7 already!

My baby is 7 years old now. Is that even possible?! Chad and I have always believed that God must have a huge plan for this boy. With everything he has already gone through, I have always believed that satan must be trying to get this little guy down, so God must have something huge in store for him. And I still believe that with all my heart.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRAE!!!

Surgery

Today was the day of Riley's surgery for his hydrocele hernia. It was just a quick, out-patient procedure, but it still ended up being a long day. It started at 4:45 when Riley woke up wanting his bottle. Of course, he wasn't allowed to have anything to eat or drink this morning, so we couldn't give him his bottle (of water). We were at the hospital by 6:30, and they were wheeling him into the OR by 8. It only took an hour and we ended up being able to leave by 11. Not too bad.

I realized something when I was sitting in the post-op room holding Riley. I realized that I have sat in that room, watching my boys wake up from anesthesia 8 times. Today was number 8. Trae has had 6 surgeries and this is Riley's #2. In August will be #9 and 10 with Trae and Riley's dental surgeries and Trae's heart surgery will be #11. Wow. So, today I have just been wondering why. A lot of parent's will never have to sit in that room waiting for their child to wake up. Why did God choose me? Why did He think that I would be strong enough? Don't get me wrong, I think I am strong enough. I really was fine today - I wasn't crying or anything like that. I just wonder what makes me so special that God would give me the job of being a mother to these precious boys, and what made him know that I would be able to handle everything they have had to go through. I really don't know. But it is a job that I will gladly take on. I don't like seeing them being wheeled into surgery. It's actually a horrible feeling, putting your child's life in the hands of strangers. But, I guess being a parent is knowing what is best for your kids, even if it will be uncomfortable for them for a while. Maybe sitting on the other side of the hospital bed will help me to be a better nurse to my patients and their families.

By the way, if you're wondering what Trae's 6 surgeries are: Hernia's on both sides (age 17m and 5 yr), on his finger when the tip got cut off when it was shut in a door ( age 3), dental surgery (age 5), his adenoids removed and blood vessels cauterized in his nose to stop his weekly nose bleeds (both age 6). Quite a lot for a little boy!

Crazy Weekend

Last weekend started on Friday about 1 in the afternoon, when I got a phone call from Chad. He told me he was having chest pain pretty badly, and was going in to Proctor First Care.
"Um, no you're not! Go to the ER!" (me)
"Are you sure I should?" (Chad)
"YES! If you go to Proctor, they will just send you to the ER anyway!" (me)
So, after 2 sprays of nitro, he started feeling a lot better. However, they did end up admitting him because of his extensive cardiac history and the fact that he was in a-fib. (Atrial Fibrillation)
The cardiologist told us that he wanted us to stay for observation for 24 hours, and amazingly enough, we ended up being there exactly 24 hours! After all his blood tests, and a stress echo came back fine, they let us go home.
It really got me thinking about my nursing career, though. For the past year, I have known that my cardiac rotation was coming up (this fall semester). I really thought that it would be really hard for me to go through that rotation. Because, of course, of the situations that 3 of the 4 men in my life face everyday. I didn't think I even wanted to hear about it. But, being by Chad's bedside, seeing the meds they put him on, the tests they ordered, and watching his heartrate and other vitals, it really became just the opposite for me. I wanted to know everything I could learn about. I went home and looked up all his meds, including IV meds, and figured out why he was on each one of them. I read all I could about A-fib and angina (chest pain) in my nursing books.
So, anyway, I'm not 100% on this yet, but I think I want to be a cardiac nurse. I would love to be able to go to Trae and Riley's appointments and talk to the doctor in a way that Chad has no idea what we are talking about! :) That doesn't change the fact that I am still scared to death and completely thankful that I still have a year left of someone constantly looking over my shoulder. But, now when people ask me what I want to do with my nursing education, I have an answer for them! Yaa!

Trae and Riley

Well, I started this blog page mainly to keep everyone informed about Trae and Riley and anything going on with them and their health. So, here's the latest update on Trae and our latest doctor's apppointment.
For anyone who might not know, Trae and Riley have the same heart condition. It's called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Basically, that means that the left ventricle of their hearts is too thick. Their heart has to work harder to fill up and empty completely, and if the muscle were to get too thick, it could block blood flow. They are both on the same medication (different doses, of course), a beta-blocker, to slow down their heart, so it doesn't have to work as hard.
We've been going to the cardiologist since both of them were babies. We usually go about every 6 months for an EKG and sometimes an Echo, sometimes a chest xray. Riley's condition is fine right now. The medication is helping, and everything looks fine.
Last summer, however, after doing an echo on Trae, our physician told us that his condition had progressed quite a bit, and his heart was getting thicker. After showing the echo to the other cardiologists and surgeons, they decided that surgery would be the best option for Trae right now. It isn't urgent at this point, but it is something that needs to be fixed. We decided to wait for a while - Trae and I were both starting school. Well, it's been about a year now, and there hasn't been any change in his condition - for better or worse. So, we have decided to go ahead with the surgery. The problem now is that Trae has some dental work scheduled for Aug, and our doctor would like that to be moved up and done before having open heart surgery. Having his mouth cleaned up would lower the risk for infection. (He's having 2 cavities fixed in the hospital, because he refuses to sit and let them do it in the office)
So...if we can get the dental surgery moved up, then we will be doing the heart surgery shortly after, hopefully by the end of July. If not, then we will probably wait again so that he doesn't have to miss a lot of school. Christmas break maybe. We'll see what happens.
As for Riley, he is having a minor surgery done on June 20th to repair a hernia. We have been through this exact operation 3 times already. Trae had this type of hernia (hydrocele inguinal hernia) on both sides, and Riley has already had this on his right side. So, we're not too nervous, but we do want it to be done with.
If I've confused anyone or any questions, just ask! And thanks in advance for all your prayers!

First time

I have no idea if anyone will actually take the time to read this, or even find it! But, since things in our lives seem to change in an instant, I though this might be an easier way to keep all of you informed. I also thought it might be a good way to keep everyone informed about Trae and Riley and their health - any changes that come along.
So, here's to happy blogging! And if any of you actually take the time to read this, thank you! :)