Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Wednesday Morning

Good Morning!

I hope you all enjoyed a good night's sleep, because none of us did! Drew didn't sleep very well at all, at first for only 20-30 minutes at a time, and then for up to an hour at a time. Dan did the first shift and I tried to sleep from 10:30 pm to 2:30 am. The sleep room was freezing, but I was by myself at first. Then just as I was falling asleep around midnight, this dad came in and started talking to me! I think I may have gotten two hours of sleep and then woke up again because he was snoring! Tonight I'm going to have warm jammies, earplugs, and sleep medication. I came and relieved Dan and he got back around 6:30 this morning. He didn't have a problem sleeping, but still feels like four hours isn't quite enough.

Drew doesn't seem like himself. At first I thought he was drugged, but he hadn't had anything for a while. I asked the nurse about it, and she said it could be all the sedation meds he was on when he was intubated taking a while to wear off. I think it might just be his way of dealing with things. He is blocking everything out. He won't answer us when we ask him questions, he doesn't want to play with toys, watch movies, and now he doesn't even want to drink his juice or eat his yogurt. It's really hard to see him so sad, but I guess I wouldn't be very happy either if I was in his hospital bed. Child Life came by and brought him some toys and a blanket and he responded to her a little bit, so maybe he's just mad at us for bringing him here.

They plan to take the RA line out this morning, but we're still waiting on platelets from the blood bank before they can start. I think they've also turned his oxygen down a bit to 4 liters. That's all for now. Please pray for Drew's little spirit.

15 comments:

Amy, Steve, Molly, Paige and Garrett said...

Andrea and Dan... I can't imagine how difficult it is to see your sweet boy "not himself". It will probably take him a while to process everything that has happened. But he's like the shepherd-boy David, fighting his giants... and he WILL overcome all of this. He's just busy fighting the battle right now. I'm praying that he's back to his own self soon!
Amy

Anonymous said...

Don't worry about Drew not seeming like himself. It always took Riley awhile to "come out of her shell" after surgery, but eventually they do! The joys to come as you watch him return to being himself are indescribable.

Also, buy some earplugs!!! Even though you're just getting four hours sleep (hopefully) it makes all the difference.

Hang in there!!

The Thompsons

Valerie said...

He is not mad at you. Fentanyl can do a number on your mind. After 48 hours of being on Fentanyl, Alexia was hallucinating and having fentanyl nightmares. It can be very scary.

Probably by tomorrow he will start being his old self.

Once again, I am sorry we couldn't make it to see you. 3 children in Aden's class have Chicken Pox and all were vaccinated!

Dina said...

Hi Andrea
I'm glad Drew is making progress. Your description of him reminds me of Jilly last year. She was so mad and frustrated because she couldn't understand what was going on and she couldn't find the words to express herself. It took her a little while but she eventually got back to her happy, loving little self. And I'm sure Drew will do the same. It's just hard to see them so sad and not be able to do anything about it.
I hope things keep moving forward and Drew starts feeling better soon.

Dina

Anonymous said...

Andrea,
That must be difficult! I will be praying for deep, restoring sleep for you when you have the chance!

Also, my dad gives platelets-maybe Drew will get some of his! :)

Hang in there-you're doing great!!!

mfreeman634 said...

I woke up this morning thinking about Drew and your family. We are praying for his strong recovery and sending lots of prayers your way.You are such an amazing mom..I am so inspired by your strength. Thank you for the updates. Lots of love and prayers.
Meghan

Lexi and Linzi said...

I am praying for little Drew's spirit and his mommy and daddy!!!! Know that we are lifting you all up!!! You guys are so strong and courageous! I'm so proud of little Drew!

Nana Cindy said...

Dear Andrea and dan,
This is Meredith's Mom. Yesterday, I lit a candle for Drew at St. Joseph's church and wrote his name in the prayer book. I also said prayers for him at the Blessed Sacrament.I prayed for all of you.

Just know that there are prayers going out to all of you in Texas.
Cindy and Barry Hampson

The Portas said...

He's probably a little off because of the drugs. It took Elijah DAYS to get all of the medication out of his body. Hang in there, he'll slowly start becoming his usual self again.

