I thought I would blog this week about how we live with Wyatt's various mechanical paraphernalia, which must follow us around wherever we go. He has three essential machines; his feeding machine; The Zevex, his O2 monitor, and his suction unit. Getting around with him during the first month of him being home was a nightmare. We had tons of doctor appointments, in and out of CHEO, a visit to Sick Kids in T.O, and the list goes on. I thought the diaper bag was a pain with our first two children, well, Wyatt's diaper bag, along with the four other bags that had to be brought along was more than just a pain in the behind, it was inconvenient, stressful and we knew there had to be a better way.
So, what did my husband-engineer for me? A suitcase/tote bag that could contain everything I required to get me from A to B, wherever that might be, in whatever weather. My only complaint about the system, is that it's heavy. Basically what he did is get a bunch of foam, this stuff being designed for storing fragile/expensive electronic equipment, and stuffed it into the suitcase, and measured the required spacing for each piece of equipment; The Zevex, O2 monitor and suction unit. The equipment slid into the gaps Andrew created, and voila, four bags turned into one. Additionally, the suitcases' pockets contain his feeding paraphernalia, alcohol wipes, and in the lower pocket, there is enough space for a diaper, wipes, diaper shirt, and a bib.
I went from toting along 4 different bags to one. Could you expect anything less from a Canadian Combat Engineer?
I think not.
What is really convenient about this bag, is that it has become part of our regime, in caring for Wyatt. Every night for our bedtime routine with Wyatt, we tote this down the hallway into our bedroom, where Wyatt sleeps, and connect him to his O2 monitor, as well as, connect the three pieces of equipment to an electical outlet to be charged. At first, with all three pieces of equipment being seperate, we were forgetting to hook one, or even, all three up to be charged. Now, it's just a matter of connecting them to a three-progned extension cable, which takes a matter of seconds.
Once Wyatt is connected to his O2 monitor, he is eventually connected to his feeding unit, which is the Zevex. The catheter tubing to the suction unit is always found in the same position, for quick, effecient access which is always placed above the feeding bag.
When we're driving, Wyatt can be found in his car seat like any other child, but what is different in his case is that he has an O2 probe connected to him in case he desats while we're driving with him. The medical bag is placed behind the driver's seat, tied to it by a bungee cord. This allows us to reach from our driver seat with our arm, and fiddle with the Zevex when his feed is done, or when there is a clog, which happens often enough now that he is on a blenderized diet.
With that said, if we're going on a walk, we don't bring the whole kaboodle with us. We will only bring what we need with us. So, we always, always, always bring the suction unit. If we forget it, we turn back to get it. If a feed is due, we will bring his feeding unit with us, which comes with a cute, little back pack. Inside the back pack we will make sure there is a 20 cc flush of water as well, for when the feed is complete.
I bring the bag with me outside onto the deck when I'm hanging laundry with Wyatt, I'll drag it downstairs when we want to play in the play room, and I'll even push it along into the bathroom when I need to...well you know. Wyatt comes with me e v e r y w h e r e. And so does the medical bag. We're the three amigoes. Wyatt, mom and the med bag. Ole!
