All is Well

Gage is doing GREAT!! He is getting stronger and stronger. He is able to hold his head up for longer periods of time, but still "requires" much of his mother's attention. He doesn't like to be layed down unless it is to nurse or sleep cuddled next to his mom. He pretty much whimpers and he has 6 people at his side ready to help. It is wonderful!!

Just a side note, Megan lost her front tooth. It has been loose for about 3 weeks and she was just going to "let it fall out." The other night we were chatting with Aunt Emily on the computer and Megan wanted to chat. I told her she could if she pulled her tooth out. 5 minutes later it was out and she was chatting with Emily. Thank you for your patience Emily.

Hunter is being his helpful self and is at a really funny age right now. Thank you for your prayers and all your support. We have been really blessed with great friends and family.

Megan and her tooth.

Hunter and Gage with matching PJ's.

Hunter had to get shoes on before he could go grab some wood from the garage. He isn't really picky about the size or style.

We are home

Hello everyone, Daddy here.
Just wanted to report we are all home, and boy are we glad to have our little Gage and Mommy here. Gage is smiling and doing well. He still has some withdrawals, but the doctors are confident he can finish the recovery at home. It was sure fun the travel home together as a family.
With all my heart, thank-you for your prayers, concern, and comments. They mean a lot to Stacy and I.
Shawn, our little friend from Alaska who received a heart, we hope you recover quickly.
The Binghams

Home Sweet Home!

Gage had a great night last night. His oxygen would drop into the upper 80's and he was able to bring it back up himself, without needing oxygen. So, we got the green light from the doctor and we are heading home!!!!

His withdrawal symptoms are getting less and less. We are still going to go home on some Ativan to help though. The Dr. thinks it will last 3-5 more days. However, he is acting more and more like himself. He almost laughed yesterday and is smiling more and more. Thank you to everyone for your prayers and for checking on us. With all our love, the Binghams.

Good and Bad Days

Gage without any oxygen and clothes!

Sorry for no update yesterday. Gage had a not so good day yesterday. He is doing great as far as not needing any oxygen. They took him completely off the oxygen yesterday and he did great. However he didn't sleep hardly at all and was very fussy all day yesterday, which is part of the withdrawals. It was so sad, because he had this weak little whisper of a cry and nothing I could do would console him. He would fall asleep for brief periods in my arms. Then, I would realize I hadn't moved out of the glider in hours and would lay him down in his crib. Inevitably he would wake back up and start crying.

Finally about midnight last night he passed out. He slept very deep until 9:00AM this morning. However, because he slept so deep, his oxygen levels went down and his alarms sounded all night. So, they had to give some blow by oxygen to help keep his oxygen levels up.

Anyway, Jason is going to say that I went on and on with every detail. So instead of boring you I will sum it up. We are hoping to go home soon, but the doctor says that he has to be able to go without oxygen for 24 hours until we can go. They took out his central line today making the only attachment his oximeter probe. They will send him home on meds for the withdrawal that they anticipate lasting 1-2 weeks. YEahhhhh!!! J/K Hopefully in the next couple days we will be blogging from our home computer.

A Good Day

Gage had a good day today. He was smiling for the first time. We got out of ICU and are on the regular pediatric floor. He is eating better and the withdrawal symptoms are starting to get better. We are hoping to go home Friday or Satruday but the doctors haven't said yet. He is only on 1/4 L of oxygen and keeping his oxygen level up. Which is not very much compared to the 2L he was on in Baker's hospital before he was life flighted. There is definately a light at the end of the tunnel.

Another Long Night

Gage is having a tough time with the withdrawals. He slept 4 hours yesterday and then a little 20 minute cat nap at 10:30 last night. He was up all night, even after they gave him a non-narcotic medicine to make him sleep. Finally, at 5:00 AM they had to put a feeding tube down and give him two more medications to help him sleep. He finally gave in and is peacefully sleeping. So, they are going to put him on a timed schedule of ativan (for anxiety) and methadone (for pain). These will help him through the withdrawal.

On a good note. We are going out to the pediatric floor this morning and he will have a few less monitors on him making him a little easier to get to. They are also going to turn down his IV fluids to see if that will make him a little more hungry. His appetite isn't the greatest. However, these are all minuscule in the whole array of things. He really is getting better.

