Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Done (12:19pm)

Tricia is falling to sleep thanks to the help of some morphine and a few other meds. She felt some pain and discomfort during the procedure, but she told me it wasn't as bad as she expected, and just about anything is better than an infection at this point.

(this next part my be TMI for some people) I was in the room, but the surgeon was blocking my view (I wouldn't have looked anyway). But, I did hear the air rush out when the tube was inserted, and saw the blood drain out when they hooked her up to the drainage box.

Thanks to those who were able to check the blog in the past few hours and offer us encouragement and prayer! I'll let you know how she's feeling later today.

Pneumothorax is very common for CFers and tall skinny white boys (seriously).

Thanks!

Nate

130 comments:

Susan said...

Great news!

MahoneyMusings said...

Glad to hear it went well. Will continue prayers throughout the day.

Kerry said...

Glad to hear things went well.
Thoughts and Prayers.

pam said...

Praying for healing, peace and quick back to loving on Gwyneth time!

Anonymous said...

Praying for peaceful and painless rest today

Jane said...

praying for you guys!

another chapter toward my medical degree!! :)))

Amber said...

I prayed for you guys when I drove down to Columbus this morning and will continue to lift you up to the Father. He is good and worthy to be praised!

Amber

Megan said...

So glad to hear the procedure is done and wasn't extremely painful. I'm praying Tricia can get some rest today.

Beth said...

So glad things went well. Continued prayers.

~j~ said...

The Lord bless you both,praying that her day is filled with the comfort of knowing she is being thought of and prayed for every second. peace to your hearts..
j

christina said...

I'm glad to hear that the procedure went well and Tricia is getting some rest. My husband is one of the so called 'skinny white boys'. He has had pneumothorax 4 or 5 times. He had to have surgery once and then chest tubes the other times. He has always described them as very painful so I hope that Tricia feels better soon.

Prayers for Gwyneth, Tricia and you.

Blessings From Above said...

Thanks for the update. I will continue to pray for Tricia and your family throughout the day.

Marsmile said...

Glad it's all over and may Tricia rest and heal well! Hope she will be up and around in no time, especially to visit Gwyn. :-)

Get some rest,
Marissa

Kerry said...

Very happy the procedure went well and you were able to be in the room with Tricia. Hopefully the leak will heal itself and Tricia will be feeling better in no time! I have pretty severe asthma and a cough earlier in the year gave me severe pain in my chest. The doctor thought I might have had a collapsed lung, but thankfully I didn't. I know how much pain I was in without a collapsed lung, so I can only imagine how much pain Tricia was in. I'm so glad the doctors were able to do the procedure quickly to help ease her pain.

Lisa Capano-Wehrle said...

We are praying for you guys! Glad to hear that Tricia is able to get some rest now! Hopefully, she'll be much more comfortable! We love you guys and are praying and thinking about all three of you daily!~ Lisa and Mike (in NJ)

gmomof7 said...

glad things went well and hope they continue that way

Amy said...

Will be praying for Tricia extra hard today. I am glad it went well and hoping she gets some rest today (you too!).

Sending some "gentle" hugs to you today Tricia :)

Corinne said...

So thankful for the relief, I will be praying for you all day.

On a side note, the other day my 14 month old son kept waking up crying at night which is not normal for him and when I felt myself getting frustrating with not being able to soothe him I thought of you two and thought, I can't wait for Tricia and Nate to be at home and being trying to soothe Gwyneth who for some little reason can't sleep well one night....a blessing to be a parent....I pray you will get to experience that sort of thing soon.

Tamora said...

I am so glad to hear that she is doing better!

Kerry said...

Good news and I hope she is able to rest today.

I must say that I am a healthy 31yr mother of a toddler and I got ended up in the ER on Sunday with walking pneumonia. As it was hard for me to take deep breaths all I could think of was Tricia... this is how Tricia (& other CFers) must feel all the time and probably 10 times worse!

Hopefully the new lungs will arrive soon.

Prayers and best wishes,
Kerry

Tricia said...

Glad that it's over now (this part) and that you can both go on focusing on the next thing - those lungs and that beautiful little girl of yours. Love and hugs and prayers for Tricia - we are praying every day :)
Tricia and Clan
irishsamom@msn.com
irishsamomspeaks.blogspot.com

Lisa said...

PTL...now praying for a fast healing and comfort and still praying for the perfect lungs God has planned for Tricia. Praying for weight gain for both of your gals too.

Sara said...

that's amazing to think it only took about an hour - thanks for the update . . . thinking of you all from London!!

Brooks Family said...

Yes on the tall skinny! HAHA! I've treated many a patient with a penumo before. Praise God she is getting some rest!

