I am going to keep this short as I need to get to bed but I wanted to write to ask you to say a prayer or two for Lochlan.
He will be having eye surgery tomorrow. I have to wait for the phone call and then take him in. He will be have to be admitted and will be there for probably at least 24 hours. Good news is, they might not have to intubate him.
I am nervous. It is a necessary evil. And I pray my warrior baby handles it like he's handled everything else - like a champion!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
See no evil, hear no evil...
Wow! My last post was September 1st! It's now September 10th. Sorry about that. I've just been a little occupied to be able to sit down and blog.
Lochlan had his hearing test on Friday (the 3rd) and he did amazing to sleep pretty much throughout the entire thing. I wish I'd brought my camera. He looked liked a little alien baby - hooked up to all this monitors on his head and in his ears. Crazy.
He has to go back in a few weeks to get retested as his left ear is showing some mild elevation or something like that or maybe I'm making up something here. Anyway, he's showing some hearing loss in that ear in certain frequencies and the right ear was even milder. But there was also a test to see if there was any fluid built up and there was...so that's why the technician or doctor or whatever she was said she wasn't concerned and that she thinks the hearing loss is only temporary.
We'll go back in about 3 weeks time and go through the process all over again. Hopefully by this time, he'll have no issues. But he will continue to be followed over the next year or so like everything else.
His appointment with Dr. Arthur (eyes) was still the same as last week. Still watching the one area in his left eye very closely. He said that it hadn't really changed...there was still some bleeding which makes him believe that it's not regressing as much as we'd hope. And that it is showing signs of detaching from the retina...but it may or may not be taking it with it. Sorry...I can't really remember...all I know is that we have to go back again on Monday. I keep praying his eye will heal and he won't need to have more surgery.
(One of the onesies that Carol made up for Lochlan - I need to post the other 2 cause they are hilarious)
Lochlan had another appointment with Melissa from Medigas and he was able to be weaned a tiny bit!!! So exciting! He's now on 1/16th of a litre. (down from 1/8th) It's the next setting on the regulator. Basically there's only 2 more settings to go (1/32 and 1/64)...but he could always come off the oxygen from 1/16th. We shall see (and pray) Melissa will be coming back for the home visit in 2 weeks and then monthly she said. She also said she thinks Dr. Flavin will keep Lochlan on 1/16th for a while. So not be weaned again in 2 weeks. But hopefully at the monthly visit after that, he'll be ready to come off it entirely. Time will only tell.
It's still pretty freakin' incredible that his lungs are growing and getting better. Considering where they started from. They have been his biggest issue and it's unbelievable that you can grow new lungs! Thank God for that!
That's where the appointments and results have been over the last few weeks. I think I'm remembering everything. Lochlan has been doing extremely well. He's had his share of fussiness but I'll take crying and fussiness to remind me he's here with us anyday!
Lochlan is sleeping in his room for the first time overnight tonight. We decided to try it out to see if he'd sleep better and we'd sleep better. And also because if Abby ends up in our room at some point in the night, she's most times up when Lochlan's up which is a problem as the other night he was having a fussy night and she was up for almost 2 hours in the night as a result. She's not cranky just wants to help. So far so good in his room. Sometimes throughout the day, I'll put him in his crib to sleep and he's done amazing. I remember with Abby around the time she was 3 weeks old, we moved her to her crib because she was making all the grunting noises and we couldn't sleep/she couldn't sleep. It seems to be the same with Lochlan.
I need to share another Abby quote. The other day was Rob's birthday and we were all sitting around the table having dinner and there was a lull in the converstation (very brief as we're all talkers) and she goes "ha ha soooo....look at that tree over there!" She wanted to be part of the conversation! How cute. I think that has to be one of my favourite quotes from her so far.
A couple of pics of Abigail from the other day when she was playing mommy with her baby. Which by the way this picture was taken just after she has lifted her shirt up and said "I'm feeding the baby!" (oh dear...) then changed his bum, and put him in Lochlan's chair. Cute.
The other is from when we made necklaces and bracelets. She was showing them off. (and she had to wear her headband that she put on herself) "Boo-yah!"
I'll try to blog sooner rather than later.
P.S. Thanks Auntie Noni for taking Abby to see the horses so I could take a nap while Lochlan had his today!
Lochlan had his hearing test on Friday (the 3rd) and he did amazing to sleep pretty much throughout the entire thing. I wish I'd brought my camera. He looked liked a little alien baby - hooked up to all this monitors on his head and in his ears. Crazy.
He has to go back in a few weeks to get retested as his left ear is showing some mild elevation or something like that or maybe I'm making up something here. Anyway, he's showing some hearing loss in that ear in certain frequencies and the right ear was even milder. But there was also a test to see if there was any fluid built up and there was...so that's why the technician or doctor or whatever she was said she wasn't concerned and that she thinks the hearing loss is only temporary.
