If you have read this post or this post you have an idea of what has been going on. If you haven't here are all the details. It's going to be long and detailed because it's a full month of medical drama but you will not believe what we have been through if you stick through it all!
March 31st was Monkey's 3rd birthday and he had a big party that was going to start in a matter of less than an hour when Hubby decided that he had to be seen by a doctor NOW! So a friend and I rushed him into urgent care and after he was all signed in I headed to my parents house where Monkey was awaiting guest to arrive. Shortly after arriving I got the phone call that they were taking Hubby to the ED instead because the urgent care office couldn't help him but he wanted me at the party, so I stayed.
My friend was texting me updates and it seemed he was getting the help he needed. I tried to enjoy the party and enjoy watching Monkey play with all his friends.
After about an hour the text came in that things were getting worse and the Hubby needed me there. I had helped Monkey open 3 presents when this came in. I got up and left right away and my mom stepped in to help open presents and finish the party. There was a lot of catching up to do when I got there. I found out the he had a lung infection that was leaking fluid into his chest cavity and causing his lung to be squished. I found out later that his lung had almost fully clasped and that if he would have fallen asleep or passed out from not enough oxygen that he would have fallen into a coma or died because of it. So scary!
They did a chest x-ray and CT scan and put in a chest tube to drain the fluid and told him he would be staying awhile. They didn't have any rooms for him to move to so he had to stay in the ED overnight. After about 1.5 weeks of chest flushes to help drain the fluid they pulled the chest tube thinking that the fluid had drained and that there was only a small pocket of air in his chest cavity that his lung hadn't attached back yet. After less than a day the pain was back and another CT scan they determined that it wasn't air but more fluid and it was still building up. They started to talk about surgery as the only option. So I found a babysitter for Monkey so I could spend all day Wednesday up there so I could be there when the surgeon came in. (Also, at some point during this time I had to take Monkey into the ED because he got into my peanut butter M&M's and had an allergic reaction. Lucky for us it was just hives and a rash but still just another thing to deal with).
Well, that's when things changed again in the major sense. Tuesday night Monkey woke up crying about his tummy hurting. I tried to check his spleen because he has a blood disorder that can cause it to enlarge. It didn't feel like it and it was his right side that was hurting which was the opposite of where it should. So I rushed him to the ED at Children's at 11:20pm. They check him out and they decide that they want to do a CT scan to make sure it isn't appendicitis. That's when I call me dad. I knew that I couldn't be with Monkey while having the CT done because I'm pregnant but I couldn't let Monkey be alone. My dad came up and they did the IV in Monkey which resulted in lots of screaming and crying. For me its never easy to watch this but because of his blood disorder I have seen it so many times in his short 3 years that it doesn't upset me. I think its tough mom skin. My dad on the other hand really struggled watching and helping pin Monkey down. He was crying because of it. I really felt bad that he had to experience that but I really needed him there with everything else that was going on. After some pain meds we were taken to the CT room and the CT was done.
At this point I called Hubby to update him on how Monkey as doing. He was really struggling being stuck at the hospital and not able to help me. He reminded me that I needed to call our hematologist to let them know what was going on. This was a good thing because when I got the call back from the doctor she told me that there was a good chance that it wasn't appendicitis but an enlarged gallbladder.
I went and spoke to the doctor right away and let her know what I was told. Sure enough when the CT scan came back it was his gallbladder. Since we were not at the main campus of Children's they had to transport us. Monkey and I got our first ride in an ambulance that night. Once we got to the main campus the surgical team came in to speak with me. Luckily for them and me my parents had switched and my mom was now there with me so my dad could get some sleep and then be with Hubby when the surgeon came to talk to him. They surgeon told me that Monkey needed to have his gallbladder removed and somewhat quickly. At this point I kinda lost it. I started to have a panic attack, couldn't control my breathing and I couldn't tell if I was having contractions or if it was because of my breathing that my muscles were tightening up.
Hubby's ED doctor came in to speak to us and I told her (and she saw) what was happening to me. She checked with the surgeon and they said that Monkey could wait a few days to have the surgery if needed and that I needed to take care of myself. They let me know that they couldn't do anything with Monkey without me being there and signing consent so I needed to go get myself checked out.
So...my mom drove me across the street to the hospital. Yep you are reading this right. All three members of my family were in three different hospitals at the same time. My mom dropped me off at the door and went back to be with Monkey. I finally got through the ED department after a phone call from Monkey's doctor and moved to the labor and delivery floor to be monitored. Shortly after they got me hooked up a friend I called showed up. She cancelled her schedule for the rest of the week to be there for me. I couldn't have asked for a better friend! (Same friend that was there for Hubby in the hospital too so I could be at the party). So after about 2 hours I was released. Everything was showing fine with Goose and I was calmed down and had excepted what was going on. I had prayed again (I had been doing that so often during all of this it had been just an open ended conversation with God) and asked for strength. I knew that I couldn't do it without Him.
