No major changes

Nothing really changed since yesterday. Still tons of phlegm, still a lot of coughing, still a feeding tube and still a nasal cannula for just a bit of oxygen.

Being in a hospital for more than just one or two days makes the time stop. The whole world keeps on turning while you're sitting a small room with a certain smell, old furniture, medical stuff everywhere. You move from the couch to the table, from the hospital bed to the bathroom to the room with the microwave.

 

At the end of the day you wonder what you actually did that day, what happened. You wonder if it really helps to sit in this weird bubble, waiting for cure, or at least improvement. You don't know when you are allowed to go home, not alone, not just for the next attempt to sleep. But together, for a long time, back to a life that is at least a little bit more real.

Oxygen

After a night and a whole day without any oxygen Kalle's saturation was too low last night. Not very, very low. But just too low. So now he has a nasal feeding tube in his left nostril and a nasal cannula in both nostrils. At least his face looks symmetric now, with two patches....

There is still a lot of phlegm in his airways. Even though he coughes every now and then it just seems to stay there. Yesterday I called the laboratory for the results of the viral tests. It turned out he has two virusses: Rhino and Picorna, two common viruses that cause a common cold. But because this is Kalle's first winter, he still needs to develop his immune system. And it's more difficult for him to get rid of the phlegm beacuse he doesn't move as much as other kids. Right now he is two meters away from me and I can hear that weird squeaking sound while he's breathing. So going home together seems to be far away...it will be days, maybe a week?

The people in the hospital are nice. But everything is old, worn out. The hospital will move to a new location in a couple of months. We're on the ground floor, a parking lot in front of our window. So at least ther's a lot of entertainment.

Feeding tube

Today we (and the doctors) decided that it's better to help Kalle by placing a nasal feeding tube. He couldn't drink his bottle anymore without choking and coughing all the time. It was just too much for him.
The viral infection causes a lot of phlegm. Choking does, too. So there is too much phlegm all the time. Because Kalle doesn't move as much as other 1 year olds, the phlegm stays in his respiratory system, instead of slowly moving to the 'exit'. So even though he is able to cough strongly, it's not enough. At least now.
It was a huge step, but we should give it a chance. Let's hope he has a good night and already feels better in the morning.