I'm going to be a little vague with this post, because someday my baby won't be a baby anymore, and will read this. Preston left for DC on January 19th. On the night of January 20th, I noticed something was wrong with Braylon. I called the hospital and told the RN what was going on. She told me I better get him to the ER right away. I called my Mom and she came over to watch Brax and Mase. When the RN got a look at Braylon she said, "Oh my." Then she ran out of the room to get the PA. When he looked at Bray his exact words were, "Oh boy." He did a quick exam, because Braylon was freaking out, then went to call Primary Childrens. Then my parents came in, and I was so thankful to have them there with me in case I lost it. The CNA gave Braylon a kit filled with toys and activities to play with. The small inflatable ball was a lifesaver for the next 20+ hours. The PA came back in and told me he was afraid Braylon might have torsion. He explained what that meant, and the possible risks. He also used the words "worst case", "too late", and "prepare yourself". And somewhere in there I heard "surgery". He said Braylon really needed an ultrasound, but they didn't have anyone in Beaver trained in that type of ultrasound. The closest facility to go to was in St. George. But if it was torsion, they would Life Flight him to Primary Children's anyway, so I figured we might as well just go up North. I asked a few questions, then the PA went to make arrangements for Braylon. My Dad gave him a blessing, and it was all I could do to not start sobbing. And of course Preston was gone. Things always happen when he's gone. The PA came back in and said Braylon needs to get to Primary Childrens as fast as possible. He said there were no available helicopters to come right then, so ambulance would be the fastest. The ambulance was paged for a STAT TRANSFER, (usually with transfers we have a 20 minute response time, but with STAT, we have 7 minutes). I handed a crying Braylon to my Mom and drove home to pack a few bags. The PA really didn't want me to run home, but I assured him I'd be less than 5 minutes. I prayed all the way home and back to the hospital. I got to the hospital just as the ambulance pulled up. My parents told me not to worry about the other boys, that they would take care of them, and to let them know what I find out. They gave Braylon hugs and kisses, and the RN gave Braylon a sedative to help calm him down, and we were on our way. The ambulance ride was a nightmare. Braylon wanted me to hold him, and wanted to drink a bottle of milk. He had to be strapped in his car seat, and couldn't have anything to eat or drink since he might be having surgery. It was close to 9:00pm when we left Beaver, and Braylon was beyond tired. The poor kid kept reaching for me and asking for his bottle. It broke my heart. I finally got him to sleep by hugging him as best I could while we were still buckled in. But by the time he fell asleep we were only about 30 minutes away from Primary's. The EMT's were awesome to get us there fast and safely, and helping keep my mind off things. By the time we arrived, it was about 11:45pm. The room the hospital staff put us in was almost immediately filled with people asking questions, and examining Bray, who was now fussy again. The tech who started his IV was amazing! She was fast and got it on her first try. It was obvious she had done it MANY times. Within an hour of our arrival Bray was done with the ultrasound. It was hard to see him sedated, and see so many people standing over him with cords going every which way. Finally they told me what I had been praying to hear. It wasn't torsion, and he didn't need surgery!! So then they had to figure out what caused it. They figured it was an infection, but his blood and urine came back clean. So they were just kind of stumped. And they told me so:) They decided to start him on an antibiotic to see if it helped. As Braylon started waking up, he was very groggy and kept moaning and groaning. They told me I could hold him, which I was so excited about! He kept trying to open his eyes to look at me, and kept his hand on my face. He couldn't hold his head up for more than a few seconds at a time. Then he started burping. And moaning again. They warned me he was probably sick from all the meds. Then he started throwing up. And let me tell you, it was very hard to keep his face and hands out of throw up when he was like a rag doll. After he woke up a little more, they gave him crackers and the thing he wanted more than anything else in the world-his bottle. He drank about 10ounces then was out like a light! At 3:45am they took us to his room. They took the crib out for me and wheeled a bed in that was big enough for me to sleep by him. I was exhausted, and Braylon was even more exhausted. The next day was filled with trying to keep Bray happy, (a lot of peek-a-boo and hide and seek) and the occasional Dr./Nurse. I was able to watch a little bit of the Presidential Inauguration, but missed Good Morning America completely. Preston's Aunt Cheryl called me to tell me she saw Preston on GMA. I guess they had a few shots of the Utah Troopers along the parade route. I had called Preston in the middle of the night to let him know Bray didn't need surgery. I felt bad for calling when I knew he had to wake up in a few hours, but he told me to keep