I went back to Children's and Monkey was sleeping comfortably. The surgeon came in shortly after I arrived and we went over everything that was going to be done the next morning. They had him scheduled for 7:30am which was good because they wouldn't let him eat anything and I didn't want to have to keep telling him no. I signed all the paperwork and then went in a took a nap. It really was a long day at this point, almost 48 hours awake.
So now what happened with Hubby during all of this.... My dad was at the hospital with him almost all day. The surgeon said that he didn't recommend surgery at this point but a larger chest tube could still work. He didn't want to do surgery because it would be a very invasive one and recovery would be another 2 weeks in the hospital and another 2 months once home. So they put in the 2 chest tubes. One was the largest they had and the other was another small one. He said it was very painful (he used more colorful wording but you get the picture) but he pushed through it hoping to avoid surgery.
Monkey had his surgery the next day. Hubby was draining fluid and having more chest flushes. Things were looking a little better. Monkey came out of surgery doing great. (That experience is the toughest thing I have ever gone through in my life. Watching them put him under and then being there to help comfort him when he was recovering is something that I wish that myself and no other mom will ever have to experience. I can't even talk more about it because I will start crying and remembering every detail).
My dad moved all of our furniture to their house on Friday and we were released from the hospital on Saturday. We decided it was best to move in with my parents because we weren't sure how long Hubby's recovery would be and they didn't want me to have to care for Monkey and be there for Hubby all by myself. This was and is such a blessing to us.
Sunday evening Hubby started to have chest pain. They did a CT scan and found out that the large tube had dislodged in his chest and needed to be removed. They called and paged and called the doctors that were suppose to remove it and weren't getting any answers. Finally in the middle of the night Hubby called me because he was in so much pain that not even 4 different pain medications were helping. He didn't want me to come up but he wanted me to know what was going on. You know because calling me like that was going to let me relax and go back to sleep which is what he wanted me to do. So instead I called my dad (who was upstairs) and asked him to go up there to make sure that Hubby was OK and that things got taken care of right away.
What ended up happening is that the nurse had to remove the tube. It relieved his pain almost immediately. The next morning the same thing started to happen again with the small tube. Several hours later, after lunch, the doctor finally showed up to remove the second tube. Thinking they got everything this time they started talking about him coming home again the next day. Within maybe 2 hours Hubby started having strange things happen to him. He was getting chills and feeling uncomfortable and just feeling like something was wrong. He called me panicking and I headed right up there.
After another x-ray they saw that the fluid was coming back again. That's when we starting talking among ourselves and with the doctors that we trusted, basically not listening to the chest tube doctors anymore. We had decided that we were more comfortable with having the surgery than we were having another tube put in because we wouldn't let those doctors touch him again.
After speaking to every doctor we wanted to and hearing from the surgeon say that he still doesn't recommend surgery and another doctor laying out some options for us we decided that we would change hospitals and go with another chest tube if that is what was recommended my the new chest tube doctors. The great thing is the the same doctors that we liked and trusted would still be his doctors at the other hospital but we would have a new team of chest tube doctors that would also be on site instead contracted in.
Once we switched hospitals a few hours later we couldn't have made a better decision. The nursing staff was great and Hubby was well cared for. The next day after the doctors saw him and the chest tube doctor reviewed his case they were ready to do the tube. I made sure I was there because Hubby was nervous to have to do this all over again. The doctor came out and spoke with us and let us ask all of our questions and explain our hesitation with having to go through this again. He also explained what he was going to do and why he believed that it should work. He also told us that he would drain as much fluid as he could in the CT scan room which turned out to make a major difference.
All that happened on a Thursday. They did several more chest flushes and waited the weekend to make sure all the fluid was gone. One Monday they capped off the tube and let it sit for 24 hours to see if the fluid came back. Tuesday morning another x-ray shows that nothing has changed! Great news! No more fluid build up! So we were told he would go home the next day. We are excited but scared. This was the 4th time that we were told that he would come home and every time something else changed and it was a big deal again. This time that didn't happen!!!! He came home!!!! It was a great day to have him back.
That was a week ago. We have had some adjusting to do getting use to having him back home. Monkey loves having his daddy home to play with him after almost a month of being in the hospital. I'm so grateful that both of my boys are home and recovering well. Monkey is completely back to normal as was just a few days after being home. All his doctors are pleased with his recovery and believe that he will not suffer any long term effects because of this. Hubby on the other hand is still in the early recovery process. He has many follow up appointments and has a long road until he is fully back to normal but he is getting there. He's starting back to work today and hoping to at least be able to make a half of day.