Christy said...

Thank you Lord. Tricia, your a blessing. I remember the days of procedures and pokes. Mine didn't last this long. I am amazed by the strength you have. I will continue to pray for you and the family. You give me incentive to make things happen.
Christy

Amy E. said...

PTL that all went smoothly. Been prayin' in Texas all morning, will continue

marcia said...

Good! Glad that procedure is behind you, and praying for a quiet afternoon of rest for both of you!

Matt Millard said...

Praying for you guys!

Matt Millard said...

Praying for you guys!

Jesse said...

Praise God for the quickness of it all-- I'm so glad she is cared for so diligently there at Duke. They certainly respond quickly and efficintly to her well-being.

Praying for quick healing and new lungs to arrive soon.

Mandy said...

I'm so glad it went well. Now we'll continue to pray for those new lungs.

Jenn said...

So glad to hear that the procedure went well. I hope she is able to have a good, nice rest!

Take care and prayers,
JennNY

staci said...

prayers for healing, rest, comfort and a new set of lungs to arrive really soon! staci

Vic said...

I am happy to hear Tricia was able to get through it alright and she was able to get through everything! Good to hear she's getting some rest! Prayers are being sent heavenward for you and your family.

Annette said...

Praying for your family today. I pray new lungs arrive soon and thank you for sharing the letter about your friend donating organs. Organ donation is such and amazing gift and your insight has made me feel so much stronger about organ donation.

www.smithfamilyx6.blogspot.com

Rich and Lauren said...

so glad it was less painful than expected. we love you guys and hope you have a good day

Carol said...

I'm sorry that she has a pneumothorax but glad that they found something to make her be in less pain. And glad it's not an infection. I'm praying and praying still!

Destini said...

Whew...so glad she is doing okay, Still praying for you all..

Elizabeth said...

We are glad to hear the procedure itself went well. We pray that Tricia gets some good sleep right now, and we are continuing to pray!! Blessings.

sami2009 said...

Nate,
Thanks for the update, I am glad the procedure went well. Please know my thoughts and prayers continue for you guys and your little girl!
Sami

kiki_bourque said...

ganI am glad to hear all went well. Praying hard for your family everyday.

Anonymous said...

Nate,
I am so sorry that you guys had to go through that, but I am glad that things went well. Nicholas had a procedure done while he was in the hospital in February to replace his port, and they accidentally punctured his right lung causing it to collapse. He is one of those tall white boys you spoke about. :o) He had the tube for about three days. He LOVED the morphine because he didn't hurt at all. They took alot of xrays during the time he had it and after they removed it to make sure the lung was re-inflating and to make sure it stayed that way. It was definitely an experience. He recovered very well and has had no further problems. I pray that she will conitinue to do well and that you guys don't have to go through this again.

Praying you through,
Robin

Amber said...

Praise God that this most recent procedure has gone well! We will continue our prayers for all of you.

Seth, Jen, Hannah, Cailyn, and Isaac said...

Awesome, Praise the Lord! Praying now for good, peaceful, refreshing rest for BOTH of you!!

Em said...

Glad to hear that it went well. Hopefully it brings some relief for Tricia. Continuing to pray for you all...

ForeverSONkissed said...

im 33 w/ cf and i had a pnemo...2 years a go...i had the chest tube and all...i kow how she feels...i did have to have surgery to orrect mine...the surgery was not bad at all..i made it fine...i will pray that hers will heal on its own. i love reading ur blog..keep up the good work...God has blessed u and ur wife...God Bless...Holly

Allison said...

Glad to hear it went well.

Kimberly said...

I'm glad it went well. I'm praying for Tricia! I hope this doesn't affect her spot on the tx list.

Becky said...

Glad to hear she is doing okay. We are continuing to pray.

Rebecca (Ramblings by Reba) said...

I'm glad to hear everything went well.

I was thinking the same thing (not knowing for sure if this was true): at least it's not an infection.

I'll pray for her recovery and the ability to rest/sleep. And for the lungs, both the old ones and the new ones.

Lee said...

Bless her heart....

ttulizzy said...

Great news and PRAYERS!

(I was in storytime and missed the updates, but I'm thankful that all is good now.)

I hope Tricia rests well and feeling better soon.

jullylaw said...

Glad to hear it went well. Praying!

Jen said...

Praying that Tricia feels comfort soon

Kim said...

So glad it's done and over. Praying for Tricia's pain and comfort.
Praying for those new lungs.
Thanks for the update.

Knick Knack Paddy Whack, Throw This Mom a Bone said...

Glad the procedure went well. Prayers are always with you!

Thanks for keeping us all updated!

