Day 2

Good evening. Things have been pretty quiet today for Lil’ C. He’s been mostly asleep all day, only awaking for about five minutes or so at a time. All the grandparents made their visits and rumor has it that he woke up and smiled for them while they were here. Since he hasn’t cracked a grin for his ole’ dad yet, I’m pretty sure this was a case of wishful thinking their part. ;)

Collin is still running around a 102 fever and they are monitoring it pretty closely. So far the staff here aren’t overly concerned about it because of being so close after the surgery. They took some cultures to rule out any infections – we should get word from those in a few days. Everything else looks normal and doesn't indicate an infection.

On a positive note, he got two more “hook-ups” removed today – one arterial IV and his catheter (yes, ouch). He also got switched back to his own vent and trach tube – this is good, except apparently the nurse in-training was doing her first ever trach tube change. Her lack of swiftness got the respiratory therapist that was observing a little anxious. For those unfamiliar with the whole trach set-up, this is the small plastic contraption that fits into Collin’s stoma (the opening in his throat) that then connects to the ventilator. The "trach change" process is not one you want to take your time with or manuever without some confidence. Fortunately, Collin is not as air-hungry as other kids with trachs so it didn’t turn out to be any big deal.

Today we said goodbye to our friends, the Martins, from Topeka. Their little girl, Josie, was the case before Collin on Friday and she got both of her titanium ribs expanded. She got her implants when she was 16 months old and she is now four. She has the same syndrome as Collin and is a real sweetheart. Just like Collin would prefer to play with medical supplies over some of his regular toys, she has fun playing “hospital” and hooks all her dolls up to IVs. Looking at her chronology of x-rays you can see a dramatic difference between now and her first operation – that’s a great source of hope for us. I guess she has been pretty cranky with some back pain from her surgery and didn’t sleep so well last night, but got the all clear and was released today around 4p.

We’re rolling into tomorrow with a hope for a break in Collin’s fever and, hopefully, some glimpses of his old self as he continues to heal. A few people from KC have asked about coming to visit Collin here at the hospital. As much as Collin would love to see you, give him a few more days to rally and get healthy before coming by.

Thanks for tuning in and feel free to post any questions you might come up with…