We spent most of today just waiting for all of the discharge stuff to be tied up. We had visits from a doctor going over her instruction for home, the nurse went over it with us again, a woman from the infectious disease center came to speak with us and set us up with a follow-up appointment for next week, and we spoke with the woman who arranges the visiting nurse care.
In between all that stuff, we managed to get Sophie's hair washed and gave her a little waist-down shower with the hand-held sprayer. She was too nervous to get her dressings wet, and even though we were told a shower is fine for her, we didn't want to push her yet. Once she was clean and in fresh clothes, we spent a lot of the morning wandering around the hallways. They were doing a radio telethon in the atrium, which she watched for a little bit, and she stopped by the playroom for a few minutes, but she was more interested in moving. I think she was just as antsy as we were to head home.
It was around 11:30 when we were finally given the all-clear to leave, and what a weird feeling it was. Adam and I both remarked how we were far more nervous leaving the hospital this time than we were bringing her home for the first time as an infant - but it is that same sort of feeling. It's strange to be the ones totally in charge again.
We went home via Biddeford so we could pick up the van (which we'd left at SMMC last Monday when we were transferred to Maine Med). Shortly after we arrived home, the company that is supplying Sophie's antibiotics showed up to drop off all her medications and other equipment. Not long after that, the visiting nurse got here. She went over the entire process of administering the meds, and then we gave her the first at-home doses. She gets saline first to flush the line, then the antibiotic which is delivered through a small pump over the course of about twenty minutes, then another flush of saline, and then heparin which helps to keep the PICC line open and ready for next time.
It's quite a process and it takes some time to get everything set up and ready, but I think we'll be fine managing it on our own. The nurse actually had me do everything, with her guidance, and it wasn't as scary as I'd thought it might be. She's coming back again tomorrow, but I think after that we'll be ok for the regular daily stuff. She'll come back weekly after that for dressing changes and blood draws.
Ben came home as the nurse was finishing up, and it was so great to see him. We all missed him so much - and it was incredible to have the whole family back again under one roof! There was a little drama when we realized that Ben's blue blanket had been left at Great Grammy's, but she headed right back out and met us about half way so we could get it back for him. After that, he was a pretty happy camper.
We stayed up a little later than usual hanging out and watching a movie, and the neighbors even stopped by with a pizza the dad had made for us. Bedtime went pretty smoothly, and Adam and I can't stop peeking in at our beautiful sleeping kiddos.
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