and small children must build up a tolerance for it.
Namine is up to 90 minutes on the HME so far. We left for the doctor at about 2:50 PM on Friday, and didn't get home until around 6 PM. That's twice what she's conditioned for, and she paid for it. She had a whole lot more secretions than she normally does that night, and the next day we ended up changing her trach because there was so much crap in it. She had to go out again yesterday (Monday) to her pediatrician, and she didn't do too well then either, even though we kept it within the 90 minutes.
Overall, though, she's a very happy baby. She smiles a lot, and I mean a lot. Mommy is teaching her to stick out her tongue. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. Un-teaching that ought to prove interesting.
Last but not least, I want to draw your attention to the site. I've redesigned it a bit, with tabs at the top for photos and videos. I'm not yet sure if I'll put the slideshow and video bar back in. Leave a comment and let me know, will you? I've also added a couple links. One is for my sister's friend Stephanie Brandt, the other for the child of some friends we made through the hospital, Jacob Schultz. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
I've uploaded a bunch of new photos, and I've got another batch waiting in the camera at home. I'll post some videos when I get around to it.
You know by now that Namine is home. Actually, she's been home for a week and a day, and her mom and I are exhausted. Happy, but tired none the less. On Friday (I think. The days blur together) we had to take her to the cardiac doctor.
Now, for those uneducated in the matter of trach patients, a sorority to which our little one now belongs, I shall explain something prior to my story. If you know the details, skip ahead to the next paragraph.
The air given to her by way of the trach is oxygen. Because this is essentially going through her throat and not her mouth (which provides humidity), she requires external humidity, and her humidifier machine is probably one of two pieces of equipment that is not portable (the other being her main oxygen tank itself, due to its size; its little brother is small enough, but it only holds about two hours' worth). To solve this problem in going places, Namine has what is called an HME (short for heat/moisture exchange), also known as an "artificial nose." It is a small devise that fits over her trach tube which, as she breathes, collects moisture for her. The problem is, it is more difficult to breathe with it, and small children must build up a tolerance for it.
Namine is up to 90 minutes on the HME so far. We left for the doctor at about 2:50 PM on Friday, and didn't get home until around 6 PM. That's twice what she's conditioned for, and she paid for it. She had a whole lot more secretions than she normally does that night, and the next day we ended up changing her trach because there was so much crap in it. She had to go out again yesterday (Monday) to her pediatrician, and she didn't do too well then either, even though we kept it within the 90 minutes.
Overall, though, she's a very happy baby. She smiles a lot, and I mean a lot. Mommy is teaching her to stick out her tongue. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. Un-teaching that ought to prove interesting.
Last but not least, I want to draw your attention to the site. I've redesigned it a bit, with tabs at the top for photos and videos. I'm not yet sure if I'll put the slideshow and video bar back in. Leave a comment and let me know, will you? I've also added a couple links. One is for my sister's friend Stephanie Brandt, the other for the child of some friends we made through the hospital, Jacob Schultz. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
I've uploaded a bunch of new photos, and I've got another batch waiting in the camera at home. I'll post some videos when I get around to it.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Home again home again Jigidy jig:)
YAY!!! Were are home, as you have read from the previous post. Our first night was a little rough, but we got through it. Paul was the one that I thought wouldn't hear any of her alarms because he sleeps like a brick, but that wasn't the case. It was me that slept through the first one. I was so tired from not sleeping well previous nights and having such a crazy day that I was so out of it. Thank God that Paul was there. We work well as a team.
Even the next night Paul was the one that heard her before I did. So I am very thankful that I am not a single parent and that I have a huge host of family and friends that are willing to help out. My mother-in-law is helping during the day and my sister is staying with us while she works and she helps out at night, we also have my other sister and Paul's Aunt that is trained to help with her cares. We could not have asked for anything more.
I am so happy to be home. She is doing well. She has been sleeping a lot lately, but she has her awake times also so we get to hold her and hug her and squeeze her. Well I will write more later. Thank-you to all of you and God be Praised.
Even the next night Paul was the one that heard her before I did. So I am very thankful that I am not a single parent and that I have a huge host of family and friends that are willing to help out. My mother-in-law is helping during the day and my sister is staying with us while she works and she helps out at night, we also have my other sister and Paul's Aunt that is trained to help with her cares. We could not have asked for anything more.