Getting Better and Better

Gage has been battling some withdrawal. Last night he slept two 20 minute increments and then he was awake until 11:30AM today. Finally, he gave in and slept for 4 hours. The sedation medicine he was on causes him to shake a little and constantly have to move his arms and head. It also makes him have a tongue thrust which I was a little worried about feeding him. It was like his suck reflex was gone.

The doctor said it was OK to feed him and we would give it a try and see how it went. He did great and it is so nice not to have to pump anymore. He is down to 1/2 L oxygen and still gets breathing treatments and suctioned with saline and a small tube. I really don't like to watch that part of his care. He tolerates it well though and they are talking about letting us out on the regular pediatric floor tomorrow. He is very, very weak. He can barely hold his head up. It is like holding a newborn. But, he has been bed bound and unmoving fo the last 11 days, it has to take a toll somewhere.

They need to continue to medicate him through the withdrawals, wean him of his oxygen, make sure he is eating, peeing and pooping, and that he doesn't need anymore breathing treatments. THEN we can go home. So, I am hoping by Thursday or Friday we are able to go home. Thank you all for your comments. With love from our last night in PICU.

Finally!!

10:30 PM Boise time, Gage was taken off the ventilator! He is doing great so far on 1L of oxygen that they will try to wean him off of. Finally after 11 days I got to hold him for the first time. He cuddled into me and went right to sleep. It was so nice!

He is going through a few withdrawals from the sedation medicine he was on. All in all he is doing great.

Marilyn the respiratory therapist, pulling the ET tube.

Gage shortly after coming off the vent. Yes it was quite a process.

My first time holding him in a LONG time.

About that Vent

Well, the doctor came in this morning ready to take him off the vent right then. It was the changing to the doctor's so we now have Dr. Jansen (one of our favorites). The nurse talked him into waiting for a couple of hours, because truly he wasn't quite ready. So, they were going to do it around 12:00 today. However, he was resting very comfortably and all his numbers (vitals) looked really good, so they decided to shut off all the sedative drips he was on. They also took out his foley catheter and took out his IV pole that had 8 pumps on it, all of which were being used a week ago. He is making progress, but now they want to make sure that the sedatives are all out of his system. He has been having some periods of apnea (stops breathing) and they think it is from the sedatives. So, they are letting him wake up on his own and then they will take the tube out. All in all it has been another steady and stable day. From a deep sleeping PICU, thanks for checking on us.

Hopefully, a picture of Gage his last day EVER, on the ventilator.

Good News!

Gage is doing great. They are going to take him off his ventilator today around 12:00. His vent settings are as low as they can get and he is tolerating it great. So, I will update later today and let you know how it goes. Thanks for your prayers and checking on us.

Back in the Saddle Again

It has been an enjoyable weekend. Aunt Garrity stopped by and so we all (Jason, Megan, Lindsey, Hunter and I) went and ate at IHOP. It is the longest I have been out of the hospital room. I hated to leave Gage, but for EVERY ONES sanity it was best.

He is stable enough that we felt alright with doing that. His feedings are up to 22 mL an hour. He is tolerating them great. His ventilator is at 30% oxygen and he is tolerating that well. Dr. Christensen did a trial run of turning the vent off and seeing how he did. He did good for about a minute and then his oxygen saturation started dropping. So, the doctor decided it will probably be 2-3 more days on the vent. They like to wean him off real slowly so they don't end up having to put him back on if he's not ready. Which, sounds good to me.

Jason just left to head back with the kids. So, it is back in the saddle again of living apart for hopefully no more than 4-5 more days. Happy Birthday Angel! We love and miss you. Thanks for checking on us.

Hunter watching a movie in the hospital room. He didn't even notice us taking the picture.

Aunt Garrity and Lindsey. Lindsey was pretty into the movie too.


Dr. Christensen checking on Gage.

Megan, pulling Lindsey and Hunter in the "milk wagon". Yes, that large box is about 50 bottle of breast milk. Can you say "Moooooo.." I for one will be glad when Gage is eating again!

No News is Good News!

No real news yet. The doctor hasn't been in yet this morning. Gage has been the only patient for about a week and yesterday their census quadrupled. So, the doctor has been a little detained. Which is fine to have the attention off of Gage, meaning he is STABLE!!

Gage had another steady night. He always deteriorates a little at night, so they turned his oxygen up to 60% during the night. Now he is at 39%. His feedings are up to 20mL an hour and he is tolerating those great. Which he started at, 2 mL an hour, a couple days ago. Normally he eats 90mL every 2-3 hours. Just to give you an idea. To answer your question, Rachelle, yes they are giving him percussion on his lungs every 6 hours or so. The purpose of the percussion is to break up the fluid and pneumonia in his lungs.