Candy said...

Glad to hear that everything went well. I was surprised to come on after checking this morning and see all of this. Hugs and prayers for you all.

terri c said...

So glad it's done. Hope it heals up quicker than quick. Prayers continuing...

Pauline said...

Glad it went well and that she was able to get some sleep.

Anna Marie said...

I'm so glad she's feeling better. Will continue praying!

Christina said...

Glad the procedure went well and I am praying she got some good rest and wakes up feeling better. So weird about hearing the air!

bekah said...

Glad that the procedure went well! We will continue to pray for you all. Praying especially for a perfect match to arrive soon for Tricia! :)

Mary said...

I'm late in checking your blog today, so I missed the earlier post to pray, but I will do so right now and ask for quick healing and no other complications. I also pray that God will bring Tricia a new set of lungs quickly.

Mary
Florida

Kylee said...

I am keeping Tricia in my prayers.

Anonymous said...

Praying here... praying that the morphine keeps her in a peaceful sleep until the worst of the pain passes.

Kristi said...

I didn't get to read all the updates until just now. Please know that I am both thinking of and praying for you all right now.

Last week I traveled many states away to be with my sister and our parents while she underwent open heart surgery for the second time in her life. I thought of you often as we were in the hospital, and were doing a lot of sitting, waiting and wondering.

My prayer is that Tricia might receive her new lungs and you can resume a life away from the hospital.

I wouldn't have looked either!

betty said...

Praying the infection clears up real soon.

teemedlin said...

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Bithday to You!
Happy Birthday Nathan
Happy Birthday to You!

I was reading Alice's blog and saw you say it's your birthday. Have a wonderful day! God Bless

Sonja said...

I am glad to hear that the procedure went well. My prayers are with Trisha and yourself. Continuing to pray for all your special needs.

Mandy said...

I'm glad to hear all went well with the procedure. I'm another NICU mommy--my precious son was born at 28 weeks premature. Anyway, he had a pneumothorax, also. It broke my heart to hear they were going to do this to my 2 day old son who was around 3 pounds, but I knew it was for the best. He was better immediately and within days the tube came out. I wish and pray the same for you all--a quick recovery.

Love and God bless!

Alisha said...

praying for you both - I used to be an RN so I loved the medical details, thanks.

mrsrubly said...

Lord i come you to now to lift up Tricia in prayer. please allow her to be comfortable and rest after this procedure lord. and have an angel ready to just watch over her and make sure she's ok. can you also send an angel for the rOcK StaR Gwenyth..love you jesus AMEN

UKNat said...

So happy to hear that everything went well and that Tricia is able to rest comfortably. Natalie

Tam said...

Glad to hear the procedure went well and she is resting now. Praying for continued healing and a new pair of lungs!

Queen Mommy said...

I posted yesterday for the first time (also the first time I'd been to your blog). My daughter, who is 4 now, has had a few chest tubes in her life, all of which have been placed following a surgery. From what I understand, it's not a very comfortable thing, but I've also been told that it makes breathing easier, and that's the most important thing right now.

Thank God everything went well. I'll keep you and your family in my prayers. I remember all too well how overwhelming it felt sometimes to know that so many people we'd probably never have a chance to meet were praying for us.

May God continue to bless your family.
Robin

Kristi said...

So glad that the procedure went well. Praying that Tricia gets some rest and gets to feeling better.

TheFiveDays said...

Nate, I am new to your blog and have said prayers for you and Tricia since last night. I am sorry you guys had to go through this procedure and I am so glad that it is over with. I will continue to pray that all goes well in mending up.

And I love the punk picture of little Gwyneth. HA!

Patty said...

First time posting here but have spent much time in prayer for your family.

Continued prayer for healing and NEW LUNGS.

Anonymous said...

I am glad she is sleeping. Hopefully this will be the end of it.
Becky

Our Family! said...

We are happy to hear that Tricia's procedure went well. We're praying for lots of rest and healing, throughout the day. God bless you all!

Kimberly said...

I am glad to hear the procedure went well. You both are an inspiration! I am enjoying reading your blog and learning about Gwyneth and Tricia. I pray she gets her new lungs soon. Thank you for sharing your story with the world. You may never know all the seeds you have planted but I am sure there have been many.
God Bless

Magoon Family said...

That's great that she is doing better now. Thank God they found the problem before it got too bad. I pray her donor lungs are available soon! I continue to pray for all of you.

Kate said...

I'm glad the procedure went well & Tricia is resting comfortably.

The reason pneumothorax is common in tall, skinny guys is because they often have Marfan Syndrome & collapsed lungs aren't uncommon for those with that condition (I know this because my oldest son has Marfan's).

