Update on the pump…
January 11, 2009 | Updates
I’ve had several people email me wondering what we found out about Samuel’s pump, so I’d better post and let you all know. We went down to Primary’s and 2 nurses looked at the site. They both stated that it felt strange and that it possibly felt like the catheter was coiled up in his back and had, indeed, moved. So, they sent us down for x-rays.
When we got back to the x-ray room, the technician there told me to lay Samuel on his back on the x-ray table. I asked him if he wanted me to put on a bib so I could help hold Samuel during the x-ray. He said he thought he could do it himself. (Insert me quietly laughing at that!) So, I put Samuel on his back on the table and watched the technician try to get Samuel to lay flat and straight on that cold, hard table by himself. (Insert me quietly giggling some more and Samuel starting to get a little ticked off.) Pretty soon, the technician asked if I might go grab a bib and come back and help him out. (Sometimes it’s just easier to let people figure things out themselves than try to explain it all.)
Anyway, he took pictures of Samuel stomach and of the right side of his abdomen. I kept making little comments like: “The problem is on his back” and “The cather runs on the other side of his abdomen”. But the technician just kept saying he knew that and that these were the pictures he needed. By the end, Samuel was in tears and I was glad we were done, but I was really worried that the x-rays we just took wouldn’t show what we needed. So, I just politely stated that it was a 2-hour drive from our house and was he sure he got what the doctor asked for. Well, they pulled the x-rays right up on the screen and sure enough, you could see the pump and the catheter really well. Then he pointed out to me the connections between the pump and catheter and although he wouldn’t interpret the x-rays for me, it looked to me like everything was just fine and nothing had come out of place. The nurse then called me on our way home and confirmed that everything looked just fine.
So, the verdict is that it all looks good. I don’t know if the catheter has just moved a bit and now sits on top of his vertebrate instead of to the side of it. But the swelling has gone down and all seems fine. Weird. We did reduce the pump by 10 micrograms to see if it would cause him his normal withdrawal symptoms. The symptoms the last few days haven’t been bad, but they do seem to appear to be there. Samuel’s been sleeping a little less, spitting up a little more and has been a little more wiggly and upset. So, I guess we’ll just assume it’s all ok until we see something different.
On another good note, Samuel is gaining back the weight he lost. He was at 33-34 lbs about a week ago. But I can tell he’s gained even more since then. It’s funny, but the thing that tips me off is I always grab his thigh in the same place to pick up his leg when I change his diaper and when I grab it lately, I think, “Wow, he’s gettin’ chunky!” Not really, but it’s good to see that he is gaining some weight.
Well, that’s it for now. Samuel’s cold is gone but I swear Nathan has a new one. Ugh! Oh, well, I guess I have to expect it this time of year. Funny thing is, Nathan really never goes anywhere except to church. I guess that’s where he’s getting them from.
Hope you’re all having a good new year.
Love,
The Jewkes
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January 11th, 2009 at 8:29 pm, Darlene Says:
Hi Teresa,
Glad to hear you got everything resolved concerning Samuel’s pump. I knew you would easly manage to get him to gain back his weight. I hope everyone had a great week/end? The new job is going so/so for now, as I lived through the first four days so far. This job I guess will just have to do for now, but nothing I wish to do on a permanent basis. Take care
January 13th, 2009 at 1:53 am, Suzi Searles Says:
I’m so glad to hear that all is fine with Samuel’s pump. I have often thought that Luke would benefit from a pump, but his Dr. will not think about it until he is 40 pounds. He weighed in at 37 pounds, which completely shocked me, I had no idea he had gained so much weight. Though I should of been aware of it from the fact that carrying him around is becoming more of a challenge each day. I’m glad to hear that Samuel is gaining back his weight. Sorry I haven’t written that e-mail about Luke’s diet, I got so behind on my e-mails around Christmas. Did you still want that info?
I could totally relate to the X-ray story, because of Luke’s tone issues it is very hard to get x-rays taken. I usually have to help along with one more person.
Suzi
January 14th, 2009 at 8:36 pm, Caradie & Corbin Says:
Corb gained almost a pound since his last visit too. Good job boys (well Momma’s)
Caradie and Corbin
February 4th, 2009 at 4:56 pm, Suzi Searles Says:
I’m assuming that since you have not updated in a long time that all is going well and that Samuel has been healthy??? Please let us know soon.
Suzi Searles