It's that time again...

[Hooked]

Garrett lost his IV so they just placed another.  No fun for me and his Mom to hear him scream!  I honestly think he is screaming in anticipation of the pain he thinks might be coming, not what he is actually feeling.

The good news is they placed the IV and drew the blood they needed at the same time.

[Hooked]

Garrett just provided a little comic relief.  As he stood there trying to pee but with nothing happening he said, "it's not working!"' then a few minutes later "come on...I hate my p_nus!"

He never did pee, but he did just take his longest walk!

[Doc Nock]

Reading your stories, Chip, is some of the most heart-wrenching things I've done in a while...

Not a bad thing...just that I get so emotional, trying to imagine what you're going thru.

I think you hit it over the fence last page where you gave praise for what progress Garrett is making. Like I said, he kicked butt so much other times, this is likely so awful to go thru, but maybe more like most???

That is so funny about him trying to whiz and couldn't...had the same issue after my recent surgery... young and old! Oye!   :eek:  

C'mon, Li'l guy, eat, drink, pee and poo up a storm for em so they get ya on home!

Prayers for continued improvement, strength for all and peace that passes all understanding!

Lord in your Mercy...

[Hooked]

Well, they are sending G back to the ICU.  

His chest x-ray this morning showed a lot more fluid on his right lung.  He's not peeing and not draining much.  His lower abdomen is swollen.  The doctors said they are just being hyper vigilante and they can monitor him more closely down there.

Crank up those prayers!

[Hooked]

They are not putting in another chest drain yet, though that is a possibility. They believe the back up of blood into his lower abdomen from his bypass surgery is causing his problems with nausea and congestion in his right lung. So they are doing some things to really try to get those fluids moving better. We have to get him up and about which will help also. They are going to get him off the narcotics too.

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Garrett just performed admirably to avoid having another foley catheter placement.  They came in the room to place it and I asked for one more chance to pee.  He came through and avoided some major discomfort!

[Doc Nock]

Go, Garrett, Go Garrett! No, Really...GO BOY!

Whiz up a storm and make your own fluid drain, li'l Dude!

Sounds like a roller coaster from Hades!

 :(

Keep the Son in your eyes!

[Hooked]

Gonna knock on wood, but he is peeing and has walked up and down the hall a few times.  Hasn't thrown up either.  He is off the morphine.  All good steps!

Thank you, Lord!

Still needs to eat and continue progress.  

They are going to do a CT scan of his chest tomorrow.  Please pray that it has cleared alot, otherwise he may need another chest drain inserted!  If that doesn't work the last resort would be to open him back up and clean him out.

[Right Wing]

Praying for a successful surgery and for Garrett's speedy recovery...

[Doc Nock]

Thank you, Chip, for allowing us to share this burden in such a small way...

Dawned on me that what you're going thru gives us a taste of what God must've felt watching what we did to HIS Son...

Prayers continue for Him to step in and continue the miracle of God's healing as in times before with Garrett!

Lord in your Mercy...

[Hooked]

G had a pretty good night. Threw up a few times, but otherwise good. Suzie just went to the Ronald Mcdonald room to get some rest. She stayed with him all night.

He has become a major mommy's boy which makes it hard on Suzie to get any rest. He won't take his medicine without her here and he begs for her whenever a nurse messes with him.

He just did a good walk down the hall! But he still won't eat much if anything. He ate one grape and a sip of choc milk before dozing off.

Sounds like his chest x-ray looked better this morning! So still praying there will be no need for the CT and chest tube. Thank you, God!

[4dogs]

Sounds like slow and steady improvements are starting to happen, thats fantastic. White coat syndrome...can be kind of tough like you say but cant say as I can blame him. Hang in there,Garrett will be home and playing soon.

[Doc Nock]

Thanks for keeping us updated, Chip.

If I threw up every time I ate, I'd quit eating too! But I can stand to loose some weight... I'll swallow ping-pong balls or anything to keep from throwing up!  :(   Garrett has my full empathy!

You, my friend, have much, much more. You and Suzie. While it's hard on kids and scary, they're way more resilient than us parent folk.

