Friday, December 25, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Luke 2:10-16
"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone in to heaven, the shepards said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger!"
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Great Update!
Hey Everybody...
Parker had two appointments today and both went very well. Parker's cardiologist did another ultrasound of his heart today to make sure that there was still no sign of fluid building up around his heart. Everything came back clear as a bell! He checked Parker's incision and said that it was healing nicely. The cardiologist said that Parker could definitely go down to Lasiks once a day now which is wonderful! Parker weighs 11 lbs 6.5 oz. and is growing like a weed. He is 24 3/4'' long! So he has grown a good bit in just two weeks. Paker is eating 6 oz. at each feeding now. WOW!!! We left the cardiologist appointment to take Parker to his pediatrician because we thought that he may have an ear infection. Parker has been pulling on his right ear alot and sneezing and coughing, which concerned us being so soon after surgery. The pediatrician reassured us that he did not have an ear infection, but that he has a head cold and thinks that Parker is trying his best to cut his first tooth! This was a shock to us because he is only four months old, but he said that he has four month old babies all the time cutting teeth! So he is salivating alot, and chewing on his fingers! Whatever keeps Parker happy is fine by us. What a great report on our little man today. We can not thank God enough for such a great outcome! It is simply amazing!
Love In Christ
The Crafts
Parker had two appointments today and both went very well. Parker's cardiologist did another ultrasound of his heart today to make sure that there was still no sign of fluid building up around his heart. Everything came back clear as a bell! He checked Parker's incision and said that it was healing nicely. The cardiologist said that Parker could definitely go down to Lasiks once a day now which is wonderful! Parker weighs 11 lbs 6.5 oz. and is growing like a weed. He is 24 3/4'' long! So he has grown a good bit in just two weeks. Paker is eating 6 oz. at each feeding now. WOW!!! We left the cardiologist appointment to take Parker to his pediatrician because we thought that he may have an ear infection. Parker has been pulling on his right ear alot and sneezing and coughing, which concerned us being so soon after surgery. The pediatrician reassured us that he did not have an ear infection, but that he has a head cold and thinks that Parker is trying his best to cut his first tooth! This was a shock to us because he is only four months old, but he said that he has four month old babies all the time cutting teeth! So he is salivating alot, and chewing on his fingers! Whatever keeps Parker happy is fine by us. What a great report on our little man today. We can not thank God enough for such a great outcome! It is simply amazing!
Love In Christ
The Crafts
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Hey Everybody...
Parker is doing GREAT!!! We took Parker to his follow up with his pediatrician and everything looks wonderful. Parker has no fluid around his heart, and his doctor said that he sounds amazing! Parker now weighs 10 lbs 15 1/2 oz. and is continuing to gain weight daily. We are so happy that we are now on the other side of this journey with Parker. We have definitely grown from this experience. Looking back it seems like a dream, even though it was reality. We have another follow up appointment with Parker's cardiologist Wednesday and we are hoping to see leaps in his weight gain! Our family went to church this morning, the first time in almost two months, and it felt so good to walk in and see all of the faces that prayed for us. We had such a warm welcome. It's so nice to be back home and how great it felt to see you all. Thank you again for all of the continued prayers. Please remember Derrick in your prayers this week. He goes for his heart cath on December 23rd and nothing ever prepares you enough as a parent for these procedures. Pray that everyone involved will help him through yet another milestone in his little life, and that the procedure will be flawless. We are all praying for a speedy recovery for him and know that the Lord himself will carry Derrick and his family through this. Sorry that it takes a few days to update, but I will try my best to keep you all informed on Parker and all of his news!
