Followers

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Clean Out #3

Doernbecher Childrens Hospital
Room 40 /9 North
I wanted to bring you behind the doors of a CF patient in Isolation,(a 4 year old patient).All CF patients are in isolation to keep them from giving others the bacteria that they grow & vise versa. Isolation means that she can not go to the "communtity areas", like the play room. And she cant walk the halls of the floor, but we can leave the room if she wears a mask & go out to the mail hall & cafateria & out door playground (on ground level) & to the courtyard on the 9th floor. Even when we did go to the cafateria or the main hall I had her keep her mask on just cause hospital s are filed w/ germs, everywhere. She pushes elevator buttons w/ her elbows!Also all "workers" that come into the room have to wear gowns and gloves top prevent cross contamination.The sign on the top left was made by a teenage CF patient for her. The letters pop of the paper. (Thank you Amanda!)

So this is what her picc line looks like.The circle is where the line is inserted in her arm & the blue oval shape is a snap system that is snaped around the tube &stuck to her skin. Then there's strips & big sheets of tape over that.It's very secure. The part hanging down is where we attach the IV line when it's time for antibiotics & lipids.They can also do blood draw fron there.On top of all this she waers a stretchy tube to keep it covered,(we call it a sock).As you can imagine the worst part of all this is getting the dressing changed. They use some detach stuff that disolves the stickyness but her arms are covered in peach fuzz.
So she was admitted on Friday the 20th. We've never been there on a weekend b4 & it turned out great. Shane took Fri. & Sat. off work & came up w/ the kids. They got a motel for the weekend & came to visit Hayla every day. That was a great treat.This is Talon & Hayla.


Partners in crime..Aden & Hayla.



What'a up w/ the tough-guy lips?

She was doing the pulp fiction dance...no they've never seen that movie!



This is me, Mom, from Aden's point of view. I n the back ground is TYalon on the bed & Shane in that chair that makes into a bed. Every time you sit in it, the seat slides out from under you a little bit!


Shane & the kids left for home Sunday. So we had to entertain ourselfs the rest of the week. This is whear I slept & our awsome veiw. The hospital is built in the hills above portland, so the views are all great. From the main hall thier are windows the length of the hall that over look the hillside , the river w/ all the differant bridge, the "east side"of Portland, and above all that in the distance is Mt. Hood,(with the sun rising the thr right of it). Thats the Doernbecher section & it's attached to OHSU.


Her antibiotic schedual is 6am/2pm/9pm(for a differant one)/10pm


She was on the 9pm dose, just goofing around.She wouldnt spot "skating" on the pole.



We spemt a whole week just hanging out in between treatments. Besides IV's she also is doing respitory treatments 4 times a day. Because she was in isolation they brought in activities for us to do. You can see the play dough behind her.


The bag hanging on the IV pole is the lipid drip I mentioned in the other post.


This is called "pep", its basically exercise for your lungs. She's suposed to blow in the mouth piece & hold the right amount of preasure to keep the ball in between the 2 lines on the part she's holding w/ her keep. Yes, feet to her are just another set of hands! Before we left Mama (Shanes mom) & Talon got her some things too keep her busy. You can see the eraseable book she was working on. Mamma also got her glow ing the dark braclets. That was the coolest. When we went to sleep she had be hang them on the IV pole & the nurses thought it was great when they would peek in to check on her.


We had only planned on being there 4 days but we ended up staying for 7. Good thing they have a family laundry roon, free too!


In case you couldn't tell in the first picture, yes those are underwear on her head! Don't worry they are clean. I had to trick her so I could get them away from her cause she wanted to wear them down to the cafateria! What a wierdo.


On Tuesday Burgerville can & had a ice cream social but cause of isolation we couldn't go. But we did get our hands on some ice cream. Also later that day they were doing jewerly making. I went down & asked if they vould bring some for her to work on.



This is my favorite activity that they do. Also my favorite picture of the trip.On Wednesday is BINGO day! Hayla's fav. activity. We had to play in the room...but just as fun. You watch from the tv (they set up a camer in the play room on the south side) & call in when you have a BINGO. Everybody's a winner at Doernbecher. Then the bring around a prize cart & she picked a toy & a stuffy. (But no touching, they have to hold things up by the door.) She picked a "barbie"doll type doll & a Pound Puppie that came w/ a DVD.



After Wednesday we were back to entertaining ourselfs. Wed. evening I finished a book I've been working on forever. (Hayla took this pict!). I called Ruth (Shanes' mom) & told her that my book had a sequil I didn't know about. She was at home w/ the kids. Since Shane had the next day off she gathered the kids & went out to the thrift stores to find my book! That was so sweet. They brought it to me the next day..they were already coming so Ruth could visit Hayla..& Shane had a door to pick up at the distributers in Portland (for his business). Anyways I really appriciated, by the time we left Fridat I had read more them 1/2 of it. (Nanny- they're about a family & thier connection to Ireland & to each other..maybe I ll send them to you)



So Thurs. & Fri. there was nothing to do but read & be board.Of course we went to the outside playground(Thur. we spent hours there, on & off), and I hauled her all over in the wagon.



