Today marks 5 months since Jake entered our lives - 5 wonderful, eventful months.
Also today, we went back to the cleft palate surgeon so he could check on Jake's progress. Jake is doing great. The doc said he normally has kids come back 2 months after the surgery, too, but he said Jake is doing so well he doesn't need to see us for 6 months. One more week of soft foods/liquids, not feeding himself and having to wear his arm restraints. We all will be glad when those are a thing of the past.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Better
Jake doesn't have a fever so I guess we dodged the strep throat bullet. He still has to take the full course of the antibiotics (10 days), but at least he's not sick.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Does he, or doesn't he?
Last Friday, Jake's day care provider called. She had taken her son to the doctor and he has strep throat. Oh great, so here Jake is in the midst of recovering from surgery and he might have been exposed to strep. Things were OK over the weekened, but on Monday Jake had a bit of a fever (the highest was about 100.2).
So, we took him in the doctor, and she said she wanted to put him on antibiotics to treat strep because he had the recent surgery. She didn't even test to see if he does, she said better safe than sorry.
From what I understand, you no longer are contagious after 24 hours on antibiotics, which will happen this afternoon for Jake. As a result, he's staying away from day care today. Violet will leave work late, and I will go in early. Hopefully, neither of us will end up with strep.
Jake goes back to the palate doctor Thursday so the doc can see how the repair is holding up. Jake has really been good during his recovery, although he does tire of the arm restraints and he still wants to be able to feed himself. Soon, little man, soon.
So, we took him in the doctor, and she said she wanted to put him on antibiotics to treat strep because he had the recent surgery. She didn't even test to see if he does, she said better safe than sorry.
From what I understand, you no longer are contagious after 24 hours on antibiotics, which will happen this afternoon for Jake. As a result, he's staying away from day care today. Violet will leave work late, and I will go in early. Hopefully, neither of us will end up with strep.
Jake goes back to the palate doctor Thursday so the doc can see how the repair is holding up. Jake has really been good during his recovery, although he does tire of the arm restraints and he still wants to be able to feed himself. Soon, little man, soon.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Disarmed
Jake's not allowed to put his hands in his mouth, because he could damage the palate repair.
That's never been a big issue with him, but he has put his fingers in his mouth before, so we have to watch him. We got some help from the hospital, though, in a couple of velcro arm restraints. With them on, he can't bend his arms at the elbow and thus can't put his hands to his mouth.
He handles them pretty well, although at bedtime he has acted fussy and wanted them off. No way are we going to let him sleep right now without them. So, we give him breaks throughout the day, but we make sure at least one of us can keep an eye on him at all times.
Well, last night when Mama made us chocolate milkshakes I carried Jake's to the table for him. He sat down on his little stool and I handed him his milkshake. Jake took it in his hands and held it up, anxiously anticipating the taste of the goodness. But try as he might, he couldn't take a drink - that's because Baba forgot to take his restraints off! Sorry Jake, I'm new at this parent stuff.
Jake's doing well. He gets a little cranky when the pain reliever wears off, but all in all he's doing OK. He really wants to eat solid food, and he would love to feed himself, but we have to say no to both. That has generated some tears, but we can't run the risk of him poking a hole in his new palate.
Here are a couple of pics showing what the poor guy has to deal with.
That's never been a big issue with him, but he has put his fingers in his mouth before, so we have to watch him. We got some help from the hospital, though, in a couple of velcro arm restraints. With them on, he can't bend his arms at the elbow and thus can't put his hands to his mouth.
He handles them pretty well, although at bedtime he has acted fussy and wanted them off. No way are we going to let him sleep right now without them. So, we give him breaks throughout the day, but we make sure at least one of us can keep an eye on him at all times.
Well, last night when Mama made us chocolate milkshakes I carried Jake's to the table for him. He sat down on his little stool and I handed him his milkshake. Jake took it in his hands and held it up, anxiously anticipating the taste of the goodness. But try as he might, he couldn't take a drink - that's because Baba forgot to take his restraints off! Sorry Jake, I'm new at this parent stuff.
Jake's doing well. He gets a little cranky when the pain reliever wears off, but all in all he's doing OK. He really wants to eat solid food, and he would love to feed himself, but we have to say no to both. That has generated some tears, but we can't run the risk of him poking a hole in his new palate.
Here are a couple of pics showing what the poor guy has to deal with.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
It's Baba's birthday!
Of course his best present was Jake's new palate and coming home from the hospital!
In celebration tonight we are going to have a nice supper (Jake's pureed of course) and chocolate milkshakes! (modified later: the milkshakes -- a Jake first -- and the pureed potato soup were hits).
A few weeks ago Jake spent an evening working on his first birthday present for Baba. This is him hard at work.
Happy birthday Baba!
An artist's beginning:
Paintin' the town:
A serious artist at work:
No pictures, please. I am working:
The finished product:
In celebration tonight we are going to have a nice supper (Jake's pureed of course) and chocolate milkshakes! (modified later: the milkshakes -- a Jake first -- and the pureed potato soup were hits).
