Tubes Are Out!

I woke up early this morning next to 'Declan, eager to check his chest tubes to see how much fluids had drained during the night. My spirits were lifted when I saw only a minimal amount of fluid. Maybe this would be the day!  My spirits were dashed shortly thereafter. Declan's nurse came in for morning medication and vitals, and I asked if she had "pulled" his drainage during the night, or if it was just the small amount that I could see. "Twice," she said, "I pulled it twice." Uugghh.  Still too much fluid.

So we spend the day walking him and pulling him in the wagon "around the floor", to and from x-ray, and anywhere else we could. (Moving him around helps get the fluid out.) Then around 2 or so we heard the good news. We would be getting his chest tubes pulled later that afternoon. So around 3 or so, Declan was given morphine and we were taken to the "procedure" room.  So for about 5 or 10 minutes we listed to Declan become punch drunk. He would randomly start counting and mid-stream switch to the alphabet, then start pointing and talking to pictures on the ceiling. The nurses thought he was hilarious   You could definitely tell the tube pulling itself was painful, but was greatly subdued by the medication.

The difference was almost immediate. He was so happy - chatting and playing like our little boy of old. We were so happy to have out little guy back!  We wheeled him around the floor again and he saw a car he wanted to ride.  We first pushed him but he then took over and pushed himself with his feet. Tammy almost began to cry - it was so wonderful to see him move on his own.

Hopefully, this should mean just a few more days until he can be released!