Nothing to do but be goofy. Then Friday came....


....just nothing to do, but wait to be discharged. We didnt get out till 4pm. Ther was a big accident on the I5 earlier in the day so the 45 min. drive home took 2 hours. We go back up on Tues to get the picc line out (hopefully). She did a great job diring her RT. She got a lot of mucus & chunkies out of her lungs. She's also on oral antibiotics M-W-F for forever tohelp prevent her from needing a clean out every 6 months like what been hapening.





















Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Update #2

I was feeling guilty for being here when her treatment schedual is so easy (time wise) but Monday night they put her on a Lipid drip. All it is is liquid fat through an IV. Its just a boost to help her gain a little weight. Its the most "potent" form of fat you can get. So at least they are doing something I can't do at home. Also todat will be her first day of azithromyacin. Actually she's had a few rounds of it b4 but now she's on it 3 days a week for ever. Its an antibiotic but it also has antiinflamitory propertys to it, so the idea is to keep her from being admitted every 6 months! Gotta go I just stoped in to check my laundry, (someone has broken the latch on one of the 2 dryers!-no it wasnt me) I left her w/ the RTs.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Hospital Update

Just a quick update.We've been here since Friday and she's doing well. Durring respitory therapy she coughed up a lot of "slime" w/ chunks. Since today she hasnt had much to get out, so were just hanging out. Her IV therapy is on a easy schedual this time. 3 times a day for one (6am/2pm/10pm) and 1 time a day for the other (9pm). And it onlly takes 20 min for them to infuse (except the 9pm one..it takes an hour). So I let the doctor decide when to let us out this time (ususlly we ask to be let go after 3 days) and today he said we'll go home Friday and then come back on Tuesday to be evaluated. She's inisolation (like all CF patients should be)..but it's not as bad as it sounds. She has to wear a mask when she leaves her room & she's not to be hanging around in the hall..(hey, no loitering kid!), or hanging w/ other CF patients, and no play room. Ok, it kinda sucks! But even when we leave the "floor" she keeps her mask on to protect her from all the germs. Right now we were on a walk,(eating a beef stick) and we stoped at the community computers. I lathered the key board & mouse w/ hand sanitizer. And when we're done we will go directly to the sanitizer on the wall. I don't seem any where to plug in my sd card to post some pictures. I think tomarrow I will ask for a laptop in our room for her to play with. So I JUST WANTED EVERYBODY TO KNOW THAT SHE'S DOING GREAT. We are just trying to get her as healthy as we can b4 fall gets here.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Camping Trip

Here's our kitchen area. Ruth & Levi's tent is behind there. We got a site w/ electricity so Hayla could do treatments. Then we thought why not get a fridge for Hayla's meds that need to stay cold; and it was great for other things.

Here's the campfire area and our tent.


Every one keeping busy.Except the teenager!


Shane and (our cousin) Chelsie.



Hayla was prepared to ride at a moments notice.



Talon & Daddy watching a movie. (Thank you Terri it gets a ton of use)

We did a good job of getting treatments done.



Chelsie & Chehayla

Poor dog! She draged her all through the river.



From one bank to the another. Shane & Aden are on the other side.

They made thier way back down. Its cool how familiar we are with this place.


Aden



Maggie

They wanted to be in /w us. But not enough to just jump in.


I tryed to coax them in. They knew we were doing something.


Forging the river.....


... for the perfect shot!



Dish crew (for a night!)

AAUUHHH!
Chehayla draging Pappy to the "berry tree".


This is Foster lake, up the road from the campsite. We never knew it was there. Once Shane found it we spent 2 days there.


Me & Chuffy


She was sucking the water out of the boat w/ a squirter.


Pappy fishing on the banks.


Aden fishing on the banks.


Papa had taken Talon rowing around the lake (not the whole thing..its huge!), so they went around to see Aden & Pappy, & left them the boat.



Everybody roasting marshmellows. Actually it was more of a flame contest.


I love the way Talon's looking at her Papa.


MMMmmm

Shane & I went to town & brought back a cany bar for the kids. Yeah!

Early morning antibiotics.


Aden has a scratch across his face cause he gets his bike riding skills from me! He rode off the trail into sticker bushes, his sisters just stood at the top continuing w/ thier conversation!

Camp food


Ruth & Levi in Foster lake.

It was Ruth's B-day and Aden picked her all those blackberrys!

Crashed out from a big day at the lake. She slept like this every day we went there! They all swam like crazy. She went out to where it was up to my chest & swam back over & over. And the kids just go where ever (w/in the swimming area w/ us around). They pulled each other in those boats for hours.


Shane finished almost his whole word search book that he never has time to do!



Talon & Chuffy

I sent Hayla down the rapids by her self! That was nerve racking the first time, but she was fine. So we did it again.


Talon & Aden riding the rapids.

It's always good when you can see where the rocks are at.


Aden trying to float on his butt.!

Shane keeping gaurd over the kids.



Splash war