11:55am
If you read this in the next 20 minutes, pray for Tricia as she's about to have her chest tube pulled. Very painful.
Thanks.
Nate
Showing posts with label Hospital. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hospital. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Negative
The results came back late this evening, and Tricia does have Post-Transplant Lymphoma. We'll be talking with the oncologists tomorrow to learn more and what the plan for treatment is.
Tricia has a few things going for her:
1) They've caught it early, which is always a good thing.
2) This is a very treatable/beatable form of cancer, perhaps even forgoing aggressive forms of chemo and other treatments.
3) There are still no signs of rejection, which makes treatment very optimistic (I'll explain more later).
4) When you've dealt with an incurable, life-shortening disease your whole life, as well as other things like diabetes and organ transplantation, cancer just doesn't seem like such a big deal as it might if Tricia were perfectly healthy otherwise. I don't say this to be flippant of cancer at all, as we know the possible severity of cancer and have friends and family who are dealing with cancer right now, a few who are dealing with serious lymphoma. But, neither Tricia or I are worried or scared about this. The doctors seem very optimistic, and, considering all Tricia has been through and still has to go through, this feels like something that God has prepared us for. We're just happy to know what it is so that we can get on with it.
Thank you for your continued prayers. To be honest, our biggest concern right now is getting Tricia out of the hospital and getting us all home ASAP. We're praying that the immediate plan does not involve more time in the hospital, especially considering that Tricia's entire family has a week of vacation planned next week on the OBX...something that Tricia has had her heart set on for nearly a year.
We'll let you know more when we can.
Thanks.
Nate
Tricia has a few things going for her:
1) They've caught it early, which is always a good thing.
2) This is a very treatable/beatable form of cancer, perhaps even forgoing aggressive forms of chemo and other treatments.
3) There are still no signs of rejection, which makes treatment very optimistic (I'll explain more later).
4) When you've dealt with an incurable, life-shortening disease your whole life, as well as other things like diabetes and organ transplantation, cancer just doesn't seem like such a big deal as it might if Tricia were perfectly healthy otherwise. I don't say this to be flippant of cancer at all, as we know the possible severity of cancer and have friends and family who are dealing with cancer right now, a few who are dealing with serious lymphoma. But, neither Tricia or I are worried or scared about this. The doctors seem very optimistic, and, considering all Tricia has been through and still has to go through, this feels like something that God has prepared us for. We're just happy to know what it is so that we can get on with it.
Thank you for your continued prayers. To be honest, our biggest concern right now is getting Tricia out of the hospital and getting us all home ASAP. We're praying that the immediate plan does not involve more time in the hospital, especially considering that Tricia's entire family has a week of vacation planned next week on the OBX...something that Tricia has had her heart set on for nearly a year.
We'll let you know more when we can.
Thanks.
Nate
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Father's Day Repost
I thought I'd repost this video, as it was my greatest father experience to date.
Friday, June 13, 2008
8:34pm Update
Tricia is out of surgery. Dr. Lin said that the surgery itself only took about 20 minutes. She was in the pre-op room for a long while, and then in the OR for a while as they examined the cells to make sure they were what they needed.
She is awake in the OR recovery room now and has already spoken with Dr. Lin. She will be brought back up to her room instead of going to the ICU (which, seriously, is the biggest praise ever). She has only one chest tube, which is also a good thing.
Dr. Lin said that the first examination of the cells shows that they are atypical, which probably means cancer. The full diagnosis won't be until Monday, but to be honest, now that we're past a successful biopsy, we're breathing much easier.
Thank you so much for all of your prayer and support these past few days. The next big thing for Tricia will be getting the chest tube removed, which is a quick, but very unpleasant procedure, and then hopefully learning the diagnosis and suggested treatment and getting out of the hospital.
Thanks!
Nate
She is awake in the OR recovery room now and has already spoken with Dr. Lin. She will be brought back up to her room instead of going to the ICU (which, seriously, is the biggest praise ever). She has only one chest tube, which is also a good thing.
Dr. Lin said that the first examination of the cells shows that they are atypical, which probably means cancer. The full diagnosis won't be until Monday, but to be honest, now that we're past a successful biopsy, we're breathing much easier.
Thank you so much for all of your prayer and support these past few days. The next big thing for Tricia will be getting the chest tube removed, which is a quick, but very unpleasant procedure, and then hopefully learning the diagnosis and suggested treatment and getting out of the hospital.