Anyhow, I will continue to pray that Tricia heals quickly and that she remains pain-free, and that Gwyneth has a good day, as well.

The Townleys said...

I'm late on the prayer chain for this one, but better late than never! Tricia is a champion- please make sure to tell her that she's STILL amazing new people every day with her strength and composure. Thinking about you guys all the time.

ERIN lee said...

tricia, i continue to pray for you and baby gwyneth. thanks for allowing us the blessing of praying for you.

Holly said...

I am glad that everything went well. I have never posted but thought that it was time. I will be praying for your girls and you!!

PletcherFamily said...

Glad to hear that it went well and we are thinking about you guys and hope everyone gets to go home soon.

Josie said...

So good to hear that it went well. We are praying for her, you and the familiy.

Shari said...

Well, late on the uptake, but pray daily regardless. My dad had one of those when he was sick. I was not there with him, my mom was. Glad it is helping her out!!

Hang in there guys.

Shari, NC

Megan @ SimplyThrifty said...

I'm continuing to pray!!! I'm glad everything went well and that Tricia's able to sleep.

cmziall said...

Nate, I'm so sorry I didn't check your blog again after this morning. I'm glad to hear that the procedure went well and Tricia is now sleeping somewhat comfortably. I'm also glad to hear they let you stay in the room with her! I know I'm much calmer when my husband is around (I have c-sections, five of them so far) and I LOVE the fact that he is in there with me. I couldn't do it without him. Tricia is truly blessed to have you with her as she goes through this time in her life!

God Bless,
Michelle in MO

Unknown said...

God is good! I continue to pray for Tricia and her soon to be donor and their family.

God is doing great things through you Nate. Keep up the great work and staying strong and faithful.

Tricia, stay strong. You are in my, as well as many others at Moyock Baptist, prayers.

Gwyneth, keep growing you little micro punk rocker!

You three are always in my prayers

twin power mommy ♥ said...

wow.
continued prayers for you guys.
get some rest, now!

By the grace of God ... said...

Praying ...

IB said...

I think you guys are so brave. I pray for Tricia's recovery.

Anonymous said...

Just checked in and discovered all the craziness going on with you guys today. Glad the procedure is done and that Tricia is resting. Praying hard for her comfort and healing. God's love and peace!

Sonja said...

Many prayers for all of you...

Jazen said...

Praying fervently for all 3 of you. Thank you for the reminder of April being donor month. I have officially registered online and sent an e-card to my family. They have always know, but now it is official. Thanks for the link.

Shana said...

Nate & Tricia,
So glad things went well with the CT (I am an RN on a vascular stepdown unit and love it when you post details...I work mostly with vascular patients and we get a lot of CT's). Anyway, the reason I'm posting is because of an article in the Greensboro News & Record this morning (4/1) on Organ Donation. I thought you'd be interested to know...if you didn't know already...that North Carolinians can now become Organ Donors online!! I think its wonderful. Here is the link to the article-- http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080401/NRSTAFF/976486769/-1/NEWSRECRSSARKIVE.
I thought of you when I saw it!
Take Care,
Shana Voss
Greensboro, NC
PS. If you don't have time to read the article, the website to register is www.verybigheart.com

Caroline Cordle said...

So glad everything went ok. Continuing to uphold you in prayer.

BTW - you'd need a lot more than that to be TMI for me....hehe! I used to be a PT!

Love and prayers.
xxx

Pete, Ali, Charlie and Rosie said...

Glad everything went smoothly, and hope Tricia will feel a little better now. Also hoping that the pneumothorax heals quickly so she can get that drain out again soon. We're thinking of you all so much. Here's hoping those new lungs come really soon. With much love. XXX

Rachel said...

Praying with you all for rest and comfort for Tricia. So glad she was able to have you stay with her for the procedure. Does this have any affect on her transplant status? I am praying and praying for God to send those lungs soon so both of your girls can go home together!!! IN HIS TIME!
Rachel in Pa

Paige Hinrichs said...

I'm happy everything went well. I'm praying for Tricia's rest, comfort, healing, and new lungs.

He is always at work.

em said...

glad it went well. we are praying! -em & josh in nc

Anonymous said...

We are sending up prayers of thanks that Tricia is through with the procedure and all went well. God is good! (so is a little morphine at times too:)) We continue to pray those lungs come soon.

Amy said...

Sending prayers your way.

Mary Knapp Yahoo said...

YAY for successful procedures!! Hopefully the pain issues will be resolved! Praying!

Mrs. Dan said...

My daughter was in physical therapy when this all went down, but I'm glad it went well. We'll be praying for a complete recovery.

