We’re Back in the Saddle Again…

Our little leprechaun is holding steady on his feeds!!!  It’s 10:30pm here in California and Rudy is tolerating his 5 ccs an hour quite well…his belly isn’t any bigger, he had a stool this afternoon and Nurse Lindsay assures me she hears good bowel sounds with her stethoscope so it appears we may be back on the road to recovery!  Yippy  I arrived in L.A. around 12:30pm and found Rudy awake and alert when I got to his room…he drifted off to sleep shortly after I arrived and had a nice nap.  I had business to take care of around the hospital and did so while Rudy slept and then came back to an awake, alert little boy again!  It is soooo nice to see Rudy awake and not distressed.  He hasn’t needed any rescue doses of meds today and has been sailing through his 2-hour sprints on the trach collar!  It is a very different story around here compared to 2 weeks ago…we are grateful for the shift.  The cardiology team rounded this afternoon and Dr. Brian et al seemed pleased with Rudy’s condition – it’s always reassuring to see big smiles on the docs faces.  So, we will continue with the feeds tonight, Rudy will get a break from the sprints until morning and hopefully rest quietly through the night…although 4am does seem to be a bewitching hour for him. 

Thanks to Nurse Kelly Rudy is all ready for St. Patrick’s Day…when I arrived this afternoon, Kelly was visiting from the adult CTICU upstairs with festive buttons in hand to adorn Rudy’s blanket.  His little shamrock says “Kiss me I’m Irish”…well, after meeting Katie Manning’s Daddy, it would be more accurate to say “Kiss me I know someone who’s Irish” but, hey, Rudy won’t pass up an opportunity to get a kiss or two! 

Things got so busy over the weekend I didn’t have a chance to report that we had a little bit of drama on Friday morning…Rudy’s trach worked it’s way out and, for some reason, the RT and team of nurses that came to our aid couldn’t get it back in.  Rudy ended up with a trach a whole size smaller than what he had originally.  After giving him a couple of hours to regroup, RT Lyle came in and attempted to put the 4.0 back in…it still wouldn’t fit but he ultimately got a 3.5 safely secured.  Dr. Andy decided it best to leave it and if the smaller trach becomes problematic in the future, they can always dilate the trach hole and eventually get the 4.0 in again.  He has been breathing with the smaller trach all weekend and is doing fine with it…the only problem is that the air leak around the trach that was setting off the mind-numbing vent alarm is even more pronounced now that the trach is smaller and, therefore,  setting off the alarm even more!  Ha Ha  Thankfully tonight Rudy is positioned in such a way that the alarm is resting quietly as well…aaahhhhh, so peaceful! 

Friday was also a big day because Rudy got to meet his Aunt Cora who flew in from Alabama to spend the week in Santa Barbara…unfortunately, Rudy slept through her visit here at the hospital but his older sibs sure are enjoying the creative fun and loving attention Aunt Cora brings with her wherever she goes…a big thanks to Uncle Brian and cousins Joshua, Heather, Kaitlin and Jessie for sharing her with us!!