Home Sweet Home

WE ARE FINALLY HOME!!!

After 3 days in the hospital, things are starting to look up health wise for our little Braxton.
Braxton was sent home on oxygen and we only have to go get him suctioned a few times a day at the hospital. We have a long recovery road ahead of us but we are anxious for it. Things should only get better from here.
I always knew RSV was serious but I didn't realize how scary and how intense the recovery process was until now. I truly do not wish this experience upon anyone & of course still wishing it never happened but since it did we are thankful it happened now instead of a few months ago in the dead of winter.
He really will never be in the clear from now on & next year he will be at even a higher risk but for now its about a 6 month recovery so I am so glad Spring & Summer are just around the corner so the chances of him getting it again are very slim.

For mine & Tyler's sake we are using this post as a Journal page for Braxton since I am not the best scrap booker to document all of this so bare with my story, or you can skip the story and go straight to the pictures
This last week was just a normal week we had fun with family & friends we had a lot going on & a little weekend getaway planned. Tuesday evening Braxton's nose just started running and he was a little more whiny and needy. It was a clear runny nose and for his sudden burst of crying I definitely thought it must be his teeth again. Just the week before his front bottom two teeth popped through and he acted the same way in a sense so I thought nothing of it.

From Tuesday night til about Friday evening around 6 his symptoms did start getting worse and worse by the hour. We made it up to our condo in Midway at about 7pm Friday night and while my Dad (Grandpa Strong) was playing with him he just started to wheeze! My dad isn't the type to baby people when they are sick he's more the type to say suck it up and get some rest. So when my dad started to act concerned and voice his opinion about me getting Braxton in right when we got home made me pay just a little more attention to his symptoms & worry a little bit more. Braxton hasn't had the best of luck this winter when it came to colds. I just thought this was #6 cold and Benadryl and and his humidifier would help it. I am a worrier that's for sure so for the past 5 colds I was on the phone or in the Dr office for everyone of them! I was always told that this one was not to worry about and to just help him with the few things mentioned above.

Well the weekend went on Micah, Amber, & Tage met us up at the condo Saturday morning and we had a blast but as the weekend went on this just kept turning for the worst with him. By Sunday afternoon as we were packing up to come home everyone was a little nervous about him. Tyler was so paranoid that he called his sister who is a nurse and started asking detailed questions and what to look for. I even caught Tyler watching Braxton sleep/breath. He was a nervous wreck & this isn't a normal thing for Tyler. I am usually the one freaking out and Tyler is calming me. We drove straight to my parents for Sunday dinner and by 6pm I was starting to get a little teary eyed and very nervous. I had never heard my baby sound like this and it was the most nerve wracking wheezing and raspy breathing I had ever heard. It was so bad you could hear him while under a blanket nursing a room away. Our pediatricians office has an after hours clinic but they were not opened, & I didn't want to head to the ER just to be sent home. Our pediatrician is our neighbor so I just called him. I got a hold of my Dr and got the okay from him to just stop by on our way home. So we decided to stay a little longer and visit with my extended family next door at my grandparents house. When we got over there my aunt couldn't believe how bad he sounded she has had 2 RSV babies so she took a look at his chest while he was breathing and when she saw it she said we needed to get him in ASAP. This made me even more nervous so we headed straight to our Dr's house. When we arrived there he was concerned right away he checked his oxygen levels and listened to him breath and he said I am sorry but I need you to take him straight to the ER right now. Tyler's sister was working that night in the ER thank heavens so we had spacial treatment. We got in and taken care of right away. He was diagnosed right away with a double ear infection and RSV. He was diagnosed as a severe level so they admitted us right away, and here are the pictures that tell the rest of the story...

This just broke my heart this is his chest X-Rays

Still waiting in the ER trying to keep Braxtons

Oxygen & trying to keep him entertained.








Finally made it to our room on the wheelchair ride up he crashed, Only to be woken up to an oxygen tube trying to be put in his nose. He was not to excited about that. Don't blame him for waking up on the wrong side of the bed.

Awake and now hooked up to all monitors and oxygen for the night.

Finally asleep for a few hours before the next shift to check his vitals. The oxygen it helping tremendously as you can see on the screen when we got to the ER he was only breathing at an 86% not good at all!

Here is his crib! Look at that cute blanket they make for the babies that come in! I was so excited when they told me it was his to keep!

Snuggling with his new blanket!

Next morning snugglin with mom! (as you can tell we just woke up by the way I look ha ha) I don't know what it is about a sleeping baby but nothing is more precious and when they are sick its indescribable!!!

Still not too happy about his oxygen tubes! You can just tell by looking at him the he just does not feel good!

The First breathing treatment he did not take too so they tried a different kind....

prepping for his suctioning! This is the most heartbreaking thing to hear let alone watch this is why I didn't!

Going....

Going....

GONE!! this treatment knocked him out!

But after being knocked out for over 2 hours he woke up as a new baby! Happy and wanting to finally play!

Finally time to soak in the tub and clear some of that mucus out!

This was his face when they brought him some toys to play with!

Then finally we were told we could go home as long as he was on oxygen I said we'd take it! Finally the monitors and oxygen came off and we were able to show our St. Patricks day spirit!

The bandages left a rash on his skin!

Killing some time watching TV and playing a little bit while waiting for them to release us!

Finally it's come to an end here at the hospital and we are really going home! Little does he know we are headed back right now for our nightly suction and vitals! Poor thing! I think he will slepp well tonight!!!