Looking better

Apparently the word pneumonia is not a very specific word, I did not know that. He does have pneumonia, which translates simply to "lung infection". His cultures grew some "nasty stuff" to quote the respiratory therapist. They were; plus one alpha strep and plus three staphylococcus. These are both bacterial so the antibiotics are a good thing, and it is more treatable than if it had been a viral infection. His 4 o'clock xray looked less hazy and the concentrated areas of haze (likely infection) are hard to see if at all.. The xray showed that his lungs are expanded, and his diaphragm isn't as rounded as they like it, which means they are giving him enough pressure to be pushing the diaphragm flat, so that means they can lower his pressure slowly since his lungs were inflated and his diaphragm has room to round out more... this made much more sense with the licensed professional pointing and explaining....

If they lower the pressure too fast then his lungs could collapse from suddenly not having the help he is currently used to. The respirator did it's job though. Yesterday he was letting the machine do all of the work and basically wasn't breathing at all, today he was breathing a little bit for himself. But not consistently enough yet to not need the machine.

Kristen got to give him his bath pretty much all by herself. The nurse was there with suggestions and to pick something off his head I wasn't comfortable tugging on (it ended up being sticky, prob left from the hood). The respiratory therapist was periodically holding his head and repositioning him so she could get different areas. We know enough to move him around a little, but only when he is on the flexible tubing of the c-pap, not the rigid tubing of the respirator. And I was there giving his feet some support since his barriers were gone for the bath, which he doesn't like, and I was holding his arms a little 'cause he was MAD and thrashing all over the place and almost messing up his tubes. I forgot for a second he couldn't cry while on the respirator and was wondering why he looked so mad without crying.

After his bath he gets fresh linens... I really don't have a thing for camo, but it was too cute to pass up, apparently twice.



After the bath he was so tuckered out that when she swaddled him up (which we had been told was hard to do while tubed) and put him in his favorite tummy position (also been told tummy was hard while tubed) he went out like a light. In fact he didn't breathe at all for awhile, which is why he's tubed, but I still didn't love seeing him that tired. His heart was good though and he started breathing a little on his own before we left.

It's been mentioned that he is cute in these pictures, sorry to disagree, but the pictures don't do him justice. Maybe I'm just a dad, but he is so cute and precious in person, the pictures just don't live up. Have you ever visited the beautifulGrand Canyon but come home with 2 rolls of pictures of a bunch of rocks? Ok, maybe that was a little of an over shoot comparing my son's looks to the grandeur that is the grand canyon...anyway.... In person it's all I can do to not eat him up, but in the pictures he looks like a sad balding homeless man.... Is this a normal problem or feeling? Will I like his pictures and think they do him justice once he gets all that stuff off of his face... anyone? I so so so think he is cute, but haven't thought the pics capture it.