Update on My Sister

My sister came home from the hospital yesterday!

Ultimately the doctors said that a gallstone irritated her pancreas and the pancreas got inflamed and there was extra fluid in her abdomen because of it -- both of which caused her a great deal of pain. In some people the pancreas will settle down quickly, but it others it can take 2-3 weeks, so it could be awhile before she is back to her normal self. They did a test yesterday morning to see if they could find another stone somewhere since her enzyme levels and labs were "off", but it was inconclusive, and since Karen wasn't in pain anymore and was eating, the doctor told her she could go home.

Karen was thrilled to go home....and mom even drove in "DC Rush Hour" to pick her up yesterday morning. Mom had been waiting until 10am to go to the hospital to avoid rush hour, but she kept telling everyone that she'd never seen that much traffic when it wasn't a rush hour and was convinced that she was still driving in "rush hour" at 10am. Karen tried to tell her that it isn't necessarily a lack of traffic during the day, but the speed (moving) that determines when the "rush" is over.

Little Bitty Things

Following my post of Hannah's first bottle, I was asked exactly how big the bottle in the picture was....since it is hard to tell size with only the bottle in the picture. As a result, here is a picture of Hannah's first bottle and Hannah's first diaper (well, the same kind, not the actual first one), shown to scale, as well as a picture of her footprints from the night she was born. It is amazing how small everything is. You should see her blood pressure cuff!

4 Weeks Old

Hannah is 4 weeks old today!
Hannah in a "milk coma" following a nursing session : )

She is now allowed to eat all of her meals nursing or with a bottle -- provided that she is awake enough to eat (and interested in eating). Despite being quite sleepy today (a growth spurt, maybe?), she took a few feedings in a row from a bottle, so her nurse removed her feeding tube. Not having the tube has really improved her bottle feeding and nursing. Of course, the tube will have to go back in if it is time for a feeding and she's not interested in the bottle.

Now, if only we could get her weaned from her oxygen. The nurses have tried to wean her off of her nasal cannula a number of times, but she needs a "little puff" to keep her numbers up. We are still hopeful that they'll be able to wean her before she comes home, but we have been warned by a number of people at the hospital that they may send her home on oxygen. Ultimately, only time will tell, but we are taking our required CPR class tomorrow afternoon just in case.

Grandparents Visit

Today Jon's parents, Ron & Sally, finally made it back to Columbus to see Hannah. It had been a few weeks since they'd been here....and last time they didn't get to hold her. They both loved getting to hold her - she is their first grandbaby. Here are some photos from their visit:




While Jon's parents were at the hospital, Hannah had her developmental assessment by the occupational therapist at the hospital. The therapist said she is doing quite well -- she'll be developmentally delayed by about 2 1/2 months (since she was born that early) but is otherwise right on track. We've been quite pleased with her progress and are amazed at how much she has grown.

My Poor Mother (and Sister)

The Cassidy Family (Brian, Karen, and Liam)

My sister and I are trying to give our mom gray hair...When mom is in Virginia with my sister (Karen, pictured above), something always happens here.

First, when I went to the hospital for my first stay, my mom was in Virigina helping Karen with all sorts of last-minute baby stuff (Karen was due 10 weeks before me, on January 20th). Mom couldn't make it to Ohio until I'd been in the hospital for a few days, which had her feeling awful.

Next, mom's first grandson, Liam, came a little early (January 10th), and mom could only go to Virginia for that weekend. She'd planned to come to Ohio for Martin Luther King weekend, and I encouraged her to go back to Viriginia instead to have an extended weekend with Karen and the new baby. So, she went to Virginia and I ended up calling her very early Monday morning (Janury 21st) telling her that my water had broken, "but don't worry mom, the doctor doesn't think we'll have the baby anytime soon." Famous last words -- of course, Hannah was born about 12 hours later....and mom is in Virginia. She didn't make it to Ohio for another few days....and she was wishing she could clone herself the whole time.

Now, my sister is in the hospital in Virginia....and mom is CONVINCED that Hannah will come home next week, while she is in Virginia trying to help out my sister and take care of Liam. We'll see if that really happens, but if so, my mom will surely be going crazy.

My sister could actually use some prayers....on Tuesday of this week she went to the ER and was diagnosed with gallstones, a kidney infection, and pancritis. She was in a TON of pain. They admitted her and put her on a clear liquid diet and painkillers. Since it is flu season and she isn't in the maternity ward, her new little baby can't come to the hospital (which must be awful), and she is now pumping full-time when her medications don't cause problems (which I know is awful). On Thursday she had her gallbladder removed. They couldn't do a procedure during the operation to inject a dye to look for other problems, so now they are running all sorts of tests on her to find out why she can't keep food down (despite having normal vitals). She is frustrated with her hospital stay, the doctors, not seeing Liam, and everything else...her husband is staying with her at night, while mom takes care of the baby....and then mom is with her during the day. I think things are pretty stressful for everyone, and much worse than my hospital stay because we knew what was wrong with me, and I didn't FEEL sick at all. To be in pain and hooked up to IV's and not eating would be the worst thing. So, please pray that my sister will get better and get home soon...here's a picture of the little boy waiting on her.