Thanks!
Nate
Headed To The OR
The nurse just came in and said the OR just called. She's prepping Tricia now. I'll post again when Tricia is out. She'll go to the ICU for a few hours while she wakes up and they observe her, and then she'll be back in her room again.
Thanks for your prayers over the next few hours. Please, pray that they get the samples they need, that the recovery will be quick and easy over the next 48 hours (including the removal of the chest tubes), and that her stay in the ICU will be incredibly short this evening.
Thanks!
Nate
Thanks for your prayers over the next few hours. Please, pray that they get the samples they need, that the recovery will be quick and easy over the next 48 hours (including the removal of the chest tubes), and that her stay in the ICU will be incredibly short this evening.
Thanks!
Nate
Update and Pics
Tricia's surgery has been bumped back a few hours, which means it's less likely to happen today. We're praying that it will happen.
Here are a few pics from the past several days...
Eskimo Kisses...
Loving on Mommy...
Nate
Here are a few pics from the past several days...
Change, Feed and Burp Pit Stop on the Road...
Eskimo Kisses...
Loving on Mommy...
Nate
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Correction
Got our communication crossed...I have to be at the hospital at 6:45am for a consult with the surgeon...surgery won't be until 2pm (if it doesn't get bumped).
Thanks!
Nate
Thanks!
Nate
Some Good News
Tricia's transplant surgeon stopped by tonight and is going to make room tomorrow morning at 6:45am to do the biopsy surgery. Thanks Dr. Shu Lin!!!
Tricia is very apprehensive, I think especially because of the chest tube, so please, pray that she will have peace tonight and lots of sleep.
I'll be at the hotel tonight to be with Gwyneth, and up early tomorrow to be with Tricia.
Thanks.
Nate
Tricia is very apprehensive, I think especially because of the chest tube, so please, pray that she will have peace tonight and lots of sleep.
I'll be at the hotel tonight to be with Gwyneth, and up early tomorrow to be with Tricia.
Thanks.
Nate
Strike Two
They were able to do a biopsy during the bronch, but it looks like the samples they pulled are useless, so they can't yet determine if it is cancer or something else. This means that Tricia will be scheduled for a surgical biopsy, hopefully no later than the first of next week.
This also means that she's basically in the hospital for literally no reason until then, except, to be discharged, even if we were to stay in Durham, means probably pushing a surgery date further back, which isn't the best option. All they'll do over the next few days is check her vitals and give her her normal meds, which is what we do at home. She won't even have an IV.
All that to say, we're both very bummed. Being in Durham, we've discovered, is incredibly easier and more enjoyable when we're all at "home".
Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers...we'll continue waiting to see why God has us here.
Nate
This also means that she's basically in the hospital for literally no reason until then, except, to be discharged, even if we were to stay in Durham, means probably pushing a surgery date further back, which isn't the best option. All they'll do over the next few days is check her vitals and give her her normal meds, which is what we do at home. She won't even have an IV.
All that to say, we're both very bummed. Being in Durham, we've discovered, is incredibly easier and more enjoyable when we're all at "home".
Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers...we'll continue waiting to see why God has us here.
Nate
Out of the Bronch
Tricia is back in her room, waking up from the light sedation meds. We haven't talked with anyone yet, so we don't even know if they were able to get what they needed from the biopsy. We'll hopefully speak with somebody who knows soon, and I'll let you know.
Just to make sure, when medical tests results come back as "positive", that's usually not a good thing..."positive" means that they found what they thought they would find. A few people left comments and apparently thought that the positive result was good for Tricia. It's not. She has something, they're just not sure what, yet, but it probably is the cancer.
Thanks.
Nate
Just to make sure, when medical tests results come back as "positive", that's usually not a good thing..."positive" means that they found what they thought they would find. A few people left comments and apparently thought that the positive result was good for Tricia. It's not. She has something, they're just not sure what, yet, but it probably is the cancer.
Thanks.
Nate
Positive
The PET Scan came back positive. This could mean that either she does have the PTLD or that she has a fungus that is causing inflamation.
She getting her bronch right now. Please, if you read this in the next several minutes, pray that the doctor is able to get a few good samples of her lungs from the areas showing the growths. If not, she'll need to be scheduled for a biopsy surgery, which will mean another trip to the OR, general anesthesia and a chest tube, all of which Tricia really wants to avoid.
