I MADE IT!!!
Today
we went out in the front yard for fresh air, the sun felt
good!
On
my way home yesterday with a toddler staple, chicken McNuggets and
french friesI got off my chair to play with Ellie and kinda rolled into this position and stayed
Karen checking out my doll
Home at last
I am finally home!!! I am so happy.
I still have to get IV antibiotics but it is a small price to pay to be home. You can see the PIC line on my left arm.
I’m Packing my bags
The end of the week the Dr. ‘s said I could go home Tuesday and now today they said I am going home tomorrow. I can’t wait so I hope they are right!
Last night I was listing everything I miss, Ellie,Liam, my bed, tinker bell light (that helps Ellie sleep) and Mommy (Momma was with me at the hospital and Mommy was at home with Ellie & Liam)
Today I walked to the end of the hall, only holding Momma by one hand and later in the day I walked to show off to Dr. Jeremy my Dr. in the PICU and I walked with out holding on for a few steps.
Mommy and Momma had to get trained on how to give me IV medicine since I am on antibiotics for a few more weeks.
I am starting to pick up my eating and drinking but it is still not enough they say. Mom’s hope it gets better once I’m home.
Crabby
Can’t everyone just leave me alone! Boy do they mess with you here a lot!
They made me get up and walk down the hall, I made them get my strawberry shortcake sunglasses before I would move.
The in the afternoon I was taken off oxygen!! WooHoo and then I had to take a bath that was not too much fun, I love my baths but really! I have been sicken recently and I should not have to take baths! But I showed Mommy, I had a real mess pair of “hospital pants” later in the day! Don’t tell Mom’s but they call diapers “Hospital pants” like I don’t know the difference! silly adults
Day 21
I am in a new room, in the middle of the night it kinda scared me and I cried out to Momma, but once I knew she was here I was OK.
Yesterday I went to the play room and painted, that was fun!
Today I walked to the nurses station which is right outside my room but boy is that a long walk!
The therapy dog came to visit, I really like that.
I am giving my Mom’s fits about eating and drinking but I like to have something I can control.
The Dr.'s are not sure when I will get out of the hospital, they think it maybe a few more weeks. But I hope it’s sooner I miss home.
My Busy Day
Momma
holding me after my bathKaren rubbing lotion on my back
On
my way to X-Ray
Sherri
making me smile
Momma
and the X-Ray tech setting me up to take a picture of my
lungsAll this work wore me out
Mommy
Holding meI just had to lean up to hold Liam and Ellie hands, I sure miss them
This
is Nurse Gail she took care of me for 7 days straight while I was
sleeping.
Sherri,
Karen and Ellie were having a great time making me laughMoving on down.....to the floor
Boy was yesterday a busy day. I had to go to X-Ray at 10 am so they could take a picture of my lungs while I was sitting up.
Then at 11 am they took my last chest tube out, and Sherri & Karen arrived to visit.
Then at 12 pm we all went to the bath and Momma and Karen gave me a bath and washed my hair. (I wasn’t very happy but I smell good)
Then at 1 pm we went back to X-Ray for an after the chest tube removal follow up. On the way back they moved us to a temporary room on the PICU until a bed on the medical floor opened up.
I was tired at this point and took a nap.
Mommy, Liam & Ellie arrived and while I was asleep Momma took Liam & Ellie to play in the playroom when that came back I was awake and they made me laugh and smile a lot.
Then after everyone but Mommy had left we moved to the 1st floor pulmonary wing. This is where I should be until I get busted out of this place.
bubbles
Liam,
Ellie and I catching bubblesBubble therapy helps clear my lungs
Nurse
Anna washing my hairGetting better
My medication was turned back up so now I am more comfortable. They are now turning down the meds just a little each day.
I have bubble therapy where I blow bubbles I really like that.
Nurse Anna washed my hair off the edge of the bed and I felt much better. But later that day my bed started moving on it’s own tilting up BOY did that scare Mommy and nurse Anna so I got a new bed.
Morphine is not your friend
OK while she is off the vent and doing very well we are having some difficulty in getting the Morphine and Ativan regulated while they wean her down, so she is have a bit of withdrawal symptoms from time to time.
