Movin On Down

I have been waiting for today's doctors appointment since I heard about it back in the middle of January. This was Payson's first pulmonology appointment with the doctor who has been deemed "aggressive" with his care for trach/vented kids. Some of you might cringe at the thought of Payson's doctor being aggressive, not us! Let's get going to get this chapter in our lives over! Let's let Payson drive this bus and push him where we can! In other words, Let's Roll! Let me tell you our doctor did not disappoint! After a few minutes of introduction question and answers we informed him that last night I decided to take him off the vent for a few minutes. As you all are aware Payson spent the first three months of his life breathing on his own. Yes, with difficulty sometimes, but none the less on his own. So, last night I wanted just a few brief moments without tubes hanging off my son. Can you blame me for wanting and trying? We braced ourselves for a scolding from the doctor, but he said "good and let's begin to take him off the vent twice a day for 10 minutes. Every time he does well bump up the time by a few minutes." Please clean my ears out b/c I think he just told us to begin weaning him off the vent! WooHoo! My heart just skipped a beat and my eternal child jumped up and down a million times over! So, we are onto the next phase called weaning. He expects that it will take just a couple of weeks(8 or so weeks) before we will be able to take him off the vent for the full day, (except the days he is sick) everyday. Most likely we won't test him for night weans until mid to late summer. Um, I stopped listening at full day without the vent! Double WooHoo! Do you know how much my arms have longed to have Payson free from restraints? I couldn't believe my ears! We just got the trach, trained hard to get him home shortly after the surgery and now we are able to begin trials of not having him vented. Does this mean the end is in sight? Yup it sure does. When asked how long he thought we'd be dealing with a trach he said August would be extremely aggressive, but that April or May of 2011 is realistic! A little over a year, just 13-14 months and the trach portion MIGHT be over!

So, for now we were able to take Payson's breath rate from 15 to 12, which isn't much, but it is something! We started another inhalant medication for a total of three. Once a week I am to touch base via email with our doctor to tell him how Payson is doing and get new orders for Payson's vent setting and weaning! He does things by email so that we don't waste time waiting for next time appointments and we can move forward quicker! I like his thinking! Our next appointment will involve a bronch which will give us a look at Payson's trach allowing us to know how well he is growing out of his tracheomalacia! From that we will be able to make a plan and get a better idea of a time frame! Dear, Lord let us move swiftly through this time in our lives, but safely! Here's to a good wean!