Our little Garrett has been in the hospital for the past week with RSV. I have felt like each day has meshed with the next and all of the sudden it has been a week. While this has been the hardest thing I have ever been through, I have also felt extremely blessed and have seen the hand of the Lord in our lives each day! To make sure I don't forget, here is the tale of what we have been going through.Last Tuesday (11/29) we noticed that Garrett was coming down with a cough. It was just here and there and wasn't too bad, so we really didn't worry about it much. Wednesday evening we noticed a little bit of wheezing and knew he needed to get in to see the doctor the next day. Thursday morning (12/1) I called the doctor's office to set up an appointment. The earliest time available was that afternoon. I wasn't too worried- at that point Garrett didn't sound that bad. But as the day progressed, he just started sounding worse and worse. I wasn't too surprised when the doctor told us it was probably RSV. Tori had it as well, so I expected a few breathing treatments in the office and then to be sent home with a prescription to keep doing the treatments on our own. I was quite surprised when I was told that Garrett was being admitted into the hospital. For the next few hours we were just waiting at the doctor's office for a bed to open up in the pediatric unit. I think we did about 5 or 6 breathing treatments in that time. I was so grateful that Jared was able to join us so quickly. And I was even more grateful when Adam Vorderstrasse showed up to help Jared give Garrett a blessing. In the blessing, Garrett was told that he would be healthy and strong and that he still had many things left to do on this Earth. His blessing brought such peace and comfort- even though Garrett was so sick that he would get better and everything would be okay!
Garrett was finally admitted into the hospital Thursday evening around 6 pm. Tori wasn't allowed into the unit, so she and Jared went home while Garrett and I started our adventure.
Here is Garrett in his big hospital bed.
That first night was absolutely horrible! I basically felt like Garrett and I were left alone to fend for ourselves- I was not a fan of our nurses. After his chest x-ray, no one came in once we were back. So after waiting an hour I plugged his cords back in by myself. In the meantime I had fed him, which resulted in Garrett spitting up so much that milk came out his nose and covered both of us. I didn't even know where the nurse call button was so I took care of things as best I could. And that is really how the rest of the night felt- me taking care of things with only a little help from the nurses.
Garrett needed a little help breathing that first night.
And they put an IV in just in case they would need it later.
Friday morning, Garrett's doctor came to see him and shortly thereafter announced that he was going to be transferred to a different hospital with a pediatric ICU just in case he were to get worse.
Here is Garrett in his transfer isolet.
And here he arriving at the new hospital.
I was so discouraged, until we got to the new hospital. From the second we arrived I felt like we were surrounded by people who knew what they were doing! It seemed like everything that hadn't happened at the first hospital was addressed in the first few minutes! Garrett was put on a different kind of oxygen to help him breathe better and they started IV fluids- they didn't want him eating because of how hard he was working just to breathe.
Chilling in his new bed!
These are all of the great people that were ready and waiting for us when we arrived!
Feeling much better in our new home!
Looking back, the decision by our doctor to transfer Garrett was truly inspired. We ended up right where we needed to be!
Friday was full of breathing treatments and lots of trying to help Garrett relax and not work so hard to breathe.
Jared did a great job helping to calm him down when he was upset!
By Saturday, our little guy was struggling so hard- it seemed like he was using every muscle just to breathe. He just looked so sick.
From 2 to 6 pm our Garrett was intubated with a breathing tube (vent), had a feeding tube put in, and received a PICC line. This was definitely our low point- I have never been more scared or cried so much.
Here is Garrett right after he was intubated.
And with his PICC line.
But once all of that was done, Garrett looked so much better!
He could finally rest and seemed comfortable. While it was so hard to see him with so many wires and tubes hooked to him, I could see that once again our doctors had been inspired!
Since Saturday, our days and nights have been much the same. Garrett has been partially sedated so he doesn't fight the vent and also so he can let his body rest and fight the RSV. Slowly, but surely, his little body is getting better! The doctor hopes that he will be able to get the breathing tube out by Monday, if not before. We are hoping for before!!!
Here is our baby boy sleeping away.
I don't know how he gets tangled in his lines, he really isn't moving that much.
Looking back over the past week, I know that Heavenly Father has been very aware of our little family. We have been carried when things were too much for us to bear and have seen His tender mercies at every turn. So, as our baby boy is peacefully sleeping, we know that we are not the only ones watching over him!
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