September 10, 2009

The Second Night Begins

At 5am this morning, we rolled out of bed and, thankfully not scaring too many people with our appearance, we went to the PICU to see how Alayna was doing.

She was sound asleep. They had just given her some morphine but she looked pretty good! Some of her swelling had gone down but we were told it would most likely come back and look much worse. But at the moment, we were thrilled that she looked so good. Even the surgeon was surprised she wasn't more swollen.
They wanted to get her extibated (I have no idea how to spell that but they wanted to remove her breathing tube) so they had given her some steroids to help with the swelling in her throat.

A bit later we showered and made ourselves look decent, grabbed a bite and went back. It was about 8:30am. When we saw her we were surprised to see that they had just taken out her breathing tube and she was awake and sucking on a binky. We talked to her and sang to her. I think taking out the tube helped her a lot.
Now that the tube was gone they said we could try giving her something to drink so we gave her a little watered down apple juice.

It was probably an hour or so later they decided to take some of her lines out. They took the IV out of her hand. That made her so sad. But it was so much worse when they took the central line out of her neck. Poor thing was crying a hoarse little cry. Once they removed a couple other things they said I could hold her and try to calm her down. You could tell it hurt her a lot of be moved cause she was just screaming. Once I got her settled and calmed her down a bit we gave her a little more juice... which she threw up all over me not too long after.

But it felt good to hold her.
After a couple hours the PICU provided lunch for the parents. So we put her back in her bed, which of course hurt and made her sad again but daddy soothed her and she calmed down and went back to sleep.
But I just have say, wow. As we sat in the room listening to the stories of other parents, as hard as this surgery has been on us and Alayna, we have it so easy in comparison to so many other people. We are very, very lucky. And I am so thankful for that.
At one point, Alayna decided to let us all know that she was done with the tubes and the wires.

Throughout the afternoon we gave her some more juice and tried a little formula on her at 3pm. She threw up not too long after. Poor little girl's tummy is still trying to adjust.
About 4pm the told us she was set and ready to be moved out of the PICU and into her own room on the floor.
The nurse here on the floor thought that with the bandage on her head and the blue pajamas everything felt too boyish. So she embellished Alayna's turban to ensure that everyone would know she was a girl.

Not long after moving to the floor and out of the PICU, we could see that she was swelling up a little again. We'll see what she looks like tomorrow. But even though her head is a lot more swollen now than when I took the above picture, I am very hopeful that her eyes won't get too bad and won't swell shut.

We keep a close eye on her heart rate since that is the first sign of when she is in pain. Its hard when she cries. But daddy has been great. He has been strong for both of us girls even though I know it hurts daddy to see his little girl in so much pain. He has been awesome.

Thanks daddy.

Right now she is asleep after getting a dose of morphine and a couple ounces of formula. I hope she rests well tonight.

Thank you again to everyone for offering prayers in her behalf. Truly, thank you. It has been a great comfort to us.

11 super cool people speak:

Emily said...

Wow Serene. I've been a little out of the blog loop. I had no idea any of this was going on. I'm glad Alayna is doing so well today. I hope the recovery goes smoothly. We'll be praying for you guys. I'm in Sandy so if you need anything please let me know (and I really mean it).

ldsjaneite said...

It's so good to see her "playing" in the video. In the second picture, she looks like she has a pouty face whose twin I've seen on Savannah. Thank you for the updates--it's nice to see and hear how well you all are doing. And that daddy is awesome.

Anonymous said...

Wow...How great to see her eyes open and you holding her! Thank you so much for blogging, even through mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion!

Now, I believe I understand the, 'pray without ceasing' scripture! Y'all have been constantly on my mind, heart, and continual prayer. Words cannot express how truly sorry I am you are going through this...my heart just breaks! But, you are awesome...how precious your family is!!!

Thanks again for your blog updates!

Lots of love-- Maria

Mama Smith said...

All I can say is...thank you for posting all the pictures and the video...It is a comfort...to this "granny" who would love to be there for BOTH of you...My heart and prayers...are constant...

Kelly said...

Hey Serene. She looks so sweet and cute even all bandaged up. I hope that recovery goes really smooth, let us know if you need anything :) Matt drives by there everyday. Maybe I'll email you my cell number, just give me a call any time at all

Katie said...

The days just after Josh's big surgery last summer were some of the hardest for me. Just know that the difficult weeks of recovery will only last for those few weeks, and you will be strong enough to get through until you get your happy little girl back. I'm praying for you.

CJB said...

She looks great considering what she has been through. I am so comforted to see her, thanks for the pic's and video. I love it when prayers work :)

Sarah said...

So glad for the updates. She looks fantastic.

Being in that hospital is a wake-up call, isn't it? You think "At least my child gets to go home." For some kids, that place is their last home.

I'm glad she's got her own room now - it's easier to stay with them more when they're out of PICU.

Sarah said...

So glad for the updates. She looks fantastic.

Being in that hospital is a wake-up call, isn't it? You think "At least my child gets to go home." For some kids, that place is their last home.

I'm glad she's got her own room now - it's easier to stay with them more when they're out of PICU.

Valerie said...

I'm so glad it went well. It's great that you're able to blog while you're in the middle of everything. I hope your little one keeps improving quickly.

Sara Lyn said...

Thanks for keeping us updated. It's wonderful to see her doing so well, all things considered. We're still praying for y'all and hope her recovery is quick!

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