Love In Christ,
The Crafts
Parker is doing GREAT!!! We took Parker to his follow up with his pediatrician and everything looks wonderful. Parker has no fluid around his heart, and his doctor said that he sounds amazing! Parker now weighs 10 lbs 15 1/2 oz. and is continuing to gain weight daily. We are so happy that we are now on the other side of this journey with Parker. We have definitely grown from this experience. Looking back it seems like a dream, even though it was reality. We have another follow up appointment with Parker's cardiologist Wednesday and we are hoping to see leaps in his weight gain! Our family went to church this morning, the first time in almost two months, and it felt so good to walk in and see all of the faces that prayed for us. We had such a warm welcome. It's so nice to be back home and how great it felt to see you all. Thank you again for all of the continued prayers. Please remember Derrick in your prayers this week. He goes for his heart cath on December 23rd and nothing ever prepares you enough as a parent for these procedures. Pray that everyone involved will help him through yet another milestone in his little life, and that the procedure will be flawless. We are all praying for a speedy recovery for him and know that the Lord himself will carry Derrick and his family through this. Sorry that it takes a few days to update, but I will try my best to keep you all informed on Parker and all of his news!
Love In Christ,
The Crafts
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Hey Everybody...
We have been so busy since we brought Parker home that we have not had alot of time to update our blog! When we were at MUSC we had the best babysitters around that gave us more of an opportunity to write. Since we have been home Parker had his first follow-up appointment with his cardiologist this past Friday. Parker weighed 10 lbs. 1 oz. They did an ultrasound on Parker and everything looked great. He still has fluid in his lungs, but there was no fluid present on, around or in between his lungs and heart what so ever! The cardiologist did let us know that he would remain on Lasiks until the fluid in his lungs goes away. Parker has been more fussy since we brought him home, and more demanding with his feeds! THANK YOU JESUS!!! We are sooo happy that he is finally eating. Parker is now taking 4 to 5 ounces at each feed...with NO EPISODES! He has reached a new goal, and we are thrilled! We go tomorrow for a follow-up with his pediatrician, so we are hoping and praying for more weight gain. Parker will continue to be on a special 27 calorie diet until his weight increases on a more consistant basis. You know us heart babies have to write our own chapter on the "new normal"! Sorry that it has taken a few days to update! I will be posting some more pics that I took of Parker today...he looks so cute! Please continue to pray for our friends the Gordon's. We found out that they actually buried Christopher on his birthday today. Pretty tough stuff. Also our friends the Carter family. Their baby, Derrick, will go for a heart cath at MUSC on December 23, 2009. Pray that all of the doctors and nurses involved will have the ability to give Derrick the best care possible, and that his little body will accept the treatment and have a speedy recovery! Please remember their family this holiday season. It's never any fun to be at the hospital during the holidays. We love you all and will update as soon as Parker allows us!!!
Love In Christ
The Crafts
We have been so busy since we brought Parker home that we have not had alot of time to update our blog! When we were at MUSC we had the best babysitters around that gave us more of an opportunity to write. Since we have been home Parker had his first follow-up appointment with his cardiologist this past Friday. Parker weighed 10 lbs. 1 oz. They did an ultrasound on Parker and everything looked great. He still has fluid in his lungs, but there was no fluid present on, around or in between his lungs and heart what so ever! The cardiologist did let us know that he would remain on Lasiks until the fluid in his lungs goes away. Parker has been more fussy since we brought him home, and more demanding with his feeds! THANK YOU JESUS!!! We are sooo happy that he is finally eating. Parker is now taking 4 to 5 ounces at each feed...with NO EPISODES! He has reached a new goal, and we are thrilled! We go tomorrow for a follow-up with his pediatrician, so we are hoping and praying for more weight gain. Parker will continue to be on a special 27 calorie diet until his weight increases on a more consistant basis. You know us heart babies have to write our own chapter on the "new normal"! Sorry that it has taken a few days to update! I will be posting some more pics that I took of Parker today...he looks so cute! Please continue to pray for our friends the Gordon's. We found out that they actually buried Christopher on his birthday today. Pretty tough stuff. Also our friends the Carter family. Their baby, Derrick, will go for a heart cath at MUSC on December 23, 2009. Pray that all of the doctors and nurses involved will have the ability to give Derrick the best care possible, and that his little body will accept the treatment and have a speedy recovery! Please remember their family this holiday season. It's never any fun to be at the hospital during the holidays. We love you all and will update as soon as Parker allows us!!!
