As some of you may have gathered, Wyatt was recently in CHEO for pneumonia. Wyatt has what is called "consolidation" in the lower, left lobe of his lung, and this area often causes us trouble. Consolidation occurs when there is usually repetitive aspiration of foreign materials, be it, liquid (saliva) or solids - like chicken for instance, and the lungs do not completely heal from the aspiration.
With that said, Wyatt went a whopping 8 weeks without a single admission to CHEO. This is huge, especially considering the time of the year. It's winter time, we're hitting digits of -30 outside (although, we would not be going into that weather unless we absolutely have to), and brother and sister are going to school during high peak flu times. Both Aila and Jude had short bouts of stomach flu and cold viruses, but our little Wyatt kept on going. Yes, he did have a perpetual runny nose, and yes, he was getting saline masks every morning for almost a month, but hey - it's better than CHEO. Love CHEO, but it's a hospital. There are some wicked viruses in that place, and the commute back and forth is exhausting at times (especially when you have to bring in extra blenderized diet on short notice)!
From December, until mid January, our lives were quiet, if you ignore the beeping medical equipment, the screaming toddlers, and the farting dog. Things are quiet. Things are good. And then we said it...and we said it again.
"I think we've hit a record - I think we've gone 7 weeks out of CHEO?!"
"Shhh....stop saying it. You'll jinx us."
One week later:
"Hey...it's been eight weeks, it's definitely a record."
Eyes roll.
Three days later, we're in CHEO because Wyatt NOSE DIVES (60 minutes) into a raging fever and is struggling to keep his O2 sats above 90%. We rushed to CHEO, and we're quickly placed in the recess of the emergency room, put on O2, received a chest xray, which confirmed the pneumonia, consequently the IV is inserted for antibiotics and signed the admission papers. Wyatt is in CHEO for over 5 days, we leave with a Rx for five days of "oral" antibiotics.
I still think it's amazing how far Wyatt has come, especially comparing to how medically fragile he was last year. The little guy has a good immune system, and with nursing care at home, I am a more stable mom, and am able to clean and cook after Wyatt in the best ways possible. I am constantly doing laundry, but at least now, I can keep up (sorta). Some days, I'm making blenderized diet for Wyatt, roasted chicken for supper, and lunches for school. It's a busy day in the kitchen. On top of it all, I make my own gluten and lactose free bread, so on those days, I'm particularly busy. Our lives, compared to last year, are wholer. We feel like things are coming together, and our routines are becoming more natural and less mechanical. We are no longer reacting to the situation, but are preparing for it. I personally feel like I have more hours in my day, which is nothing short of a miracle.
For instance, the other day, I talked to my husband for over an hour. An hour. It was lovely. This was in our house, will all three kids. I'm not going to lie, it involved a tv, but I realized then we really need each other in ways that I think we've almost forgotten.
