First Days at Texas Children's Hospital

Since we have transferred to TX Children’s, first know that our first order of business was to make it here to see Dr Wilfong, the neuro specialist. So please don’t panic because we were transferred. We were receiving good care at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s hospital, for the treatment of his pneumonia, but it was those last few days where he was going into shock that we were not getting answers for “why”. That situation gave us concern that Braden might need a higher level of care. His situation is not that common, and so we felt most comfortable getting him to a place where he can be seen by renowned specialists, and hopefully provide us with some long awaited answers.

The Kangaroo Crew was delayed in New Orleans, and we didn’t get to leave until around 11pm, and arrived at the hospital around 1am. Braden’s first flight was fine, he traveled probably better than mommy, as those quick flights tend to make me a little whoozy on a twin-propJ It took awhile to get the little man settled in his new digs. Because they don’t know why he went into shock while at OLOL, and if the serratia has been totally eradicated, we were put under contact precautions, so anytime we go see him we gown up and put gloves on. Braden was intubated and put on a ventilator before noon while at OLOL, because his breathing was so labored, and they would have to intubate for transport anyway – it allowed him to rest some. However, the tube has given all staff’s some issues to deal with. At about 3:30 am after arriving at the hospital, while getting him settled, they decided that his tube was too high, and they wanted to place it a little lower.

When they did this, they put it too far down, and it was only inflating the right ventricle, leaving the left lung to collapse. This caused his blood oxygen saturation (sats) to drop drastically, and they “bagged” him, using manual labor to breathe for him until they fixed the problem. Mommy was panicked, and had a rough time watching Braden go through such a struggle when by herself, but the staff was quick to calm her and provide comfort that they are taking good care of him. He recovered fine, and settled down with more sedation at around 4 am, allowing mommy to catch some Z’s for a few hours in the PICU waiting room – they have a customer service desk rep who helps acclimate the parents, and they have fully reclining chairs, pillows, blankets, towels, and lockers. The staff is very compassionate, and helpful. YOU CAN LEAVE US MESSAGES AT THE PICU WAITING AREA HELP DESK AT 832-824-5949. We cannot use our cell phones while in with Braden, but if we are in the room when you call for us, they can connect you directly to us.

The nursing staff has been wonderful, they helped us get set up at the Ronald McDonald House over in the next tower. It’s like a little hotel, but you can’t leave your stuff there overnight, so we have to repack from the truck every day. You can also leave messages for us there while we stay there (since our cell phones don’t get service IN the rooms). A friend of Jeff Pon (Brad’s co-worker) lives about 6 blocks from here and is storing all of Braden’s medical equipment for us, so it will be safer than staying in the truck in the parking garage.

I will post a second update with our current medical status and more pics... so click the next blog to check that out...
K, B, Baby B