We were warned it would be scary. We were warned about all the tubes. We were warned about everything, yet still nothing could have prepared us for seeing our sweet girl in the CICU. Walking through the halls to Jordan's room was eerie, one room after another filled with very sick children, they were packed, all 26 beds were full most of which were babies. Various beeps and alarms were going off in virtually every room. We rounded the corner and were led to the last room on the left. Fluorescent lights filled the room, 2 floor to ceiling electrical "trees" covered in equipment surrounded a twin sized hospital bed. There was a portable x-ray machine and technician taking chest x-rays, a nurse trying to do an EKG and a nurse finishing up attaching Jordan to the "trees". All this going on but the only thing Peter and I see is a lifeless Jordan spread out on a bed that is 10 times too big only making her appear smaller. Tubes and wires literally everywhere. A machine breathing for her.
The tears just poured down Peter and mines faces, it was as if it were a reflex, there was no stopping the flow. We just stood there holding hands and watched as they manipulated her little body to accommodate their needs. Numb. We were just numb.
After x-rays were taken, after the EKG lines were removed, after finishing hooking her up we finally got to move close enough to touch her little body. The nurse pointed out and explained to us all of the stuff on her. This is a list of what our 11 pound 24 inch baby had:
1. A ventilator tube in nose- breathing machine
2. Oral gastric tube- in mouth down to stomach to let air escape
3. Iv in left wrist
4. Arterial Line(stitched into Right wrist) -used to measure BP, blood O2 level and take blood without an additional stick
4. Iv in right foot
5. Pulse ox on toe- measure O2 level in blood
6. Monitor on forehead - measures O2 in brain
7. Monitor on back - measures O2 in kidneys
8. Catheter - tube used to drain urine
9. 2 Right atrial pressure tubes- inserted into right atrium to measure pressure(stitched in place)
10. Left atrial pressure tube - inserted into left atrium to measure pressure(stitched in place)
11.2 chest drainage tubes (stitched in) - allows blood and excess fluid drain out of chest cavity
12. 3 external pace maker lines - attached to heart and used to get the heart to beat at the right beat in a case of an emergency( these were never used :) )
13. 5 EKG leads on stickies all over chest- measures heart rate, pulse and respiratory rate
Over whelming is an understatement.
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| 1 hour after VSD/ tetrology of fallot repair |
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| 1 "tree" |
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| 2 "tree" |
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| The full picture :( |
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