When I rang the hospital this morning the nurse looking after Freddie said everyone had given the nod for him to be transferred and that they were waiting for confirmation that there was space for him on the children's ward at Glenfield. We tried not to get our hopes up too much as we have been in that situation before, however the ambulance came to transfer him from the Royal to Glenfield at around three pm. Whoo.
Everyone at the Royal has been fantastic but the move to Glenfield is a big positive step in the right direction as it means he is where he needs to be for his heart surgery.
We got to him at Glenfield just as he was being moved from the 'transporter' to his new bed so we had a nice cuddle before they hooked him up to his machines:
Freddie is also starting back on his feeds tonight! He will only start on one ml every hour which is only a drop but its a good start and if his stomach is OK the amount will be increased every 12 hours.
While he has been 'nil by mouth' Freddie has been given something called 'TPN' which I now know stands for Total Parenteral Nutrition. This has been given to him intravenously and contains nutrients such as salts, glucose, and vitamins.
Before we left the hospital tonight the nurses at Glenfield were waiting for Freddie's TPN to be delivered from the Royal hospital pharmacy. Because the last hospital transport run is at 4pm, Freddie's TPN was being delivered to the hospital via taxi! How surreal...a nurse booking a taxi to carry our son's vital nutrients!
We have just rang the hospital and the TPN has arrived safely and they were about to give him his first 1ml feed which they said they are going to give by mouth rather than in his feeding tube as it'll be nice for him to wet his lips and mouth.
Freddie's feet are still a bit swollen but the doctor took a look and didn't seem to concerned.
The experience of Freddie being on a ward rather than in intensive care looks like it is going to be very different from what we have experienced so far. It's much more family friendly in there with play rooms (a life size Thomas the tank engine which Samuel loves!) bedrooms for parents to stay, a kitchen etc. We got chatting straight away to the couple who's baby is next to Freddie and who also has coarctation of the aorta. It is nice to speak to people that are going through the same kind of thing that we are.
'Heart Link' is the East Midlands children's charity that provide support for parents and families who have a child suffering from a heart defect. They also raise money in order to improve the facilities for the children and parents and to provide valuable medical equipment. We have seen so much evidence of the contribution this charity makes to improving the care a child receives and also the facilities available to families.
Freddie's gorgeous 'Heart Link' teddy which was in his goody bag which the charity provide to all new patients.
I believe this charity will be a big part of our lives in the future and we are already so grateful for their support. See the link below for their website with information about what they do and fundraising.
http://www.heartlink-glenfield.org.uk/
The light at the end of the tunnel is getting bigger and brighter.
No Samuel quote of the day to leave you with today, instead, a picture of the kind of thing I have to deal with on a daily basis.....
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