Happy Birthday Patrick!

A year ago, I was a basketcase. Against all reason, I’d convinced myself that I should have gotten a call from my adoption caseworker about a child.. even though we’d only been approved to adopt for a little under 2 months.

Little did I know that two time zones away, a beautiful little boy had just been born. At birth, the doctors doubted he’d survive. Labor had been induced three weeks early because when his birthmom went in for an ultrasound, the doctors discovered that Patrick was in trouble (beyond the already known problems gastroschesis and suddenly missing intestines).

After he was born, Patrick was swept immediately away to surgery where they discovered that his Short Gut was substantial. His birthparents were told maybe had 24 hours to live.

Now here we are, a year later. Patrick is thriving, in spite of all he’s been through and the many, many times that doctors have questioned how long he’d live.

Patrick’s life in every way is a miracle. What a blessing it is to have him in our lives.

Happy birthday, Patrick!

For all your party-goers, the party’s still on at our house this afternoon.

Top 10 ways you’ll know that Patrick has had his transplant

It seems that our fundraising efforts have created some confusion about Patrick’s transplant. The fact that the Produce for Patrick stands coincided with Patrick’s intestinal reconnection surgery has led a lot of people to believe that transplant has already happened. As much as we wish that were true, Patrick is still waiting for his transplant.

I’m asked every few days how the transplant went. And when I explain that we’re still waiting, the response I almost always get is “Well, you’ll let us know when it does, right?”

So – for all who are afraid that they’ll miss word of Patrick’s transplant, here is a list of ways you’ll know it’s happened. (It’s also a little intro to what we expect life to be like after transplant.)

1) We’ll be in Washington. Patrick is having his transplant done at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

2) Brian will be alone when he’s at home. Patrick needs to live near Seattle Children’s for at least 6 months. I’ll be there with him.

3) Brian will achieve frequent flier status. The plan is for him to go back and forth between cities until Patrick and I can come home.

4) We’ll be germophobes. To prevent rejection, Patrick’s immune system will be suppressed. We won’t often take him into public places, and when we do, he’ll probably be wearing a mask. If you visit us, we’ll demand that you be healthy, and that you make sure to wash your hands… often.

5) Patrick will be allowed to eat. Not just a teaspoon of formula and one bite of solid food every 3 hours. He will need normal quantities of real food because…

6) Patrick won’t need TPN anymore. At first they’ll slowly decrease the number of hours that he has it. A goal before he comes home will be that he doesn’t need it at all anymore. He won’t have an IV anymore. It’s possible that for a while he’ll be fed through the tube in his stomach.. but eventually, even that will not be needed.

7) Patrick and I rack up a different kind of frequent flier miles. For the first little while after coming home, Patrick will need to go back to Seattle Children’s much more often than he goes now. To make these trips while he’s on immunosuppressants, we will probably stop flying commercially and use smaller planes through a service like Angel Flight. Since small planes fly more slowly, the trip will take a day each way, not counting time in clinic.

8 ) We’ll have to start watching our budget even more closely than we do now. Right now, most of Patrick’s care falls under our insurance company’s catastrophe protection. However, immune suppressants are a pharmacy benefit, to which no out of pocket maximum applies. Co-pays for transplant medications average hundreds of dollars a month.

9) We’ll probably change a lot of what we do. Patrick’s care will require a whole new and different routine. Because his health will be at risk, we’ll have to be careful of where we go with him, as well as what we do around the house. (For example, gardening is a huge health risk for Patrick.)

10) WE’LL TELL YOU! I promise, when it comes time for Patrick’s transplant, we will be overflowing with excitement, fear, and anticipation. An intestinal transplant is MAJOR. You won’t be guessing if it’s happened. It will be all we can think about for a long time.

Now, the next question I’ve been getting is this. “If Patrick hasn’t had his transplant yet, why are you fundraising?” The answer is this… Patrick’s transplant is a VERY expensive one. It’s a newer form of transplant with higher rejection risk, and so follow-up care for this transplant is quite intesive. Furthermore, we have to travel to have the transplant done, which ups our cost exponentially, especially when you add in cost of living and travel on top of out-of-network medical bills and medication co-pays. Raising $70,000 can take some time, and we’re trying to be prepared and to help in the fundraising efforts while we are still in a position to do so.

There is, of course, the possibility that Patrick’s health could fail before he gets to transplant. This is one of the biggest reasons that we decided to work with COTA to do fundraising. Any money raised that Patrick doesn’t need will go to the transplant-related expenses of other children.

So there’s my educational spiel of the morning. Hope it helps to answer some of the questions you may have.

A Sick Day at Home

Patrick stayed home sick in bed on Monday. This would be pretty boring news for another kid, but for Patrick, this is only his 2nd ever sick day at home.

When I put him to bed Sunday night, his temperature was in the 99’s. If his temperature reaches 100.4 degrees farenheit, that is considered a fever and requires quick action. With a central line, a small fever could be a life-threatening blood infection that can turn deadly in the matter of just a few hours. If a fever reaches 101, we go straight to the hospital and say there at least 2 days.

