Today was a mix of highs and lows. Sophie was pretty happy and energetic for the most part, and we spent a lot of the day talking and coloring with her. However, she also ended up having to endure two uncomfortable procedures that were tough for her.
We started the day out with another chest x-ray, then a visit from Sophie's surgeon to explain that there was still a good pocket of fluid in her chest that hadn't drained out. From the x-ray, they could see that the chest tube wasn't quite reaching the area that they needed it to. In order to get it to the right spot, they needed to pull it out about 3 inches to move it into the area with the fluid. Having her first chest tube out was less than pleasant, and none of us were looking forward to this procedure.
We all went down to the treatment room and they started working to remove all of the surgical tape that was holding the tube in place. Sophie had really hated this part the first time, so she actually asked if she could do it herself this time. They gave her the pads soaked in adhesive remover and let her work on it herself. She managed to get all of the tape off from the front where she could reach, then I helped with the last little bit in the back. After that, she laid down on the bed and I laid with her and held her. The doctor had to clip the stitch where it was tied around the tube, but he didn't remove it from her skin. That was great because then he didn't need to put in any new stitches. After that piece was untied, he pulled the tube out the amount he needed, then tied it and taped everything securely into place.
Since she was already in a wheelchair from the trip, Adam and I took her for a little trip around the floor so she could see some of the play areas they have here. She can't really be away from her room much until her chest tube is removed, but she liked seeing what she has to look forward to once she has a little more freedom to move about.
The rest of the afternoon was nice and uneventful. We actually didn't have any visitors today, which was a nice break for her. I ended up running home for a couple of hours to do a load of laundry and grab us a few other essentials, and Adam stayed with Sophie while she took a nice, long nap. When I got back, it was nearly time for dinner. Sophie did great eating, and then because she was feeling pretty good and had some energy, we got her out of bed to wash her hair. It was very badly needed. We managed to get her seated just outside her shower door, then Adam helped her lean back while I washed her hair with the hand sprayer. She didn't love doing it, but she felt much better when it was done.
Then, unfortunately, her nurse found a problem with her IV again. Sophie had complained of pain a few times, and when the nurse unwrapped the gauze around the site to examine it, her hand was very swollen and red. The nurse tried to flush the IV, but it wasn't working properly and it was clear that it needed to be removed and a new one put it. Sophie got very worked up about this. Each IV (this would be the fourth, and the sixth attempt) has gotten her a little bit more upset, and this time she really flipped out. I can't say that I blame her - it's really rotten luck that she's needed it re-done so many times. She screamed and yelled at the nurses, and finally they got the old one removed and let her rest a bit before coming back to put in the new one.
We got her calmed down and when the nurses came back, she did well at first while they examined her other hand and decided on a placement for the new IV. However, when time came to do it, she lost it again. It took a good amount of time for Adam and I to talk her down, and even then both Adam and an extra nurse had to hold her arm while the IV was inserted. It only took one attempt this time, thank goodness, and just as soon as the IV was in place, Sophie's mood totally changed. She was so relieved that they didn't need to try more than once.
After that ordeal was over, Sophie had a huge burst of energy. She was happy and chatting away. When her nurse came in to check on her, Sophie nearly talked her ear off. I'm not sure she even took a breath in the five minutes the nurse stood there listening to her. It was great to see her so happy, but also getting pretty late and we hoped she'd calm down and get some sleep. It's now nearly 11pm and she's still awake, although she's started to relax and rest... I'm guessing she'll be asleep pretty soon.
Tomorrow morning will bring another chest x-ray, and we'll see how it looks and where the surgeons want to go from there. It's one day at a time. And we'll finally be getting our visit from Ben, as everyone is feeling better now. Phew!
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