Maybe you wondered about my daughter...
polycounter lvl 18
Okay, so back in April....
If you knew about this, you may have been wondering what's happened. Get ready... she's still in the PICU. This will be the end of week 10, I believe. My son has more problems, and he's never been inside that long. It's been a freaking marathon. But recent developments have been, well, interesting.
The main question everyone would ask is, why the hell so long? Well, Jessica had lung damage from the pneumonia. This, in conjunction with the pressure from the ventilator, caused leaks inside and outside her lungs. The vent kind of kept her alive, too, so there really wasn't anything to be done there except for her to get better and get off it. Which she has almost done. Twice.
About a month ago, Jessica seemed ready to get off the vent and start breathing on her own. We got that close, and then an infection started in the damaged part of her lungs, and we had to pull back. As recently as a week ago, she finally DID come off the vent, and was starting to do normal stuff like eat popsicles and play games. Her muscles aren't completely recovered from being on the paralytic, but she is a very determined young lady.
However. This past Wednesday she had the worst X-ray, like, EVER. There was air on both sides of her chest cavity that was compressing both her lungs and heart, and even though she didn't seem to feel bad, she was in trouble. She went back asleep and on the vent, and we felt like we'd been put back to square one. The leaks in her lungs hadn't closed up like they needed to, so the option we'd been avoiding suddenly became necessary: surgery.
Which didn't go down as gravely as one might expect. On Thursday a thoracic surgeon (with a massive rep) came and made two small incisions on each side, no open ribcage or anything. He removed the 'blebs', the leaking parts of the lungs, and also removed a large section of dead tissue from her right middle lobe, which he said was the main leak, and would never have healed on its own. Then he sealed everything up and it was done. We felt better knowing that surgery was inevitable, but finally done.
So now it's Saturday, Jessica is already awake, off the vent again, and doing pretty well. She's still on a breathing assistance machine (BiPAP, for those who know), but she can talk and watch movies and generally pay attention. She seems to be healing just fine, we haven't had any problems other than a minor opportunistic bacterium. No air leaks. She had some more popsicle this evening, and I look at that as another kind of benchmark.
Sooo.... I'm typing this from the hospital room. My wife is home catching a break from sleeping here. We still have a few weeks to go, we don't really know how much. But if Jessica keeps going at this rate, we'll be out really soon.
People ask me "how do you cope with this?" And my answer is usually something pretty noncommittal. But my new official answer is, when you live in the sewer, being coated in liquid shit becomes an everyday matter.
So anyway, if you're wondering, keep some prayers up for us. We've had nothing if not all-around support from everyone we know, and even a lot of people we don't.
We WILL see this through. The alternative is unacceptable.
/jzero
If you knew about this, you may have been wondering what's happened. Get ready... she's still in the PICU. This will be the end of week 10, I believe. My son has more problems, and he's never been inside that long. It's been a freaking marathon. But recent developments have been, well, interesting.
The main question everyone would ask is, why the hell so long? Well, Jessica had lung damage from the pneumonia. This, in conjunction with the pressure from the ventilator, caused leaks inside and outside her lungs. The vent kind of kept her alive, too, so there really wasn't anything to be done there except for her to get better and get off it. Which she has almost done. Twice.
About a month ago, Jessica seemed ready to get off the vent and start breathing on her own. We got that close, and then an infection started in the damaged part of her lungs, and we had to pull back. As recently as a week ago, she finally DID come off the vent, and was starting to do normal stuff like eat popsicles and play games. Her muscles aren't completely recovered from being on the paralytic, but she is a very determined young lady.
However. This past Wednesday she had the worst X-ray, like, EVER. There was air on both sides of her chest cavity that was compressing both her lungs and heart, and even though she didn't seem to feel bad, she was in trouble. She went back asleep and on the vent, and we felt like we'd been put back to square one. The leaks in her lungs hadn't closed up like they needed to, so the option we'd been avoiding suddenly became necessary: surgery.
Which didn't go down as gravely as one might expect. On Thursday a thoracic surgeon (with a massive rep) came and made two small incisions on each side, no open ribcage or anything. He removed the 'blebs', the leaking parts of the lungs, and also removed a large section of dead tissue from her right middle lobe, which he said was the main leak, and would never have healed on its own. Then he sealed everything up and it was done. We felt better knowing that surgery was inevitable, but finally done.
So now it's Saturday, Jessica is already awake, off the vent again, and doing pretty well. She's still on a breathing assistance machine (BiPAP, for those who know), but she can talk and watch movies and generally pay attention. She seems to be healing just fine, we haven't had any problems other than a minor opportunistic bacterium. No air leaks. She had some more popsicle this evening, and I look at that as another kind of benchmark.
Sooo.... I'm typing this from the hospital room. My wife is home catching a break from sleeping here. We still have a few weeks to go, we don't really know how much. But if Jessica keeps going at this rate, we'll be out really soon.
People ask me "how do you cope with this?" And my answer is usually something pretty noncommittal. But my new official answer is, when you live in the sewer, being coated in liquid shit becomes an everyday matter.
So anyway, if you're wondering, keep some prayers up for us. We've had nothing if not all-around support from everyone we know, and even a lot of people we don't.
We WILL see this through. The alternative is unacceptable.
/jzero
Replies
Though it might not make you feel any better, but struggles like this help build character, for you and your daughter.
since shes started getting better i'm sure she will heal remarkably fast. best of luck to her, and you and your family. she'll be out soon
john
If nothing else these kind of traumatic events brings a family closer together eh?
-R
is the BiPAP anything like the CPAP machine that is given to people with sleep apnea?
Thankfully she is getting better, and here is to her for being so much stronger after a TOTAL recovery.
And jzero, I think a long vacation is due for you and your family after this, where you can just hang around and be healthy together. And teach Jess to control her new powers.
Frank the Avenger
keep kicking ass and chewing "bubble gum".
[/ QUOTE ]POPSICLE!!!
It's great to hear that Jessica's getting better - even though it required surgery, the health of your daughter is paramount.
And I can tell from the popsicle-eating that she's a strong little girl.