I'll let you know more later.
Nate
She getting her bronch right now. Please, if you read this in the next several minutes, pray that the doctor is able to get a few good samples of her lungs from the areas showing the growths. If not, she'll need to be scheduled for a biopsy surgery, which will mean another trip to the OR, general anesthesia and a chest tube, all of which Tricia really wants to avoid.
I'll let you know more later.
Nate
Bronch Scheduled
2:30pm today. As far as we know, the biopsy will also take place then.
The transplant doctor just came in and hasn't heard back about the PET Scan yet.
Nate
The transplant doctor just came in and hasn't heard back about the PET Scan yet.
Nate
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Update (10:10pm, Wednesday)
First, thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement the past few days. To see well over 800 people leave a comment saying that they're thinking of us today is incredibly encouraging, and we deeply appreciate it (plus, that sets a new CFHusband record for number of comments under one post!)!
Gwyneth is doing well...up to 6lbs 3.5oz as of yesterday afternoon! Her O2 saturation and heart rate are good, but not great. Basically, her body is growing faster than her lungs, making them work a little too hard, as they are still underdeveloped. She is now on an incredibly small amount (so small, that I can't feel or hear it come out of the tank) of O2 (via a nasal cannula) for most of the day/night, just to give her lungs a little less to do on their own. She's also back on a med that she was taken off of a few weeks ago that should help as well. We've already noticed a visible difference since yesterday afternoon, which is good.
The docs say she looks great. It's important for her lungs to continue to develop, and for her to get this extra help from the O2 and meds because, if she's expending less energy breathing, she's using more energy eating and growing.
Tricia had her PET Scan this afternoon. Nothing too scary about it except for being told to clear your mind for a few hours while lying awake in a very small space... The results of the scan should show any tumors that might be forming in her body. I believe we'll hear about the results tomorrow.
She'll have a bronchoscopy and, hopefully, a successful biopsy of her lungs. If the biopsy is not successful, they will have to do a surgical biopsy, which means cutting her open, which she would is very apprehensive about (so, please, pray that the bronch biopsy is successful). I believe that we should have a fairly comprehensive diagnosis once the results of the scan, bronch and biopsy are all in, which may not be until Friday.
She was admitted early this evening, and is already sleeping in her hospital bed. She's bummed because she expected to be on her normal inpatient floor (which feels like home to us, and where they know her and her needs better), but there were no empty beds, so she's on am unfamiliar floor. I'm spending this first night with her, while Agnes (Tricia's mom) is with Gwyneth back at the hotel. You can pray that we all sleep well tonight and that Tricia will be moved to her favorite floor.
Tricia feels great, and, if the doctors weren't telling us that something was wrong, we would have no idea. Although she has EBV (mono), it's not the same as if you or I were to have what we know as mono. She has yet to be given an IV or anything else that she wouldn't have at home, and we haven't really been told what will happen over the next few days if she is diagnosed with something, which basically means that we're really not sure why Tricia isn't sleeping in her own bed tonight...at least, a little frustrating.
As I walked through the hospital lobby earlier this evening and entered the elevator, I thought to myself, for a brief second, that I should stop by the NICU on the way up to Tricia's room to see Gwyneth. Just a few minutes later, as I entered Tricia's room, I almost stopped myself because I didn't feel the gown on my back and gloves on my hands. And just now, as the nurse walked out of the room, I noticed how skinny Tricia's charts were (compared to the encyclopedia she ended up with by the end of her last stay). I can distinctly remember that last time I used the label "hospital" for one of my posts, thinking that it would be a long time before I added another post to that label... All that to say, it feels very strange being here now, especially considering how far Tricia and Gwyneth are removed, medically, from their last times as patients here.
We are praying with you that our stay will be short because the diagnosis will come back negative for anything major. We're also praying that God will show us why we are here this time...the last stay, while incredibly long and exhausting, still felt natural for us in a lot of ways. This visit simply does not.
In the meantime, we'll be patient and continue to know that we're exactly where God wants us, even if it makes no sense right now. Thanks again for your prayers, and thanks for your continued prayers over the next few days as we wait to hear the news.