Love In Christ
The Crafts
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
We are officially Wireless!!!
Hey Everybody...
We can not even begin to tell you all how wonderful it is to be home. Parker had his final chest x-ray done this morning. We did get the results back and Parker still has fluid on his lungs, so he will have to remain on his fluid meds for a while. They did see the small residual hole that we told you all about last night but that is not a big deal. He was fussy by the time we got home tonight, but I am sure it is from all of the movement today. Parker's been laying in a hospital bed for three weeks, so you can imagine how sore he may be. I want you all to please keep a family that we met in the PCICU this week in your prayers. Christopher Gordon is a nine year old little boy that lost his heart fight last night! His parents have been at the Ronald McDonald house next door to us and others for the last 3 months. The surgeons had to remove a good portion of his right brain Thursday night in an emergency surgery. They let his parents know that he had suffered a stroke and would more than likely be paralized on one side....little did they know that only four days later he would go to be with the Lord. Willis and I had not seen them for the last two days because we were moved to seven C. But when we woke this morning one of the helpers of the Ronald McDonald house was cleaning their room and we knew that wasn't good. The Gordon's have a hard road ahead of them so we will continue to pray for his family and ask that you do the same. If you ever get too caught up in life, think you've got it bad, then you need to take a drive to the PCICU waiting room at MUSC and it will put things in perspective quickly. The stories we heard this week would blow your mind. Not to mention the miracles that go along with it. Willis and I are so blessed to have been able to bring our little boy home...when others are not so fortunate. With tear filled eyes we pulled away from MUSC...a week of our lives that has forever changed us. You see, six days ago our child laid on a table in the OR with no heartbeat., it was the worst two hours of our life. God could have not provided his little heart to beat again...but He did. God has something wonderful in mind for Parker. We may never witness in our lifetime what that is but for now we are greatful for our second chance with our little boy. Life is such a delicate thing, and too often it is taken for granted. Kiss your babies tonight and make sure you tell them how much you love them...you might not get that second chance!
Love In Christ,
The Crafts
We can not even begin to tell you all how wonderful it is to be home. Parker had his final chest x-ray done this morning. We did get the results back and Parker still has fluid on his lungs, so he will have to remain on his fluid meds for a while. They did see the small residual hole that we told you all about last night but that is not a big deal. He was fussy by the time we got home tonight, but I am sure it is from all of the movement today. Parker's been laying in a hospital bed for three weeks, so you can imagine how sore he may be. I want you all to please keep a family that we met in the PCICU this week in your prayers. Christopher Gordon is a nine year old little boy that lost his heart fight last night! His parents have been at the Ronald McDonald house next door to us and others for the last 3 months. The surgeons had to remove a good portion of his right brain Thursday night in an emergency surgery. They let his parents know that he had suffered a stroke and would more than likely be paralized on one side....little did they know that only four days later he would go to be with the Lord. Willis and I had not seen them for the last two days because we were moved to seven C. But when we woke this morning one of the helpers of the Ronald McDonald house was cleaning their room and we knew that wasn't good. The Gordon's have a hard road ahead of them so we will continue to pray for his family and ask that you do the same. If you ever get too caught up in life, think you've got it bad, then you need to take a drive to the PCICU waiting room at MUSC and it will put things in perspective quickly. The stories we heard this week would blow your mind. Not to mention the miracles that go along with it. Willis and I are so blessed to have been able to bring our little boy home...when others are not so fortunate. With tear filled eyes we pulled away from MUSC...a week of our lives that has forever changed us. You see, six days ago our child laid on a table in the OR with no heartbeat., it was the worst two hours of our life. God could have not provided his little heart to beat again...but He did. God has something wonderful in mind for Parker. We may never witness in our lifetime what that is but for now we are greatful for our second chance with our little boy. Life is such a delicate thing, and too often it is taken for granted. Kiss your babies tonight and make sure you tell them how much you love them...you might not get that second chance!
Love In Christ,
The Crafts
Monday, December 7, 2009
Hey Everybody...