So that's that! We have had a rough month but things are looking up. We are hoping that the month of May will bring brighter things for our family and that this season of trials is over for us. Hopefully we will be back to normal again now!
March 31st was Monkey's 3rd birthday and he had a big party that was going to start in a matter of less than an hour when Hubby decided that he had to be seen by a doctor NOW! So a friend and I rushed him into urgent care and after he was all signed in I headed to my parents house where Monkey was awaiting guest to arrive. Shortly after arriving I got the phone call that they were taking Hubby to the ED instead because the urgent care office couldn't help him but he wanted me at the party, so I stayed.
My friend was texting me updates and it seemed he was getting the help he needed. I tried to enjoy the party and enjoy watching Monkey play with all his friends.
After about an hour the text came in that things were getting worse and the Hubby needed me there. I had helped Monkey open 3 presents when this came in. I got up and left right away and my mom stepped in to help open presents and finish the party. There was a lot of catching up to do when I got there. I found out the he had a lung infection that was leaking fluid into his chest cavity and causing his lung to be squished. I found out later that his lung had almost fully clasped and that if he would have fallen asleep or passed out from not enough oxygen that he would have fallen into a coma or died because of it. So scary!
They did a chest x-ray and CT scan and put in a chest tube to drain the fluid and told him he would be staying awhile. They didn't have any rooms for him to move to so he had to stay in the ED overnight. After about 1.5 weeks of chest flushes to help drain the fluid they pulled the chest tube thinking that the fluid had drained and that there was only a small pocket of air in his chest cavity that his lung hadn't attached back yet. After less than a day the pain was back and another CT scan they determined that it wasn't air but more fluid and it was still building up. They started to talk about surgery as the only option. So I found a babysitter for Monkey so I could spend all day Wednesday up there so I could be there when the surgeon came in. (Also, at some point during this time I had to take Monkey into the ED because he got into my peanut butter M&M's and had an allergic reaction. Lucky for us it was just hives and a rash but still just another thing to deal with).
Well, that's when things changed again in the major sense. Tuesday night Monkey woke up crying about his tummy hurting. I tried to check his spleen because he has a blood disorder that can cause it to enlarge. It didn't feel like it and it was his right side that was hurting which was the opposite of where it should. So I rushed him to the ED at Children's at 11:20pm. They check him out and they decide that they want to do a CT scan to make sure it isn't appendicitis. That's when I call me dad. I knew that I couldn't be with Monkey while having the CT done because I'm pregnant but I couldn't let Monkey be alone. My dad came up and they did the IV in Monkey which resulted in lots of screaming and crying. For me its never easy to watch this but because of his blood disorder I have seen it so many times in his short 3 years that it doesn't upset me. I think its tough mom skin. My dad on the other hand really struggled watching and helping pin Monkey down. He was crying because of it. I really felt bad that he had to experience that but I really needed him there with everything else that was going on. After some pain meds we were taken to the CT room and the CT was done.
At this point I called Hubby to update him on how Monkey as doing. He was really struggling being stuck at the hospital and not able to help me. He reminded me that I needed to call our hematologist to let them know what was going on. This was a good thing because when I got the call back from the doctor she told me that there was a good chance that it wasn't appendicitis but an enlarged gallbladder.
I went and spoke to the doctor right away and let her know what I was told. Sure enough when the CT scan came back it was his gallbladder. Since we were not at the main campus of Children's they had to transport us. Monkey and I got our first ride in an ambulance that night. Once we got to the main campus the surgical team came in to speak with me. Luckily for them and me my parents had switched and my mom was now there with me so my dad could get some sleep and then be with Hubby when the surgeon came to talk to him. They surgeon told me that Monkey needed to have his gallbladder removed and somewhat quickly. At this point I kinda lost it. I started to have a panic attack, couldn't control my breathing and I couldn't tell if I was having contractions or if it was because of my breathing that my muscles were tightening up.
Hubby's ED doctor came in to speak to us and I told her (and she saw) what was happening to me. She checked with the surgeon and they said that Monkey could wait a few days to have the surgery if needed and that I needed to take care of myself. They let me know that they couldn't do anything with Monkey without me being there and signing consent so I needed to go get myself checked out.
So...my mom drove me across the street to the hospital. Yep you are reading this right. All three members of my family were in three different hospitals at the same time. My mom dropped me off at the door and went back to be with Monkey. I finally got through the ED department after a phone call from Monkey's doctor and moved to the labor and delivery floor to be monitored. Shortly after they got me hooked up a friend I called showed up. She cancelled her schedule for the rest of the week to be there for me. I couldn't have asked for a better friend! (Same friend that was there for Hubby in the hospital too so I could be at the party). So after about 2 hours I was released. Everything was showing fine with Goose and I was calmed down and had excepted what was going on. I had prayed again (I had been doing that so often during all of this it had been just an open ended conversation with God) and asked for strength. I knew that I couldn't do it without Him.
