Tuesday we arrived at the hospital around 7:15 in the morning and got registered. They only had two rooms available, both of which were in the back. I picked one we hadn't been in before. I don't mind being in the back, but this room ended up not having a shower of it's own. I hadn't had to deal with that since we were in the PICU. We got settled in and they started her chemo around 2 pm. Ambrosia seems to have finally hit a stage of stranger anxiety. She has been a little weary of the doctors and some of the nurses. I guess it was inevitable she would act this way, but it's just so unlike her!
At one point during the day on Tuesday, a massage therapist came to the room and asked if I would like a massage. I was a little hesitant because I thought we would have to leave the room, but she had a massage chair that she wheeled in the room. I got a massage while two of the nurses tried to put a catheter in Ambrosia. Ambrosia of course was not a happy camper and while I enjoyed the massage, it was cut a little short as Ambrosia needed some mommy attention to calm down. The massage therapist said she would come back, hopefully she will as I wouldn't mind another massage!
The rest of Tuesday went off without a hitch. She slept fine through the night and we had no major issues. Wednesday, however, was a different story! Ambrosia was due to have her broviac dressing changed. We had a nurse that we had not had during any of our previous stays. His name is Bob and is incredibly nice, like all the other nurses up here! He came to change Ambrosia's dressing, and after pulling off her old dressing he noticed that her line had a crack in it. He immediately called for surgery and for one of the nurse practitioners on duty to come take a look at it. The nurse practitioner came and said to go ahead and recover it and they would start antibiotics as a precaution in case there was an infection. Surgery called and said they were in a middle of a trauma and would be down in a little while to take a look to see if it could be fixed.
In the midst of all of this, Bob was holding on to the line waiting for his helper to bring a new dressing to put over it while we waited. All of a sudden, Ambrosia began to bleed from the line that was cracked. Bob had to call again for the nurse practitioner and surgery to let them know of the change. Someone from surgery was able to come down quicker and take a look. She also took a picture to show the surgeon. The nurse practitioner came back as well and they were able to clamp the line off and get it recovered until surgery could evaluate the situation. They called someone from the IV team to come and put an IV in as we now couldn't use her broviac line. Ambrosia took that well considering everything!
Unfortunately, the tear was in a place that could not be repaired and needed to be replaced completely. I signed papers giving permission for them to place a new broviac line. Ambrosia had to be NPO by 2 am and her surgery was scheduled for 10:30 am. We got upstairs a little later than that and by the time the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and OR nurse came in to verify what was being done, it was right before 12 that they took Ambrosia back. The surgery was only about 30 minutes. The surgeon was able to use the same tunneling site but the exit site was moved slightly. As my dad said, Ambrosia has a new battle scar but it's okay because she's winning the war!
At one point during the day on Tuesday, a massage therapist came to the room and asked if I would like a massage. I was a little hesitant because I thought we would have to leave the room, but she had a massage chair that she wheeled in the room. I got a massage while two of the nurses tried to put a catheter in Ambrosia. Ambrosia of course was not a happy camper and while I enjoyed the massage, it was cut a little short as Ambrosia needed some mommy attention to calm down. The massage therapist said she would come back, hopefully she will as I wouldn't mind another massage!
The rest of Tuesday went off without a hitch. She slept fine through the night and we had no major issues. Wednesday, however, was a different story! Ambrosia was due to have her broviac dressing changed. We had a nurse that we had not had during any of our previous stays. His name is Bob and is incredibly nice, like all the other nurses up here! He came to change Ambrosia's dressing, and after pulling off her old dressing he noticed that her line had a crack in it. He immediately called for surgery and for one of the nurse practitioners on duty to come take a look at it. The nurse practitioner came and said to go ahead and recover it and they would start antibiotics as a precaution in case there was an infection. Surgery called and said they were in a middle of a trauma and would be down in a little while to take a look to see if it could be fixed.
In the midst of all of this, Bob was holding on to the line waiting for his helper to bring a new dressing to put over it while we waited. All of a sudden, Ambrosia began to bleed from the line that was cracked. Bob had to call again for the nurse practitioner and surgery to let them know of the change. Someone from surgery was able to come down quicker and take a look. She also took a picture to show the surgeon. The nurse practitioner came back as well and they were able to clamp the line off and get it recovered until surgery could evaluate the situation. They called someone from the IV team to come and put an IV in as we now couldn't use her broviac line. Ambrosia took that well considering everything!
Unfortunately, the tear was in a place that could not be repaired and needed to be replaced completely. I signed papers giving permission for them to place a new broviac line. Ambrosia had to be NPO by 2 am and her surgery was scheduled for 10:30 am. We got upstairs a little later than that and by the time the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and OR nurse came in to verify what was being done, it was right before 12 that they took Ambrosia back. The surgery was only about 30 minutes. The surgeon was able to use the same tunneling site but the exit site was moved slightly. As my dad said, Ambrosia has a new battle scar but it's okay because she's winning the war!
Ambrosia's new broviac line.
After surgery, Ambrosia was in recovery for about 45 minutes. They brought her back down to her room and started IV fluids. The fluids had to run for 4 hours before they could start her chemo back up. I am happy to say that chemo is back up and running! We should be done and released from the hospital on Saturday. Our favorite nurse has been taking care of us tonight and last night as well. I had nominated her back in December for a DAISY award and she let me know that she was given the letter I wrote for her. She was really appreciative and said it meant a lot. We were able to catch up and chat for awhile which was nice because we haven't seen her much since December. It's no secret that she is our favorite. She takes great care of us. So much so that she was able to move us up front and in a room with it's own shower. It's little things like that which make our stay that much more comfortable.
Another member of the staff told me today that I had two of the most beautiful children. She said that Ambrosia makes her smile every time she sees her. I thought that was incredibly sweet of her to say. I, of course, agree with her. I am one lucky mommy!
Another member of the staff told me today that I had two of the most beautiful children. She said that Ambrosia makes her smile every time she sees her. I thought that was incredibly sweet of her to say. I, of course, agree with her. I am one lucky mommy!
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