Hugs to you both!

sandra said...

This is good to hear... Hugs all around.

Catherine said...

Just read this now. Tricia has been on my heart often the past few days and am praying for her. Praising God for the success of her small surgery today. Continuing to pray for new lungs soon.

Amy Lynn said...

I'm so glad to hear that things went well. I will be praying extra hard for Tricia today. Looking forward to reading your update.

Blessings!
Amy in Oregon

Heidi said...

Whew, i'm glad the chest tube wasn't as bad as she thought! Sometimes the anxiety is worse than the actual procedure. Sending prayers your way!

Kathy said...

I know a tall skinny white boy who's had this twice! Glad to hear the procedure went well and that you could stay. Keeping your family in prayer and spreading the word to friends.

Becky in VA said...

I have been reading your blog for a couple of months.

I smiled when you made the comment about tall skinny white boys having a collapsed lung - my son fit that description and it happened to him!!

I'm so glad you were right there with Tricia when the procedure was done. You guys are awesome, and such great news about your little sweetie sucking from a bottle!

Love to all.

Rene said...

Hang in there! My son is 18 months old and has a chest tube every time he has open heart surgery. I know they are a pain, but also know she's going to feel a lot better once it's drained.

Keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers!

Rene

kidsworld said...

Praying for pain relief, patience for tx, no infection and Gwyneth's beautiful eyes. Thanks for the update!

Please tell Janet that I miss reading her blog, from one mom-of-many to another...

refreshing in ohio

Lauren M said...

I had a collapsed lung at age 12. I was small enough to still have a child's size tube. It very painful and childbirth didn't surpass my memory of the pain. I am praying for Tricia and Gwyneth every day that their days of prodding and pokes will be short.

Allison said...

I was fortunate enough (jk) to also experience the insertion of 2 chest tubes post lung transplant. I can understand the discomfort of having them in, and will be praying especially for Tricia this week as I can relate to what she is going through. Im praying that they won't need to stay in for very long and that the Lord will heal her collapsed lung quickly. ps- gwyneth is looking cuter every week!

Violet said...

glad it went well, hopefully she won't have to have it in long.

Jeff said...

i have been reading your blog for many weeks now and i cannot tell you how many times a day i think of your sweet family. so many prayers are being offered up on your behalf...your daughter is just precious & i know that each day feels like a brand new miracle!
thanks for sharing your amazing story.
praying every day,
meredith

Momof2bz said...

I hope Trisha is feeling better. I am sure that she welcomed whatever sleep she got. Sending lots of prayers for those new lungs.

Anonymous said...

I can understand why CFers get pneumothoraxes but why "tall, skinny, white boys"? just curious..hope Tricia is feeling better after some rest and the chest drainage.

Anonymous said...

So you're in luck. You won't have to worry about this particular thing huh?

All jokes aside, I am glad that it went well. I've been thinking about Tricia off and on all day (when I wasn't plotting jokes to play on my coworkers).

I hope things are going better now and that Tricia is continuing to get rest.

lizcannon said...

dude, trish, you're a champ, those things hurt like crap-ola. seriously, many guys i have taken care of can't handle it. rock on sista!

Jen in Al said...

thank you so much for the update! so glad she is more comfortable. praying for healing and those new lungs! :) on my knees, jen in al

Em said...

I'm so happy that things went well for Tricia. Have some hugs from Massachusetts ((((( HUGS)))). My children and I have been watching Mass on the Catholic channel and I have been keeping you in our prayers.

Katy said...

What a relief! Continuing to pray...

Kim said...

I know a tall, skinny white boy who had surgery for a pneumothorax in the E.R. while still wearing his Vans. I believe you!

Praying!

Anonymous said...

Boy, reading this blog is helping to grow my "er" vocabulary! I always hear one of the tv docs yell "pneumothorax" at least once an episode. Glad to see she's a little more comfortable. Been praying for all of you. Don't know you- don't have to, just thankful God knows you and knows everything you're going through. And can I just say, your daughter is growing more beautiful everyday. She got the red hair I desperately desired for my little ones, so that's just something endearing to my heart. :)

Journo June aka MamaBear said...

My son was 12 when he had his first pneumothorax and it was a very large one. I was in the room with him, holding his hand. I swore it would be the last time I would stay and kept asking myself WHAT I was thinking! :-) But my boy wanted me there, so I stayed. Chest tubes are one of our very least favorite things. His last two pneumos have been resolved with just high-flow oxygen and it's always a huge relief when we don't need a chest tube.

Will be in prayer for all of you. Your sweet baby girl is so precious. I hate it when my life gets busy and I don't get a chance to check in with you.
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