Still at CHOP-aroni

I keep coming up with nicknames for this place. They aren't too good, i know. If anyone would like to volunteer some, i'll use them in future posts.

Needless to say, Hank and i are still here. The latest 'excitement' now is that he's thrown up his feeds a total of 5 or 6 times! About three times yesterday and three times overnight. I'm not too pleased with this news. I was also told that he ran a fever last night as well. The suspicion is that Henry might have aspirated (aka, took into his lungs) some of his stomach contents during a Niagara Falls episode. This has been the fear since the git-go concerning his severe reflux tendencies. Sigh.

Also, while sitting here typing this entry, Henry has been bradying about twice a minute (i've been sitting here for about 10 min). He dips down to around 50 bpm for about two seconds with a quick 3-5 second recovery. Sean, his nurse for the day, told me that he's been instructed to watch for PAUSES, not so much the bradying. Henry has had no pauses, not since his 9 second, 2-page-flat-line pause of the third day we were here. GOOD news there.

I'm feeling slightly discouraged. I know i shouldn't, but there it is. I was feeling so positive about the G-J tube placement (even took a class on it yesterday). But it seems that all this throwing up and fever and recurrent bradying has started up since then about 2 days ago. Things are supposed to get BETTER, not more alarming. I asked if Henry could just be deemed "reflux throw up guy" and be sent home with the knowledge that we'll just have to prepare for that to happen. It IS POSSIBLE that some kids have reflux so bad it just keeps happening to this degree. Sean didn't think that's the case here. But i will pose this question (perhaps a little more intelligently and tactfully) to the docs/residents. I wanna know what their take on Hank is now.

So in between hanging out with Hank, eating meals at the RMH and simply sitting in my room watching t.v. or reading something, i've had a couple 'excursions.' Y'all know about driving to meet my cousin in OC, MD. Oh so nice. Now, i've got two birthday-prompted redezvous' in order.

Today, any minute now, i'm going to meet Casey, the wife of my dear friend Dan from college. She offered to head down for a road trip and i said to go for it! She is bringing a friend and we'll hang out for a bit, grab some lunch, and there's talk of checking out IKEA, one of my favorite stores in the world (and most of you know that i'm NOT a shopper-gal, so this is noteworthy). The Philly IKEA is the closest one to Corning, so that says a lot about their locations. I've often said that if i won the lottery (THAT whole sittin-around-shootin-the-sh*t conversation piece), that i'd have a good ol time furnishing my house with IKEA goodness. I just like the look and what they're all about.

And then Saturday, my dear local friend Katie is coming with me to Marrakesh, a Moroccan restaurant down it the heart of Philly. And what's kind of fun about us going to THAT restaurant is that the director of Sam's daycare stood and talked with me one day about it being one of her favorite restaurants of all time. She talked so fondly of the food and the experience that i promised her that the next time i ended up in Philly (didn't think it would be so soon after our chat), i would check it out, either with company or solo. I'm glad i'll have Katie with me. She's had Moroccan food and says its so yummy and so fun to go! I'm looking forward to it. I'll be sure to take pics.

It is here that i want to say (AGAIN!!!) that i so very much miss my family, especially Ron. I miss his comfort and love and support and laughter. I miss being able to share my little 'excursions' with him in a special setting void of our oh-so-lovely boys; Ron and i very much cherish having COUPLE time, and these are times that would be perfect for us. There is a certain amount of guilt that i inevitably feel for 'gallavanting' while Henry's in the hospital and Ron is home with Sam and Thom. It's just THERE. It's what i call "Mom-Guilt," something my friend Natalie can say, happily, i don't experience too much. At least not unhealthily. But at the same time, i'm SO HAPPY to be surrounded by friends that care enough to drive 6+ hours to see me and Henry. Friends who live close enough to go with me to a new funky restaurant. I suppose its these very times and friends that 'recharge' me, as Ellie says, and keep me fresh and positive. So to them, i say thank you.