Well, we started the twice a day bandage changes on Thursday morning. My grandma drove in to help me out. Let me just comment about my grandma.
She has such a skill with children and all things medical. She has some nurses' training. That has been such a blessing. She has nursed her husband, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchild back to health so many times. She is such a servant. I guess I am a "child" rising up and calling her "blessed." Just like Proverbs states. She is priceless.
Anyway, back to our update. The first bandage change went well. We put him into the bath with the whole bandage on. The water helps to soak off the bandage. He didn't even flinch. He loved the bath. The worst part was having to pull part of the bandage off of the foot wound. It had stuck to the wound. Chase didn't appreciate it much. We got the new bandage on pretty easily. He is such a trooper.
We have done it three other times since. It is getting easier and easier. His leg is also starting to look much better. The foot is still sore and needs some more healing time. It looks much better though as well.
God is answering our prayers. We are so grateful!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Burn Update
Well, we had another appointment at the Dr. today. They were going to check on healing and change the bandage. Chase knew as soon as we went into the procedure room what was going on. He started to cry very hard almost immediately.
Overall, the Dr. said it looked "good." To me it is terrible, but they seem to think that the redness is a sign of healing. While taking off the bandages, the broke open some skin and it started to bleed. Apparently, that is a sign it is healing properly.
After the check-up he was ready for the nurse to re-bandage it. Another nurse walked into the room and said that she thought he needed to be seen at Shriner's Children's Hosptial. They apparently have a fabulous burn clinic. The nurse called over there and got us an appointment at 1:00 (our first appt. was at 10:50).
We went home got his birth certificate and shot record and made our way over to Shriners. That place is just amazing. Every service is free of charge and they are so wonderful with children. After waiting for about an hour, we were brought into the room. The lady who checked us in and took Chase's vitals was an RN with a Masters degree. She was a burn specialist. She was so knowledgable and kind. Chase started crying before we made it into the room. The nurse called a lady who came to the room to play and distract Chase while they took the bandage off and exmanined. It was great he had toys and an entertainer the whole time. It helped quite a bit.
We were seen by a resident, burn specialist Dr, and an occupational therapist.They were all in the room at once. They seem to think that his burns look "really good." The Dr. said that the burn needs to heal within 2 weeks of the injury for there to be no long term damage or scars. Which he thinks that Chase's burns will more than likely heal in that time. However, if they don't he will more than likely need skin grafts (sp?). He said that he has a 1/5 to 1/8 chance of needing that procedure. That is a little scary, but we are hoping it heals on its own.
We will now change his bangages 2 times per day. We will give him a bath, and then change the bandages. They gave us the supplies to change them for a week. We will go back and see the Dr. next Wednesday. We are hoping that there will be quite a bit of progress.
It is still really hard to look at the wounds. I almost cry every time, but I know that I need to be strong for Chase so that usually stops me. It is reassuring that he walks normally and is completely normal the majority of the time. He only gets upset if someone touches his bandages.
It was a long day, but I am so grateful for the opportunity to be seen by the experts. The Lord was so good in orchestrating the event, so that we were able to have Chase seen by experts.
Overall, the Dr. said it looked "good." To me it is terrible, but they seem to think that the redness is a sign of healing. While taking off the bandages, the broke open some skin and it started to bleed. Apparently, that is a sign it is healing properly.
After the check-up he was ready for the nurse to re-bandage it. Another nurse walked into the room and said that she thought he needed to be seen at Shriner's Children's Hosptial. They apparently have a fabulous burn clinic. The nurse called over there and got us an appointment at 1:00 (our first appt. was at 10:50).
We went home got his birth certificate and shot record and made our way over to Shriners. That place is just amazing. Every service is free of charge and they are so wonderful with children. After waiting for about an hour, we were brought into the room. The lady who checked us in and took Chase's vitals was an RN with a Masters degree. She was a burn specialist. She was so knowledgable and kind. Chase started crying before we made it into the room. The nurse called a lady who came to the room to play and distract Chase while they took the bandage off and exmanined. It was great he had toys and an entertainer the whole time. It helped quite a bit.
