14 Oct Home Again Home Again
Good morning everyone…
Sorry that the updates have taken so long. It has been a little bit of a shock to Maddie and I to come home. We have really had to adjust our timing on everything since we walked in the door on Friday night. Now that we are able to fall into a little bit better of a routine we will be better about posting blogs and photos. Thank you for you understanding. I know there is a large following that checks this so often for updates. We appreciate it.
Friday was kind of a crazy day for everyone. There were a lot of last minute things to do at the hospital before we could leave. The doctors were making last minute schedules changes to his weekend medication list. They were also spending time going through some of the different equipment we would have to use once we returned to the house. Most everything that would be delivered later to the house would be different from what we had seen or used at the hospital.
As we were trying to fit everything in that afternoon the new media made a surprise visit. We certainly didn’t mind at all and enjoyed doing what ever we could to put a good word in for the hospital and the transplant program. Due to some local happenings (a very long hostage stand off that did not come even close to a happy ending) in the Dallas area, the story didn’t receive much of any airtime. CBS11/TXA21 carried the story on the 4:30, 6, & 10 news. I even heard that CBS radio talked about it on the air. We really do appreciate all those who made this a possibility.
After a lengthy bit of paper work we where finally able to be discharged from the hospital. We didn’t leave the building though until we got a chance to bring Keegan down for a “social” visit. We wanted Keegan to say hello to all those men an women in the CV ICU that helped him get the this point. We were greeted by Shelly, Marilee, Jim, Nancy, and Delaney. We wish that we would have been able to see other who were not on duty like Brian, Holly, Katie, Joe, Don, and Kevin. Not to worry though, Keegan will be at the hospital two times a week for a few months for check ups. We will have plenty of opportunities to check in with our new friends (and heroes). Anyway, this visit to the CV ICU before we left was really a treat and a highlight of the whole stay.
After our visit to ICU we loaded up the Tahoe to get home. Our timing wasn’t too good though. We hit rush hour traffic perfectly. This didn’t help us either. We were expecting an equipment delivery while we were still sitting in traffic. Luckily and unluckily, the delivery driver hadn’t made it to the house by the time we got home. The unlucky part was we were waiting for some equipment to help complete Keegan’s feeding. Lucky for us, Maddie tried to use a normal bottle for Keegan, and he finished almost all of it in the car. That was a big first for him.
When we got home we were surprised by a “Welcome Home Keegan” sign and fresh flowers in the house. Keegan’s grandparents had prepared a meal for us and had it waiting. Some of our neighbors, Brian & Chi Chi and Kelly & Carl, had taken the time to fill our refrigerator up with fresh food. It was all a very unexpected but very nice surprise. After we finished eating is when things started getting crazy. We had to sort through the huge medical delivery to find all the little pieces to get Keegan’s medicines ready. Keegan gets almost 15 different medicines over 6 different intervals of the day. We usually give Keegan a bottle every three hours too. We try to time his medications with his feedings which can help and hurt the situation. Friday night could be considered on the tougher side for receiving medication. We had a lot of trouble that night keeping his dinner down after he took them all. It made for a long night, especially since the wrong feeding pump for his “ng” tube was delivered. He’s been taking bottles like a champ, and we’ve been “gravity feeding” through the tube if he doesn’t finish them, which seems to be less and less. I guess he just didn’t like the hospital bottles!
he next morning we were glad that Keegan had slept well. Once we had day light it was a good chance for us to begin sorting through the mess that we had brought back with us from the hospital. Keegan was also able to start enjoying some of the comforts of home. He really likes the automatic swing that we have for him. He just sits there and stares at the stuffed bees that hang down from it. He also likes his basinet that we have in our room. Once we lay him down in that he passes out. This allows Mama to keep an eye on him every time he twitches.
On a very important note, Keegan was able to meet his older brother Rusty (our Brittany spaniel). We were a little worried how their first meeting would go. It turned out fine. Since we have been in of the hospital, Rusty hasn’t spent a single night at home. He arrived at our house about 30 minutes before we did. It was almost like we were introducing him to a completely new environment. We let Rusty sniff Keegan’s foot in the front yard before we even came into the house. The rest of the first night Rusty spent in an opposite room from Keegan. I know the crying bothers him a lot. If Keegan really gets into a crying fit Rusty will come into the room and check to see if he can “help.” Since then Rusty will come around once in a while and sniff Keegan’s foot and kind of walk away. Maddie and I are over all very pleased on how well Rusty is taking this.
As for now Maddie and I are still just trying to chip away at getting things organized and setting up a routine for Keegan. We are also taking lots of pictures which I will continue to post on here for every one to check out. Stay tuned and we will make sure we keep everyone apprised of Keegan’s status on the blog.
Maddie and I would like to extend a special thanks to everyone who showed concern and support. I know that the love that was directed Keegan’s way led to his recovery. We would also like to extend a heart felt thanks to Children’s Medical Center of Dallas. Without their extremely talented group of doctors and nurses we would not be able to enjoy he time we were spending with our son today. I would also like to thank our friends and family. They have been so wonderful in helping us keep our day to day lives together by taking care of so many big and little things.
Well… it is back to work for me. I have a diaper genie to empty, and I also need to get ready for the next feeding. Stay tuned..
Thanks, Gray