Here is a post especially dedicated to the nurses that have cared for Victoria here at UAB.
Emily was one of Victoria’s nurses in RNICU. That is the unit that Victoria was in when initially arriving at UAB. Emily was so sweet and caring. We always felt that Victoria was in good hands when we left RNICU each night. Emily actually wanted to walk Victoria and us over to the surgical unit the day of Victoria’s heart surgery. We really felt that she went the extra mile and we appreciated her care for Victoria so much.
Lawana was one of Victoria’s nurses in CICU. This was the unit Victoria was assigned to right after her heart surgery. We really had a great time getting to know her. Turns out that she lived in Mobile at one time! She was so sweet to our baby girl and also to us. If it would not have been for Lawana’s advice, I would not have gone home to see my other two girls this past week. Lawana actually came to see us in our room yesterday and we really enjoyed our visit with her. It meant a lot to us that she wanted to see how Victoria and we were doing. She is a special lady.
We didn’t get pictures of all of Victoria’s nurses, but here are some of their names (there have been so many, that I’m sure I don’t remember them all):
John, Brandi (who knows Chris & Allison Nelson from North Mobile), Roz, Turner, Ann, Erika, Joyce, Heather, Karen, TL, Peggy, Tim, Shelly, Wayne, Jeff, Janine, Winnie and Sarah
We are so thankful for all of the wonderful care that Victoria has received while here at UAB. God has truly sent spectacular people our way and we couldn’t be more blessed!
This is day 19 of Victoria’s “Heart Surgery Adventure.” Now being in a hospital room, the days drag by. There isn’t as much to do and we are developing a love-hate relationship with Victoria’s monitor, minus the love. That thing beeped on and off all night. A few minutes ago, I grabbed that sucker off the high shelf it was on and put it on the bedside table so I could reach the mute button better. The nurse is now trying to find another monitor and toe probe to replace the ones we have in case something is defective. We are pretty sure that some of Victoria’s dips in her SATS are correct, but some of them are probably not. Hopefully, the new machine will help us get a more accurate reading.
Dr. Knott-Craig stopped by today and said that “we are getting close.” He wants to try taking Victoria off of oxygen soon. Right now she receives 1/4 liter of oxygen and her oxygen level usually stays in the 90’s. They will probably begin testing her without oxygen a few minutes at the time to see if her level stays stable enough without it before removing it permanently.
Yesterday, Victoria didn’t do so well nursing. I saw some of her old feeding habits surfacing (whether nursing or feeding via bottle) and I was disappointed. I thought I was about to be done with the pump, but it looks like I’m not! I’ve asked to meet with the lactation consultant tomorrow (if they are working in spite of the holiday) and also a therapist that can help me with Victoria’s feeding challenges.
I have some exciting news to share! I’m pregnant! JUST KIDDING!!! I am crazy, but not that crazy! Actually, my exciting news is that Victoria nursed yesterday afternoon! I had called the lactation consultant to come in and help me just in case Victoria didn’t catch on right away. She didn’t need any help after all! She latched on and did wonderfully. I was so excited. That is, again, another answered prayer. Before Victoria’s surgery, she had such a weak suck. It didn’t matter if she was nursing or feeding from a bottle, her suck was weak. I had pretty much given up on nursing pre-surgery and stuck to feeding Victoria with a bottle so she would gain weight. I’ve been able to tell since her surgery that she is stronger and I thought I’d give nursing a try again. She did such a great job and I praise the Lord for, yet, another blessing.
As we have been in the hospital for so long now, I’ve observed a few things. I’d like to share them with you. I call this segment of my blog … “What Is With ….”
1. What is with the towels they give you in a hospital? They are about the size of a hand towel and thinner than a sheet of paper. Who can expect you to dry your entire body off with a towel of that size? By the time you get done drying your body off with this little towel, it is actually as wet as the rag you just used in the shower. What’s the point?
2. What is with the paging system in hospitals? The nursing station can make a page that every room hears through a speaker in their individual room. Mark and I must’ve heard the same woman paged on our speaker a million times the first night we were in our room. We kept waiting for the nursing station to send out a page like, “Where the heck is Sarah???”
3. What is with the cafeteria ladies and men that all say the word “dietary” the same way? There must be a mandatory rule that employees of the cafeteria have to stretch that word out as long as possible when they say it. It’s a special treat for Mark and me to hear that word three times every day. For example: “die …. ah …. tarrrrr … ie”
4. What is with the menu that they ask you to fill out with your meal choices for each day? The items you circle on the menu are never brought to you. Instead, you are brought completely different items that you never requested. You wonder when you receive your tray at each meal, “Did they give my tray to the person next door?”, because none of the items you asked for are on your tray.
5. What is with the little shower nozzle that dangles down over the toilet in hospital room bathrooms? Enough said.
5. What is with the fold out chairs and couches in the hospital? When they fold out, they are not long or wide enough to fit a person comfortably. You might as well have brought a sleeping bag and slept on the hard floor during your stay. Mark would say that sleeping on the floor (or cramming in the twin bed with me) is better than all of your limps dangling off the sides and ends of the fold-out chair.
One last word to all … “DIETARY!!!”