Monday morning, Patrick’s temperature was still high, but sat just on the brink of a fever. So instead of running to the doctor, I put him in my bed with his IV pole connected, in addition to the TPN in his backpack, so that I could give him fluids to keep him from getting dehydrated.

He didn’t feel well, so he just layed there and napped and looked at books and watched Baby Einsteins. Meanwhile, I got on the phone with Patrick’s medical team. I talked to the nurses in the GI clinic to get blood cultures ordered, and then his home nurse to arrange for her to come to give them. I called his dietician to let her know that his stomach was upset and I was having to pour extra fluids into him. (This can make a difference in his electrolyte balance, which can be life-threatening.) And then I talked to his doctor, who was at home sick with the flu, but more than willing to work with me to make sure he stayed safe at home, or could go quickly to the hospital if needed. Then a conversation with his homecare pharmacist to arrange for a dose of antibiotics and some extra fluid to be delivered, and a call to the pharmacy at Primary Children’s Hospital to get some oral antibiotics too, for his belly.

I played nurse all day long. I spent a lot of the day in bed with Patrick to keep him comforted, and to watch for signs that he might take a turn for the worse. But he stayed grumpy, but stable. I also took his temperature at least every half hour.

Nursing duty spilled into the night. Brian and I took turns sleeping in Patrick’s room with him. He slept better that way, anyway, plus it meant that we could keep a closer eye on him.

And amazingly, by morning his fever was gone and he was starting to feel better. So far, nothing has grown from his blood cultures, so the gamble to keep him home seems to have been one work taking this time. In the peak of respiratory/flu season the last place you want to go if you don’t have to is the hospital. The chances of picking up a new bug and ending up back in the hospital are always there.

We’re still not sure why Patrick wasn’t feeling well. I wish sometimes he could talk. I know his stomach was upset, and that he seems to have increased problems with his motility. He’s also cutting teeth, which could have played a part in all of it.

Still, we’re happy to be home… To have been able to stay the day in bed at home, even if it did mean 2 days of hefty nursing duties and missed sleep for me. And we’re grateful for a motivated healthcare team who jumped right in to make sure that Patrick was able to stay safe and sound at home.

The good news that came out of this for Patrick was a decision that it might help to stimulate his motility to feed him. So he’s getting his little half teaspoon feeds again. Kind of the opposite of what you’d do for a healthy kid with an upset stomach. But that’s just Patrick’s life. He is THRILLED to be eating again and savors each bottle.

Patrick’s First Date

On Monday, Patrick had his first date… play date that is. My good friend Lindy was here visiting from Seattle with her daughter, Lauren. We decided it was a great excuse for Brian to take a day off and for us to finally go to the zoo.

It was a wonderful day! We started out at lunch where Patrick and Lauren sat in high chairs (this was Patrick’s first time) and played with spoons and straws and napkins. Then we went and picked up the zoo pass.

It was beautiful weather. It seemed like every stay at home mom in the valley had decided to get out to enjoy it. I’m sure it helped that there’s an adorable baby elephant, a baby giraffe, and a baby monkey, to name just a few of the new arrivals at the zoo this season.

Lauren was totally into the animals. Patrick was more interested in the enclosures. (The glass, hand rails, etc.) But they both enjoyed the day…

… even if Patrick was worn out by the end.

Patrick and Lauren really seemed to have hit it off. This is good news, as Lindy is the only person I know well in Seattle and Patrick and Lauren will probably get more than their fair share of each other as we go through this transplant journey.

I think this picture says it all. Yes, they held hands in the car, by the waterfall, and at dinner. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Home Sweet Home

We were able to bring Patrick home again yesterday afternoon. My apologizies that it comes as such a surprise. Patrick’s surgeon was out until last Thursday, and we didn’t see him till Friday. The other surgeons led us to believe that we’d need to stay in the hospital until Patrick no longer needed his stomach drained to compensate for his too narrow large intestine.

When Dr. Rollins, the surgeon, came in on Friday he said he’d like to get us out of the hospital as soon as possible. However, weekend discharges are difficult and don’t often happen.

Dr. Rollins called Patrick’s GI, Dr. Jackson, in to give his recommendations and, well, Dr. Jackson always wants us home whenever possible. Despite all these recent infections, Patrick has a pretty good track record of staying healthy at home. So Dr. Jackson always prefers that he be here, especially with RSV and flu season upon us.

And so, much to everyone’s surprise, including ours, we brought Patrick home yesterday.

He is on erethromycin (don’t know that’s spelled right), which causes the stomach to contract… the idea is that it will help improve motility through the intestines. And he has a g-tube extension attached to the button in his stomach. This gives his stomach a sort of release valve for when his stomach contents build up too much. We put it to drain periodically throughout the day, though the goal is to keep that at a minimum.

So – my care of Patrick has changed, but is still very time intensive. And as he gets better and has more diapers to change and is allowed to eat, I expect to get even busier.

He’s doing great! It’s amazing to me to see him willing to play on his stomach now that the ostomy is gone. He’s also become quite good at sitting. It will be different to experience this new level of activity here at home.

