Where ARE you?

So another status update..

Had a little bit of a rough morning. I went to call the NICU this morning to ask how little Biggun was doing, and the nurse told me that he was okay, had issues on the ventilator, and then when I asked about Indocin and how he was taking the medication, her response was that it was something I should discuss with the doctor the next time I was there. So I said okie dokie! Ate some breakfast, ran upstairs and insisted we go to the hospital at 7 am (to mom and daddy Josh).

Here's where it gets a little silly...

I'm trying to wake Josh up.. "Josh, you need to know I'm leaving. You need to know where I'm going."
"Uggghhh... Okay.... Got it..........." (zzzzz)
"No, really, Josh, you need to listen."
"...Uh huh..." (zzzzzz)
So I resigned myself to a passed out husband, got dressed and roused mom to take me to the hospital (still can't drive just yet). And right before I leave, I'm explaining to Josh-
"The nurse said I needed to talk to the doctor about the Indocin. I don't know why she didn't tell me over the phone, but I told her I'm coming in. I don't know what's going on."
Again, still the sound of soft snores, so I kissed him and left.

I went downstairs, mom got a cup of coffee, and then we went out front to wait for the shuttle. It's supposed to come every 15 minutes, but I'm an idiot who read the paper wrong, and we're waiting outside in the cold for awhile. We tried to get back in, but Josh has the key to get inside and into the room. Our only choice was to wait until 7 am when the gate opens up to the garage for us to get to the car and then mom can physically drive me.
So we make it to the car, and we're driving down the road, and I get a phone call from Josh.
"Hello?"
"Hey, where are you?"
And, I might have flipped out a little bit....
"What do you MEAN, where am I? I TOLD you I'm heading to the hospital!"
"Wait, what? I know. I'm AT the hospital. Where are YOU?"

So my husband, shortly after I walked out, managed to wake up, realize the situation, throw on his ABUs and race to the hospital... Meanwhile, passing us by the front of the hospital while we stupidly waited for the shuttle that never came.

By the time I got to the hospital, it was found the nurse just meant I needed to talk to the doctor about his medication, but nothing serious was going on with the medication. Josh was a little upset about that, and told her she really scared me and never to do that to me again. (Gooooo hubby!)

So after THAT little scare...

He still has a murmur. The medication SEEMS to be working, but not at the speed with which they would like. Tonight (in under an hour), he gets his last dose of Indocin and then tomorrow he will have a head ultrasound to determine how much if any the flap has shrunk. If it hasn't, they would consider surgery. If it has, they might determine if another round of medication is enough. It sounds like the doctor is hopeful the medication will work, though. He seems to be responding really well to medication treatments.
I asked to speak to the doctor today, and she explained the heart issue is a big deal, and we'll get that resolved tomorrow one way or another. The other big issue is his lungs. They want to put him into a study about nitrous oxide gas and with a double-blind, how it affects long term effects of lung damage. Josh wasn't there for that explanation, so the doctor will explain it to him, and we were considering allowing it since it doesn't seem to hurt anything. But the ventilator he is on seems to only be increasing, not decreasing. The rate of his breathing is going up, not down. We're hoping the issues with his heart resolve this, but for now, it's a concern that the rate is having to be increased so much.

Everything else seems to be going good. It's been a crazy day for us, and I'll never forget arriving to the hospital this morning. Hopped on the elevator after mom dropped me off, raced upstairs, and when the elevator doors opened, there is Joshua in his ABUs, waiting for me after having beat me to the hospital. I have never been more proud in my life!

Thanks for the continued prayers and support. Baby Biggun needs them!

Much Love,
Rachel and Joshua