We were seen by a resident, burn specialist Dr, and an occupational therapist.They were all in the room at once. They seem to think that his burns look "really good." The Dr. said that the burn needs to heal within 2 weeks of the injury for there to be no long term damage or scars. Which he thinks that Chase's burns will more than likely heal in that time. However, if they don't he will more than likely need skin grafts (sp?). He said that he has a 1/5 to 1/8 chance of needing that procedure. That is a little scary, but we are hoping it heals on its own.
We will now change his bangages 2 times per day. We will give him a bath, and then change the bandages. They gave us the supplies to change them for a week. We will go back and see the Dr. next Wednesday. We are hoping that there will be quite a bit of progress.
It is still really hard to look at the wounds. I almost cry every time, but I know that I need to be strong for Chase so that usually stops me. It is reassuring that he walks normally and is completely normal the majority of the time. He only gets upset if someone touches his bandages.
It was a long day, but I am so grateful for the opportunity to be seen by the experts. The Lord was so good in orchestrating the event, so that we were able to have Chase seen by experts.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Bad Accident
We just back from Urgent Care at Kaiser. Chase pulled a hot clothes iron down on himself last night. He pulled it off of our dryer. It badly burned his leg and foot. The worst blisters are on his foot. It was quite traumatic. I was able to run the burns under cold water within 10 seconds of hearing him cry. Obviously, he was really upset but he calmed down within 10 minutes. He was actually splashing in the sink and laughing. He was up walking around within 15 minutes of his injury.
He had a hard time going to sleep, so we kept cold towels and ice on his leg. He finally fell asleep for good and slept through the night.When we woke up this morning, the blisters had filled with fluid and it looked much worse, so we decided to go to the Dr.
3 pediatricians examined his leg and foot. They said that he has 2nd degree burns, but that he is actually in pretty good shape. The blisters have not burst, so the risk of infection is low. They said that it should heal nicely and that scarring is not likely. They will want to see him tomorrow to change the bandages and check for infection. They were shocked with how well he was doing, and that he was as happy as he was.
I feel like the worst mother. I thought that I had put it out of reach. This has been one of my biggest fears since he has been mobile. I had purposely ironed in another room with the door shut, so he could not pull the ironing board and iron on himself. I had no idea he could reach that high. It is the worst feeling seeing your baby in so much pain.
Thankfully, he is sound asleep and peaceful at the moment. The Lord was so gracious in that it is not worse than it could be. We are grateful that he is happy and active. I am sure this is one of many accidents to occur in our little guy's life, but I don't think I will ever get used to them. Please pray that he will continue to heal quickly and that the wounds will not get infected.
He had a hard time going to sleep, so we kept cold towels and ice on his leg. He finally fell asleep for good and slept through the night.When we woke up this morning, the blisters had filled with fluid and it looked much worse, so we decided to go to the Dr.
3 pediatricians examined his leg and foot. They said that he has 2nd degree burns, but that he is actually in pretty good shape. The blisters have not burst, so the risk of infection is low. They said that it should heal nicely and that scarring is not likely. They will want to see him tomorrow to change the bandages and check for infection. They were shocked with how well he was doing, and that he was as happy as he was.
I feel like the worst mother. I thought that I had put it out of reach. This has been one of my biggest fears since he has been mobile. I had purposely ironed in another room with the door shut, so he could not pull the ironing board and iron on himself. I had no idea he could reach that high. It is the worst feeling seeing your baby in so much pain.
Thankfully, he is sound asleep and peaceful at the moment. The Lord was so gracious in that it is not worse than it could be. We are grateful that he is happy and active. I am sure this is one of many accidents to occur in our little guy's life, but I don't think I will ever get used to them. Please pray that he will continue to heal quickly and that the wounds will not get infected.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Happy New Year!
I can't believe we are already in 2008! We hope that the holiday season was a refreshing and enjoyable time for everyone.