A poem for Patrick

I’m working on a short gut syndrome support group website in my spare time here at the hospital. After a lot of pondering, I’ve chosen for the logo a worn out teddy bear. This morning, the words to this poem just kind of popped into my head to express why.

 

My teddy’s my best friend, without a doubt

His side is stitched up and some stuffing’s come out.

He’s missing a button and some fur on his tail

But those things don’t matter, I love him so well.

 

He’s faithful. He’s happy. He helps dry my tears.

He patiently bears being hung by his ears.

He’s rough round the edges, but deep down he’s great.

I can’t help but love him, with all of his scrapes.

 

Like I love my teddy, my mommy loves me

For all that I am, and for all I can be.

I may be beat up, even missing some parts

But I know she still loves me with all of her heart.

Update: Two weeks (and a day) after surgery

Well, it’s been another week. Most people are surprised to learn that we are still at the hospital. Well, we did think that the recovery would be no more than two weeks.

But here we are.

It turns out that Patrick’s large intestine is needing much more time to adapt than was anticipated. The problem is that, never having been used, first it had to wake up, and then it has to stretch back to a normal size.

They did a contrast enema today. That means they squirted contrast in Patrick’s bottom and then watched on X-ray as it moved up through his large intestine, and then his small intestine.

The good news is that it moved through without problems. There are no obstructions or strictures. The bad news is that, well, it still resembles a long noodle more than a colon. And it’s fitted to a small intestine that is quite stretched out.

So the stretched out, and therefore weaker, small intestine is trying to push things through a super tight large intestine (imagine a balloon that hasn’t yet been inflated). And it’s just not working very well.

I’ll talk to Patrick’s surgeon tomorrow about the study and see if there is anything more that can be done. So far, though, the answer I’m given most often is that we just need to wait. Hopefully time and use will balance things out.

In the meantime, we just keep waiting here. I don’t know quite what to do with myself. Without feeding, ostomy, IV’s (I’m not allowed to touch them), or even diapers really, there isn’t much in the way of my normal nursing duties to do. So I’m trying to spend my time just being a mom… playing with Patrick and helping with the basic things like sleep, comfort, and cuddles.

The good news is that Patrick actually feels quite well, as long as we don’t let too much build up in his stomach. And this lends itself to fun new adventures like baths in a bathtub and learning to sit.

It’s not the easiest thing being cooped up in this tiny crowded room together with nurses going in and out all the time. We get a bit bored of each other sometimes. But we’re doing the best we can and just praying that Patrick’s body is up for the challenge it’s been given.

Lines

Patrick just got a new PICC line.

PICC stands for Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter. It’s “peripheral” because it is put in through his arm (or sometimes leg) but “central” because the line then runs up through that vein into his aorta (a.k.a. into his heart).

Central lines are very important. Because they run into the bloodstream closer to his heart, they are able to put things like TPN or medications into it that would damage a smaller vein because they are too thick.  Also, because they are in a main vein, they can draw blood from it to run tests rather than having to poke him every time he needs bloodwork. (Which for Patrick is sometimes done several times a week.)

Because Patrick needs TPN to survive, he needs to have a central line. Sometimes he has a PICC line in his arms. Other times he has a “Broviac” or “Cook” line in his chest.

Lines can be lost to infection, to damage, to clotting, or to accidents that dislodge them. But every line lost is dangerous for Patrick. One of the biggest factors if his survival is continuing to have veins to put lines into and so it’s not uncommon to find us discussing what semi-heroic measures to use to make a line last just a little bit longer.

This line placement went remarkably smoothly. The procedure took less than half an hour, following by a half hour nap. Now he’s awake and happily playing in his bed. Still a bit shaky from the anesthesia, but trying his best to sit up. He must be feeling ok.

Thanks to all who helped with Produce for Patrick

Last Saturday, friends, neighbors and family put together a produce stand in Patrick’s behalf.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all those who helped to make this event a HUGE success. Over $500 was raised in that day as generous people came to buy the fruits and veggies that had been donated. There was an amazing outpouring of generosity from loved ones and strangers alike in donations from 25 cents for a cup of lemonade to far more than the value of the fruits and veggies taken home.

Thanks to Tifanie who had this idea and spent countless hours talking to neighbors and picking fruits and veggies to make this stand a reality. Thanks to Kari, Amber, Jill, and others who gave time to help in gathering the donated harvest. Thanks especially to those who offered the surplus from their gardens and fruit trees.

Thanks to my friends and family who helped in the planning, setup, and manning of the stand, especially to Mom and Jill who’ve put so much work into pulling together our COTA campaign.

Thanks to Chris and Bella and the other kids who helped with the lemonade stand and tenaciously tried to sell a cup to anyone and everyone who arrived at the stand.

And finally thanks to those people who came out of their way to buy from our stand and to strangers who saw it driving by and stopped. We wondered going into this if anyone would stop and buy fruit from a stand that was only there for a day. We were overwhelmed by the response.

I’m hoping that some of the people who were there will share their experiences here on this blog. It was definitely a day to be remembered.

This little stand gave us hope and got us excited for what the days ahead. I can’t wait to see what other little miracles are in store.