Nate
Gwyneth is doing well...up to 6lbs 3.5oz as of yesterday afternoon! Her O2 saturation and heart rate are good, but not great. Basically, her body is growing faster than her lungs, making them work a little too hard, as they are still underdeveloped. She is now on an incredibly small amount (so small, that I can't feel or hear it come out of the tank) of O2 (via a nasal cannula) for most of the day/night, just to give her lungs a little less to do on their own. She's also back on a med that she was taken off of a few weeks ago that should help as well. We've already noticed a visible difference since yesterday afternoon, which is good.
The docs say she looks great. It's important for her lungs to continue to develop, and for her to get this extra help from the O2 and meds because, if she's expending less energy breathing, she's using more energy eating and growing.
Tricia had her PET Scan this afternoon. Nothing too scary about it except for being told to clear your mind for a few hours while lying awake in a very small space... The results of the scan should show any tumors that might be forming in her body. I believe we'll hear about the results tomorrow.
She'll have a bronchoscopy and, hopefully, a successful biopsy of her lungs. If the biopsy is not successful, they will have to do a surgical biopsy, which means cutting her open, which she would is very apprehensive about (so, please, pray that the bronch biopsy is successful). I believe that we should have a fairly comprehensive diagnosis once the results of the scan, bronch and biopsy are all in, which may not be until Friday.
She was admitted early this evening, and is already sleeping in her hospital bed. She's bummed because she expected to be on her normal inpatient floor (which feels like home to us, and where they know her and her needs better), but there were no empty beds, so she's on am unfamiliar floor. I'm spending this first night with her, while Agnes (Tricia's mom) is with Gwyneth back at the hotel. You can pray that we all sleep well tonight and that Tricia will be moved to her favorite floor.
Tricia feels great, and, if the doctors weren't telling us that something was wrong, we would have no idea. Although she has EBV (mono), it's not the same as if you or I were to have what we know as mono. She has yet to be given an IV or anything else that she wouldn't have at home, and we haven't really been told what will happen over the next few days if she is diagnosed with something, which basically means that we're really not sure why Tricia isn't sleeping in her own bed tonight...at least, a little frustrating.
As I walked through the hospital lobby earlier this evening and entered the elevator, I thought to myself, for a brief second, that I should stop by the NICU on the way up to Tricia's room to see Gwyneth. Just a few minutes later, as I entered Tricia's room, I almost stopped myself because I didn't feel the gown on my back and gloves on my hands. And just now, as the nurse walked out of the room, I noticed how skinny Tricia's charts were (compared to the encyclopedia she ended up with by the end of her last stay). I can distinctly remember that last time I used the label "hospital" for one of my posts, thinking that it would be a long time before I added another post to that label... All that to say, it feels very strange being here now, especially considering how far Tricia and Gwyneth are removed, medically, from their last times as patients here.
We are praying with you that our stay will be short because the diagnosis will come back negative for anything major. We're also praying that God will show us why we are here this time...the last stay, while incredibly long and exhausting, still felt natural for us in a lot of ways. This visit simply does not.
In the meantime, we'll be patient and continue to know that we're exactly where God wants us, even if it makes no sense right now. Thanks again for your prayers, and thanks for your continued prayers over the next few days as we wait to hear the news.
Nate
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Update
We are loving having Gwyneth home with us! It's been amazing to see the timing of everything. Had she been discharged earlier, Tricia would have been too weak to do much with her. If she were discharged closer to when we are hoping to go home to the OBX, we wouldn't have all of this time to spend focused on her. God continues to bless us.
The trip home was very good. A video camera met us on our way out, and I've heard rumors that we were on ABC11 again, but I missed it and haven't found it yet on the website (I'll let you know if I do find it). Gwyneth was sleeping by the time we made it to the car, and she slept all the way home.
The whole first 24 hours was a little strange as both Tricia and I kept consciously looking/feeling for all of the monitor feeds that have been strapped to her for all of those weeks...it's incredible to be able to pick her up and carry her around anywhere we want to. When we got home, I sat in the glider with her and started crying.
She came home with several meds and a few breathing treatments. Everything is to help her as she continues to catch up with her development. She has what is called "Chronic Lung Disease", which basically means that her lungs are still underdeveloped (for a newborn 4+ weeks after the due-date), a very common thing for a micro-preemie. It sounds a lot worse than it is...she has a little trouble catching her breath when she's very active, and should grow out of it within a few years. It should have no affect on her continued development.
