Day 6 - Home!

Our day started early when the doctors rounded at 630am!

And we were good to go home today!

We follow up with a MRI and Dr Rutka in 2 months. In the meantime, no swimming for 4 weeks, no contact sports, amusement park rides, wrestling, gym or recess until we see Dr Rutka. I asked if Nick can still use his bike (describing it) and he said that if there wasn't risk of him falling, then it was OK.

The removed, and replaced, 3 vertebrae (T6-T8) and it takes time for this to heal.

Because we were already up, and getting ready to go home today I thought it was a good time for Nick to have a bath.
We was very excited at the beginning. His incision is high, so he can sit in the bath without getting it wet. I washed everything, but left his back for last.

But one of the things that I needed to wash was his back and incision. The nurse said not to use bath water to wash the back, but that it was OK to wash with soap and water. She said to use the shower head (which was way too strong), because it gives fresh water. Nick hates the shower.
So I sprayed the water onto my hand and then dripped that water down his back. He did not like that, he was crying and scared.

When breakfast came he had his appetite back!

We prepped him with some morphine and then physiotherapy came and we got started!
Nick was walking even better than yesterday!

Today we talked about how he goes up and down the stairs. In regular physiotherapy we were working on walking up and down the stairs. Holding onto railings or with his crutches. But that is on hold right now and so we wanted to see how he would go up and down the stairs now.

He did pretty well. Going down the stairs he just needs to make sure he leaves enough space so he isn't rubbing his back on the stair. I got some physio exercises before we see physiotherapy at Grandview next week.

Then we had a quick game in the playroom while we were waiting for our discharge papers. We also got a prescription for morphine and Zofran in case we needed it (I would much rather have it and not need it, then to wish we had it).

Because we were good to go home!

Our bags were packed (pretty good for 6 days, I think)

And then Kyle came to pick us up

Nick decided to go undercover with his new hat

We had a bit of a delay, because when she was giving us our discharge papers she said the laminoplasty was T6-T8, and I had thought it was T7-T10. So there was a delay while we waited to find this out. This is also where we found out that they did do 3 vertebrae.
But we did get on our way

 We weren't sure how Nick would be sitting in the car and the car seat, but he didn't have any pain.

He had fun taking selfies on my phone during the car ride.

When we got home Nick got to have (a couple of) snacks and a rest on the couch.

Katheryn was still in school, so Nick had some doggy snuggles.

And then he finally fell asleep for a nap

Nick has been feeling pretty good to be home. He really wanted to go and pick Katheryn up. He made the trip, and visited with Jennifer without any pain

Nick and Katheryn have been playing together well. We talked with Katheryn about some of the new rules with Nick. No wrestling, being careful of his back and no pushing or making Nick fall down.  I showed Katheryn his back so that she could understand why they had to play more gentle for a little while. And we talked about it like when she broke her collarbone.

We are really glad to be home!
I am really looking forward to my own bed tonight!

How are we doing?

Everyone has been asking how we are doing.

I'm still amazed at how well Nick is doing, that sometimes I forget that Nick still needs time to rest and recover.

Nick starts the day with lots of energy.
But not appetite. He hates his breakfast now, only wants juice or chocolate milk.
He's happy, doesn't have any pain. Sometimes he pulls or stands the wrong way and he squints, but it gets better when we stop whatever it was that hurt to begin with. I've tried to get him to take Tylenol or Advil (we also got a prescription for Morphine) but he refuses it.
When we first got home I tried to force him to take the Tylenol/Advil, but the stress of doing that wasn't worth the result.

Life is getting back to normal and routine. They told us that we could give him a tub bath right away, so that I what we did the first morning back. We had a bath. Nick was very worried about having a bath and getting his tube dirty.
But once he got in, he didn't want to come out.

We still have lots of cuddles during the day. Nick gets tired quickly.
We've been watching lots of movies and playing games at home. Everything turtles, turtles, turtles.
Katheryn has been at daycare, and then is at to the cottage for a couple of days to given Nick his down-time.

 To get Nick up and moving we went out grocery shopping. Nick helped to push the cart around the store. He enjoyed himself and had a big rest when we got home.
No pain though.
And that was lots of stretching and pushing.

So Nick is doing fantastic. We are balancing between resting and working.
He's not too sure about moving around, but has been showing off when we get him up.

And he definitely has that self of humor back!
(Yes he is balancing toilet paper on his head while he is on the toilet).