Her last chest tube should come out tomorrow.
She does have her good times (when the medication is right) and we smiles and laughs (you can’t hear it since her voice is still horse from the tube)
WooHoo
Happy DrugsPlaying with a Princess
The
view from Darby’s world!She took this picture herself.
NO MORE VENT!!!
Off Vent with My New Strawberry Shortcake glasses
Before
coming off vent playing with My Pretty Pony
Resting
with my nasal cannula
The Dr. checking out my fashion glasses or maybe the nasal cannula
Watching
Little Einstein's with Sherri and KarenWooHoo they took me off the vent! I still have to wear a nasal cannula to give me oxygen. It’s nice to have the tube out of my mouth.
Sherri and Karen came by today and we watched Little Einstein’s my favorite show.
They say I might be able to eat something by mouth later tonight or tomorrow.
Making Strides
Hospital Day 15
Darby is doing much better she is more awake, plays with small toys
and watches TV.
Today they took the catheter out (or as Liam says the pee pee bag).
and they plan to take the breathing tube out around 1:30 pm
PST
She tried to pull it out yesterday but it took ever thing she had
to get her hand to the tube she was too tired to pull.
Leslie & Ellie have a bit of a bug so they are staying away
from the hospital today. We sure don’t want Darby sick
again!!
One step forward, two steps back
The culture they took during last weeks surgery finally grew something. The bacteria is rare for someone who is healthy and tends to show on people who have lung problems. Darby has never had lung problems so the DR.’s are baffled, and the infectious disease staff are now involved to try and figure this out.
Moving to another vent
This also means my drugs to paralyze me are now gone and I cough a lot which is good but I don’t like it much.
I am more awake and can answer yes and no questions with head movements but with the Morphine still onboard I sleep a lot and that’s OK with me!
Up’s and Down’s
Just hanging with my friends
Up’s and Down’s
I
have been having good day’s and bad since the surgery. My
sats and blood pressure have been all over the place.
They say if I can get my sats up and my pressure normal and they
can turn down the vent settings I can get off this machine.
Today my sats went way down and they had to turn the settings up on
the vent. Then my nurse Gail got the idea that my vent tube maybe
blocked. So they took me off the vent and gave me bagged air and
suctioned me and the got a big plug out (another words a Big
Booger) my numbers have been great since!
Note how they use my stuffed animals to position me and my
tubes!!
Recovering
Just laying around
I am still on the vent. but they are slowly weaning me off.
Nurse Gail has given me a bath the last two day’s and I like
that. I am still taking medication to keep me relaxed so I
don’t move and pull my tubes out.
My pink puppy arrived Friday along with some books thanks to Miss
Judy. The nurses use it to prop me up because it is so soft.
Mommy brought Ellie and Liam to visit and nurse Gail took our
picture.
Surgery Day
Surgery
Today they took me to surgery I have three little cuts under the
bandage in my right ribcage area and clear the pleural cavity or
the area around the lung that has filled with fluid and puss like
stuff.
I am doing better but it will be awhile before I am off the
ventilator that is helping me breath.
pneumonia
Sent to Children’s Hospital
My name is Darby and I was sent to the hospital 3-6-06
because I have pneumonia in my right lung.
My Mommy is staying with me and Mom is with Liam and Ellie.
Today I was sent to Seattle Children’s Hospital early this
morning because my x-rays are worse.
They are thinking I might have to have surgery but they want the
new antibiotic to have time to see if it will
work.
Ellie's Broken Collerbone
I don’t know what I was thinking but I took the long way down Laim’s Loft bed and fell. I laid on the floor and cried until Mom came and picked me up. Then I said OUCH! I told Mom and Mommy my elbow hurt and they checked my arm and shoulder. Everything looked ok. They gave me Tylenol and I laid with Mom on the couch and fell asleep when I woke up my shoulder still hurt when I put pressure on it or someone touched it. Mom took me to the walk in clinic and they made me lay down on a bed and a BIG camera moved over my shoulder to take a picture, Boy did that scare me!! But when the pictures came out they showed I had broken my collarbone. They put me in a sling and told me to keep my arm down. When we got home Mommy put a wrap around it so I would keep my arm down because I forgot a lot and moved my arm.