Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Sorry for the delay - this is very emotional for me.
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The infant unit was supposed to be so freeing after spending time in the NICU and PICU – but it was terrifying to me. First of all the roommate that we had had just been realized from isolation because she ahs whooping cough – yes that is right, although they tried to convince me that she was not longer contagious. Another worry of mine was that in both previous units we had a nurse right by the bed at all times! In the infant unit the nurses were not there very often. Because of the surgery and being intubated Micayla had no voice – so when she cried there was no sound – I was afraid to leave her side.
On the morning of the 18th they took out her feeding tube. Every time we fed her she would throw up. This was not just cute little baby spit up it was projectile baby formula across the room. After she would throw up she was always in distress. At first they said that she was just throwing up because eating was new to her – that seemed rational enough. But it wasn’t getting any better. They took her for x-rays and couldn’t see anything wrong.
By the time evening came – I was exhausted and I went out to the trailer to sleep for a few hours. When I came back inside in the morning (19th) they told me that she had had a bad night. She had pulled out her PIC line IV – these are pretty big strong IV’s that last a long time so that they don’t have to keep poking them. They really aren’t that easy to remove – have you met my daughter? They decided that they needed to put another one in – this time it was done surgically and stitched in so she couldn’t take it out. She also had a fever that day and she was still throwing up. After more tests and x-rays they decided that she had something wrong in her intestines that they needed to keep an eye on. They stopped feeding her with a bottle and put the tube back in.
Late that afternoon Matt came in and my dad also came in. Things started going down hill really fast. Micayla was clearly in distress. Her breathing was such that with every breath her chest was retracting. Her oxygen levels were dropping. Her color was really bad!! The cardio thoracic nurse practitioner was there, doctors and nurses things were CRAZY! The general surgery resident came in and told us that they thought her colon had perforated and that she was septic. She needed emergency surgery. Several times we heard from different people in the room “We are going to lose her.” I have never been so scared in my life!! The good Mormon girl in me knew that she needed a priesthood blessing. The nurse practitioner said that she could have a blessing but that it had to be quick and that they couldn’t get in the way. My dad and Matt snuck their hands in and Matt gave her what I imagine to be a beautiful blessing – I was crying so hard and in the arms of the social worker. I know that the Lord hears our prayers! Almost immediately after Matt said “Amen” the spirit in the room changed. Micayla calmed down her breathing improved and even the doctors and nurses calmed down. She was rushed to surgery.
Matt parents came and my mom was on her way home from her office in St. George. My dad had called her when things we found out she needed surgery – she drove from St. George to
Once again Primary Children’s saved her life.
Dr. Downey came in and told us that she was heading back to the NICU and that he had removed almost a 1/3 of her intestine. Now the remaining intestines had to rest. He gave her an ileostomy which is basically a colostomy - they brought part of her intestine (about 1 inch) outside of her body. He said that in a few months they would be able to go and reattach everything. I really had no idea what he was talking about – but I soon learned that the ileostomy is where her poop would now come out. There was a plastic bag attached to her that would catch the poop.
We waited about an hour before they would let us see her in the NICU. It was very late. We kissed her goodnight and then Matt took me home – not the trailer – home. Other than leaving to go to a few Christmas Parties I really hadn't left the hospital since December 9th.
To be continued......................................................
2 comments:
This is almost exactely what happened with my daughter too. She was in the NICU forever and she was always ripping out her pic line. We didn't have to remove her intestines luckily. But she could NOT digest her food, it was so sad.
Thanks for sharing your story. I must go read the rest and catch up now
Oh no! How stressful!
I can't believe I didn't see this post until now...I'm behind again!
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