Hopefully you can find somewhere to nap today? I'd be DEAD TIRED only getting ~4 hours of sleep.

Sending many prayers your way!!

Kristen Ewers said...

It is so good to read the wisdom from your fellow heart families who have been in the trenches before you. That must be such an encouragement to you. We'll be praying that God gives Drew a sense of peace despite his frustrating circumstances. I hope that they allow you to hold him today, I think that will really help with the re-bonding for him, and I know you need that too. Give Drew kisses from us!
Kristen

Katie Scott said...

Hopefully you will all be able to take some well needed naps today! I am sorry that Drew is not acting like himself--that must be really diffucult after finally having him wake up and feel like you are going to have your boy back. It sounds, though, that from reading the other posts, that it is pretty common for kids to act that way after surgery. Hopefully that can provide a bit of comfort...

Kathy said...

Oh sweet Drew...He's IS going to be mad when they start pulling those lines (MAKE them give him a little something to take the edge off), they try to pull Isaac's sometimes with NOTHING...that just makes me mad.

I hope he cheers up!
4 litres of O2...YEAH Drew...keep bringing it down! Do you want me to make you some dinosaur stickers for his cheeks (I'll throw them in the mail today!)

It's IMPOSSIBLE to sleep in those pods. We had to take turns in shifts and just know that the person at the bedside got NO sleep. We'd be so tired, we would be able to lay on those couches in the waiting room and actually sleep with all those people around. Joe would even go to the car for a quiet nap.

You'll be home soon...I KNOW IT!!!
love,
Kathy

The Cohen's said...

I'm definitely praying for his little spirit... I can't imagine how he feels right now. And I'll be praying his mom and dad too, because seeing your little one react that way would be heart breaking. You are definitely admirable in the way you are handling all this. I'll be lifting you all up in prayer.

Anonymous said...

WE ARE PRAYING FOR DREW-

Hi Andrea, Dan, Drew & Ava-

HELLO FROM THE MIDDLE EAST!!!
We were introduced to you by Valerie Boesen from Sacramento, the day before Drew went in for his surgery last week. We have been praying for Drew ever since although this is the first time we have made an “official post” on your blogsite. Drew is a handsome young man and little Ava is quite the beautiful little doll as well. We used to live in Sacramento for 20+ years before coming to the Middle East for work and Christian ministry. The World has gotten smaller thanks to the internet. Even though we may be strangers to you, in God’s eyes, as Christian believers, we are all family & friends and HE has instructed us to “Pray one for another”.

Andrea & Dan, we want you to know we will continue to hold Drew up to the LORD in our prayers and we are asking for the LORD to continue to heal his precious body and for the Doctor’s to have “God’s Perfect Wisdom” in continuing the best treatment for his recovery process. We also posted Drew’s name and condition on our weekly prayer list last Friday so he now has another 1000+ Christians from 53 different nationalities also holding him up to the LORD in their prayers.

As Americans, being located in the Middle East for the past 15 years, we are about 12,000+ miles away from you & with your recent time change we are +11 hours ahead of the Pacific Time Zone now, so we are able to easily cover “Drew’s nights” and mornings with our prayers. So take the liberty to post a message at any time day or night when you have a specific prayer need for Drew and we will be sure to immediately take it to the LORD in prayer. By the sounds of your last post we had better PRAY FOR A BETTER NIGHT’S SLEEP for all of you. :-)

We are also praying for the Peace and Comfort of our LORD to be with you ALL throughout the coming days as you continue to put your Trust and Faith IN HIM.

Please know, our prayers will continue to be with your family. KEEP LOOKING UP!!!

In HIS Love,
Ron & Kathy Lee
United Arab Emirates

Unknown said...

Kids are so incredibly resilient, I'm sure he'll be just fine..It is especially nice to hear from the other parents who have been in your shoes that this is to be expected (what an amazing support network). Pain meds can cause some nausea...maybe his tummy just isn't quite right...

Hospital and sleep shouldn't even belong in the same sentence...too many beeps and interruptions.
I'm sure the warm jammies and earplugs couldn't hurt.

We'll be praying that he's feeling better soon so he can put your mind more at ease.
The Stoltz Family