Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Early Christmas Magic

Sometimes, Christmas Magic comes in abundance. With a lake effect storm swirling outside the PICU window, my little boy was tucked safely in a warm bed. Breathing, completely on his own.

He didn't feel very good, but Santa Claus made his way through the PICU and gave each child a small gift and their parents a great dose of hope and joy.

A little Christmas Magic

The night fell and my small boy continued to breathe, having only one temporary desaturation (likely a central apnea, unrelated to the procedure). In the morning, the nurse brought a tray full of breakfast. Aspiration is a big risk from this surgery, so we needed to have him eat successfully before he could go home. Nolan took one look at the eggs, and immediately wolfed them down. Then he asked for some cereal. Then a Popsicle. Then some macaroni and cheese.

The ENT called to see how he was doing, and she was amazed and thrilled. This surgery almost NEVER results in such a fast recovery. To everyone who said a prayer for our dear boy, thank you. They worked, and worked well!

By the afternoon, the ENT said he was doing so well he could be discharged a day early. We unhooked the I.V., took off the blood pressure cuff, and prepared Nolan to go home. There was, however, a little glitch. Nolan became rather attached to his EKG leads, and called them his "powers." Whenever anyone would come to his bedside, he would look at them out of the corner of his eyes and would say, "I have powers." We also learned very quickly not to reason with a three year old on drugs. Loratab is a wonderful invention, but makes Nolan a wee bit goofy!

When the nurse wanted to remove his "powers," he threw a fit. She had to give him her cell phone as a diversion, then removed the wires. She left the stickers on to avoid a full-scale revolt. She also gave him extra small leads to use at home.

Nolan, with Powers.

As we left the PICU, we ran into a group of elves handing out teddy bears. Nolan's Very Sad Eyes earned him a free teddy bear, then we walked to the elevator to go home. The elevators were not working for some reason, so we went over to the employee-access one (PICU patients are walked out by a staff member). The elevator was going in the wrong direction, so we went along for the ride. As it turns out, this was a very lucky decision! The Niagara County Sheriff's Department volunteers boarded our elevator with a giant bin full of toys. They saw Nolan's Very Sad Eyes and immediately gave him a V-Tech electronic reader and software.

By the time we left the hospital, we were lugging enough loot to rival Santa's sleigh. Despite feeling rather poorly and being in pain, these gifts brought a big smile to our little guy's face. Well, most of the time, anyway!

Feeling poorly, but healing quickly!

So now we sit, with a little boy who is healing rapidly and asleep in his own bed, breathing under his own power. And what better Christmas gift could possibly exist?

11 comments:

Jan said...

My grateful heart is full. Please thank Grandma Lefler for all she has done to keep the home fires burning. I know that having Matt taken care of by a loving Grandmother made this difficult procedure a little easier. Too bad only Nolan has "powers". I could sure use some of those "powers" at times. Mom

Joey Lynn Resciniti said...

A thank you prayer is definitely in order now. I'm so glad this went smoothly!

PolyglotMom said...

Beautiful post! So happy to hear that you're home a day early and things are going so well! YAY YAY YAY!!!

Julia said...

Awwww, what a cutie -- even with Very Sad Eyes. I *love* the Powers picture. I'm so glad things are going this well, and I hope he's feeling better soon.

Herding Grasshoppers said...

Hallelujah! What great news, Leah!

And glad to hear (from your mom? in the comments) about Matt - had meant to ask what he was doing.

Love the bit about his "powers"! And not reasoning with a three year old, especially on drugs!

And he's welcome to all the booty his sad eyes bring him ;D

Julie

Apraxia Mom said...

Praise the Lord! I am so happy and relieved (and doing the "Happy Dance") for you all!

Way to go, Nolan!

rouchi6 said...

calugh
So much in the last week that has happened.Just arrived from India and read all the updates.I am glad all went well and lil Nolan deserves all the gifts he got.Cheers that all is well.

xraevision said...

Wow, Nolan totally scored! An arm load of new toys and special powers too. That is so cute! I'm relieved and thrilled for you that he is recovering so well, and I hope all continues to improve.

Ericka said...

hoping he heels quickly!

CAUSE ME TO HEAR said...

Love, love, love the "powers" bit! And why shouldn't he get to keep his powers? And why reason with a 3 year old? Let them slay their dragons and conquer the world now while they're young...then, who knows what great things they'll do when they're older!
Good news about Nolan's breathing. Praising the Lord with you,
Joshalyn

leah said...

Julie- Jan is my mom. We really miss family right now!! We are definitely praising the Lord with Nolan's amazing recovery!