We wear down faster and stay down longer.

Keep trusting in the "bestest doctor" and praying for His will... I'm told and have seen that is when the "peace that passess all understanding" goes active the most.

Easy to type and still (for me) a blister to live, but felt compelled to throw it out there by way of encouragement.

Prayers continue.

Keep the Son in your eyes!

[Hooked]

Another good day with progress.  He walked the halls a few times, ate more than he has since the surgery (though it consisted of potato chips, an Oreo, an ice cream bar, a few grapes, and a fe bit of a banana), and has held down some oral meds.

If his chest x-ray looks good in the morning, we will most likely be moved back to the floor.  We have mixed feelings on leaving the ICU.  It is great because it means he is improving, but they monitor him so much better in the ICU.

Praise the Lord for his progress!  And please keep praying for his continued improvement.  

I will have to work tomorrow so expect an update in the morning, but probably not another until the evening.

[4dogs]

Prayers are being answerd...can you imagin how he will feel in a few days when these complications clear up? For the first time in his young life he will have oxygenated blood flowing. What a blessing this little boy is and will be. These kids are very special I'm tellin ya! GOD BLESS

[Hooked]

Originally posted by 4dogs:
Prayers are being answerd...can you imagin how he will feel in a few days when these complications clear up? For the first time in his young life he will have oxygenated blood flowing. What a blessing this little boy is and will be. These kids are very special I'm tellin ya! GOD BLESS

Mark,
There is no doubt about that!  He has been special from the start, but I am a bit prejudiced.  We have been a little worried about getting him fully recovered!  He was already as busy as any 3 year old and now they keep telling us he will have more energy!  yikes!

Met a nurse on the floor the other day who had the same series of surgeries.  She is now 23.  

chip

[Hooked]

We made quite a scene in the PICU today.  

Garrett didn't want to walk, he wanted momma to carry him!  So, as cruel as it sounds, Momma was the carrot we dangled in front of him.  He was practically running down the hallway and screaming "Mommy!  Hold you! Hold you!".  Every once in awhile he would get frustrated and just sit down.  It was all our nurse could to keep up with him dragging his oxygen tank and I was running along side him trying to make sure he didn't fall.

All the other nurses were watching and half laughing because of the sight, but half crying too because they felt so sorry for him!

[Rookie@51]

Thank you Lord for giving us the knowledge to do these kind of things. You have made our bodys to a well oiled machine but when things go wrong with it you have given us the knowledge to fix it too. Lord al good and perfrct gifts come form you and again we have wittnessed this in Garrett's life as well as his families. Please continue healing all around in this family. Please give Mama a good rest and give Daddy the knowledge to handle Garrett's needs today. I love you and praise you this day. It is in your name that I ask these things.......Amen.......Dusty

[Doc Nock]

Beautiful prayer and so spot on, Dusty.

Doesn't sound cruel to me, Chip, to do whatever it takes to get that boy well. He's too young to make knowlegeable decisions, and that is why God gave him such good parents.

I had the privilage of a few good years parenting my ex-wife's infant son and in those wonderful/painful years, I learned how puny my best efforts could be, how helpless one really is when a child hurts and just a little how God may have felt sending His Son to take on our sins.  Parenting is a powerful experience.

Thank you Lord for equipping those you call like Chip and Suzie. Strengthen them and keep them while you continue your miracle of healing in li'l Garrett!

Thank you for alowing us to share in some small way by uplifting this family and others.

We already know our prayers are answered and your perfect Will is at work in the lives of those who call on your name. Amen and amen.

[Hooked]

I just got back to the hospital.  The good news is they moved Garrett to the floor because he has improved so much, the bad news is they moved Garrett to the floor when he gets monitored much better in the PICU.  

He is definitely feeling better, but still needs improvement in many areas.  He is low on potassium and is having to take some through his IV and orally.  His appetite has returned and we are trying to get him to eat lots of bananas.

He blew out his IV again and had to have another placed, glad I wasn't here for that!  They also had to draw blood.  Anything with needles causes a scene.

Thank you, Lord, for all the progress!  

please pray for continued progress!