She has breathing treatments just like Tricia did with her CF, with some of the same drugs that Tricia has been on. She should hopefully be done with the breathing treatments soon. (and, because I know somebody's going to ask...again, Gwyneth does NOT have CF)
All that means that there is a little more to remember to do than with a normal infant. All of her meds are liquids that are mixed in with her food. She's eating ad lib, which is about every three hours. She was transitioned completely off donor breast milk and onto formula over her last few weeks in the NICU, and other than a little gas (which is also normal), she is doing great with her feedings.
I've been feeding Gwyneth throughout the night, letting Tricia get the sleep she needs to continue recovering, and for the most part, she is sleeping well and letting us get plenty of sleep. Agnes (Tricia's mom) is here for a while to help as we adjust to life as three, which has been a huge help. With Gwyneth's minimal medical needs, and Tricia's continued needs, it can be a little crazy to remember everything and maintain a sense of normalcy, but it's been going very well.
We had our first outpatient Pediatric appointment on Friday. It was just the two of us as Tricia was at PT. Everything continues to look great, and her doc (who was seeing her for the first time) said she looks very developed for her history. We have another peds appointment tomorrow, and an appointment with a pediatric pulmonologist later in the week....it's actually the same pulmonologist that followed Tricia when she was a child at CHOP.
There is always a chance that, if she gets sick or has a setback, she'll be back in the hospital, but every day improves her chances of not having that happen. We are still praying that we'll be able to go home to the OBX within the next 3-4 weeks when Tricia finishes up her PT.
A few highlights from our time home...
> I took her for a walk outside our hotel the afternoon we got home (she was wide awake) and showed her things like her first tree, her first sidewalk, her first cloud, her first helicopter, and her first hot tub. She was very impressed.
> Her first trip to Babies"R"Us. She basically wanted everything...slightly annoying, but she'll learn soon enough to do that kind of thing only around the grandparents.
> Her first episode of SportsCenter...I was sure to point out Mia Hamm and the NY Mets. I'm teaching her to spit at the TV with me whenever the NY Yankees and Dallas Cowgirls make an appearance.
That's basically it. My email is still not sending, so don't sweat if you haven't heard from me in the past few days...hopefully I can get it fixed tomorrow. I'll post some pics when I get a chance.
Thanks!
Nate
The trip home was very good. A video camera met us on our way out, and I've heard rumors that we were on ABC11 again, but I missed it and haven't found it yet on the website (I'll let you know if I do find it). Gwyneth was sleeping by the time we made it to the car, and she slept all the way home.
The whole first 24 hours was a little strange as both Tricia and I kept consciously looking/feeling for all of the monitor feeds that have been strapped to her for all of those weeks...it's incredible to be able to pick her up and carry her around anywhere we want to. When we got home, I sat in the glider with her and started crying.
She came home with several meds and a few breathing treatments. Everything is to help her as she continues to catch up with her development. She has what is called "Chronic Lung Disease", which basically means that her lungs are still underdeveloped (for a newborn 4+ weeks after the due-date), a very common thing for a micro-preemie. It sounds a lot worse than it is...she has a little trouble catching her breath when she's very active, and should grow out of it within a few years. It should have no affect on her continued development.
She has breathing treatments just like Tricia did with her CF, with some of the same drugs that Tricia has been on. She should hopefully be done with the breathing treatments soon. (and, because I know somebody's going to ask...again, Gwyneth does NOT have CF)
All that means that there is a little more to remember to do than with a normal infant. All of her meds are liquids that are mixed in with her food. She's eating ad lib, which is about every three hours. She was transitioned completely off donor breast milk and onto formula over her last few weeks in the NICU, and other than a little gas (which is also normal), she is doing great with her feedings.
I've been feeding Gwyneth throughout the night, letting Tricia get the sleep she needs to continue recovering, and for the most part, she is sleeping well and letting us get plenty of sleep. Agnes (Tricia's mom) is here for a while to help as we adjust to life as three, which has been a huge help. With Gwyneth's minimal medical needs, and Tricia's continued needs, it can be a little crazy to remember everything and maintain a sense of normalcy, but it's been going very well.
We had our first outpatient Pediatric appointment on Friday. It was just the two of us as Tricia was at PT. Everything continues to look great, and her doc (who was seeing her for the first time) said she looks very developed for her history. We have another peds appointment tomorrow, and an appointment with a pediatric pulmonologist later in the week....it's actually the same pulmonologist that followed Tricia when she was a child at CHOP.
