Trauma Headquarters and ADSG

Hey Everyone,

This is the week I have been dreading. Wednesday morning @ 7:30 AM central, could you all say a prayer for DFS13 as he undergoes his spinal fusion? I would truly appreciate the prayers at this time. My emotions have been playing up all weekend and are getting worse the closer to surgery we come. I will try my hardest to keep everyone updated throughout the day. I have heard the surgery will take 5 hours minimum and up to 10 hours. They are fusing his whole back. Prayers also his cancerous tumor is gone and has not started to regrow. I should have internet access in the waiting room and I will have my cell phone on me.

Oh, what a week this will be!

Deb (of the MarvDeb)

Prayers from here Deb.  Hoping for a good outcome.

Just set an alarm on my cell!

Will get up and pray for you Wednesday morning.

blessings

Praying for DFS & his FM.   :angel10:

Prayers from here for healing, strength, wisdom, and the restoration of joy.
 :coffee2:
anne

DFS13 is in surgery at this time. Surgery could be up to 10 hours long. I will keep posting updates when I hear about them. So far no updates from anyone, since we had our final hugs and kisses before surgery.

I am praying for DFS and you to be strong thru this.

I have had 2 fusions done on my cervical spine and can only imagine how he will feel after having his whole spine done.

Be there for him.  He will really need you, all of you.

Love, hugs and kisses my friend. :angel10:

Surgery offically started at 8:23 AM central time. They had to start two central lines and make sure they had blood on hold in the blood  bank. They also had to start a third IV to adminiter the sedation medication, after putting him to sleep with gas. This really has not helped my stress level. Poor kiddo has 3 IVS and hates them because he is ultra sensitive to pain. No update yet, since that one and we had to ask for that update. 3 hours into surgery  :'(. I'll be happy when this is done and I can see him/hold him.

Praying.....

blessings

Prayers sent.

Hope all is going well....perhaps even done by now?  Keeping you and your family in my thoughts!

DFS13 is out of surgery and we are in PICU. He is on 2L of oxygen at this time to help keep his levels up and to help him rest easier. He has just awaken and asked for some water and is now watching some television. This is a good sign and eventually they are going to wean him off the oxygen. Tomorrow we start Physical therapy again and that will be hard. He is swollen right now and they said it will get worse before it gets better. Over all, at least I know my sweet pea is awake and responsive.

So glad!  Thanks for the update.

I'm happy to hear that the surgery went well! Healing prayers being sent!

Glad to hear a good report.  Hope he heals quickly.

Glad it all went well today.  I will continue prayers ....as he and you will need them for PT. 

HHHuuuggggsss!

So glad all went well.

I was in the hospital today as a dear friend's daughter had her tonsils out.

My mind went often to you and sweetpea and I said many prayers.

Hope recovery goes well...

blessings

Lord be with this child...........

P/T will be tough, but God will watch over him as he begins his healing............

Through many tears, Mommies and complaints, dfs13 got out of bed twice. This morning his pain was a 10 out of bed and he took 3 steps.

Just now he was up out of bed (thank God for pts) and he took 12 steps. I am so proud of my little trooper.

The nurses and doctors just put him on a 2 hour rotation in bed. He will not be liking that at all and keeps saying Mommy, don't let them hurt me. Mommy I love you..It breaks my heart to hear him in so much pain...

Good news pain this morning was a 10 sitting and standing, this afternoon was an 8-9 sitting/standing. So tiny steps towards victory as I am calling it.

Discharge is scheduled for Sunday or Monday, but that can change.

Yay for baby steps!!  Sounds encouraging for sure!  Let's hope they let him stay as long as he needs to.

Wonderful new - may the healing continue.

DFS13 is not a happy camper. He was told by the surgeon he has to be out of bed sitting up in a chair and walking down the hallway. He is now in a snit because he wants to sit in bed and watch television. When asked why, he said it was because they baby him and he wants to be lazy.

I suppose I will have to be mean and take away the tv remote to get him motivated. There is a teen room at the end of the hallway, but he does not want to walk there and no one will give him a wheel chair.  We all told him that he will feel better if he just gets up and moves around, so I am hopeful he will do so without too much complaining.

He was put back on oxygen last night to maintain his 02 stats, but he is back off of it this morning. Still on liquid diet (jello, water, pudding, soups (cream also) and ice cream), but today we hope to bump it up and get him on more solid food.