Parker has done really well today. We are almost to our full feeds which is 90 CC's in one hour. Parker still weighs 10 lbs, so they will be fortifying his milk until he gains some weight. The doctor ordered another post-op echo today and that went well. We did get the results back and Parker does have a very small residual leakage around his repair, but his doctors are not concerned by this. They let us know that most, if not all, babies have some type of leak whether they are a heart baby or not. Parker's sweating is still hanging around. He actually had beads of sweat on his face today while he was sleeping. This has never happened before! The doctor reassured us that it has absolutely nothing to do to his heart, and that he really can't even give us an explanation for it. He feels like it is more than likely his system still trying to adjust to the repair. Parker's pace maker wires were removed today....He did not like that at all. His chest looks like he feel in a really deep thorn bush. Bless the poor baby's heart!!! They also removed the stiches that held his chest tube opening closed. Parker was due for his Synigis shot today for RSV prevention....and he really did not like that. Parker still has fluid on his lungs, but they will have us follow up with his cardiologist when we get back home. As of right now, it looks like we will be coming home tomorrow mid-day. Before we leave tomorrow they will do another chest x-ray to check him out completely. They are so encouraged by Parker's Progress, and said that they couldn't ask for a better recovery. We have been told by all of the doctors that we will not be able to take Parker anywhere but his follow-up appointments for the first 8 weeks that we are home. We will not be able to have anyone over to our home as well. This is due to the high risk of infection of post op open heart surgery. I know that everyone is ready to put their eyes on our little man, but we just can't take any risks at this point. One of the nurses let us know last night that they had a patient of theirs come right back to the OR after an infection set in her incision that ate away the first layer of her heart. Not good at all!! So they definitely mean business when it comes to infection control. We will also have to be very careful ourselves even at home. After that our lives will return to normal!!! Hopefully I will be updating tomorrow from our home!!! AHhh...home...I haven't been home now in 22 days!!! I can hardly wait. Thank you all so much for the loving words of encouragement, the prayers round the clock and the concern that you have shown for Parker and our family. There are not enough words to express how we feel about each one of you.
Love In Christ,
The Crafts
Parker has done really well today. We are almost to our full feeds which is 90 CC's in one hour. Parker still weighs 10 lbs, so they will be fortifying his milk until he gains some weight. The doctor ordered another post-op echo today and that went well. We did get the results back and Parker does have a very small residual leakage around his repair, but his doctors are not concerned by this. They let us know that most, if not all, babies have some type of leak whether they are a heart baby or not. Parker's sweating is still hanging around. He actually had beads of sweat on his face today while he was sleeping. This has never happened before! The doctor reassured us that it has absolutely nothing to do to his heart, and that he really can't even give us an explanation for it. He feels like it is more than likely his system still trying to adjust to the repair. Parker's pace maker wires were removed today....He did not like that at all. His chest looks like he feel in a really deep thorn bush. Bless the poor baby's heart!!! They also removed the stiches that held his chest tube opening closed. Parker was due for his Synigis shot today for RSV prevention....and he really did not like that. Parker still has fluid on his lungs, but they will have us follow up with his cardiologist when we get back home. As of right now, it looks like we will be coming home tomorrow mid-day. Before we leave tomorrow they will do another chest x-ray to check him out completely. They are so encouraged by Parker's Progress, and said that they couldn't ask for a better recovery. We have been told by all of the doctors that we will not be able to take Parker anywhere but his follow-up appointments for the first 8 weeks that we are home. We will not be able to have anyone over to our home as well. This is due to the high risk of infection of post op open heart surgery. I know that everyone is ready to put their eyes on our little man, but we just can't take any risks at this point. One of the nurses let us know last night that they had a patient of theirs come right back to the OR after an infection set in her incision that ate away the first layer of her heart. Not good at all!! So they definitely mean business when it comes to infection control. We will also have to be very careful ourselves even at home. After that our lives will return to normal!!! Hopefully I will be updating tomorrow from our home!!! AHhh...home...I haven't been home now in 22 days!!! I can hardly wait. Thank you all so much for the loving words of encouragement, the prayers round the clock and the concern that you have shown for Parker and our family. There are not enough words to express how we feel about each one of you.