We'll go back in about 3 weeks time and go through the process all over again. Hopefully by this time, he'll have no issues. But he will continue to be followed over the next year or so like everything else.
His appointment with Dr. Arthur (eyes) was still the same as last week. Still watching the one area in his left eye very closely. He said that it hadn't really changed...there was still some bleeding which makes him believe that it's not regressing as much as we'd hope. And that it is showing signs of detaching from the retina...but it may or may not be taking it with it. Sorry...I can't really remember...all I know is that we have to go back again on Monday. I keep praying his eye will heal and he won't need to have more surgery.
(One of the onesies that Carol made up for Lochlan - I need to post the other 2 cause they are hilarious)
Lochlan had another appointment with Melissa from Medigas and he was able to be weaned a tiny bit!!! So exciting! He's now on 1/16th of a litre. (down from 1/8th) It's the next setting on the regulator. Basically there's only 2 more settings to go (1/32 and 1/64)...but he could always come off the oxygen from 1/16th. We shall see (and pray) Melissa will be coming back for the home visit in 2 weeks and then monthly she said. She also said she thinks Dr. Flavin will keep Lochlan on 1/16th for a while. So not be weaned again in 2 weeks. But hopefully at the monthly visit after that, he'll be ready to come off it entirely. Time will only tell.
It's still pretty freakin' incredible that his lungs are growing and getting better. Considering where they started from. They have been his biggest issue and it's unbelievable that you can grow new lungs! Thank God for that!
That's where the appointments and results have been over the last few weeks. I think I'm remembering everything. Lochlan has been doing extremely well. He's had his share of fussiness but I'll take crying and fussiness to remind me he's here with us anyday!
Lochlan is sleeping in his room for the first time overnight tonight. We decided to try it out to see if he'd sleep better and we'd sleep better. And also because if Abby ends up in our room at some point in the night, she's most times up when Lochlan's up which is a problem as the other night he was having a fussy night and she was up for almost 2 hours in the night as a result. She's not cranky just wants to help. So far so good in his room. Sometimes throughout the day, I'll put him in his crib to sleep and he's done amazing. I remember with Abby around the time she was 3 weeks old, we moved her to her crib because she was making all the grunting noises and we couldn't sleep/she couldn't sleep. It seems to be the same with Lochlan.
I need to share another Abby quote. The other day was Rob's birthday and we were all sitting around the table having dinner and there was a lull in the converstation (very brief as we're all talkers) and she goes "ha ha soooo....look at that tree over there!" She wanted to be part of the conversation! How cute. I think that has to be one of my favourite quotes from her so far.
A couple of pics of Abigail from the other day when she was playing mommy with her baby. Which by the way this picture was taken just after she has lifted her shirt up and said "I'm feeding the baby!" (oh dear...) then changed his bum, and put him in Lochlan's chair. Cute.
The other is from when we made necklaces and bracelets. She was showing them off. (and she had to wear her headband that she put on herself) "Boo-yah!"
I'll try to blog sooner rather than later.
P.S. Thanks Auntie Noni for taking Abby to see the horses so I could take a nap while Lochlan had his today!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Packing it on!
Lochlan is doing amazing. Last week Medigas came for a home visit with the hopeful intention of weaning his oxygen requirements as per Dr. Flavin. Unfortunately, he wasn't ready. He's still sat'ing well but he dropped to the mid 80s at one point when he was on 1/16 so she put him back to 1/8th. I was a little disappointed but understand that he wasn't quite ready. I think what made it difficult was that I really thought he'd be weaned. Oh well. He'll get there!
Overall the week went by great. Hard to believe he's been home now for over 2 weeks!
He had his 2nd pediatrician appointment with Dr. Moore who is wonderful by the way, and he now weighs 5lbs, 13 3/4 ounces!!!! He gained pretty much an ounce a day since his last weigh in which was 2 weeks ago. Because he's been gaining so well, we no longer have to give him 2 bottles of fortified breastmilk. He goes again in 3 weeks for his next checkup so hopefully he'll have gained some more weight without having to go back on the fortified milk.
He's 18 inches long. (Grown 5 inches since birth!!!) And I'm finding the preemie clothes are not quite fitting as well anymore. He can't wear the sleepers because they are too short for him! The onesies still work though. I knew he was gaining weight over the last few weeks as his clothes were fitting better and he looks a little chunkier...like I ever thought I'd be saying that!! ha ha! Chunkier!!
Anyway, I need to cut this short as Lochlan is waking up to be fed. When he's hungry, he's hungry!!
Til next time,
Jenn
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