Next trip in 6 months

It was a quick trip...we got back home Friday evening. The news was about what we expected (maybe not what I hoped for but what we expected)...his surgical site is healing well but there is still some swelling from the previous surgery. This just means he needs more time and that hopefully this next time the swelling will be totally gone and we can move forward with the decannulation (aka getting the trach out) process which will most likely include a capped sleep study.

We will return in 6 months for another MLB ('scope'). They did say that his airway was sized at 5.5 mm which is improved from 5.0mm. This means we are moving in the right direction. (They said 6.0 mm is sufficient -although not normal- for an adult.) Dr. Cotton will be retired by our next appointment but we did get a chance to tell him how much we appreciate all he has done for Carson (& for kids in general). He normally just gives elbow bumps (avoiding germs) but this time Preston got a handshake and I got a hug from him! <3 I would have loved for Dr. Cotton to see Carson get his trach out but he assured us he would keep up with Carson's case when he has breakfast with Dr. Smith. : )

The miracle of this trip for me was in the anesthesia induction process. Like I said, this is the part that causes Carson the most anxiety. We had talked about the different possibilities with Carson beforehand and he chose to try an IV so he didn't have the air hooked up to his trach. My prayer was for the best person to put in the IV (last time we tried this, I just remember it took two tries, there were tears, and there seemed to be alot of blood that added to the traumatic experience). Anyway, Christine put the IV in and she did it in about 5 seconds and on the first try! Praise the Lord....she was my answered prayer(& I told her)!!! Carson was just a little nervous since he wasn't sure what it was like with an IV but NOTHING like normal. No crying, no covering up his trach so we can't hook the air up and no throwing up from nerves. Seriously, I was so happy! Hopefully, it means a whole new experience for future visits!

Hopefully we will get to return in 6 months and C will be healthy [that will be right in the middle of flu season again]. Thank you all for the many prayers!!

One other prayer request...Carson's nurse/aide at school from the past two years is not going to be able to be his nurse again this year so he will have a new nurse (or aide) at school. Praying for a wonderful person that is trainable, calm, and a good problem solver and also fits in well with the other staff at school.

Headed back to Cincinnati

It's been THREE months since our last trip...kinda hard to believe and still reveling in the fact we never needed the t-tube <3 We have been busy this summer. Carson and Kellen played baseball, went to their first VBS (they loved it!), went to basketball camp, and have taken a couple trips (one to the beach, one to Nana & Poppy's by themselves, & several other shorter trips)!

We have definitely seen an improvement since surgery (when we could tell that there was alot of swelling from the surgery itself...which is expected). Neither Preston or I are expecting them to say ALL of the swelling is gone and they are ready to move forward with the decannulation process (but our God is a God of miracles so who knows!!). We do hope they can get a look at the surgery site and see how healing is progressing. This trip should just include a MLB (aka scope). It should be a short trip. We will head up tomorrow (Thursday) morning and the scope will be on Friday at 7:30 am ET.

Prayers for safety are appreciated and probably more than anything that Carson may have some out of the ordinary peace. He is old enough and has had the anesthesia process frequently enough that the memories don't fade and the anxiety just builds on itself. Now, when we say we are going to Cincinnati, he says "I don't want to do it [the anesthesia part]." Ugh...it breaks my heart. We talk through it. He really doesn't like when they hook the air up to his trach...it feels weird and really causes him some anxiety. We have talked about other options...getting an IV in preop or to try using a mask (& leave his trach capped). We've tried an anti-anxiety medication before but it never has really helped. So prayers for Carson's decision on method of anesthesia and for something to click to help keep him calm. I am praying for a miracle that the swelling might be gone (but like I said, we aren't really expecting that news). This trip should tell us what the next step is...a little more waiting or steps to decannulation (removing his trach).

Sending our love to all of you!

Baseball nights with their fans!

One of my favorite sights

Pre-nerf gun war (happy faces didn't last long)

Their happy place!! And mine too!

Blueberry pickin'

So much fun on their new swing (at the expense of some poison ivy)

They love Mimi & Papa's pool! I included this because my prayer is for Carson to be able to get in water without having to be EXTRA cautious the water doesn't get up by his stoma. About the only time we really hear Carson say "I wish I didn't have a trach." is related to water play.