There is always a chance that, if she gets sick or has a setback, she'll be back in the hospital, but every day improves her chances of not having that happen. We are still praying that we'll be able to go home to the OBX within the next 3-4 weeks when Tricia finishes up her PT.
A few highlights from our time home...
> I took her for a walk outside our hotel the afternoon we got home (she was wide awake) and showed her things like her first tree, her first sidewalk, her first cloud, her first helicopter, and her first hot tub. She was very impressed.
> Her first trip to Babies"R"Us. She basically wanted everything...slightly annoying, but she'll learn soon enough to do that kind of thing only around the grandparents.
> Her first episode of SportsCenter...I was sure to point out Mia Hamm and the NY Mets. I'm teaching her to spit at the TV with me whenever the NY Yankees and Dallas Cowgirls make an appearance.
That's basically it. My email is still not sending, so don't sweat if you haven't heard from me in the past few days...hopefully I can get it fixed tomorrow. I'll post some pics when I get a chance.
Thanks!
Nate
Thursday, May 15, 2008
White Rose Blooming (18 Weeks)
This post is scheduled to automatically publish at 2pm today.
Every Tuesday while you've been in the hospital, we have taken a picture with your pug so that everyone can see how much you are growing! You will be coming home with us this week, so this will be the last post about you in the hospital!
You are now 16 inches long, and you weigh 4lbs 10oz!
Your eighteenth week was a great week! You have finally grown big enough to be able to eat everything from your bottle, which also means that you had your feeding tube removed! This was your last big step before being ready to come home, and you are scheduled to be discharged sometime later this week!
We are so excited to have you home with us, and we've been very busy getting everything ready so that you will be happy and safe. Grandma K. will be hanging out with us for a while to help you feel at home, and I'm sure that you'll have more family coming to see you after you feel like you've settled in!
In the next week, we are looking forward to bringing you home and getting to know you even more by spending as much time as we can with you!
We love you!
Compare our Blessed White Rose at:
2 Weeks
3 Weeks
4 Weeks
5 Weeks
6 Weeks
7 Weeks
8 Weeks
9 Weeks
10 Weeks
11 Weeks
12 Weeks
13 Weeks
14 Weeks
15 Weeks
16 Weeks
17 Weeks
Every Tuesday while you've been in the hospital, we have taken a picture with your pug so that everyone can see how much you are growing! You will be coming home with us this week, so this will be the last post about you in the hospital!
You are now 16 inches long, and you weigh 4lbs 10oz!
Your eighteenth week was a great week! You have finally grown big enough to be able to eat everything from your bottle, which also means that you had your feeding tube removed! This was your last big step before being ready to come home, and you are scheduled to be discharged sometime later this week!
We are so excited to have you home with us, and we've been very busy getting everything ready so that you will be happy and safe. Grandma K. will be hanging out with us for a while to help you feel at home, and I'm sure that you'll have more family coming to see you after you feel like you've settled in!
In the next week, we are looking forward to bringing you home and getting to know you even more by spending as much time as we can with you!
We love you!
Compare our Blessed White Rose at:
2 Weeks
3 Weeks
4 Weeks
5 Weeks
6 Weeks
7 Weeks
8 Weeks
9 Weeks
10 Weeks
11 Weeks
12 Weeks
13 Weeks
14 Weeks
15 Weeks
16 Weeks
17 Weeks
Thank You!
We should be at the hospital right now getting ready to bring our baby girl home...I've set this post to automatically be published at noon today.
We want to make sure that we say "thank you" to the NICU staff at Duke for all they have done to help make today possible. There were not many people who truly believed that Gwyneth would survive and grow to be this healthy so soon, and we all of the human credit to the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists and the rest of the Duke Intensive Care Nursery staff for making us all believers in miracles.
We especially want to thank our primary nurses, Susannah and Noel. While the entire staff is wonderful, these two have given us very good reason to miss our daily visits to the nursery, as they have invested in our lives in an incredible way. We'll miss you, and we look forward to visiting in the future!
Thanks.
Nate
We want to make sure that we say "thank you" to the NICU staff at Duke for all they have done to help make today possible. There were not many people who truly believed that Gwyneth would survive and grow to be this healthy so soon, and we all of the human credit to the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists and the rest of the Duke Intensive Care Nursery staff for making us all believers in miracles.
