Timothy James
"Precious to God"
I was admitted to the hospital on Dec. 8th because my amniotic sac was leaking and I had begun to dilate. I was ordered to lie flat on my back until the baby came ( I was due April 2nd!). Well, on Dec. 17th my water broke at 7:15pm and Timothy James decided to come early. He was breech and already on his way out, so the doctor did an emergency C-section and at 10:20 pm he was delivered. He went straight to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and has been there ever since. Timothy was only 25 weeks along in his development (a "normal" pregnancy lasts 40 weeks) so he still has a lot of growing to do.
posted by Sheri
Stats at Birth
Date: December 17, 2003Time: 10:20 p.m.
Weight: 1 lb., 10 oz.
Length: 13 3/4 in.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Psalm 33:20-21 "Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our helper and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us, according as we have hoped in You."
Welcome to October! Timothy visited several doctors last month. Here's the updates:
ENT - He is ready to begin the process for removing the trach next year (2007). The first step will be to perform a bronchoscopy at which time TJ will have to go to the hospital and be put under anesthesia while the doctor scopes his nose, mouth, airway, and lungs. This should only be a short procedure and we'll be back home the same day. This procedure is done to make sure there are no problems in his airway that could lead to complications when the trach is removed. During the next 5 months, our job at home is to have TJ practice breathing in and out through his mouth and nose. We have a special device to help us do this. It plugs the trach off completely and forces him to breathe this new way. It will take a while for him to learn and get used to it. Right now he justs does it for a few minutes each day.
Pulmonologist - now that TJ is completely off oxygen, she listened to his lungs and said he sounds fine and will be ready to have the trach removed next year. She wants to wait until the cold & flu season passes, but she said if he makes it through the winter without any big setbacks/illnesses, and if he is tolerating the trach plug all day while he's awake, she would like to schedule the trach removal for March of 2007.
GI - He still gets about 1/2 his calories through the tummy tube, but he is tolerating his oral feedings well and continues to eat more and more. He is also beginning to drink a little bit from a cup - this is a recent development! We will need to continue working with occupational therapy on his oral skills before the tummy tube can be removed.
Therapy - Timothy will continue to receive physical and visual therapy at home until his 3rd birthday. At the beginning of next year he will begin receiving services in Palm Springs as well as from our local Beaumont school district.
Just a note regarding my current pregnancy: I am having some complications very similar to what happened with Timothy, so the doctor has put me on pretty strict bedrest for the duration of the pregnancy. I am currently at 25 weeks gestation, so we have 15 weeks to go!
Thank you to all of you who continue to show an interest in our family and lift us up in prayer!
Welcome to October! Timothy visited several doctors last month. Here's the updates:
ENT - He is ready to begin the process for removing the trach next year (2007). The first step will be to perform a bronchoscopy at which time TJ will have to go to the hospital and be put under anesthesia while the doctor scopes his nose, mouth, airway, and lungs. This should only be a short procedure and we'll be back home the same day. This procedure is done to make sure there are no problems in his airway that could lead to complications when the trach is removed. During the next 5 months, our job at home is to have TJ practice breathing in and out through his mouth and nose. We have a special device to help us do this. It plugs the trach off completely and forces him to breathe this new way. It will take a while for him to learn and get used to it. Right now he justs does it for a few minutes each day.
Pulmonologist - now that TJ is completely off oxygen, she listened to his lungs and said he sounds fine and will be ready to have the trach removed next year. She wants to wait until the cold & flu season passes, but she said if he makes it through the winter without any big setbacks/illnesses, and if he is tolerating the trach plug all day while he's awake, she would like to schedule the trach removal for March of 2007.
GI - He still gets about 1/2 his calories through the tummy tube, but he is tolerating his oral feedings well and continues to eat more and more. He is also beginning to drink a little bit from a cup - this is a recent development! We will need to continue working with occupational therapy on his oral skills before the tummy tube can be removed.
Therapy - Timothy will continue to receive physical and visual therapy at home until his 3rd birthday. At the beginning of next year he will begin receiving services in Palm Springs as well as from our local Beaumont school district.
Just a note regarding my current pregnancy: I am having some complications very similar to what happened with Timothy, so the doctor has put me on pretty strict bedrest for the duration of the pregnancy. I am currently at 25 weeks gestation, so we have 15 weeks to go!
Thank you to all of you who continue to show an interest in our family and lift us up in prayer!
posted by Sheri at 11:44 AM