I went back to Children's and Monkey was sleeping comfortably. The surgeon came in shortly after I arrived and we went over everything that was going to be done the next morning. They had him scheduled for 7:30am which was good because they wouldn't let him eat anything and I didn't want to have to keep telling him no. I signed all the paperwork and then went in a took a nap. It really was a long day at this point, almost 48 hours awake.
So now what happened with Hubby during all of this.... My dad was at the hospital with him almost all day. The surgeon said that he didn't recommend surgery at this point but a larger chest tube could still work. He didn't want to do surgery because it would be a very invasive one and recovery would be another 2 weeks in the hospital and another 2 months once home. So they put in the 2 chest tubes. One was the largest they had and the other was another small one. He said it was very painful (he used more colorful wording but you get the picture) but he pushed through it hoping to avoid surgery.
Monkey had his surgery the next day. Hubby was draining fluid and having more chest flushes. Things were looking a little better. Monkey came out of surgery doing great. (That experience is the toughest thing I have ever gone through in my life. Watching them put him under and then being there to help comfort him when he was recovering is something that I wish that myself and no other mom will ever have to experience. I can't even talk more about it because I will start crying and remembering every detail).
My dad moved all of our furniture to their house on Friday and we were released from the hospital on Saturday. We decided it was best to move in with my parents because we weren't sure how long Hubby's recovery would be and they didn't want me to have to care for Monkey and be there for Hubby all by myself. This was and is such a blessing to us.
Sunday evening Hubby started to have chest pain. They did a CT scan and found out that the large tube had dislodged in his chest and needed to be removed. They called and paged and called the doctors that were suppose to remove it and weren't getting any answers. Finally in the middle of the night Hubby called me because he was in so much pain that not even 4 different pain medications were helping. He didn't want me to come up but he wanted me to know what was going on. You know because calling me like that was going to let me relax and go back to sleep which is what he wanted me to do. So instead I called my dad (who was upstairs) and asked him to go up there to make sure that Hubby was OK and that things got taken care of right away.
What ended up happening is that the nurse had to remove the tube. It relieved his pain almost immediately. The next morning the same thing started to happen again with the small tube. Several hours later, after lunch, the doctor finally showed up to remove the second tube. Thinking they got everything this time they started talking about him coming home again the next day. Within maybe 2 hours Hubby started having strange things happen to him. He was getting chills and feeling uncomfortable and just feeling like something was wrong. He called me panicking and I headed right up there.
After another x-ray they saw that the fluid was coming back again. That's when we starting talking among ourselves and with the doctors that we trusted, basically not listening to the chest tube doctors anymore. We had decided that we were more comfortable with having the surgery than we were having another tube put in because we wouldn't let those doctors touch him again.
After speaking to every doctor we wanted to and hearing from the surgeon say that he still doesn't recommend surgery and another doctor laying out some options for us we decided that we would change hospitals and go with another chest tube if that is what was recommended my the new chest tube doctors. The great thing is the the same doctors that we liked and trusted would still be his doctors at the other hospital but we would have a new team of chest tube doctors that would also be on site instead contracted in.
Once we switched hospitals a few hours later we couldn't have made a better decision. The nursing staff was great and Hubby was well cared for. The next day after the doctors saw him and the chest tube doctor reviewed his case they were ready to do the tube. I made sure I was there because Hubby was nervous to have to do this all over again. The doctor came out and spoke with us and let us ask all of our questions and explain our hesitation with having to go through this again. He also explained what he was going to do and why he believed that it should work. He also told us that he would drain as much fluid as he could in the CT scan room which turned out to make a major difference.
All that happened on a Thursday. They did several more chest flushes and waited the weekend to make sure all the fluid was gone. One Monday they capped off the tube and let it sit for 24 hours to see if the fluid came back. Tuesday morning another x-ray shows that nothing has changed! Great news! No more fluid build up! So we were told he would go home the next day. We are excited but scared. This was the 4th time that we were told that he would come home and every time something else changed and it was a big deal again. This time that didn't happen!!!! He came home!!!! It was a great day to have him back.
That was a week ago. We have had some adjusting to do getting use to having him back home. Monkey loves having his daddy home to play with him after almost a month of being in the hospital. I'm so grateful that both of my boys are home and recovering well. Monkey is completely back to normal as was just a few days after being home. All his doctors are pleased with his recovery and believe that he will not suffer any long term effects because of this. Hubby on the other hand is still in the early recovery process. He has many follow up appointments and has a long road until he is fully back to normal but he is getting there. He's starting back to work today and hoping to at least be able to make a half of day.
So that's that! We have had a rough month but things are looking up. We are hoping that the month of May will bring brighter things for our family and that this season of trials is over for us. Hopefully we will be back to normal again now!
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