I am so happy to be home. She is doing well. She has been sleeping a lot lately, but she has her awake times also so we get to hold her and hug her and squeeze her. Well I will write more later. Thank-you to all of you and God be Praised.
Monday, November 10, 2008
HOME!
It is now quarter after four in the afternoon, and Namine is asleep. Asleep, and in her own crib - at long last!
the rule for exclamations is
My mom picked Jessica and myself up at about seven this morning to go the hospital. We actually didn't leave until eight, because I had to get her car seat in my mom's van. (I firmly believe they deliberately make it nigh impossible to fit in a vehicle, although my mom says it used to be worse. I don't see how.)
use one or none
So we got to the hospital between eight thirty and nine, I don't remember. We killed about half the planet's trees in paperwork to discharge Namine and packed up the rest of her stuff. Fortunately, we went to the hospital yesterday and took home most of it. Otherwise, I think we would have needed another vehicle. As it was, we never would have made it without my mom's van.
So we hooked her up to her portable pulse oximeter for monitoring oxygen saturation and heart rate, bundled her up, and left the hospital. So many people said goodbye and good luck on our way out, it was very nice. I sat in the back with Namine during the ride home, which was fairly uneventful. She needed to be suctioned once when we were nearly home, but other than that, she was fine. She got a little upset, but I think she handled it pretty well for never having been out of the hospital before.
After getting home, the home equipment people paid us a visit and helped us get a little settled in - but by that time we had already set up pretty much everything except the apnea monitor anyway. Man, that home suction machine is loud.
So she's in bed now, and feeding through her G-tube. That gives me a little time to write a badly needed update to her blog, which I am wrapping up now, and Jessica a little time to relax. A particular someone keeps telling me my life was about to change forever. He's not wrong, but it had already done that; now, being home, it will change again. Now my wife and I can spend time with our daughter out of the hospital.
At least, until her next heart surgery, leg/hip/foot surgery, trach removal, and jaw distraction. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but it's been a long day. God has been good to us; we're finally home. May He bless every one of you who keep us in your thoughts and prayers as much as He's blessed us.
Ninja edit!
It has come to my attention that several people can't figure out how to get to the most recent pictures, since the slideshow on the right displays the oldest photo first. Just click on the slideshow. It'll take you to the photo album, where you can view all pictures. :)
the rule for exclamations is
My mom picked Jessica and myself up at about seven this morning to go the hospital. We actually didn't leave until eight, because I had to get her car seat in my mom's van. (I firmly believe they deliberately make it nigh impossible to fit in a vehicle, although my mom says it used to be worse. I don't see how.)
use one or none
So we got to the hospital between eight thirty and nine, I don't remember. We killed about half the planet's trees in paperwork to discharge Namine and packed up the rest of her stuff. Fortunately, we went to the hospital yesterday and took home most of it. Otherwise, I think we would have needed another vehicle. As it was, we never would have made it without my mom's van.
So we hooked her up to her portable pulse oximeter for monitoring oxygen saturation and heart rate, bundled her up, and left the hospital. So many people said goodbye and good luck on our way out, it was very nice. I sat in the back with Namine during the ride home, which was fairly uneventful. She needed to be suctioned once when we were nearly home, but other than that, she was fine. She got a little upset, but I think she handled it pretty well for never having been out of the hospital before.
After getting home, the home equipment people paid us a visit and helped us get a little settled in - but by that time we had already set up pretty much everything except the apnea monitor anyway. Man, that home suction machine is loud.
So she's in bed now, and feeding through her G-tube. That gives me a little time to write a badly needed update to her blog, which I am wrapping up now, and Jessica a little time to relax. A particular someone keeps telling me my life was about to change forever. He's not wrong, but it had already done that; now, being home, it will change again. Now my wife and I can spend time with our daughter out of the hospital.
At least, until her next heart surgery, leg/hip/foot surgery, trach removal, and jaw distraction. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but it's been a long day. God has been good to us; we're finally home. May He bless every one of you who keep us in your thoughts and prayers as much as He's blessed us.
Ninja edit!
It has come to my attention that several people can't figure out how to get to the most recent pictures, since the slideshow on the right displays the oldest photo first. Just click on the slideshow. It'll take you to the photo album, where you can view all pictures. :)
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