Saturday Smiles

Look at this smile!

We had a few smiles from our little man today!

Today was pretty much status quo. Dustin did continue to spike a fever and new cultures were drawn to check for the growth of any bacteria that might be causing an infection. Dustin's chest tube was turned to water seal--the first step toward removal of the chest tube (AND US GOING HOME)!! A chest x-ray will be performed in the morning, which will show how Dustin's lungs responded to the water seal.

Dustin's withdrawal taper has been modified today--to bring his dosage of sedatives down. This too, will bring us closer toward going home. There is a delicate balance between administering the withdrawal protocol and reducing the amount of the narcotics administered to Dustin and helping to manage any post-operative pain that Dustin may be experiencing (the nurses have told us that children who are able to identify the source of pain all say that having a chest tube in is very painful).

Dustin continues to take two kinds of antibiotics. There is currently discussion to modify one of the antibiotics to be replaced with a broader medication that is certain to cover a broader scope of bacterias that could be the source of Dustin's continued fevers. The fevers may also be a symptom of withdrawal.

Today, we were able to hold Dustin again and he ate his cereal for the first time since his second surgery. His skin is a beautiful pink color, once again!!

We are praying for continued healing for Dustin, quality rest so that he has strength and no additional infections or other bumps in our journey home!

A bit of Saturday Smiles for you:

The crosswalks in Nashville each have pedestrian signals which light up when it is appropriate for pedestrians to cross the street. In addition to the light, the signals also include a loud annoying chirping noise. Below is a conversation that I had with my husband regarding the pedestrian signals in Nashville:

Me: The noise from the crosswalk signal is loud and noisy. It is annoying and I do not like it.

Me: I suppose the chirping noise is for deaf people.

Me: Oh, deaf people can see.

Hmmm....ICU psychosis?