Before his operation I had worried a lot about when we would see this smile. If we were doing the right thing. What kind of pain he would be in, what rough nights he would have, when we would be home. But really it was when would we get this smile back.

I wondered about how much time I should take off work, I didn't want to take too much or too little. I start back on shift next Friday, which is good. Nick is doing great, but to go to day care (or if he was at school) for the full day... he's not there yet.

So how are we doing? Smiling, resting and recovering.

Easter Seals Camp - Day 6 - Heading Home

Good Morning! 

 

We got our camp clothes on (nice and bright of course) and packed up.

Grandma and Nick had fun chasing/running with each other!

We got our last flag raising

Our camp song of the day

And then the Woodeden song and flag raising
They asked Nick if he wanted to do it, but he said no.

After breakfast we had lots of help to bring all of our stuff out and pack the car.
Then we packed up the kids

And everyone came and sang us off!

Our Easter Seals Camp was done for 2013!

Our highlights of the week!

628 pictures of everything

Swimming in the pool every day (with water always over 80 degrees)

Doing things we wouldn't otherwise do

Reaching new heights

Challenging ourselves

Checking out some new adaptive sports

And of course, the time together as a family

Talking and meeting other families

Having an acute case of deja vu with a family I have never met before, sitting in a room I've never been in before having a conversation

 

 

What would we do next time?

#1 - bring a mattress topper (they have hospital beds with old hospital-bed mattresses and that NOT comfortable)

Also bed-related - make sure you have a sleeping bag and pillows (they do provide sheets and pillows, but not like home)
Also something (materials or ideas of just the time) to do something to thank your counselors. We wanted to make a card for everyone, but ran out of time once I thought about it. So next time
Ideas for the talent show
Also don't forget batteries, chargers

Don't count on the Internet - it's hard to get bars

(and you shouldn't be on your phone/Internet anyways - except for pictures of course)

Take naps when you need to

Be prepared for some crabby kids if you don't do the above

There is lots of walking, and hills

I could have done it with by myself if I had to, the cabin counsellors were incredible

But I would have felt more stretched

Bring snacks

Bring chocolate sauce if your child only drinks chocolate milk (like Nick - we did this)

If you wear your 3E Love shirts, bring their card for all the people who ask where it came from

Don't count on keeping with your routine - it won't work

 

Be ready for a week that is full from 8am flag-raising to 10pm

 

 

Just as I'm finishing this post, I noticed a video posting on Easter Seals about Woodeden. I think it was video taken from last year, even though it says 2013 (everyone is wearing 2012 shirts)

 I just hope we can go again next year!

 

Home!

So we actually made it home yesterday!

Nickolas is such an amazing baby. He has gone through so much in such a short time.
His back surgery went well, it is healing (a little slowly) and he is on antibiotics. We went from being told we were staying longer becasue he had an infection and talking about putting in a picc line, to taking out the iv and going home on oral antibiotics!

The hospital stay was hectic. I didn't get to visit for almost a week because I had H1N1 (but felt fine, just a little cold). And then I couldn't drive, because of the c-section so I had to get my parents to come out and pick me up, look after Katheryn or bring her to daycare and then make our way downtown (we usually got there for 11am). On the weekend I was able to stay down there, it is interesting spending so much time in a hospital and not being sick and not working. I was glad to be home in my own bed, but sad to leave Nickolas. The only good thing was how wonderful all the nurses were and how well cared for he was, and how good he was doing.

Yestarday he had a head and abdo ultrasound, everything looked good and we packed up and (slowly) made it home during rush hour. Nickolas can't be on his back yet, so physio came and put a foam pad in his carseat and he can be in that for up to 1 hour. It takes 2 hours to get home during rush hour so we made a half way pit-stop to show him off to grandma and grandpa Ridding.

We also have a homecare nurse coming to look at the dressings and the caths. We are cathing him every 6 hours.
The first night home was a bit rough. The middle of night caths and diaper changes and feedings were not fun. The most I can complain about is that he likes to kick, poop and pee on me when I change him - and I can't even complain about that - there was a good chance he would not be able to do that.

So Nickolas is doing tremendous! He has full movement all the way down to his feet and even then he can flex but not extend him, and he can move his toes as well. This is so much better than we hoped for!! The exercises I got from physio - play with his feet.

Katheryn is in love with her little brother! - She calls him "Niii", she doens't get the 'ck' yet, but we will work on it. She also likes to pet his head and kiss him.