Back Home and Loving that New Baby

After 10 days in the hospital with Josh with his H1N1 Swine Flu and Double Pneumonia, I was ready to see my new grandbaby.

Steffany came and brought him to see us Thursday, February 4th.


Josh was still not doing well enough for us to be comfortable having him walk up and down the stairs, so he was sleeping on the couch.

Nurse Jenny was with him and finally got her first chance to meet baby Logan.
She took this picture of me holding Logan:

and I took this picture of her with Logan:

Josh saw the baby but wasn't especially anxious to hold him or even touch him yet. He did smile for the picture of us all together, though.


Once Josh got feeling better, we had Steff and the baby over again (Feb 7th). This time, it didn't take him long to warm up to that sweet baby. I think Josh is really enjoying being an uncle.

Here is Josh's first time holding the baby..

Check out that smile!




This time, Josh and Steff's dad, James was home and got to visit with his grandson ;) .. he even got to feed him. (James was at work the first time Steff came with Logan)

My parents got to come for a visit and to see the baby the weekend of February 13th.


Here is my mom with baby Logan.

and here is my sister, Amanda loving on her great nephew.

Josh had SWINE flu!!

Saturday (Jan 30).. the day after the small fire in the hospital and the evacuation... we got the news that the flu that caused Josh to have pneumonia in both lungs is infact H1N1 Swine flu.


That news was not completely a surprise to me because Josh had had a flu shot but not the H1N1 yet. But Josh had heard of people dying of H1N1 Swine flu on the news and even a friend of one of his nurses had died of it. So, it immediately scared him. I reminded him that he didn't even think he was sick before we went to the hospital. And that he was well on his way to recovery already. Josh kicked Swine flu's butt :)


Also on Saturday (Jan 30), we found out that a preliminary blood culture result showed a gram positive... meaning there is a bug somewhere that is resistant to the current antibiotic (rocephin) so we changed to Augmentin (which Josh takes in a big pill)


Josh started experiencing some pain in his chest on the right side. After a chest xray Saturday afternoon, we learned that most of the area in his lungs were clearing well, but the bottoms - especially on the right side still had fluid that needed to come out. Josh's doctor said we needed to get him up as much as he could and get walking around, etc. He had more breathing treatments, and we even tried (with the doctor's recommendation) putting Josh's pacer antennas on and turning the breath rate down to the lowest setting while Josh was still on the ventilator. That way the vent would register the pacer breaths as patient initiated breaths and would set itself around them, so to speak. Josh said it hurt, but only for a little while. It did cause him to cough up more mucus, which is what we were hoping for. That allowed him to bring up his oxygen and lower his carbon dioxide levels. But it also tired him out and he was ready for a rest afterwards.


Sat January 30, 2010 5:00pm Josh's chest xray

Saturday (Jan 30) evening, after the xray, I left the hospital long enough to go get some more clean clothes and more of Josh's home medicines we needed in order to stay in the hospital a little longer. We were hoping he could go home in a day or two, though.

By the time I got back, Josh had developed a fever again of about 101.


All night Saturday night/Sunday morning, Josh ran that fever. They gave him tylenol and motrin and even extra cortef (steroid) and nothing brought it down.


Josh today with just his pacers on... (without ventilator)
Sun January 31, 2010 at 12:13pm


had Josh on pacers about an hour but his sats started dipping and his eyes turned glassy so I stopped the pacers and put him back on his ventilator. I think his blood pressure may be a little low, too
Sun January 31 at 1:36pm



Sunday he seemed better than Saturday but still running fever.. they did a blood gas and I'm waiting for results. He is off oxygen right now and on his normal vent settings at the moment, so that is good but when I put him on his pacers he started desatting, so he's pretty worn out
Sun January 31, 2010 at 3:01pm

the ipv machine blasts little blasts of pressuring air and saline (or another med if the doctor orders it) in the trach and down into the lungs in little shots. It uses pure oxygen. It does a good job of cutting up the crud and forcing it up and out. And the pacers force the diaphragm to contract and then release, causing a big breath whether you are ready or not. It sure makes Josh's lungs expand and he gets some good breaths. It makes him cough up junk too.
Sun January 31, 2010 at 5:02pm

latest reports are looking good for Josh - other than his fever (100.6) - his blood gas CO2 41 and O2 96... if this continues maybe we can go home tomorrow!!!!!
Sun January 31, 2010 at 5:07pm



Sun Jan 31, 2010 at 5:08pm



We were hoping to get to go home today but Josh still running fever and desatting. Dr ordered a respiratory panel to try and find the problem.
Mon Feb 1, 2010 at 10:55am


Josh is on his pacers and satting well. And he just had his picc line removed. Still has to get a regular iv line placed tonight
Mon Feb 1, 2010 at 6:56pm they did not put in the iv line, afterall



Dr Smith says he wants to ensure blood culture is negative and respiratory panel is good before sending us home. He is shooting for tomorrow.
Tues February 2, 2010 at 7:46am


Josh has had episodes of chest pain which started up again this morning and was last in his right shoulder. His doctor has ordered a chest xray. We're waiting for them to come get him for that now.
Tues February 2, 2010 at 11:04am

chest xray done.. haven't heard results yet... respiratory panel came back negative... waiting to hear what the doctor says about the chest/shoulder pains Josh was having. Oh, and Josh and I will do a TTM with the pacers soon
Tues February 2, 2010 at 12:50pm

just heard chest xray shows a little more fluid on the right lung which is probably the cause of the pain and the lower oxygen sats today...
Tues February 2, 2010 at 1:41pm

one thing that Josh and I have decided seems to help his chest pain is using the ventilator along with the pacers (on a very low breath rate)... it hurts a little bit but makes the pain go away after a few minutes. It seems to force out the fluid.
Tues February 2, 2010 at 9:38pm


Dr Smith says we can go home this afternoon!
Wed February 3, 2010 at 8:37am

Wait til Monday to return to school if he seems well enough.
Wed February 3, 2010 at 8:52am


left the hospital around 11am. It was pouring down rain outside!

We made it home through the cold and rain with Josh on the ventilator. Phew!
Wed February 3, 2010 at 12:24pm I had nobody else with me, so it was a nerve racking experience

been busy since we got home from the hospital... unload everything in the rain, doing laundry, clean out fridge, go grocery shopping, meet with nursing case manager, cook dinner, pick up Josh's prescription... and now, watching a movie with Josh and his nurse
Wed February 3, 2010 at 9:38pm