Post Surgery Day 2

This little guy is working on his own time frame and doesn't seem to be concerned with how we feel about that.  He is still in PC-ICU recovering.  There are still some issues with fluid on the left lung, but it has improved drastically and is continuing to get better.  The anesthesia has worn off completely now so he is a little more alert and is moving around.  He opened his eyes up fully this afternoon and smiled at me. (He just started smiling two weeks ago and has been a little stingy with the smiles.  This is only the third time he has smiled at me.)   They are using pain meds and anti anxiety meds as needed to keep him comfortable and calm.  

With the breathing tube in, he is not able to cough.  As the secretions are breaking up around his lungs he feels like he needs to cough and appears to be gagging.  He gets really upset and tries to cry, which the breathing also prevents.  I broke down today seeing him struggle with this.  It is so hard to know that he needs help and I can't help him.  The nurse and respiratory therapist suction him when this happens and then he is able to calm back down.

The fact that Brinkley is a preemie, still small, and has Downs have somewhat created the perfect storm for him.  All of these things are playing into his recovery time and making things a little slower than expected.  He has his own ideas of how this should work and it is not the same as ours.  Originally, the thought was that he would be able to move off of all assistance by today and move back to the pediatric cardiology unit today or tomorrow. That is not going to happen for a few more days.  The doctor told us this morning to plan for at least 14 more days here.  

Apparently Mr Brinkley is planning on having Christmas at the beach!