him updated. And it was good I did, because he wasn't able to talk at all the next day. Primary's kept Bray until evening the next day. His symptoms were improving, which they contributed to the antibiotic. But they still weren't convinced it was an infection. So before he was discharged, they did a renal ultrasound. They didn't find anything that would have caused his problem, but did find something on top of his problem. They found out he has duplication of his kidneys. Basically they said he has extra pieces of kidney in his kidney's. They said it's rare, but happens more than you would think, (if that makes any sense). I was assured that it was "most likely" ok, and he wouldn't ever have problems from it. His left kidney also had some fluid that wasn't supposed to be there, so he has to go in for another renal ultrasound next month, just to see if it is gone, has improved, or has worsened. I was told neither one of the additional findings would have caused his problem. The Urologist gave me her cell phone # and told me to call her immediately if it happens again. So far, so good. My sis-in-law Tristalee picked us up from the hospital and took us to her place. We had dinner with her, Cole, and Taleena. Then Trissy drove me to my Brother's house in American Fork. Bray and I slept there that night, and spent most of the next day there. Preston flew in that evening and picked us up. Then home. I'm so thankful that everything turned out ok, but it's frustrating not knowing what happened, and why. There were a few tests they told us to have done, to make sure there were no underlying problems. The worst was in March when he had to have a VCUG. He had to be held down and have a catheter that they used to inject dye into his bladder to see how everything is draining. He HATED that, and it killed Preston to see him hurt like that. I've heard men say that catheters feel like razor blades. And I have witnessed first hand many times that catheters are much worse for boys than for girls. The VCUG came back normal, so we still have no idea what happened. It took about 7 days on an antibiotic for everything to go back to normal. So maybe it was a freak infection. Our families were amazing with all their help and prayers in Bray's behalf. I had a small glimpse into what some families go through with their kids, and it breaks my heart to think about. I can't imagine having to spend a lot of time with a child in the hospital, or watch them go through surgeries. I hope it's something we never have to do again.
I'm going to be a little vague with this post, because someday my baby won't be a baby anymore, and will read this. Preston left for DC on January 19th. On the night of January 20th, I noticed something was wrong with Braylon. I called the hospital and told the RN what was going on. She told me I better get him to the ER right away. I called my Mom and she came over to watch Brax and Mase. When the RN got a look at Braylon she said, "Oh my." Then she ran out of the room to get the PA. When he looked at Bray his exact words were, "Oh boy." He did a quick exam, because Braylon was freaking out, then went to call Primary Childrens. Then my parents came in, and I was so thankful to have them there with me in case I lost it. The CNA gave Braylon a kit filled with toys and activities to play with. The small inflatable ball was a lifesaver for the next 20+ hours. The PA came back in and told me he was afraid Braylon might have torsion. He explained what that meant, and the possible risks. He also used the words "worst case", "too late", and "prepare yourself". And somewhere in there I heard "surgery". He said Braylon really needed an ultrasound, but they didn't have anyone in Beaver trained in that type of ultrasound. The closest facility to go to was in St. George. But if it was torsion, they would Life Flight him to Primary Children's anyway, so I figured we might as well just go up North. I asked a few questions, then the PA went to make arrangements for Braylon. My Dad gave him a blessing, and it was all I could do to not start sobbing. And of course Preston was gone. Things always happen when he's gone. The PA came back in and said Braylon needs to get to Primary Childrens as fast as possible. He said there were no available helicopters to come right then, so ambulance would be the fastest. The ambulance was paged for a STAT TRANSFER, (usually with transfers we have a 20 minute response time, but with STAT, we have 7 minutes). I handed a crying Braylon to my Mom and drove home to pack a few bags. The PA really didn't want me to run home, but I assured him I'd be less than 5 minutes. I prayed all the way home and back to the hospital. I got to the hospital just as the ambulance pulled up. My parents told me not to worry about the other boys, that they would take care of them, and to let them know what I find out. They gave Braylon hugs and kisses, and the RN gave Braylon a sedative to help calm him down, and we were on our way. The ambulance ride was a nightmare. Braylon wanted me to hold him, and wanted to drink a bottle of milk. He had to be strapped in his car seat, and couldn't have anything to eat or drink since he might be having surgery. It was close to 9:00pm when we left Beaver, and Braylon was beyond tired. The poor kid kept reaching for me and asking for his bottle. It broke my heart. I