Jason, Megan, Hunter and Lindsey made it here today. Sierra had to stay home because she has avoided the inedible for far too long. She has finally gotten sick. She has been running fevers every evening and has a sore throat and cough. Hopefully nothing more than a nagging cold, but we didn't want her here with Gage's weakened immune system and hers to share with each other. It is good to almost all be back together for a brief period. Jason & his mom are ready for the break!

Megan and Lindsey having Dad's kind of breakfast while Mom is gone.
Hunter in the hospital room for the first time.

Gage, much less swollen. Looking more like my baby.

A close look at Gage.

Baby steps- We'll Take em!

His x-ray looks a little better. The fluid has shifted a little to his left side and his lungs are still a little over inflated. So, his x-ray doesn't look good, but small improvements. We will take whatever we can get.

They took him off his paralytic yesterday waking him up more. So, yesterday evening he was trying to open his eyes and moving his arms and legs. It was exciting but sad all at the same time. Exciting in the sense that he would hold my hand and there was "life" in his little body. Sad in the sense that his face was grimacing like he was crying and no sound would come out. I dearly wanted to hold him.

However, because of him being awake more and a little agitated they had to put his oxygen on the vent back up to 60% during the night. WE were down to 40% most of yesterday. So, we are making progress, but every now and then I get a glimpse at how sick his little lungs really are. His swelling is down and he is looking more and more like my little Gage. The nurses that were here over last weekend keep commenting in awe about how good he looks. Keep your prayers coming, because they are surely being answered. Thank you everyone!

More Improvement!

Last night was the change of Dr.'s. Dr. Christensen left and our infamous Dr. Jansen came on. He was on every time Sierra was admitted 2.5 years ago. So we know him well. He said that Gage had definitely hit his bottom and was starting to recover. They started him on a new inhaler medication last night to help break up secretions. It worked well and his pneumonia looks "a little" better.

So, they are going to turn down his paralytic (the drug keeping him paralyzed) so he can move some more on his own. He can do a better job of moving secretions out of his lung than they can by suctioning him through the vent. Of course, they will have to turn his oxygen up on the vent to help with this. But, he did run at 35 - 40 most of the night. Which is the lowest he has been since first on the vent.

He has lost more fluid. He is almost recognizable and he is tolerating his feedings well. So, I can finally use my case lot sized collection of breast milk, or sale it on ebay!

Thank you again for all your prayers and comments. Prayers are being answered!!

More Good News!

Thanks to the child life specialists, they found me a lap top so that I can do the updates. Ease Jason's burden a little bit. We had a great night!! Great in that it was stable. Even though the doctor won't use those words I can see it, and the nurses were not hoovering around his bed all night. He is off the two meds they were using to keep his blood pressure up and make his heart beat stronger. So, to list what he is on: He is on 2 antibiotics, lasix (to help pull the fluids off), a paralytic to keep him from fighting the vent, versed to keep him asleep, nubain to keep him comfortable, TPN to feed him, a feeding tube to feed him breast milk that they started last night and one other diuretic to help get the fluid off.

His vent is at 40 - 50% oxygen which is good. It is keeping his oxygen saturation in the low 90's, meaning he is tolerating it well. He is on his stomach and handled turning him on his stomach much better this morning than yesterday. Usually his oxygen saturation decreases and they have to mess with settings on his vent. Today they didn't have to do anything. His lungs are still overinflated so they are going to try a new medicine that will help open his pulmonary capillaries to be able to carry the oxygen better.

So, to sum this all up, he has taken a baby step forward and I will take that. His nose is a little bit more and more noticeable each day. Meaning, more and more fluid is coming off.

Thank you to everyone for your comments, they are very touching. To everyone bringing Jason and the girl meals, and everyone who cleaned my house and everything else you are doing that I can't see because I am here in Boise. WE are truly blessed to have so many loving and caring people in our lives. You certainly make experiences like this doable.

Small changes (I'll take that)

Thanks again for your comments.

Just talked to Stacy. Pretty complicated how they are juggling med's and the ventilator to try to find the right mix.