We had a blast ringing in the New Year with our friend the Arnolds. We played way too much bowling with their new Wi. Our kids got to play and interact with each other. Chase got to play with some really neat toys that Rachel and Ethan so graciously shared with him. :)
It is amazing that we can just pick up where we leave off with the Arnolds. It had been a year since we had seen them in person, but it felt like we hadn't missed a beat. That may be partially due to the fact that Stef and I chat online on a regular basis, and we tell our husbands what we are chatting about. It is a very good way to stay connected, Anyways, all that to say that God is so good to give us friends that encourage us on our way to Glory.
I will post a few pictures from New Years soon.
We had a blast ringing in the New Year with our friend the Arnolds. We played way too much bowling with their new Wi. Our kids got to play and interact with each other. Chase got to play with some really neat toys that Rachel and Ethan so graciously shared with him. :)
It is amazing that we can just pick up where we leave off with the Arnolds. It had been a year since we had seen them in person, but it felt like we hadn't missed a beat. That may be partially due to the fact that Stef and I chat online on a regular basis, and we tell our husbands what we are chatting about. It is a very good way to stay connected, Anyways, all that to say that God is so good to give us friends that encourage us on our way to Glory.
I will post a few pictures from New Years soon.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
2 Milestones for Chase
Chase has his first upper tooth. He was actually fairly happy and normal this week. I was kind of surprised that it came in without much of a fuss.
The other milestone is that Chase is walking. He can go about 4-6 feet while walking and then he usually falls down. We are very excited. It is so fun to see him develop.
Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!
The other milestone is that Chase is walking. He can go about 4-6 feet while walking and then he usually falls down. We are very excited. It is so fun to see him develop.
Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Ramblings about Chaser...
Chase is in an interesting stage. Most of the time he is quite pleasant and happy, but if there is something that he wants he will definitely let you know. Many time this will involve screaming, kicking, and throwing himself on the floor. This is not so pleasant.
He is talking so much. He tries to copy us all the times. He says quite a few words like: dada, mama, hot, no no, uh oh, papa (grandpa), hello, B (Bridget), tree, and many other words that we would probably only understand. I was noticing in the nursery tonight that he was by far the most talkative baby. He was the youngest baby there, but he was by far the most chatty.
He is a very social little guy. He is always trying to play with the little kids in the nursery or whenever he is around other kids. Most of the time the little kids don't even give him the time of day. It is kind of sad. I am happy that he is friendly and likes people.
He is trying to walk right now. He zooms around our furniture, but when he lets go he just wants to flop to the ground and crawl. Tonight he was standing up in the middle of the room and trying to walk. He would take 2 or 3 steps and fall down. I think he is on his way. That will be exciting to see him walk.
Hope you all are enjoying the Christmas season!
He is talking so much. He tries to copy us all the times. He says quite a few words like: dada, mama, hot, no no, uh oh, papa (grandpa), hello, B (Bridget), tree, and many other words that we would probably only understand. I was noticing in the nursery tonight that he was by far the most talkative baby. He was the youngest baby there, but he was by far the most chatty.
He is a very social little guy. He is always trying to play with the little kids in the nursery or whenever he is around other kids. Most of the time the little kids don't even give him the time of day. It is kind of sad. I am happy that he is friendly and likes people.
He is trying to walk right now. He zooms around our furniture, but when he lets go he just wants to flop to the ground and crawl. Tonight he was standing up in the middle of the room and trying to walk. He would take 2 or 3 steps and fall down. I think he is on his way. That will be exciting to see him walk.
Hope you all are enjoying the Christmas season!
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Get Smart!
We were so excited to see that they made the movie Get Smart with Steve Correll as Maxwell Smart. My brother and I used to watch the old TV show on Nick at Nite. It was one of our all-time favorites. We loved the "cone of silence." I really wish Nick at Nite would start showing these types of shows again. The shows the have on are not very good. It is kind of disappointing.They just released all of the shows in a DVD set this year. Right now they are quite expensive, but I will be buying the whole series when the price falls a little bit. I can't wait to watch them again.
That is my little bit of nostalgia for the week ("would you believe")! :)
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