Friday, October 22, 2010

Work of Breathing


The last week has been interesting. Samuel's 'work of breathing' has increased during the day, and we've had to go up on his oxygen to half a liter at night instead of an eighth. I took him in to his local pediatrician and they gave me an inhaler and nose drops. They also took an x-ray and found out that his lungs look a bit fluid-overloaded....so we were given a one time dose of Lasix (a diuretic.) Oh Lasix, I thought we were rid of you. It didn't seem to do that much for him to be honest.....
-
I called to let Children's know that he is requiring more oxygen at night, and they have scheduled an x-ray of his neck to see if there is anything obstructing his breathing. They will be checking his adenoids. We have an ENT appointment on the same day (I assume they will also check for obstructions as well as check up on his damaged vocal cord.) If no one finds anything, we may have to do a sleep-study at Children's. They would keep him overnight to observe him. I'm hoping that he will get better in the next few days so that we don't have to do much else.
.
So the date for our next ACH appointment is November 2nd. The doctor we have been seeing, Dr. Lightburn, will not be seeing him any longer. She will be moving hospitals. Instead, we will be seeing Dr. Lyle - and I'm very excited. He works with Samuel's NICU doctor, Dr. Arrington, frequently.
.
Developmental therapy came by this week to work with Samuel. They were very very pleased with how well he is doing. :) It makes my heart happy to know that all of my hard work with Samuel is making a difference.
.
I think I should go into the preemie business....not really.....I don't think there is enough clientele for it (and I wouldn't wish this situation on anyone.) Hypothetically, I would make clothes and toys that are appropriate for preemies and ex-preemies. For instance, finding clothes for a 3 pound baby is impossible. Finding clothes for him now is easier but ex-preemies tend to be long and skinny.....not all brands work. Toys are almost as impossible as clothes. He is more developed than most babies his size. For instance, he COULD have been holding rattles when he was 6 pounds, but all of the rattles were far too big and heavy for him. Even now, toys are big and heavy. He's really the size of a 2 month old with the skills of a 4 month old.
.
I finally remembered to buy a few more pacifiers that Walmart the other day. I was proud of myself. That is, until I made it to the baby section and found out that I had the choice between a purple+yellow set or a pink+green set. Gee, THOSE are good choices.... I opted for the purple and yellow set. One of these days he will have manly colors. Until then, I will just say that he is attempting to break gender stereotypes.
.
Samuel has found his cannula. He's more than eager to pull it out of his nose..... I can see where this is going....

2 comments:

  1. I'm praying for little Samuel that all goes well and the breathing issue is temporary.

    I took a 38 weeker but very genetically dainty 4 lb 14 ounce baby home. I remember the struggles with an advanced but tiny infant. She was 7 pounds at a month and 9 pounds at two. She wore a lot of overall type outfits that adjust at the shoulders. Those are great if you can find them. Also I shopped at places like Dollar Stores or Dollar General, and GTM for toys. Wal Mart may have some lighters ones but not Target (not sure if you have Target there). The biggest thing with getting the cheaper but lighter toys is safety. You have to be meticulous yourself in inspecting and selection but when we were going through it we could find smaller and lighter infant toys.

    If you'll pardon a story, one of our biggest frustrations and hers was the Tupperware shape ball. She could do the shapes long before she could hold and use the ball. By the time she was large enough and strong enough, it was boring! So off we went looking for a cheap imitation. The really nice plush animals were too heavy so we'd go through the shelves looking for the smallest ones.

    It does get better. By even 6 months there is improvement. By 9 to 12 for us, it was down to mainly clothes and a few toys. By 18 months to 24 months, it was clothes and her petite stature. Since I'm small, we let them do testing but expected the normal but very small results. She is still dainty and wears mainly zeroes and has some double zeroes.

    So good luck and good things come in small packages and they are worth the extra little effort in finding clothes and such. I think you are onto a great idea of a home business that you could sell clothes and toys online. There are a couple that specialize in preemie clothes but one line is pretty sad looking.

    Fantastic results on your early intervention. I wish you were coaching another Arkansas mother who is nationally known.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Way to get purple and yellow...Ouachita colors! Those ARE manly colors! haha! :)

    ReplyDelete