Love In Christ,
The Crafts
Sunday, December 6, 2009
We have a New Room!!!
Hey Everybody...
Parker has done really well today! This morning when Willis and I got to the PCICU we were able to feed him a bottle. I was actually able to rock Parker for the first time today. Something so small seemed so big. The things we take for granted!! It was so nice to feel him next to me. Parker still weighs 10.0 lbs, so he will remain on his 27 calorie diet. He took about 2 oz., in 20 minutes, which is great for Parker! They removed his cath, as well as both IV's that were on either side of his groin today. I know that he has to feel so much better with them gone. Parker came off of his oxygen today as well. They will leave his pace maker wires in for now, and may have us go home with them. Parker's lungs are still very wet sounding, so we are continuing on his Lasiks. The doctor that listened to Parker this morning said that he heard a murmur, so they will be listening really close to that tomorrow and following up with another ECHO to make sure nothing has been missed before returning home. Parker is still turning blue, and they have not quite figured out why just yet. Please say a prayer that the murmur he heard this morning will be nothing, as well as him turning blue!! While feeding him tonight he has started to sweat again...but hopefully that is strictly from the Lasiks. We can not even begin to think about Parker having to endure this twice. Parker is also officially on Seven C again, which is a step down room from the PCICU. It's alot like a NICU. He is being monitored very closely. All in all, Parker looks wonderful and actually started smiling again today!! He has definitely proved to us this week that he is a strong little man!!! Thank you all for your continued support...we wouldn't make it without your prayers!
Love In Christ,
The Crafts
Parker has done really well today! This morning when Willis and I got to the PCICU we were able to feed him a bottle. I was actually able to rock Parker for the first time today. Something so small seemed so big. The things we take for granted!! It was so nice to feel him next to me. Parker still weighs 10.0 lbs, so he will remain on his 27 calorie diet. He took about 2 oz., in 20 minutes, which is great for Parker! They removed his cath, as well as both IV's that were on either side of his groin today. I know that he has to feel so much better with them gone. Parker came off of his oxygen today as well. They will leave his pace maker wires in for now, and may have us go home with them. Parker's lungs are still very wet sounding, so we are continuing on his Lasiks. The doctor that listened to Parker this morning said that he heard a murmur, so they will be listening really close to that tomorrow and following up with another ECHO to make sure nothing has been missed before returning home. Parker is still turning blue, and they have not quite figured out why just yet. Please say a prayer that the murmur he heard this morning will be nothing, as well as him turning blue!! While feeding him tonight he has started to sweat again...but hopefully that is strictly from the Lasiks. We can not even begin to think about Parker having to endure this twice. Parker is also officially on Seven C again, which is a step down room from the PCICU. It's alot like a NICU. He is being monitored very closely. All in all, Parker looks wonderful and actually started smiling again today!! He has definitely proved to us this week that he is a strong little man!!! Thank you all for your continued support...we wouldn't make it without your prayers!
Love In Christ,
The Crafts
Saturday, December 5, 2009
72 hours after surgery
Hey Everyone...
