There was hope that Theo's lab results would hold in a somewhat "normal" range for a while longer so that we could bring him home and then come back to the hospital once he needed dialysis again. In fact, the NICU staff had arranged for Nick and me to "room in" with Theo for the weekend, and had planned for a Monday discharge if labs on Wednesday and Friday continued to look good. By Wednesday, though, the results had started to creep up, and then they moved even higher again on Friday. As of now, it looks like dialysis will start again tomorrow morning.
Even though Theo will not be discharged tomorrow, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to room in with Theo on Friday night; it was a real treat. That was the first night that we have spent with Theo, and it marked the first time that we've been able to lie down with him. He slept great all night, too! We're hoping he sleeps as well for us once he is home.
Also over the course of the week, Theo received his first round of immunizations and I learned to give him his epogen shot. (Epogen is used to treat anemia in patients with kidney failure. It is also the drug that cyclists are tested for during the Tour de France, because it is considered a performance-enhancing drug since it increases the number of red blood cells. Needless to say, Theo won't be allowed to race in the Tour anytime soon.) Theo is given the epo shot three times a week, and Nick and I will administer it when he comes home. The first administration of the shot did not go so well for me. I was shaking from head to toe by the time I was done, because I had to stick him three times before I actually gave the shot. It is not easy to give a shot to an active baby! Friday's shot was much smoother for mom and baby Theo, thank goodness. Dad will get his first chance to administer the shot tomorrow.
|T. Bruce meets E. Bruce|
I'm a bit sick of the hospital by this point. The nurses and doctors make it a fun place for us, though, and I don't worry in the least that Theo is not getting loved when we are not able to be here. In fact, Theo has created a bit of a rivalry between his main nurses. Everyone wants to be his favorite nurse. Here are a few shots to exhibit the competition:
|Theo sporting his Nurse Tami bib|
Nick posted the picture of Theo in his "Theo Loves Nurse Tami" bib to Facebook so that Theo's primary nurse, Stacie, would see it. She was quite jealous! Tami decided to make Nurse Stacie a bib, too...
We still need to take photos of Theo with his night shift nurses. They are wonderful! We are so lucky that we have nurses that love him, take such good care of him, and also take such good care of us. They have been such a blessing in our lives, and I imagine that they will remain extremely important to us even after we leave the hospital, and well past the time that Theo receives a new kidney.
Thanks for all the continued prayers for Theo. I have no doubt that they have worked and are working. I hope you all have a great week!
|Nurse Stacie and Theo are buddies|