Bound to Happen but Moving On

Well we knew it would happen but we didn't expect it so soon.  We got back from Children's Mercy with Ava trach-free last Friday and sure enough sissy (Reese) wakes up Saturday with a runny nose and cough.  So despite trying to avoid Ava from catching it, she did by Monday.  It was pretty mild but anytime Ava shows signs of infection my gut starts churning.  Monday started with a runny nose and by Tuesday the coughing started.  Through the night on Tuesday she was coughing non-stop and was having a difficult time keeping her oxygen saturation at an ideal level.  She wasn't completely "tanking" but she would hang out around 88-92% in general.  So, since we didn't have a trach and had not gotten nasal canulas from our medical supply company yet, we had Ava sleep in her rocker chair and layed oxygen tubing on her chest, blowing towards her mouth and nose as best as possible.  Yes, you can imagine how difficult that was with her coughing, tossing her head back and forth, etc.  However, we were able to help her oxygen saturation improve Tuesday night, she finally fell asleep around 3:30am, and that was the worst of it.

After Tuesday night she slowly started coughing less and her drainage started to end.  As much as I hate when she requires oxygen I have to remind myself that when other kids, or even you and I, have colds they probably don't have ideal oxygen saturation either.  There are plenty of kids who require oxygen when they get sick and things turn out just fine.  I guess we are just so in-tuned with Ava's oxygen saturation that it becomes something to worry or obsess about.  In fact, on Wednesday our medical supply company came to pick up some of our equipment like our ventilator, suction machine, and other extra supplies, and I was thankful that the pulse-ox machine (the monitor that measures Ava's oxygen saturation and heart rate) wasn't going anywhere.  It's like a security blanket and I may finally feel comfortable giving it up when Ava's 10 years old! 

Now that we are past that, things are great.  We are enjoying not having to do trach cares but are still having to be extra careful during baths with Ava's trach site still being open.  We are just keeping a band-aid over it for the most part and it seems to be getting smaller but not closing.  We go back to the vent clinic next week and then back to see our ENT doctor the first week in November to have her evaluate the trach site.  Below are some fun things we've been up to.  Yesterday (Saturday) was beautiful and we had quite a busy day with the KC Pumpkin Patch with our buddy Nolan, our friend Riley's first birthday party, and dinner/Peachwave with our former night nurse Megan and her hubby.  And speaking of nurses...for those of you who are curious, our nursing will continue through November and then starting in December we will officially have a nurse-free home.  It will be extremely weird because our nurses have become like family.  The thought of having nurses in our home when we were planning Ava's move home from the NICU seemed so crazy.  Now, it's a way of life and one that will be bitter-sweet to move away from.  However, we will never forget the awesome care every nurse has given Ava (and Reese at times!) and will definitely stay connected with them.  Over-qualified babysitters is a wonderful bonus too!!!