Parker is doing so great!!! He has had such a wonderful day! Parker was able to have his chest tube removed today as well as a tube that was sitting in his right artery. He was so brave. I was dreading this. I really thought that he would scream and be in alot of pain, but he held his breath and poked his bottom lip out and that was it!! We were able to give him a bottle feed today. He did great considering that he hasn't had a bottle by mouth in almost three weeks!! By the end of today, Parker has had three really good feeds...75 CC's at the last feed...and not one throw up or episode!!! He has tolerated each one so well. It warmed my heart to feed him for the very first time without watching him struggle. They showed me how to sit him up today to burp him....and boy did that make my skin crawl. I was so scared to sit him up, but it didn't seem to hurt him at all! I did not want to pat his little back hard and the nurse showed me how to be more forceful with my pats. His retractive breathing is completely gone. He looks, eats and breathes like a normal baby. Parker still has both IV's in his upper thighs. Those will more than likely come out in the morning. He will have another IV placed in his hand just in case they need it. Poor Thing!! They finally take two out and put another one right back in. They have taken him off of his oxygen. Parker's nurse showed me how to bathe him tonight....VERY CAREFULLY!!! They said that by tomorrow he should be out of the PCICU and go back up to Seven C for his recovery. They said that the only reason we were not there today was because of the "Real Estate"!!! (Not an available room). We are so excited for him!! Willis and I were able to speak with Dr. Joshi (one of the Dr's that was in Parker's surgery) today. I asked him to tell us about the surgery and the time that is took for each part of the surgery. He told us that it took them 2 hours to cut through Parker's chest. They had to cut millimeter by millimeter so they wouldn't cut his heart by accident!!! That blew our mind. Then they had another hour and a half to find the VSD's and about one hour to repair the holes, and the last hour was placing the neccessary tubes and wiring Parker's chest shut. UNBELIEVABLE!!! I hope that you all enjoy the pics of Parker. Thank you for all of your continued prayers!! We love you all.
Love In Christ,
The Crafts
Parker is doing so great!!! He has had such a wonderful day! Parker was able to have his chest tube removed today as well as a tube that was sitting in his right artery. He was so brave. I was dreading this. I really thought that he would scream and be in alot of pain, but he held his breath and poked his bottom lip out and that was it!! We were able to give him a bottle feed today. He did great considering that he hasn't had a bottle by mouth in almost three weeks!! By the end of today, Parker has had three really good feeds...75 CC's at the last feed...and not one throw up or episode!!! He has tolerated each one so well. It warmed my heart to feed him for the very first time without watching him struggle. They showed me how to sit him up today to burp him....and boy did that make my skin crawl. I was so scared to sit him up, but it didn't seem to hurt him at all! I did not want to pat his little back hard and the nurse showed me how to be more forceful with my pats. His retractive breathing is completely gone. He looks, eats and breathes like a normal baby. Parker still has both IV's in his upper thighs. Those will more than likely come out in the morning. He will have another IV placed in his hand just in case they need it. Poor Thing!! They finally take two out and put another one right back in. They have taken him off of his oxygen. Parker's nurse showed me how to bathe him tonight....VERY CAREFULLY!!! They said that by tomorrow he should be out of the PCICU and go back up to Seven C for his recovery. They said that the only reason we were not there today was because of the "Real Estate"!!! (Not an available room). We are so excited for him!! Willis and I were able to speak with Dr. Joshi (one of the Dr's that was in Parker's surgery) today. I asked him to tell us about the surgery and the time that is took for each part of the surgery. He told us that it took them 2 hours to cut through Parker's chest. They had to cut millimeter by millimeter so they wouldn't cut his heart by accident!!! That blew our mind. Then they had another hour and a half to find the VSD's and about one hour to repair the holes, and the last hour was placing the neccessary tubes and wiring Parker's chest shut. UNBELIEVABLE!!! I hope that you all enjoy the pics of Parker. Thank you for all of your continued prayers!! We love you all.
Love In Christ,
The Crafts
Friday, December 4, 2009
In All Ways....Acknowledge Him!
Good Afternoon...
Parker is officially breathing on his own!!! When Willis and I got to the hospital this morning, the nurse came out and asked that we not see Parker at that time. They have been doing their best to get him to breathe on his own by removing the ventilator. So the nurses would not allow Willis and I to see Parker all day today. Parker's nurses tried two different times to remove it and were unsuccessful. But on their third try they called us at 4:00 this afternoon to let us know that they were very successful in removing the ventilator. AND...Parker looks like himself today. Almost all of the swelling is gone from his face. His abdomen is still puffy and soft, not hard like it was last night. All of his meds are working great to help his tolerance for pain. The team of doctors just met around Parker's bed, and let us know that they will be starting him on some feeds tonight. Please pray that it goes well. They also let us know that he would more than likely go to a step down room possibly Sunday, as long as everything goes as planned. Parker looks like a new baby, and Willis and I could not be happier. I will post some pics of him and a video as soon as we get back to the Ronald McDonald house. You won't believe your eyes!!!
