Moving on Up

Good morning everybody! Happy Sunday from the 8th Floor of Children's Medical Center. That's right! Kaleb is recovering so well physically, they kicked us out of the ICU. We are enjoying our new view, the ability to hold Kaleb a little bit easier, eat/drink in our room, and have a private bathroom. Yes! His recovery has far exceeded everyone's expectations, and mom and dad couldn't be more relieved to have the first surgery behind us without any major complications developing.

Now that his critical care is behind us, an unexpected(and unwelcome) complication has become obvious. Kaleb is experiencing withdrawal from the powerful medications used in the days following his surgery. Though we started noticing it in the ICU several days ago, it's been a bit hard to determine the cause with certainty until now. For the past 3 days, when Kaleb is awake, he's screaming and unable to be calmed in any way. This is HIGHLY unusual, as anyone who's met Kaleb knows, he's a really happy baby. We totally understand this is the first surgery. There's more pain. He's been weighed down by IVs, all variety of cords and lines, nasal cannula in his nose from oxygen-he even acquired a pressure sore on the back of his head from being in the same position for so long. He has every reason to be upset. We were prepared for many hours of crying. We have been shocked by the hours of relentless screaming that end with medication or passing out from sheer exhaustion. As you can imagine, Karl and I are doing the best we can, and mentally/physically exhausted from having to watch him go through this. Thankfully, we are meeting with a Pain Team today, that will assess his current condition, and create a plan for his recovery. Whatever the plan, we pray it starts helping soon!


Thank you for all the prayers, well wishes, emails/facebook messages, and visits! We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. There is much more to post, but no time now. There's a sweet boy to comfort!

One day, one hour, one minute at a time,
Jenifer

Early post-op family picture

Recovering from open-heart surgery, he can still rock a faux-hawk!

Finally allowed to have a "bath", this shampoo-filled shower cap was soothing

Sleeping peacefully with his Bunny Lovey

Sometimes all you can do is tell him how much you love him...