“Are you in the medical field?”

For months now I’ve been a bit uninspired to blog…sorry! Maybe uninspired isn’t the right word, the real explanation is that my kids went from two naps to one and my husband has an insane schedule and so blogging has taken a back seat. That’s not necessarily an excuse, just a reason why I’ve been MIA. On top of all that, I felt like anything I had to share might not be worth reading, but, let’s face it, I’m writing this blog as much for me as for anyone willing to read it, so I should probably continue writing, especially if I consider my emotional state the last few days…It’d probably be healthy for me to share our latest drama.

In the last four months, Rylan, our little dude, has spent 10 nights in the hospital. Six nights were spent in the general pediatric unit, 1 night in an acute care unit, and 3 nights in the pediatric ICU. Eight of those nights were spent at the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital and 2 of those nights were spent at the Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin, Texas.

Each hospitalization began with a trip to urgent care because the little guy had a cold and seemed to have labored breathing. His breathing was never so difficult that it was alarming (before we arrived), but his oxygen saturation levels (which should be in the high 90s or at 100%) was down in the low 80s.

Hospitalization #1, UNM Children’s Hospital:
3 nights in the general pediatric unit on oxygen, reaching 2 liters on a normal nasal cannula
Tylenol as needed for general grumpiness and low grade fever
Negative RSV test

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hospitalization #2, Dell Children’s Hospital:
1 night in the acute care unit
1 night in the general pediatric unit
On oxygen, reaching 6 liters and 80% on a high flow nasal cannula
Negative RSV test

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hospitalization #3, UNM Children’s Hospital:
3 nights in the pediatric ICU
2 nights in the general pediatric unit
On oxygen, reaching 25 liters and 90% on high flow nasal cannula, IV hydration, oral steriods, albuterol inhaler, flowvent inhaler, and tylenol as needed for general grumpiness, not allowed oral nutrition for around 12 hours.
Negative RSV test

I wrote the above at the beginning of May. Today is the 29th…yeah. I have twins, that’s how it works. And, 5 whole days after Rylan was discharged from the hospital, we were back again with Neala!

We spent three nights in the hospital with Neala and her never ending stream of boogers (which she loves to show me by jamming her finger as far up her nose as possible). Her oxygen saturation was never too low, but she did have a high fever and her respiratory rate was super high (in the high 60s at one point…try breathing 60 times per minute, its hard!).

Several times while our children were hospitalized I was asked, “Are you in the medical field, because you really seem to know what you’re talking about?” The answer is no, no I am not in the medical field. I’m a mom with preemie twins and husband who is in the medical field.  I’m lucky to be educated and can’t imagine what it’s like for parents who are unfamiliar with medical terms and hospital timelines and who don’t know that they can advocate for their children. I hate to think that part of the reason I’m so comfortable in the hospital setting is because our children seem to be frequent flyers, but that’s our reality, so I might as well be embrace it, right?

And finally, the real reason I wanted to write this post in the first place: to say THANK YOU!! There were sooo many people who helped us while our kiddos were sick! My family and Patrick’s family have been amazing, cooking and cleaning, taking our well child (and I’m sure, spoiling them rotten), caring for our (terrible and filthy) dogs, and landscaping our backyard!!!! For Rylan’s first hospital stay, we had a friend visiting from California and she ended up taking care of Neala and also keeping me company in our very small hospital room! My family in Austin was also incredible, even staying with me both nights at the hospital! My brother flew to Austin and flew home with Neala, and then my amazing cousin drove back with Rylan and me so we didn’t have to make the trek alone. I mean, seriously people, my family is awesome!!

And then there were the playgroup mommas who brought me meals for a week (some of which included wine and dessert) even though we’d only been to the playgroup twice!! Amazing. Seriously.

We also had food and coffee deliveries by resident wives. One wife (and super fantastic friend) brought food for us to have at home, and food in microwavable containers for us to heat up and eat at the hospital. Now that’s what I call planning for the situation! Dang!

This is turning into a bit of an Oscar’s speech and I can hear the music coming on now, so with that, I’ll wrap it up. Here’s to a healthy summer!