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November 28, 2007

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Actually, TODAY was the day Michael got his bigger trach. Dr. K___, the pulmonologist, decided to wait one day so that Dr. B, the pediatrict ENT could do it. (Not to be confused with Dr. ____, the regular ENT that will be doing Michael's ear tubes....) We think Dr. K_____ just wanted to make Dr. B the big meanie.

Well, it was a rough visit, and Michael is having a rough afternoon. First came a scope with a little camera down Michael's nose to see his trachea, then came a scope down Michael's trach tube. Michael was pretty mad at this point. It took a Daddy hug to keep him holding still, and a quick consult with Big Bird was necessary to make sure that they were both still okay. (They were.) (Big Bird has a trach, too, and he gets all the same shots and yuckies that Michael does, and they commiserate.)

Well, it didn't end there. We packed up, went to another room, and Michael got to try on a kiddy straight-jacket. He thought it was funny at first. They strapped down his little hands, and he grinned. They fastened his feet together and then began wrapping him in giant pads kinda like a straight-jacket (really!). He thought it was pretty funny until he realized he couldn't move, and Mommy and Daddy were on the other side of the room. Then the anxiety began. OH NO, ANOTHER PROCEDURE!!!

Out went the old trach, in went the bigger one, and then came all the coughing. And coughing. And coughing. And coughing and wheezing. We were told that increased secretions for the day are to be expected. (I find this hard to believe given that my child coughs up a plateful every 5 minutes!) And, we were told that the coughing and wheezing was "okay". (Glad they said that, because he sounded horrid!)

As if this indignity wasn't enough, we went back to the other room for another quick scope down the trach to take a look. Oh the suffering! This one was quick, but NOT quick enough for Michael! Mommy came and got him and snuggled him while he told her all about it. He cried for nearly half an hour, and Mom carried him to the car while Daddy carried the car seat. He thought about not crying, and then he would start up again for the sheer indignity (plus, the air conditioner wasn't working in the building, and it was HOT!) We finally stopped crying altogether when we got outside and the cool breeze drifted by, and we even had a smile for Mom by the time we got in the car.

(For those of you in the frozen north, it is still pleasant weather here ....)

So, Michael fell asleep on the ride home and is now home in his swing, having a meal and wheezing. Hopefully he will feel better soon. He does sound better, despite the wheezing, but the coughing is hard to listen to. Michael already had a nebulizer this afternoon, and we've decided to let Michael's friend "Blue Hose" be with him for the rest of the day to help moisterize his trach area and give him a break. Oral feeding is out of the question for the moment because of all the coughing. In fact, even the tube feeding isn't going well because of the coughing and the leftover air from crying, but we are getting it into him slowly. I think it could be a long afternoon for the M-man. But, as we keep telling him, tomorrow will be a better day, and this should help with all the secretions by making them more managable. (WE HOPE!)

Rough day. And still, the little man will smile.

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