Brendan was given some breathing challenges today, the ventilator was set to do nothing but give him his PEEP support to keep his lungs open and he was on 60% oxygen. He did pretty well for the two hour “sprint” although about halfway through, they had to give him a little more pressure support because he was breathing too fast. He is going to be given challenges every day so that he does not get used to letting the machine do all of the work for him.
As soon as his trach is healed, he is going to get lots of tummy time.
He was in a good mood today.
He let me know when he was done with me
He was awake and interacting with me for hours again, then finally drifted off for a nap.
Although, something in his dream was still pretty funny
Trevor had a super big day today, he got to go outside in the backyard and do laps up and down the patio (in the shade!) in his cool new stroller. He really is starting to notice and love his dogs. The dogs were thrilled to chase Gramma and Trevor up and down the patio!!
It was an uneventful day – just a day of rest and healing. I got to the hospital at 6:30 this morning and Brendan was still asleep.
He had a good morning, he was more comfortable and really loves his pacifier. We talked for a long time, me talking and him giving me the little eyebrow lifts.
He let me do a full mani/pedi and trim his giant claws back, and I gave him a little sponge bath and he stayed happy. He took a couple of short little naps in between.
I left him to watch his mobile for a while and he fell fast asleep.
The boys traded today. Since Brendan was so calm and cozy, Trevor decided that he was going to try out a day of being extra cranky. He still played nap avoider, sleeping for about 3 minutes this evening so far. He is drooling like a waterfall and can’t keep his hands out of his mouth, so we wonder if he isn’t starting to get teeth bothering him.
He still wore a cute outfit, but he would not do his trick today. He just made camera face when I tried to get a video!
Last minute edit to add a silly video. Trevor still isn’t doing his trick for the camera, but he has some funny things to say. Sorry for the bad quality, it was dark. Turn up the sound and listen carefully!
One year ago today, it was me in the operating room. After so many years of trying to have a baby and hundreds of injections and tests and ultrasounds and dollars, three eggs were harvested directly from my ovary. Only two were good and on the afternoon of March 27th, 2011 they became viable embryos in a dish. All we could do then was wait to see if they would “take” when they were put back in to my womb. After four days of watching them grow under a microscope, those little blobs of 8-10 cells were transferred to me.
One year later, my two little bros are here, about 30lbs together!
I’d go through a hundred surgeries if I could take back all of the procedures that Brendan has had to endure. Today was another step in his journey, hopefully the next surgery he will need will be to finally reverse that ostomy!
The anesthesia team came to pick Brendan up in his room at 11:30am. There is one thing that is certain: If I ever need friends to help me move, I will NOT call on any medical professionals. His transports have always been the clumsiest things, and today was the worst!! They were banging in to walls and in to each other. They got his IV pole stuck in the elevator and nearly crushed my arm that was holding the door for them. Good thing Brendan enjoys the bumpy ride! It is amazing his crib made it in one piece though.
It was a quick surgery, he was heading back to his room less than an hour later. It was difficult to not be so excited to see him today, finally seeing so much of his ultra-adorable face. But getting the tracheostomy is just the beginning of a very difficult rehabilitation of his lungs. He may have this trach for a few months or a few years. It is all up in the air, and it is all up to Brendan.
Here are the last shots with the breathing tube taped in his mouth.
And the cutey-pie comes back with a whole cheek free from tape
His face and head is a bit swollen still from his Glenn, but he still has some pretty nice cheeks that were hiding
He woke up quickly after his anesthesia, all full of attitude!
He was so happy to have his pacifier without the tornado of air from the cpap trying to blow it out of his mouth. A little extra morphine and he was out for a nice long rest.
They used a cuffed trach tube, so it has a little air bladder that fills his trachea and seals it in to place. This creates a seal so that no air leaks from his new stoma while it heals. It also means that he can’t even make a peep or a squeak. He is totally mute. While he was awake, he spent some time getting reacquainted with his face. I love his little eyebrows.
Trevor and Gramma waited at home for news.
This is Trevor while Brendan was in surgery
This is Trevor when he heard his brother was OK.
Trevor has a new trick that he is working on, hopefully we can have a video to share tomorrow!
