ER Visit 5/10/25 (Day 5) Going Home!

Update: 5/14/25 (Day 5) - They took Lucas off high flow last night and he looks good this morning. They also took his blood and his kidney function looks good. So we get to go home!

They want to check his blood again on Friday to be absolutely sure that his kidneys are still functioning well, but we can do that out of the hospital. Thank goodness!

Update: 5/13/25 (Day 4) - There is nothing concerning on the echo, it looks really similar to the last one he had in March. So the plan is to continue to wean Lucas off the high flow support he's getting now (which is minimal). He will be weaned off completely by tomorrow morning.

The other piece is to see how much diuretics he needs to be comfortable until his surgery. They have him on Lasix twice a day and have started hydrochlorothiazide to see if that gives him the last boost he needs. If he continues to look good and his blood work comes back good going into Thursday when we can talk about going home. Looks like we're seeing the end of this tunnel. :)

Love,

Christine

Maintaining High Spirits

Update: 5/12 (Day 3) - They did an echo late this afternoon. I was kind of waiting to make an update then, but it's not like we would have the results right away anyway. Today has been a day of waiting. Lucas is breathing well on the high flow so they started turning it down to see how he does as they wean him.

They were initially going to increase his dose of Lasix from twice a day to three times a day but someone came in to let me know that after they took a blood test, his kidneys don't like that. So they'll keep the dose at twice a day and there are a couple other diuretics they can try. I looked it up and I guess diuretics just make you pee so you get excess fluid out of your body more effectively. So there you go.

I expect us to wean Lucas down to a level of high flow that is minimal tomorrow and review the results of the echo taken today. I've spoken to cardiology and pulmonology and they are going to talk to each other about everything and get an idea of how we'll be moving forward and what they think Lucas needs. I expect we'll be in the hospital for a couple more days at least as we fine tune his diuretics and make sure we feel good about going home.

They've been throwing around possibly moving up his surgery date, so that might be a conversation if something doesn't go well the next couple days. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers.

If anyone would like to visit me at the hospital a couple hours at a time, that'd be great. There's a lot going on here, but if people don't stay too long, it'd be great to have some company.

Love,

Christine

----------------------------------------ORIGINAL POST (5/10/25)-------------------------------------------

Hello Family and Friends,

Well, here we are again. We've had some excitement for sure. I thought we were lucky that Lucas got out of the hospital just in time last week so we could have him keep his sleep study appointment, but I showed up for it Saturday night and once they got him all hooked up it was very clear that he was breathing just hard enough that we couldn't let him go all night that way.

So after about an hour of being in the study, they were very gracious and unhooked him and I took him to the ER.

It's a good thing I did. We got there at around midnight and the first thing they did was an x-ray and they found fluid in his lungs. They gave him a good suction and didn't get much mucus and then back on high flow.

I have to smile because it seems that Lucas just got better for a few days so we could do a couple very important things:

#1 - my brother Brian went into the ER Thursday night and found out that he has cancer! Not only in his clavicle where he has been having a tumor develop, but when they did a full cat scan, they found it in his clavicle, ribs, lungs, liver & kidneys! For those of you who know my family, please keep him and our whole family in your prayers. This was such a shock and because I was out of the hospital I was able to go over to his house (about an hour away) and be with him for a few hours. We prayed together and I am so grateful for that time as we begin to process this development and navigate the beginning of his recovery. This week will be a lot of tests and finding out information to begin his treatment!

Lucas Snuggles!

#2 - Isabelle had her first communion. A very important milestone in the catholic faith for which she has been preparing for and we were so glad to be able to be there in person. ☺

Now that we are back in the hospital and Lucas has fluid in his lungs again (and more than they found before). It is beginning to point to the fact that he is in definite need of the heart surgery. His heart pumping harder because of the defects and the holes as well as his lungs working harder to get rid of extra fluid can take a toll on his body after a while.

Tomorrow they will be doing a new echo to see how it compares to the one they got back in March and see if the pressures in the heart have changed. It may just be a case that we keep the surgery date of June 11th and increase his lasix dose to assist the body in getting rid of extra fluid and he can go home until the surgery because that helps his breathing to calm down.

Or, if we're in the hospital this week and his breathing doesn't calm down sufficiently then we may begin to talk about the possibility of moving up his surgery to be sooner.

Fernando's parents and brother came into town last week to celebrate with Isabelle so they'll be staying with us this upcoming week. I'm grateful to have them around to help with Fernando and the girls. ☺

It seems like incredible timing that I've truly been inviting the Lord to profoundly enter my life recently and eradicate everything that isn't His Love. This is all happening just in time for my family to be experiencing these significant health challenges. Without getting into a lot of detail here, I have accepted a call I have received from the Holy Spirit to become a Saint and am humbly learning what it means to profoundly say "yes" to God every day and discover what it looks like to step into becoming a Saint. Someone encouraged me to notice, acknowledge, ACCEPT, and surrender all my thoughts, feelings and considerations that are not "being a Saint" and allow myself to grow. 

Raising my awareness has been incredibly beneficial to see my limiting beliefs I was living inside for most of my life and providing space to actively choose the life I want. I feel free, so inspired, and I have such clarity in my life now. This is what I've wanted my whole life, but let reasonable things and life get in the way. No more! It's definitely scary, and exciting and so humbling because I remain flawed, but each new day is a new opportunity to grow. The conversations opening up and the experience of watching old limitations and stories of lack and worry being left in front of the cross propel me forward and I'm just barely beginning to understand who it is God truly made me to be! Thank you to those who have been encouraging me and praying with me.

Thanks for letting me share and with a heart full of hope and LOVE for everyone everywhere in my life and especially those struggling in ways big and small, I'm sending out a big virtual hug to you and know that I am keeping you all in my heart and in my prayers. As I discover what it is to become a Saint, my love for you all and how amazing you are is easy inspiration to surrender myself to LOVE so it can thrive, encourage, and have us all experience true abundance no matter what is happening!💖

A heart felt "Happy Mother's Day" to all the mothers out there and to all those who are mother figures. I acknowledge you for pouring your heart out to those whom you care for and for all the sacrifices you have made and continue to make in LOVE.

I'll keep updating this page as we go along. I think I'll put the updates at the top this time so they are easy to find.

Love,

Christine

P.S. Lucas has broken his first tooth! In our hospital stays has been lots of munching on his teething toys and some Tylenol when he's really feeling it! Teehee! 😁