When Aurelia arrived the other day, I did not realize one of the side effects of having a daughter in the CICU (cardiac intensive care unit) would be time flying. I can't seem to keep track of the hours and minutes and spend enough time with her, Jillian, Madison, or even by myself to simply use the bathroom without looking up to see the clock hands spinning at some astronomical rate.
Grandma and Grandpa Dittrich have headed home after their first visit with our family, and Grandpa DeAlessio wasn't far behind. After an uneventful evening at the Ronald McDonald House in what is one of western culture's greatest cesspools, Camden, NJ, we got back to the hospital to find Aurelia spent a quiet evening of her own. Her breathing, while labored in the evening, had returned to normal, her pain level seemed moderate and well managed, and her disposition quiet and reserved. Jillian and I like to think she's saving her strength for the big battle ahead.
It's hard for us to think that she's already had one surgery and in only a few days will be on bypass and having another.
News today has, so far, been rather mundane. Urology consulted with the team this morning and has decided to postpone any action for the time being on her kidney. She'll be administered antibiotics for the next month in an effort to stave off infection in her multi-cystic kidney. Kidneys of her sort are prone to infection and infections, to a newborn who recently had heart surgery (or soon will), are much feared. It seems that there is a test the urology folks want to run, but Aurelia needs to be a bit older and stronger for the test to be successful.
Otherwise, the only other real news to report is that in an ultrasound last evening the team, led by the fantastic Dr. Naim, uncovered a malformation of her uterus. While this poses no threat to her now, or when she hits puberty and begins menstruating, or even when she (if she) chooses to become pregnant, it will impact the delivery, baby's positioning, and perhaps development. All of these things are manageable, however, and will just be added to her medical file.
On a related note - I think I'm going to need a U-haul to cart Aurelia's medical records with me from place to place!
I'm sure Jillian or I will post more today as things unfold (we've had several other meetings, etc., today), and as always, thank you for all your love and support.
Yes, when a loved one is in the hospital, time goes astronomically fast, doesn't it? You'll learn that real quick. Another thing to learn is to thank the Lord when you have a "mundane" day. You'll want to have a lot of those! Finally, yes, you do almost need a u-haul to carry around medical records, LOL. What I would do if I were you is carry the records around in a notebook (3 ring binder) to always have them with you. Write down what happens daily with Aurelia (and sometimes even your own and your family's experiences), bc when you get tired, you may just forget some of the things that went on. Write down what occured each day (this info will come in handy later on -- trust me), what medication/etc side effects Aurelia had if she ever has any, what medications she is on, anything you deem is important. You must remember that you are your daughter's most important advocate. It is something I did and have been doing and have been very glad...
ReplyDeletekrissy knox
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