Of all the hospitalization that Logan has had, I don't have any pictures of him at Primary Children's....so I got some this time.
It was Wednesday, I had babysitting kids over, Logan and Larkin played hard all day. By dinner time everyone was tired. I could tell that Logan had overdone it. He was falling asleep in his taco soup. As soon as he was finished we skipped baths and put him straight to bed. I went out for a few hours, and when I came home he was throwing up. I was able to catch it all in a blanket and quickly wash his mouth out and settle him back asleep. He threw up once more and we weren't so lucky, and it was all over. My mom was in town and helped with the sheets and laundry. My dad grabbed a crib mattress from the basement and we set it up in my room so I could keep better watch over him during the night. When I finally went to go to bed I couldn't sleep. I could hear Logan- breathing shallow, wheezing, and nearly hyperventilating. I was grateful for the oxygen we keep under his bed, and got him set up on a 1/2 liter and tried to get some rest. In the morning I got ready and took him to his Dr. in Salt Lake. I figured he had a bacteria- or food poisoning- and we would get some antibiotics and come home...I was wrong. His oxygen sats were in the low 80's and they insisted on transfering him to the hospital.
We ended up staying six days (Wednesday-Monday). Catelynn had to come with us because she still won't take a bottle. Primary Children's Hospital is fantastic at taking care of anything you could possibly need. They got us a foam mattress for her to sleep on, a high chair, and baby toys.
Logan gets chest x-rays, daily blood draws before six AM, IV medications around the clock, blood pressure and vital checks every four hours, oxygen in a nasal canula, breathing treatments three times a day, diaper checks to see if he is peeing enough, constant fluids (apple juice is his favorite), weight checks to see if he is retaining fluid, diaper rash cream because the antibiotics give him a rash, and a parade of nurses, doctors, and techs.
One night the iv tech couldn't get a vein, and had to do a finger poke. I awoke to him screaming like his was in the worst pain of his life. I was so mad at that lady: Logan cooperates with everyone: if she had only woke me up first I could have helped!! I calmed him down and cuddled him. He even said thank you to them as they left. I laid in his bed with him and we talk for several minutes. He thought his finger was so fun. He would wave it around like a glow stick and try to draw shapes in the air.
We have done this so many times that it is all second nature. He holds still and barely makes a peep when they put in his IV and he says thank you when they are done. He holds up his finger or toe for the pulse oxymeter. He holds the mask for his own breathing treatment, and bangs the base when the liquid gets stuck and needs a little jostle. He thanks every doctor and nurse as they leave for helping him to get better. He sits still on the weird bike seat in the middle of the radiation room, and get his chest x-rays, he holds his hands up so they can get good shots of his lungs, while I am sentenced to the hallway. He is a real trooper. When he is this good natured about it, it makes me forget how scary it really is to have a child with so many health problems.Shannon Campbell sent a care package with so many goodies. Toys, finger flashlights, coloring books, crayons, chocolate, chips, smarties, gummies, stuffed frog, fruit snacks, and so many other fun things. We had treats to share when family came to visit. I had chocolates to keep me sane. Logan had a blast with it.
He loved having Catelynn with us there. The nurses loved her smiley face. She and I would go down to the cafeteria in the morning after ordering Logan's breakfast, to buy something for ourselves. I would put her in a wagon and pull her down the hallway. She would lean forward and hold on to the edge of the wagon and wabble back and forth. It scared every single nurse we passed. But, she LOVED it!! She would not sit, no matter how many times I stopped and sat her back down. One nurse said she looked like she was surfing. It was hard to keep her confined because she was so good a crawling and climbing and pulling herself up.
Logan watched endless (and I mean countless and countless) hours of Blues Clues. The only way to get him asleep was to turn on a "mommy" show and he would turn his head and fall asleep. I didn't stay up late because the IV team would come in around 4:30 and Dr. Durham showed up around six. (who wants to be snoring in the corner when the Dr. comes in?)
Shad and I celebrated our 14th anniversary in the Hospital. He came down on Sunday for dinner. I got Catie asleep and Logan set up with a movie (Blues Clues of course), and we went and ate our cafeteria food on the patio. Shad had got me a card from work, and I make him a puzzle and a journal. That was all I could do being stuck in room 324.
Next time Logan is in the hospital we need to remember to have him stay an extra day. When we got home on Monday he only sat around for about an hour. After that he was strapping his oxygen tank to his bike or putting it in the baby stroller so that he could go play with the other kids. On the plus side, Logan did learn to swallow pills so we can give him stronger meds from home and possibly not ever have to be in the hospital for pneumonia again.