A few weeks ago Jake spent an evening working on his first birthday present for Baba. This is him hard at work.
Happy birthday Baba!
An artist's beginning:
Paintin' the town:
A serious artist at work:
No pictures, please. I am working:
The finished product:
We're home!
Woo hoo! We're out of the hospital and home.
Jake drank enough, and his stats were great, so the doctors said he could go home. We were all glad to be out of the hospital.
Poor little guy. We asked him this morning what his dog's name was (It's Hot Rod), and he started to say it and got about as far as Haa before he stopped with the funny look on his face, like he just realized something. I think that something was that he no longer has a big hole in the roof of his mouth. He started moving his tongue around, like he was feeling around in his mouth with it. We've got to be careful with him doing that, though, so he doesn't do any damage to the repairs.
Later on in the morning, he was jabbering like always, still pronouncing things as he has been, but we will work on that.
Kevin and Violet
Jake drank enough, and his stats were great, so the doctors said he could go home. We were all glad to be out of the hospital.
Poor little guy. We asked him this morning what his dog's name was (It's Hot Rod), and he started to say it and got about as far as Haa before he stopped with the funny look on his face, like he just realized something. I think that something was that he no longer has a big hole in the roof of his mouth. He started moving his tongue around, like he was feeling around in his mouth with it. We've got to be careful with him doing that, though, so he doesn't do any damage to the repairs.
Later on in the morning, he was jabbering like always, still pronouncing things as he has been, but we will work on that.
Kevin and Violet
Friday, February 20, 2009
Successful surgery
We're in Jake's hospital room now. Mama is at his bedside watching him sleep as I do this update.
Jake's surgery was a success. The doctor said they accomplished what they wanted to do. They fixed his palate and put tubes in his ears. He went to surgery one-half hour late and was done in less than an hour and a half.
I went in with him to the operating room when they put him under. That happened pretty fast. I expected him to put up a bit of a fuss, but he surprised me. They sat him on the operating table and put the mask up to him. I thought they were just showing him the mask, but no, they were putting him under. He was out in no time, then they hooked up an IV to put him further to sleep so they could operate. Maybe it was the breathing treatment with the nebulizer he had a couple of weeks ago that got him used to having something in his face, but he didn't fuss at all about the mask.
He was not a happy boy when he came out of it in the recovery room, but we were there to greet him when he woke up. He's obviously in pain a lot (but they give him some good stuff. LOL), so that is not a surprise he was cranky.
He threw up a couple of times, the second time in his room. It was a lot of the blood he swallowed during it all. Boy, he sure felt better after that! We even watched Wild, Wild West Elmo! Grandma and Grandpa came down to see him and spent a few hours here. He was happy to see them when he came around enough to know who they were when they showed up not too long after he went to recovery.
We get to go home Saturday, if his oxygen level is good (which it is so far) and he can drink and pee. He has done both of those, too, although it took him a while to really drink anything. But, he's had some apple juice and seems to like it. Poor kid is probably hungry, too, but it's no solid food for a while, and he's got to keep his fingers out of his mouth while the palate heals. So far, that hasn't been an issue, but we've got a few weeks of recovery to go.
Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. It's comforting for Mama and Baba to know so many people care.
Kevin
Jake's surgery was a success. The doctor said they accomplished what they wanted to do. They fixed his palate and put tubes in his ears. He went to surgery one-half hour late and was done in less than an hour and a half.
I went in with him to the operating room when they put him under. That happened pretty fast. I expected him to put up a bit of a fuss, but he surprised me. They sat him on the operating table and put the mask up to him. I thought they were just showing him the mask, but no, they were putting him under. He was out in no time, then they hooked up an IV to put him further to sleep so they could operate. Maybe it was the breathing treatment with the nebulizer he had a couple of weeks ago that got him used to having something in his face, but he didn't fuss at all about the mask.
He was not a happy boy when he came out of it in the recovery room, but we were there to greet him when he woke up. He's obviously in pain a lot (but they give him some good stuff. LOL), so that is not a surprise he was cranky.
He threw up a couple of times, the second time in his room. It was a lot of the blood he swallowed during it all. Boy, he sure felt better after that! We even watched Wild, Wild West Elmo! Grandma and Grandpa came down to see him and spent a few hours here. He was happy to see them when he came around enough to know who they were when they showed up not too long after he went to recovery.
We get to go home Saturday, if his oxygen level is good (which it is so far) and he can drink and pee. He has done both of those, too, although it took him a while to really drink anything. But, he's had some apple juice and seems to like it. Poor kid is probably hungry, too, but it's no solid food for a while, and he's got to keep his fingers out of his mouth while the palate heals. So far, that hasn't been an issue, but we've got a few weeks of recovery to go.
Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. It's comforting for Mama and Baba to know so many people care.
Kevin
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