finally got him to sleep by hugging him as best I could while we were still buckled in. But by the time he fell asleep we were only about 30 minutes away from Primary's. The EMT's were awesome to get us there fast and safely, and helping keep my mind off things. By the time we arrived, it was about 11:45pm. The room the hospital staff put us in was almost immediately filled with people asking questions, and examining Bray, who was now fussy again. The tech who started his IV was amazing! She was fast and got it on her first try. It was obvious she had done it MANY times. Within an hour of our arrival Bray was done with the ultrasound. It was hard to see him sedated, and see so many people standing over him with cords going every which way. Finally they told me what I had been praying to hear. It wasn't torsion, and he didn't need surgery!! So then they had to figure out what caused it. They figured it was an infection, but his blood and urine came back clean. So they were just kind of stumped. And they told me so:) They decided to start him on an antibiotic to see if it helped. As Braylon started waking up, he was very groggy and kept moaning and groaning. They told me I could hold him, which I was so excited about! He kept trying to open his eyes to look at me, and kept his hand on my face. He couldn't hold his head up for more than a few seconds at a time. Then he started burping. And moaning again. They warned me he was probably sick from all the meds. Then he started throwing up. And let me tell you, it was very hard to keep his face and hands out of throw up when he was like a rag doll. After he woke up a little more, they gave him crackers and the thing he wanted more than anything else in the world-his bottle. He drank about 10ounces then was out like a light! At 3:45am they took us to his room. They took the crib out for me and wheeled a bed in that was big enough for me to sleep by him. I was exhausted, and Braylon was even more exhausted. The next day was filled with trying to keep Bray happy, (a lot of peek-a-boo and hide and seek) and the occasional Dr./Nurse. I was able to watch a little bit of the Presidential Inauguration, but missed Good Morning America completely. Preston's Aunt Cheryl called me to tell me she saw Preston on GMA. I guess they had a few shots of the Utah Troopers along the parade route. I had called Preston in the middle of the night to let him know Bray didn't need surgery. I felt bad for calling when I knew he had to wake up in a few hours, but he told me to keep him updated. And it was good I did, because he wasn't able to talk at all the next day. Primary's kept Bray until evening the next day. His symptoms were improving, which they contributed to the antibiotic. But they still weren't convinced it was an infection. So before he was discharged, they did a renal ultrasound. They didn't find anything that would have caused his problem, but did find something on top of his problem. They found out he has duplication of his kidneys. Basically they said he has extra pieces of kidney in his kidney's. They said it's rare, but happens more than you would think, (if that makes any sense). I was assured that it was "most likely" ok, and he wouldn't ever have problems from it. His left kidney also had some fluid that wasn't supposed to be there, so he has to go in for another renal ultrasound next month, just to see if it is gone, has improved, or has worsened. I was told neither one of the additional findings would have caused his problem. The Urologist gave me her cell phone # and told me to call her immediately if it happens again. So far, so good. My sis-in-law Tristalee picked us up from the hospital and took us to her place. We had dinner with her, Cole, and Taleena. Then Trissy drove me to my Brother's house in American Fork. Bray and I slept there that night, and spent most of the next day there. Preston flew in that evening and picked us up. Then home. I'm so thankful that everything turned out ok, but it's frustrating not knowing what happened, and why. There were a few tests they told us to have done, to make sure there were no underlying problems. The worst was in March when he had to have a VCUG. He had to be held down and have a catheter that they used to inject dye into his bladder to see how everything is draining. He HATED that, and it killed Preston to see him hurt like that. I've heard men say that catheters feel like razor blades. And I have witnessed first hand many times that catheters are much worse for boys than for girls. The VCUG came back normal, so we still have no idea what happened. It took about 7 days on an antibiotic for everything to go back to normal. So maybe it was a freak infection. Our families were amazing with all their help and prayers in Bray's behalf. I had a small glimpse into what some families go through with their kids, and it breaks my heart to think about. I can't imagine having to spend a lot of time with a child in the hospital, or watch them go through surgeries. I hope it's something we never have to do again.
1 comment:
Wow Danielle... I cannot imagine going through all of that, you are a strong woman! It broke my heart reading this. He looks so tiny with all the medical people around him! I am so happy he is ok, and send you and your cute boys my love!
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