I get by with a little help from my friends
This week was a little rough for Miss Sunny Buns:/ Monday, she grew noticeably more irritable at times and her breathing & blood oxygen saturation were not as they recently have been. The team was quick to run tests & do imaging to check off any of the scarier possibilities - all came back unalarming. They tested some mucous to check if she was coming down with something, but that also came back normal. One nurse mentioned that it's possible she could still be coming down with something, but they just tested too early. It was also suggested that it could just be her sensitivity to the morphine wean? But either way, they're continuing to keep a close eye on her.
Tuesday, she was just very very off. Luckily, we had a nurse who'd had Sunny last week and was able to see the difference alongside us.
Sunny's stats were just off, she was irritable/wouldn't settle for long, & her breathing was just different. Tuesday late afternoon, Her nurse & a respiratory therapist began to do some investigating. They checked that her ventilator settings were what her chart said they should be, & they even took her off the ventilator and manually ventilate her. They said she was "easy to bag" which meant there wasn't blockage in the trach, and most likely the issue wasn't her. But her numbers continued to worsen, and they mentioned maybe her needing to go back to the CICU ventilator. That night they were verrrrrry close to just trying to switch out the vent & had even brought one up to do so, but the provider on duty suggested they change one of her support settings and see if that helps.
At this point her breathing was SO weird. It sounded like she was taking two short breaths, & the volumes, rate, and blood oxygen saturation levels were all still wonky.
She had a rough, fussy night. But Wednesday, allllll her friends came to see her. Her Physical therapist was doing some stretches with her, noticed her breathing & was watching her diaphragm movement. Someone from the Pulmonary department came in at the same time to make sure her vent settings were still working well for her. She requested the respiratory therapist pop in, who then called for another respiratory therapist who considered themselves an expert with the new ventilators. That guy brought a respiratory therapist who was going through orientation, and a different ventilator. So...Nurse, Physical Therapist, Pulmonalogist, & three Respiratory Therapists all huddled around Sunny's bed - listening to her breathing, watching her, checking vent settings, reading her chart, feeling her abdominal movements; all the things.
They finally switched the vent, & her weird breathing pattern immediately changed.
I feel bad that she had been basically fighting the ventilator, but I was also so relieved that: we'd finally solved it, it wasn't her(because really.... the odds of it actually being the machine & not the baby with multiple organ abnormalities were preeeetty slim), and she wasn't getting sick!!
She's pretty much back to her normal self, except they've continued to wean her morphine.... which she FEELS and let's everyone know it.
It's so nice that she's doing well enough to be here in 2B, but it's so weird having providers that haven't known her since birth; that aspect of the CICU is what I miss most. But I DO appreciate the fact that it forces me to speak up more. It's the first time I've really felt like we're also her care providers.
- Continued health for Sunny through cold and flu season!
- For her lung & heart function/ recovering from this week's drama.
- Wisdom for all her care providers
We appreciate alllllll your prayers, & we feel so well loved.
🫶🏻Thank you,
Chris, Alyssa & Sunny
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