Because We Love Her

Sunday, December 27th, 2009

December 27th, 2009 Posted in Daily News Post

It’s one of those rare nights that I’m away from Chloe for the entire day. I took Dana’s suggestion and slept in, got some things done and tried to relax for a whole day. I wasn’t sure I’d make it without going over there but I guess I surprised myself.

Sort of like what happened according to the latest email Dana just sent. Here’s what it said: “So I just got her boots on, she was in a feisty ‘night owl’ mood, (always perks up in the pm), and then…I asked if she wanted to sit up in bed with just ME here.

It wasn’t a no… It was a ‘maybe’… so we went for it, Just like Katy showed us. Piece of cake. Chloe saw herself in the mirror, (I brought her attention to the lousy job of 1 pigtail I had done.) Anyway, she sat up for a couple of minutes and didn’t look disturbed… AT ALL.

We had MJ on at the time so we did a little bed dancing to celebrate.”

It’s moments like this that keep us all going. Or times when Chloe just cracks up laughing like she always did on a normal day in the past… but without sound right now. We need these times, all of us.

Today I was transfixed on the problem facing me with my daughter in Wisconsin. One of her three-year-old boys broke his femur yesterday. She has four kids under five years of age, and a new puppy in the house, and now she has a little guy who will have to be carried everyplace since he can’t put any weight on his leg for three weeks. So, where’s Dad when she needs him? He’s taking care of his new family and, once again, his oldest daughter takes the hit. So the ol’ guilt gene kicked into overdrive.

Then I get reports from the hospital and I know that, although it has a confused feeling, I’m doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing. And, you know what… In the deepest part of my daughter’s heart she knows it as well.

Even though it’s Sunday, things didn’t shut down at the hospital entirely. Dr. Cockrell showed up early to make a decision about nutrition and rehab work. We had been concerned about a new plan to do bolus feeding with Chloe. This would mean pulling her nose feeding tube out a ways so it was positioned in the stomach. Then we would give her three large doses of feeds each day, just as if she was getting a meal.

Sounds like a plan until you go with her history. She hasn’t had anything in her little stomach in twenty-five days and it’s a stomach that has had a history of not being too settled. One thing we really don’t want for her is to vomit. It was bad enough when she didn’t have a trach. We don’t want to find out what it would be like with one of those in her throat.

Dr. C. decided this wasn’t the right time but it’s still on her horizon. She also showed Dana the latest chest x-ray and it was looking very good, almost normal. That’s a great thing!

Chloe spent some time in her chair today, the wheelchair. She didn’t take a trip but just sitting there is special for her. The more we have her sitting up the better it will be for her lungs… and her spirits.

Colin came to the hospital again today with his Dad. It’s always as treat when Dana and Colin can have some special alone time together. He is one who tends to build up a bunch of questions or concerns and unloads them all at once. The good part is that he does, indeed, unload them.

Dana just wrote that there were two nurses in the room so she was going to get a little dinner. There have been some things brought to us that have really hit the spot. The last salad was tremendous. It’s such a treat to be able to have the choice of going to the same old grease trap or having something homemade with the extra ingredient… love.

And that’s what we send out to you as well… love. Thanks for being there.

Blessings,
Ron

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