Moving right along
8:49:00 AM Posted In 10 weeks , Dr Appt , Emmett John , Medical/Health , Preemies Edit This 5 Comments »
Okay, so both Rob and I have addressed the "shared parenting trainwreck" from our perspective stand points. And now it is time to move right along...onto more relevant happenings in our lives.
So we went expecting that Dr. H would say we hadn't seen anything on the Apnea Monitor so we could take it off. Thereby chalking the whole nightmare up to the stomach bug and vomitting as Dr. D (not the same Dr. D as my OB) had done. Wrong. When we asked how long Emmett John would need the Apnea Monitor his response was, "As long as neccessary to figure out what's going on." Okay, makes sense.
Please don't misunderstand me here. Obviously, if the monitor is what's best for Emmett at this point then that's what we'll do. Rob and I were just under the impression that they had sent him home with the monitor more to sooth my worried mind. So when Dr. H decided to go for the long haul it just took us by surprise.
Emmett has his first (?) appointment with the Apnea Clinic on September 23rd. At that point, Dr. D will have the info downloaded off his monitor and review it. She'll then discuss the findings with Dr. H and they'll decide what our next move will be.
Up until the past few days the only alarm we've received was the "loose lead" alarm, which happens whenever one of the leads pops off. Emmett John has become very talented at getting the wires between his toes and *POP* off goes a lead. lol
Early Friday morning we were awoken by an alarm and I fully expected to see the "loose lead" light lit. Wrong. Imagine my surprise to find the "bradycardia" light lit. A few hours later, the same thing, his heart rate was dropping below 80 bpm.
Then yesterday the same thing again. Early in the morning we were awoken by the "bradycardia" light. Then while he and I was waiting in the drivethru at Walgreens for my prescriptions another alarm. Again I turned and looked expecting to see the "loose lead" light lit. This time it was the "apnea" light! Emmett John wasn't breathing! I was completely freaked out! His color was okay, from what I could see, but he wasn't picking it back up on his own. I started screaming his name and gently shaking him. (The people in the car next to me looked at me as if I was a lunatic.) And he started breathing again and the alarm shut off. I was shaking like a leaf. Emmett John simply went back to sleep as if nothing had happened. (Must be nice.)
Then last night Rob and I were talking while Emmett John slept and it happened all over again. The alarm went off. The "apnea" light went on. And again we had to gently shake him to get him to start breathing again. Luckily, we made it through the night last night without any alarms at all - "loose" or otherwise.
I had sincerely hoped to never see any of the lights lit except the "loose lead" light because there really isn't any way to avoid that one. I don't know what will happen on the 23rd now. We had hoped to go and have the info downloaded and learn that nothing had happened so everything was fine. I don't know if that will happen now.
It has occured to me that I never updated after Emmett John's 2 month checkup. He now weighs 13lb 2 oz (72%) and is 23.75 inches long (68%) with a head circ of 39.2 cm (25%). So he's a big boy with a little head. lol You may have noticed that Emmett John seems to have shrunk by .75 inches. Obviously he hasn't really shrunk. He was just too wiggly in the hospital when she tried to measure him so he appeared to be longer than he is. lol
So we went expecting that Dr. H would say we hadn't seen anything on the Apnea Monitor so we could take it off. Thereby chalking the whole nightmare up to the stomach bug and vomitting as Dr. D (not the same Dr. D as my OB) had done. Wrong. When we asked how long Emmett John would need the Apnea Monitor his response was, "As long as neccessary to figure out what's going on." Okay, makes sense.
Please don't misunderstand me here. Obviously, if the monitor is what's best for Emmett at this point then that's what we'll do. Rob and I were just under the impression that they had sent him home with the monitor more to sooth my worried mind. So when Dr. H decided to go for the long haul it just took us by surprise.
Emmett has his first (?) appointment with the Apnea Clinic on September 23rd. At that point, Dr. D will have the info downloaded off his monitor and review it. She'll then discuss the findings with Dr. H and they'll decide what our next move will be.
Up until the past few days the only alarm we've received was the "loose lead" alarm, which happens whenever one of the leads pops off. Emmett John has become very talented at getting the wires between his toes and *POP* off goes a lead. lol
There are four different lights that we need to be concerned with (not
listed in order of importance):
- The "Loose Lead" light - comes on whenever one or both of the leads has come
loose or popped off altogether.- The "Bradycardia" light - comes on whenever Emmett John's heart rate drops
below 80 bpm.- The "Tachycardia" light - comes on whenever his heart rate jumps above 220 bpm.
- The "Apnea" light - comes on whenever he stops breathing for 20 seconds or
more. (The monitor begins recording the episode when he stops breathing for 16 seconds but the light and alarm don't go off until 20 seconds has
passed.)
Early Friday morning we were awoken by an alarm and I fully expected to see the "loose lead" light lit. Wrong. Imagine my surprise to find the "bradycardia" light lit. A few hours later, the same thing, his heart rate was dropping below 80 bpm.
Then yesterday the same thing again. Early in the morning we were awoken by the "bradycardia" light. Then while he and I was waiting in the drivethru at Walgreens for my prescriptions another alarm. Again I turned and looked expecting to see the "loose lead" light lit. This time it was the "apnea" light! Emmett John wasn't breathing! I was completely freaked out! His color was okay, from what I could see, but he wasn't picking it back up on his own. I started screaming his name and gently shaking him. (The people in the car next to me looked at me as if I was a lunatic.) And he started breathing again and the alarm shut off. I was shaking like a leaf. Emmett John simply went back to sleep as if nothing had happened. (Must be nice.)
Then last night Rob and I were talking while Emmett John slept and it happened all over again. The alarm went off. The "apnea" light went on. And again we had to gently shake him to get him to start breathing again. Luckily, we made it through the night last night without any alarms at all - "loose" or otherwise.
I had sincerely hoped to never see any of the lights lit except the "loose lead" light because there really isn't any way to avoid that one. I don't know what will happen on the 23rd now. We had hoped to go and have the info downloaded and learn that nothing had happened so everything was fine. I don't know if that will happen now.
***Update***
I started this post at about 9:00 am before I finished it Rob, Elliott Richard, Emmett John and I ran out to the store. While we were out and about, Emmett John had 3 more apneic episodes in less than 20 minutes!!! Rob called Dr. H's office and spoke with a nurse. Dr. H then called us back. We are to report to the Apnea Clinic without an appointment at abour 1:00pm. They will download the info and determine if these are actual apneic episodes or something else. Then the apnea doctors will talk to Dr. H and figure out our next move.
