We are finally home, trying to get some rest. The last two days at the hospital were definitely better than the first. It was hard to keep Charlie in bed for the test. She was still groggy from the anesthetic and hating the fact that she had a tube in her nose and IV's all over her hands. Overall, I think the pictures can tell how the last two days there unfolded better than I can....
The nurse came in on Thursday morning to connect the sensors and begin the test. They also ordered an Xray to check again that the sensors were still in place. Xray came to the room, did it on the spot and we began.
During the test Charlie got to play doctor with Mr. Potato Head when Grant came by to visit.
Then she got to check on daddy's heart beat. After all, she had her vital signs checked so often she should have a turn to do it herself.
During the manometry testing (and throughout our stay), she watched the "soothing sounds" video of the underwater scenes which included activity on a coral reef, fish swimming by, dolphins playing, etc. on REPEAT!!! It was hysterical. She would yell for the "pishies" as soon as it would end so we could start it over. Thank goodness for this kind of television. Maybe she has a future as a scuba diver.
Forty-two hours after her last meal she was finally able to eat. She was actually excited! We ordered her some macaroni and cheese, a milkshake and vanilla pudding. It was needed for the testing. She had 20 minutes to get down 400 calories (which is why they had to order calorie rich food.) She made it in the knick of time.
We even set up her baby doll (who was also equipped with a tube coming out of her nose, an arm splint to cover up all of the IV ports and a pulse ox monitor on her toe) to eat with her. She fed her some of the meal as well. It got messy!
In order to keep her still we let her do some dot art....
and play with her doctor bunny. By late afternoon the test was over and we got to take the nose tubes out. We asked that they unhook her IV's for a few hours so we could let her get out and about. The hospital has a little playground for the patients so we took her outside to play.
She only lasted a short time but she did love the slide.
She also loved just being able to walk in the halls not attached to any other devices.
The next morning we had to wake her up and start all over. They loaded her in a wagon to take her back to Radiology. She loved rolling by this animal mural in one of the hallways.
This burrito wrap was used to hold her down, which she definitely did not enjoy. She complained of being hot. She could not move for several hours. She did get to watch Elmo, however. She eventually gave up the fight and fell asleep on the table.
When she was all done we got to wheel her back up to the room.
Once we got back, her doctor came back by to check her out again. She was not entirely thrilled that her fish video got interrupted but she still let her check her out.
Before they would let us go home they needed to draw blood to test for some different things, give her a flu shot and remove all of her IV's. As you can see, she was NOT happy.
We did get to meet with the doctor and speak extensively about what they found. We can home from the hospital late yesterday and are now trying to recover from an incredibly emotionally and physically exhausting experience. Hopefully, this weekend will be filled with lots of rest and sleep for ALL of us.
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