We especially want to thank our primary nurses, Susannah and Noel. While the entire staff is wonderful, these two have given us very good reason to miss our daily visits to the nursery, as they have invested in our lives in an incredible way. We'll miss you, and we look forward to visiting in the future!
Thanks.
Nate
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
40 Minutes of Sunshine
(written on 5.13.08)
So, I received an email from Jessica Claire a few months back telling me that she was following our blog and wanting to know if we'd be interested in having a photo shoot with her...
Don't know who Jessica Claire is? That's OK, because neither did we...until I checked out her blog and discovered that she's basically one of the best photographers in the world (according to popphoto.com, and I agree).
Anyway, Jessica has family in the RDU area and was in town this weekend for a visit...and, of course, we said "YES!" to her offer. This kind of opportunity doesn't come around very often!
The forecast for yesterday was "partly cloudy with a 20% chance of rain". It was raining and cold when we woke up. It was raining and cold when we left to drive to meet Jessica.
As we pulled up to the shoot location, the clouds parted and the sun came out. For 40 minutes, the weather was perfect.
As we entered Elmo's Diner for a late breakfast, the sun disappeared...it never showed it's face again for the rest of the day.
And, we all got to spend some time with Gwyneth later that morning as well! That's what I call a perfect Mother's Day/Birthday gift for Tricia.
Here's Jessica with Gwyneth...
Thanks, Jessica! The Photos (amazing!) and the time spent getting to know you (also amazing!) are such a wonderful gift!
Nate
So, I received an email from Jessica Claire a few months back telling me that she was following our blog and wanting to know if we'd be interested in having a photo shoot with her...
Don't know who Jessica Claire is? That's OK, because neither did we...until I checked out her blog and discovered that she's basically one of the best photographers in the world (according to popphoto.com, and I agree).
Anyway, Jessica has family in the RDU area and was in town this weekend for a visit...and, of course, we said "YES!" to her offer. This kind of opportunity doesn't come around very often!
The forecast for yesterday was "partly cloudy with a 20% chance of rain". It was raining and cold when we woke up. It was raining and cold when we left to drive to meet Jessica.
As we pulled up to the shoot location, the clouds parted and the sun came out. For 40 minutes, the weather was perfect.
As we entered Elmo's Diner for a late breakfast, the sun disappeared...it never showed it's face again for the rest of the day.
And, we all got to spend some time with Gwyneth later that morning as well! That's what I call a perfect Mother's Day/Birthday gift for Tricia.Here's Jessica with Gwyneth...
Thanks, Jessica! The Photos (amazing!) and the time spent getting to know you (also amazing!) are such a wonderful gift!Nate
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Gwyneth Update
This is your preemie...
This is your preemie on sedation and morphine...
Any questions?
Seriously, though, Gwyneth is doing great! That last pic was taken just after her surgery yesterday. She is continuing to eat well, and is doing great after the surgery. Basically back to "normal" this morning.
We've obviously chosen not to share the specifics of Gwyneth's surgery for personal reasons, but again, it was something that was relatively minor and something that we've known about for several weeks. They were simply waiting to operate until just before she was ready to go home. She should have no lasting issues.
We never made it to the baby stuff today, so we'll try again tomorrow!
Thanks!
Nate
This is your preemie on sedation and morphine...
Any questions?Seriously, though, Gwyneth is doing great! That last pic was taken just after her surgery yesterday. She is continuing to eat well, and is doing great after the surgery. Basically back to "normal" this morning.
We've obviously chosen not to share the specifics of Gwyneth's surgery for personal reasons, but again, it was something that was relatively minor and something that we've known about for several weeks. They were simply waiting to operate until just before she was ready to go home. She should have no lasting issues.
We never made it to the baby stuff today, so we'll try again tomorrow!
Thanks!
Nate
Today
Today, among other things, we are going to do some baby shopping. I believe a Stroller and Car Seat are the two main items on the list.
But first, we're going to go check in with Gwyneth. She decided to extubate herself about an hour after surgery yesterday, and she has been breathing on her own since. She began feeding again at 8 this morning and continues to do great! She's still in the NICU, which is fine with us as we feel more at home there anyway after 3 months there...while the nurses in the step-down unit are just as great, it just doesn't feel the same.
Right now we're looking at mid-week to bring Gwyneth home!
Thanks!
Nate
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