I will keep everyone updated on his progress.

When our Ds13 was at Sick Kids for an extension of his ham string and tendons in his left leg, the getting up was the hardest part.  Once we got him mobile, things improved.  Part of it for our Ds13 was fear of the pain to get up.  Prayers from here.  Take care, dear friend.
 :coffee2:
anne

How goes recovery?

So hard when our kiddos are in pain.  I sure hope the nurses are keeping on top of the pain meds. 

At my hospital we do hourly rounding and assess pain, and pain meds are routinely ordered every 4 hours.  I hope your nurses are doing something similar.

Also wondering if the hospital has a child life specialist.  If they do, that person can be working with DFS on goals and such, and they can be the 'meanie'.

Thinking of you and saying lots of prayers!

blessings

We had to cut DFS13's pain medicine way back because they were making him pretty much comatose.

He was up out of bed last night and most of the day today. We had to give the poor kid an enema today because he was so impacted and his stomach was in terrible pain to the point he was screaming.

He is suppose to be discharged tomorrow morning. Child life opened the teen room early to help us encourage him to get out of bed.  Fun part was, he ignored everyone until Mom (me) told him to get his butt up and moving.

He is very excited to be coming home tomorrow. I am at home, so I can get a good night's rest. The every 2 hour flip schedule did not allow me to sleep. Visitors today commented on how exhausted I looked, but that DFS looked so good.

Thank you everyone for the prayers and well wishes. I am now taking myself to bed, to get some long overdue sleep. Now to hope I can sleep. I slept good last night. Hubby explained to dfs that I was down right exhausted and needed sleep. When dfs ignored hubby, child life, his nurse, his surgeon and an on call dr. all explained to him that Mom needed sleep or mom would end up in the hospital..dfs kicked me home last night too. no sooner did my head hit the pillow and I was out cold until hubby woke me this morning. Hoping for another good night's sleep tonight, so I am rested for dfs to come home and everything being on me.

Keep Plugging along, MarvDeb!

You are such a fantastic mama to FS!  He is SO lucky to have you.

I'll keep praying.  Sounds like its a struggle but that you are succeeding.  :)

Sending warm fuzzy healing thoughts your way!

blessings

DFS came home yesterday and we're are struggling to get him up every hour during the day to walk. DH is in there now telling him to get up. Thanks to the hospital, he wants to lay in bed watching t.v. and not do what needs to be done. We are trying to wean him off the pain meds, as once he gets one he is out cold and then we cannot get him motivated for a minimum of 6 hours. Then he wakes up and says he is too stiff to move.

I am sure each day will get better. I just pray bandage changes go well, since the stuff they want us to use is extremely sticky and his skin is so sensitive.

On the good side, we have him walking around the house without his walker. He is SLOWLY trying to not be so stiff. Physical therapy will not start for a minimum of another two weeks, so it will be my job to keep him going.

Thank you everyone for the prayers.

Praying here!

blessings

Me too!   :angel10:

Sighs, poor DFS...Had to rush him to the family doctor this morning because his wound was leaking a yellowish discharge and he has had problems in the past with infection. His surgeon was in a surgery this morning and unavailable.  DFS is now on an antibiotic twice a day for the next 10 days.

We had to change his bandages because the primpose bandage was sticking to the wound and pulling off the scabs trying to form. Hopefully this new one will work better. The tape on the old bandage was horrible to get off and this new one is suppose to be better. We'll find out how it goes tomorrow.

Thanks for the continued prayers..>Can you pray I get time to do my finals and get good grades on them? I have not had any time to start them and one is due tomorrow and the other by Sunday....More stress  :(

Prayers your way, MarvDeb.

May the Lord guide you with good grades on your finals and in helping to heal DFS.  I've been keeping you in mind.

Definitely will say prayers.

And if you continue to have troubles with wound healing, please call the hospital and ask for a wound nurse consult.

I work with some great wound nurses and they have all sorts of tricks up their sleeves.  and also lots of fun stuff for dressings that are not commonly available.

Naggy nurse moment over!

Friend hat back on!  Hang in there.  Sending you warm fuzzy thoughts for your finals!

blessings

Wow, what an incredible load you are juggling....

I can't imagine how hard this must all be on everyone involved.

Hang in there!!!!