This Time Last Year

I didn't have this blog last year during the holidays. Therefore, I will now describe Cedie's Christmas holiday of 2005. Although it is very sad, it really goes to show what a miracle it is that she is here celebrating in her home this year.

On 12/21/05 I called to check on Cedie, like I did every morning, as soon as I awoke. The nurse told me that she had a rough night. She had a plug and they had to do an emergency trach change. They also had to increase her O2 a little and her breathing rate. Before I could get dressed and get Dylan to Memaw's, I got a call from the day shift nurse, N. Cedie had gotten another plug. N had to give her mouth to mouth CPR. The plug was not mucus but tissue. I hurried to the hospital. It was my sis's birthday and she, Nana, and me were supposed to do lunch. Instead we all stayed by Cedie's bedside. She was not doing well. As the day went by they kept having to increase her O2 and rate. They did many tests to try to figure out why she was falling so sudden and so fast. That night they gave her a blood transfussion and started IV antibiotics.

The next day she was still fighting them. She was so tired and aggitated. She didn't want anyone to touch her.. not even me. The doctors could not tell us what was wrong. Their guess was pnemonia. They told us they would have to put her in a coma like state by using a paralyizing drug coupled with a sedation drug to keep her calm.

By Friday they decided she was too fragile and too critical to stay in the TCU- they moved her over to the ICU. She was on 100% O2 and the vent settings were really high. They were doing all the work.

She stayed in her coma in ICU straight through Christams. Children aren't allowed to visit in the ICU so Dylan could not visit her on Christams day like we had planned. Chris and I sat by her Christmas night and prayed for her and told her about all the presents she had waiting on her. She was able to wake a few days later and she was stable enough to move back to the TCU by New Years Eve.

Last week one of the ICU doctors said "she sure tried to die on us last Christmas."

Cedie is such a miracle and such a blessing to us all. She is doing so good at home. She gave a little scare last week when they said she had RSV but she reminded us what a fighter she is and she came home early.

She is still on continuous CPAP with a PEEP of 4- no O2! She is happy and content. She now fights sleep like every other baby her age. She is even trying to crawl! As I type this, she is sitting in her daddy's lap, dancing to the music coming from the TV. She has already opened a couple of gifts and she loves it!

Chris and I are now almost over our FLU bug. Dylan is feeling better. Cedie had a great night last night- no desats or apnea alarms! It looks like this years Christmas Day is going to be Wonderful!