Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Poo is a Beautiful Thing

Parents remember that relief the first time their toddler actually made it to the potty and proudly announced their accomplishment.... Alex can't speak right now, so I'll say it for him: Alex made doo-doo in his colostomy bag. Yes, I'm punchy; 2 weeks without sleep will do that to you, but yes, this is a big deal. It means his digestive system is working. It means he's absorbing nutrients, which will help him heal and will help him reabsorb and flush out all the fluids that are trapped in his "third space."

Whew. Toilet training is over. Now for the hard part.

They lowered his sedative to start to wake him up a little today; when he stirred, he opened his eyes and grimaced, then choked on his ventilator tube. Doesn't sound too comfortable, so they increased his pain meds a little but kept the sedative where it was. Slowly as the pain abates, they'll be able to lower both, and start to wean him off the ventilator. Waking up is the hard part. It hurts like the devil, and it's very disorienting. Please keep some good vibes going Alex's way during the next few weeks. They're going to be hard.

Thank you all for the outpouring of support and care you've shown us. We are truly grateful to know such excellent good friends.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Poo is a good thing! Both in Humans and Horses . . .GRIN. . . Thoughts and prayers coming your way!

DirtKicker Pottery said...

It's amazing the things we can be thankful for isn't it :) I'm glad that Alex is showing signs of improvment. He will continue to be in my prayers. Hugs, Cindy

cookingwithgas said...

We will be keeping Alex in our thought s as he recovers.
best Meredith

Alex Solla said...

Thank you, everyone! I can't wait for him to be able to read all these wonderful supportive comments. Heaven only knows what he'll think of the "Poo" entry...