Love In Christ,
The Crafts
Parker is officially breathing on his own!!! When Willis and I got to the hospital this morning, the nurse came out and asked that we not see Parker at that time. They have been doing their best to get him to breathe on his own by removing the ventilator. So the nurses would not allow Willis and I to see Parker all day today. Parker's nurses tried two different times to remove it and were unsuccessful. But on their third try they called us at 4:00 this afternoon to let us know that they were very successful in removing the ventilator. AND...Parker looks like himself today. Almost all of the swelling is gone from his face. His abdomen is still puffy and soft, not hard like it was last night. All of his meds are working great to help his tolerance for pain. The team of doctors just met around Parker's bed, and let us know that they will be starting him on some feeds tonight. Please pray that it goes well. They also let us know that he would more than likely go to a step down room possibly Sunday, as long as everything goes as planned. Parker looks like a new baby, and Willis and I could not be happier. I will post some pics of him and a video as soon as we get back to the Ronald McDonald house. You won't believe your eyes!!!
Love In Christ,
The Crafts
Thursday, December 3, 2009
36 Hours After Surgery
Hey Everyone...
We just got back from the hospital. Parker still continues to be in stable condition. Parker's swelling is alot more than yesterday. The meds that they are giving him for that are finally helping him to relieve some of the fluid. Parker continues to be on his ventilator. He is not doing well when they try to wean him off of the ventilator. Parker will more than likely have to keep it in for several more days. His chest tube still remains in his chest cavity, and is still draining blood and fluid. His blood gas levels look great. Parker's pulse oxygen levels are 100%. But they are having to move Parker every 2 to 3 hours from one side to the other. This helps the fluid shift from one side to the other but he has episodes everytime they do this. Parker will stop breathing and they have to "bag him"! Which means that they have to squeeze oxygen in his mouth and nose manually to regulate his breathing. Pretty scary stuff. The nurses do not like it when he does this. His blood pressure goes as high as 140/90 when at his resting is 77/56. So keeping him calm today has been very stressful. Parker is still very blue in his facial areas and that seems to be keeping their attention. Usually after VSD's have been closed the flushing of non-oxygenated and oxygenated blood stop the blue facial tones all together. They will continue to monitor that closely. Parker's dressing will come off in the morning so we will actually be able to see the incision. It's not easy seeing him like this but we know that this will not last long. Thanks for all of your words of encouragement. It really helps us through our days.
Love In Christ...
The Crafts
We just got back from the hospital. Parker still continues to be in stable condition. Parker's swelling is alot more than yesterday. The meds that they are giving him for that are finally helping him to relieve some of the fluid. Parker continues to be on his ventilator. He is not doing well when they try to wean him off of the ventilator. Parker will more than likely have to keep it in for several more days. His chest tube still remains in his chest cavity, and is still draining blood and fluid. His blood gas levels look great. Parker's pulse oxygen levels are 100%. But they are having to move Parker every 2 to 3 hours from one side to the other. This helps the fluid shift from one side to the other but he has episodes everytime they do this. Parker will stop breathing and they have to "bag him"! Which means that they have to squeeze oxygen in his mouth and nose manually to regulate his breathing. Pretty scary stuff. The nurses do not like it when he does this. His blood pressure goes as high as 140/90 when at his resting is 77/56. So keeping him calm today has been very stressful. Parker is still very blue in his facial areas and that seems to be keeping their attention. Usually after VSD's have been closed the flushing of non-oxygenated and oxygenated blood stop the blue facial tones all together. They will continue to monitor that closely. Parker's dressing will come off in the morning so we will actually be able to see the incision. It's not easy seeing him like this but we know that this will not last long. Thanks for all of your words of encouragement. It really helps us through our days.
Love In Christ...
The Crafts
Good Morning...
