Started from the bottom.......

     At the hospital, I was given a journal when my son was born.   The woman from the Child Life department told me that it was to jot down memories in the NICU.  My perception of it though, was, "You better write down everything that happening right now because you don't have much time."   I barely wrote in it most days, but I took note of how my son was treated, and things I needed to watch.  Here are a few days of entries from my journal, just so you can get a glimpse of how it was:

June 6, 2011

"LJ opened his eyes today.  I finally got to see my baby's eyes.  Nan was his nurse tonight.  He received a blood transfusion, and they were able to wean his oxygen to 78%.  He had a great blood gas- no changes were made.  His head was turned to face the window tonight (when he opened his eyes he was facing the doorway).  He had a good night.  His O2 sats were high 90s.  His surgery for his catheter was Friday 6/3/11.  The surgeon said he did well."


June 7, 2011

"TWO WEEKS OLD!!!  This am LJ was turned to the door, he didn't respond well, so they turned him back towards the window.  They put his oxygen back to 90% and the power oscillator is 4.1.  The doctors say he needs to be at least at 50% oxygen steady to begin dialysis.  His creatinine is extremely high.
8:50pm: O2- 94-95, BP- 111/66, oscillator power-4.1/ mean pressure-25, O2 settings- 90% NO- 15ppm

8:55pm: BP-94/59, m=73
Nurse until 11pm said the best his stat have been all day.
LJ is getting a gas @ 9:15pm- results: Oscillator went up to 4.4/ has been getting weaned on O2 because his O2 sat is above 95.

9:25pm: O2-98, BP-101/62, m=74
@ 10pm O2%=80.  Helen nurse @ 11pm.

1am: O2- 97, BP- 115/78, m=87
O2 87% No major changes- rec'vd versed to relax him because he was moving his legs up.  Blood gas @ 1am results: oscillator went up to 4.7  ( more power means more shake to shake off  CO2)

@2am BP= 91/51, m=69  rec'vd 1 time dose of fentanyl to calm his breathing over the machine. 
Breathing over the machine all night- O2 went down to 85.  How can he get to 100 if he is not sedated enough to let the machine do the work for him?  What does O2 level depend on? his O2 saturation? if so, and he is breathing over the machine, then it will never stay up if he is not sedated.*** None of the sedation tonight has worked to stop him from trying to breath over the machine.