Parker Update - Day 8

Today the general pediatrics team corresponded with Dr. Ivy from Colorado. He recommended that Parker have an echocardiogram just to make sure his PH is not any worse. He also said that it is not unusual for a child with severe PH to take a while to recover from pneumonia and that it could be weeks before he returns to his normal health, especially in regard to his oxygen level. Bottom line, Parker just needs more time to heal. It was nice for us and the doctors to have the reassurance that this is typical for a child with PH---that doesn't make the process of waiting to heal any less frustrating, however! I guess this is a lesson in patience for all of us.

Another frustration we have dealt with since we've been here is Parker's oral medications. For some reason, we always have trouble with this when we stay at the hospital. Parker takes four different oral medications several times every day. At home, we keep a very strict medication schedule around the clock and try really hard to be consistent with Parker's meds. While we've been here for the last 8 days, Parker's meds have been late several times, which is not good for Parker. We also realized last night that one of the meds was only being given at half the dose sometimes and the full dose other times! Now that we're aware of this, some of the issues we've been having make a lot more sense. We plan to have a nice chat with the doctors and pharmacist first thing tomorrow morning!

Even after being in the hospital for more than a week, Parker is still handling everything like a champ. We are always amazed by how well he does in these situations. He hardly ever complains and seems to make the best of it. He's been keeping busy doing crafts, playing with Legos, watching movies and flinging his sticky hand that Connor brought him. There's hardly a dull moment in his room!