We were so exhausted last night when we got to the Ronald McDonald house that we went straight to bed. After being awake for 22 hours straight with no break yesterday, we did not have a chance to update you all on Parker. At 1:30 we were able to go back and see Parker. He looks pretty good to say the least. He did very well yesterday in the PCICU. Parker's blood pressure was below his target level so they have increased his meds to level him out. They have Parker on Versid and Morphine for the pain. He had fever last night of 100.8 and after surgery that is normal for the temp to spike. They were having trouble last night balancing Parker's blood pressure and his pain meds because the more pain meds they administered the lower his blood pressure would be. After taking a chest x-ray this morning they found that Parker has fluid in both his lungs. He is very blue still in the facial area, and is very swollen. They have decided to increase his Lasiks and Diura to help with not only the fluid in his lungs and his swelling. He doesn't look very good today but they have assured me that he is very stable. Parker is starting to wake up very slowly and move his arms and legs a little bit. He opens his eyes for a brief second but then they close really slow. Primarily that is due to all of his meds. You can tell that he knows you are there, but does not respond. He is still being fluid fed through the I.V. drip. Parker is still on a ventilator to help him breathe. They are hoping to slowly take him off of that hour by hour. They tried to back him off of it earlier and did not do too well with it. So they brought him back up to where he was. They will continue to do this throughout the day, so hopefully his body will respond well to that. It may be tomorrow before it can be removed. Parker's chest tube that is draining all of the blood is still pulling blood from around the chest cavity. This is completely normal. Overall Parker is doing very well to have endured everything he has so far. The nurses and doctors have been outstanding! The PCICU is called "The Bubble". They said last night that if anything goes wrong this is where you want to be. The best docors and nurses are within arms reach. I will try and post some pics later and maybe another video. Thank you for all of your continued prayers. This has been the hardest thing we have ever done in our life. Parker has been so resilient and he is going to be just fine. Karlyn is a little upset because they will not allow her to go back to see him due to the flu season. You all know how much she loves him so please say a little prayer for her.
Love In Christ,
The Crafts
We were so exhausted last night when we got to the Ronald McDonald house that we went straight to bed. After being awake for 22 hours straight with no break yesterday, we did not have a chance to update you all on Parker. At 1:30 we were able to go back and see Parker. He looks pretty good to say the least. He did very well yesterday in the PCICU. Parker's blood pressure was below his target level so they have increased his meds to level him out. They have Parker on Versid and Morphine for the pain. He had fever last night of 100.8 and after surgery that is normal for the temp to spike. They were having trouble last night balancing Parker's blood pressure and his pain meds because the more pain meds they administered the lower his blood pressure would be. After taking a chest x-ray this morning they found that Parker has fluid in both his lungs. He is very blue still in the facial area, and is very swollen. They have decided to increase his Lasiks and Diura to help with not only the fluid in his lungs and his swelling. He doesn't look very good today but they have assured me that he is very stable. Parker is starting to wake up very slowly and move his arms and legs a little bit. He opens his eyes for a brief second but then they close really slow. Primarily that is due to all of his meds. You can tell that he knows you are there, but does not respond. He is still being fluid fed through the I.V. drip. Parker is still on a ventilator to help him breathe. They are hoping to slowly take him off of that hour by hour. They tried to back him off of it earlier and did not do too well with it. So they brought him back up to where he was. They will continue to do this throughout the day, so hopefully his body will respond well to that. It may be tomorrow before it can be removed. Parker's chest tube that is draining all of the blood is still pulling blood from around the chest cavity. This is completely normal. Overall Parker is doing very well to have endured everything he has so far. The nurses and doctors have been outstanding! The PCICU is called "The Bubble". They said last night that if anything goes wrong this is where you want to be. The best docors and nurses are within arms reach. I will try and post some pics later and maybe another video. Thank you for all of your continued prayers. This has been the hardest thing we have ever done in our life. Parker has been so resilient and he is going to be just fine. Karlyn is a little upset because they will not allow her to go back to see him due to the flu season. You all know how much she loves him so please say a little prayer for her.
Love In Christ,
The Crafts
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
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