This morning Everett's x-ray looked worse. The surgeons that were here decided not to place a
This is Everett reading his website.
Kim and Everett
Everett had a blast in the playroom today. He is a lot more mobile now that he has his tubes and wires out. He hasn't walked in a week, so he was a little wobbly taking steps at first (not to mention the monitor box strapped to him is probably heavy). He had fun walking - then running - around until he lost his balance and bonked his head. He's a tough kid, so it wasn't long before he was playing again, but it left quite a knot. He started eating a little bit more today and he seems to be feeling better. There isn't any word on when we will get to go home, but he is definitely coming down the homestretch.
Everett loves drinking from a straw, so we got him to drink some that way today. He had a couple of bites of mashed potatoes, but when we gave him sodium chloride by mouth he threw those up. Later on, he did eat a few chips (fat free, of course). Also, Caitlan came to visit today and we took him on a wagon ride. He enjoyed that. He is on SO many diuretics to dry out his lungs that he is terribly dehydrated and his little eyes are sunken in. He looks terrible. When I first started writing this he and Chance were both resting well, but a few minutes ago he woke up and made his very first post surgery poop! I was so proud. He was been getting milk of magnesia and had his 2nd suppository tonight and nothing seemed to work. Finally, he was able to get some relief. I hope that this makes him feel better and improves his eating. His chest tubes are draining very little, so as far as we know they will come out tomorrow.
First stop, flirting with one of his favorite nurses, Sheradon.
Next, the big wall of baloons.
"Where to next Daddy?"
"It's not the Hilton, but it'll do."
That's two good looking guys.
Now, it's Everett's turn to take a couple of pictures.
Yesterday, the doctors told us that Everett has a Chylothorax. The way I understand it, his lymphatic system is leaking triglycerides. It makes the fluid coming out of his chest a milky color. The remedy is a low fat diet for 6-8 weeks. I mean really low fat, like less than 15 grams a day. I didn't think it would be a big deal because he eats healthy foods, but we quickly found out that non-fat foods are hard to find. The hospital doesn't carry a non-fat soy milk, so we went on a quest to find our own. After two hours on hold with various supermarkets in the area, we finally found a Kroger that had it in stock. Alisha and I went there last night and were able to find a couple of snacks that he could have that were non-fat. That was tough, even most of the health foods had at least a couple of grams of fat. The bad news is that Everett is accustomed to eating just about everything we eat. So it looks like we too will be on a low fat diet for the next 6-8 weeks. Needless to say, I'm thrilled.
Nana, Pa, Zach, and Blayne came to visit last night. Everett was in a bad mood all day. Slapping at nurses, whining, or just starring off into space. But he was in a better mood when they came. He was smiling and laughing and in the best spirits since before the surgery.
Tudor and Pete (my aunt and uncle) came to visit today. They bought him a toy duck that sings and new book. He was a little afraid of the duck at first, but I think he's warming up to it. They went and got us Chili's for lunch. It was a nice break from hospital food and fast food (thanks guys!).
We're about to take Everett on a wagon ride, so I better stop writing. I'll post pictures of that later.
Everett rested pretty good last night. They've taken him off oxygen and his saturation's are still high (above 85%, which is good for him). He's still draining fluid from his chest tubes, so it will be a couple of days before they can come out. He's been in some pain since they stripped his chest tubes this morning. They strip them to drain more fluid, but it puts "pressure" on his heart. "Pressure" as we all know is a nice way to say pain. Right now, we're just sitting in the room with him. He looks like he's about to go to sleep in Alisha's lap. That's pretty much all we can do for him at this point. Just hold him and try to make him feel better.
Everett is out of the ICU and in a room on the 8th floor. We don't know how long it will be now before we get to go home. It will depend on how he does. The doctor said they'll be watching him closely to make sure he doesn't develop an infection or get sick. He's still draining fluid out of his chest tube, so it will be at least a few days before he gets that out. He's been in some pain today, but he's smiling more and is more playful. He's still got a long way to go, but moving upstairs is a big step on the road to getting to go home. 
Everett smiled at me for the first time since the surgery. When he was with Nana, Pa, and Memaw, he even laughed out loud. It's so great to be able to hold him and I know it is making him feel better. He's been more alert when awake and resting better when he is asleep.
