Recovery Day 2

No other way to put it but today has been a tough day.  Sam had a very rough night up most of it with Jake as he cried throughout the night.  I came to the hospital early to relieve her so she could get some rest and go see Luke.  I spent some time with Luke at home before coming to the hospital which was nice as he is a cheery sight for sore eyes.  Its hard for us to not see Luke  and we think he misses his brother and wonders where he is. 

Once at the hospital, Jake's swelling had gotten much worse from yesterday.  Our poor boy's head has multiplied probably to twice its normal size and his eyelids and face are so swollen and turned purplish black.  It is very hard for us to look at him with his eyes sewn shut but based on the immediate swelling we can tell why the dr.'s do this.  

I met with the Dr. rounding this am and he was pleased with the surgery and did want me to know that Jake is completely stable and all signs are great.  The only thing we have to contend with is the dramatic swelling.  This will continue to get worse and worse probably through Monday.  

I was able to hold Jake in my arms this am and I do think it helped calm him as he was cradled in my arms in his favorite position.  Jake ate a little from his bottle but we have the IV bringing him fluids as eating isn't a top priority for him right now. 

A few good things happened today...  they removed his arterial iv line and his catheter so two less wires occupy his body which pleases us.    They also stopped his continuous morphine drip and give him it manually but its a step in the right direction for the healing process.

But with every hour that goes by our boy swells more and more and it is so difficult to see our little angel look so swollen and uncomfortable.  He also is developing thrush again as a reaction to the antibiotics similar to Boston.  We caught it right away and he is already taking medicine to counteract it.  If you don't remember, thrush is a viral infection that causes tons of little bumps to appear all over his tongue and throat that cause discomfort not what little Jake needs right now. 

Jake did get to visit with his grandparents and godmother today so hopefully that made him a little happier to hear their voices.  We put a few photos up of Jake and Luke so the staff can see Jake's smiley face and know what the sweet boy hidden beneath all of the swelling really looks like.  

Jake is well enough to transfer out of ICU to the pediatric ward but there aren't beds available so he probably will move down there tomorrow pending availability.  

We have had a tough day and at times wonder how we get through all of this.  It is heartbreaking to watch our little boy deal with this pain and swelling.  With each passing day and post to the blog we get one day closer in the healing process and putting this behind us. Our love for Jake keeps us strong and probably the only way we can deal with this surreal experience.    

Once again, thanks to everyone who has reached out and offered their support.  Its time for the exhausted parents to rest and lets hope tomorrow isn't overwhelming.