They adjusted the vent this morning, and he seems to be tollerating it. Also, they dropped 2 drugs which was lowing his blood pressure, (among other things). Again, he seems to be handling it. His urine output is up just a bit. He as lowered some of the puffyness, but has a long way to go.

Dr Christensen says he is not a typical case, because everytime they adjust a med or the vent, he does well for 1-2 hours, then starts to slip. He also seems to react opposite to what they expect. That's not good or bad, its just challenging for the Drs. So, they just keep working at it.

Tara, my brother's wife from Rexburg, has spent the day with Stacy and Gage. Thank you for your help.

Remember, its not IF it's WHEN.

Jason

Still waiting

Tuesday morning 9:50 am
Thank you so much for your comments, prayers and concern. Stacy and I read and re-read every comment you make. Trista, thank-you for your 'Rocky' quote, it's a good one.

Gage had a rough night last night. They had to turn his O2 up to 100% for most of the night. Yesterday there was a 'changing-of-the-guard', a new doctor for the week. This week it will be Dr. Christensen, we had him quite a bit with Sierra, and really like him. (We really liked Dr McConnell too).

Anyway, yesterday the 2 doctors spent quite a bit of time looking, talking and thinking about Gage's situation. They were asking each other is there anything we can change in these 8-10 meds to get him to react differently. They were brainstorming for ideas. So yesterday and today they are trying some new ideas. Yesterday they turned Gage on his belly for a couple of hours, which is a big deal with all the 'stuff'. His body really didn't like that, but tollerated it. They turned him to his back yesterday at 5:30.

So today, right now, they are aggresively adjusting his ventelator to see if he will tollerate different settings. I will update with any news as I get it from Stacy. We have to remember that Gage has a very nasty virus. This RSV and para influenza are very rough viruses that can take 7-10 days. Keep praying for our little boy.

Stacy is awsome. She is rock solid and knows Gage will be alright. She told me this morning that I need to know Gage will be alright, not just hope or believe it. She is amazing. So everybody, it is a matter of when not if.

So, as bad as all of you want to hear good news, it will come. Maybe not today but it will come.

I know the lord hears and answers prayers.

Keep the comments coming, they mean a lot to Stacy and I.
Gage's daddy
Jason

Gage, Still waiting for good news

Gage took a step backwards last night. Spiked a fever and they had to up his Vent to 100%, he was at 45%. It was a very long night for Stacy and Gage. Still very sick. They have an IV in his forehead, I just couldn't take a picture. Still VERY puffy. They say his kidney's and other organs are still working. We will update soon. Please pray for our little boy. It's hard not to be scared.
Jason

The play area in the waiting room

An Answer to his illness

No pictures just a quick update. They came in and told me today that two of the tests that they thought were negative came back positive. He has RSV and para influenza. Influenza is treatable, but para influenza is not. So, thus why he is so sick. The pneumonia is being caused by these two viruses. Though this doesn't change his treatment it just gives us an answer to what he has. They were able to keep him on the same ventilator, but he keeps fighting against it, so they had to increase his paralytic and sedative. They don't want him fighting it yet, he isn't well enough yet. From Boise, THe Binghams

Gage's progress

An update on our little boy. 1st of all thank-you for your comments, thoughts, and most of all your prayers and concern. The lord does hear and answer prayers. Thank-you.

Up until today, Gage has been steadily worsening, increased fluids, additional medicines, etc. BUT, last night the doctor used the word 'stable'. Meaning he not getting any better, but may have found the bottom. He is currently on 8 different med's, a lot of which Sierra was on in the room to our left 2.5 years ago.

When the infection goes 'septic' meaning into the blood stream, in causes all kinds of problems not just in the lungs. Fluid retention, urine output, heart function, blood levels, (and a whole bunch of other stuff I don't understand) all are effected. The doctors have to juggle a lot of meds, waiting for Gage's body to start fighting off the infection.

Last night, Gage started fighting back! There if NO improvement in the pneumonia, the right lung is packed with 'stuff', but he didn't get worse. We will take that.

Today, I am taking the kids over to see Mom and Gage. They all (especially Sierra) wants to see them very bad. They also want to see Oscar and the rest of the fish that are still there from last time.

We will update soon, thanks again for your concern.
Gage's Daddy





I picture of Gage just before we left Baker hospital. (picture is out of order, deal with it)
Gage, and the monitors, and meds. You can see how puffy he has gotten from the fluid retention
We love our son.
Stacy trying to eat Oscar. These fish are still here from last time.