The taste of Mommy's milk snaps Matthew right out of a crying spell.
Today was a good day. We are averaging 2-3 doctors' visits a week and today we went to see Dr. Nakamura (Matthew's Pulmonologist). After filling out an Encyclopedia Britannica volume worth of paper work we brought Matthew back to the scales� Ta Daaa�"In this corner, in the yellow jammys, weighing in at a svelte 10lbs 10ounces and measuring 23inches in length�Ladies and Gentlemen, Matthew King!" Dr. Nakamura came in and was very happy with the progress Matthew has made. He told us that Matthew will likely remain on oxygen for the perceivable future. He started us on a very gradual weaning schedule for the diuretics and nebulized breathing treatments. He reassured Terri that the low flow humidifier probably had no ill effect on Matthew when it tipped over and sent water into his nose last night. He said if Matthew didn't choke then the water likely never made it past his nostrils.
As for Matthew's withdrawal symptoms, Terri contacted Dr. Tracey Butler from the Sunrise PICU. Dr. Butler said she would draft a gentler weaning schedule for Matthew so he doesn't get quite so agitated at night.
3 comments:
Wow, 10 lbs 10 ounces! That's wonderful. I'm glad they are going to help with a better weaning schedule so Matthew (and Mommy & Daddy) won't have to suffer so much. Matthew has been through enough already.
Love to all of you.
Grandma Sue
Well... I dunno.... Kim & I were there to see his face and saw the water pouring out his nose...and out the cannula..... Jury is still out w/ me that it didn't go down the back of his throat....whether it went to his lungs or down his throat... he was quite gurrgly for a while after the incident. All it takes is a lttle bit of water to make it to your lungs to cause pneumonia...
That's my observation.
Matthew has had many guardian angels throughout the course of his short life and I am confident that one was present on this particular evening when water was being forced through his nose and down his throat. This was no small trickle of water, but was a steady stream. It was terrifying and no one should have to worry about this happening to their loved one.
Thank God Matthew was not injured, but I am certain it is ONLY because I was standing right in front of him and IMMEDIATELY noticed the distress on his little face. When this happened the machine did not sound an alarm or shut off. The oxygen concentrator has now been adapted to prevent any water from ever reaching Matthew's nose or airways. There is absolutely no excuse for this not being installed BEFORE we had this scary incident. I could never live with myself if I did not report this incident to the manufacturer and the FDA.
When I was in law school, I learned of a legal concept known as "foreseeable misuse" which imposes a legal duty on product manufacturers. In other words, if it is foreseeable that someone could misuse this medical equipment (i.e., by hooking it up without the safety device) then that manufacturer must implement safety precautions to be certain that it cannot be used in such a way as to cause injury to the user. In good conscious, I cannot and will not allow this event with Matthew to go unreported.
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