Hazel is Progressing!

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It's 10:30 am Friday morning here in Utah.  It is a beautiful autumn day.  The kind of day that makes staying in the hospital for many hours harder.  But for the kids...we will do it as long as they need us.  We wouldn't want it any other way. It feels like we have been here a couple of weeks but in reality we are just starting our third full day.  Seriously the hospital is like a giant vortex that just sucks all the oxygen, blood and energy right out of you.  One time I stayed in this hospital with Jen and Lowell for a month.  This time I am so happy to say it is going to be a lot shorter.

Hazie gets a new hairstyle! **

We like to evaluate Hazel's progress using the number system from 1 to 10.  She was just above 0 when we came on Tuesday.  Yesterday she was about a 3.5.  She was still pretty sleepy and for some reason, that we cannot figure out yet, she doesn't want to be touched.  This is very uncharacteristic of her.  Not even mom gets away with touching her without a protest.  We think she has some pain that she is not communicating.

Yesterday she was still quite sleepy and her "numbers" for all the things they are monitoring are like a complex mathematical problem they are trying to solve.  Some things are getting closer to normal than others.  We are waiting for everything to sync.  They think one of the things that is making her so sleepy is actually a kidney problem with an alkaline output.  Hazie has some kidney scaring and other issues.  So her body may still adjusting after her bladder reconstruction in mid-August.

The infection is going down but still there.  She is still clammy and sleepy. The shunt is still an issue too complicated to relate but things are looking up.  Last night she was tired. She has had constant people in her room poking and prodding and talking for hours on end.  I think she's tired from all the interruptions in her sleep.  Her overall improvement was good by night's end.  It makes us tired and we are not even sick.  It is a wonder that people can heal with all the things going on there.  

The rest of the girls are doing well.  They are marching to Grampa's drums like little soldiers and we've got their schedules for needed rides down pretty well.  Between two different schools, work and sports and after school activities at each of those schools, we are thrust back into memories of our own children's past. I've been back and forth to the hospital during the days and at night I'm the doing one on one time with each of the girls.  Piper and I have talked about writing, one of our shared passions  One night Chloe and I did Pinterest activities for a few hours.  Last night I laid on the bed with Julia and made weird faces on snap chat for a loooong time. Julia is so dang funny!   Sheesh!  I thought of your recent snapchat photo, Lanette!

So it is Friday and this is how it's going to go today.  Grampa and I are on hospital duty.  Laundry done, dinner in the crockpot.  All is in order at their home.  Only had two hiccups this morning.  A lost jacket and lost book of Chloe's.  Found the book and we think she left her jacket at Einstein's last night.  Jen's on that and then on her way to see an academic counselor at the high school regarding Piper's schedule. Then she is going to go home and have a moment's peace for the first time since last Friday.   I brought my laptop to the hospital to write this and catch up on other work. and Jim is on his phone taking care of Library printer issues and the Scouting For Food drive that is happening on the 19th.  He is the Counsel Chairman for four counties.  Fortunately he is just tying up loose ends and has been working on it since August.

Shortly they are going to move Hazie to a regular room and out of her PICU.  This is going to be a nice improvement and hopefully more restful for her.  She's still weak but the best thing about today is she's around a 5 on the scale of 1-10.  She is talking more, asking for things, etc.  We are pretty happy at the good changes.  In the regular room she can have all kinds of play therapy and animal visits and even music therapy.  All things to get her moving again.  

Right now she is not overly enthusiastic about any of that but she will be once they get it going.  They have not even mentioned or thought about her going home anytime soon as of now.  With no further issues Jen is hoping for next Wednesday or Thursday.  It is a wait and see game around here.  But it is looking better day by day and sometime even hourly!  Thank you for the love and support friends.

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** Hazel has a new haircut.  Shaved right on top for a four inch incision where they worked on her shunt.  God bless this little girl.  May we all be extra appreciative of our good health every singe day.  And when we run up against a problem may we handle it with the grace and good cheer of this little person!  Family is the best thing ever.  And of course also friends that become family.