The New Age of Dryden - Part IV

As China's economy was rock bottom for the past 70 years until very recently, so was our situation. And as China's situation improved by leaps and bounds, so did ours. Maybe not economically, but health-wise. Those medications I was taking were working wonders; my cough was improving dramatically just after one day. I was now able to drive, which was a major help. Dryden continued to improve day by day as well. He was tolerating bottle feeds, no issues with oxygen desats, he was doing well. I had spoken with the neonatologist and she told me he would be home by Friday if everything went well, which it looked like. I had spoken with Mom earlier that week and she was coming to Indy to help us out, so the calvalry was on its way, thank God.

The next few days came and went without further event. Everything was pretty much status quo: I was at home recovering (and getting quite far on GTA: Vice City), Richel went and visited Dryden, and Dryden was just hanging out in the NICU until they said it was okay for him to go home.

Mom finally arrived in Indy on Thursday night. Perfect timing as Dryden would be discharged on Friday. We would need help, mainly with carrying things as I had a 5 pound lifting restriction, Richel couldn't lift anything either having just given birth not one week ago, and the only thing Dryden could lift was maybe his arms. So Mom would have to be our beast of burden.

Friday finally arrived. This was the great day Dryden would finally come home. I called Richel on the cell phone around noontime and told her I was on my way to pick them up. She said she would be ready by that time and so off I went. While driving, however, I realized I had no idea where they were in the hospital. They were no longer in the NICU, as Dryden had been moved to a private room, and Richel stopped answering her cell phone. This would be interesting.

When I arrived at the hospital I went to the NICU, the last place I knew Dryden to be. Oddly enough, when I spoke with the unit clerk there she inquired as to why I was so interested. Well, I was wearing the Daddy bracelet from your hospital, so I thought that was quite apparent. But I guess it wasn't, as I had a bit of explaining to do. But eventually, I was led to Dryden's room where Richel, Mom, and Dryden were waiting.

Upon entering the room I felt a chill go up my spine. What is that horrible noise, cacophony enough to raise the dead?
The answer:





Hmm...for a kid who's respiratory status was tenuous it sure sounded like his lungs were well developed.

Anyway, that day we finally left the inpatient hospital for good, all of us.

The New Age of Dryden - Part III

It was now Monday, approximately 2 days after Dryden was born. Although he was the newest addition to our family I could not go and visit him in the NICU for my cough was worsening. My overall condition waxed and wanned throughout the day but it was clear that I was quite sick and that I wasn't going to be better anytime soon. Forget about going to work the next day, even though that was something I had planned on doing. And for someone with a respiratory tract infection going to the NICU and seeing a baby with pulmonary issues definitely wasn't a good idea. So I just stayed home and sufferred.




Richel was still at the hospital but she was scheduled to come home that day. I was still unable to drive and so Kev planned to drive Richel home. It was while I spoke to Kev that he suggested that I take antibiotics. Hmm...not something I would like to do but in this case I agreed with him. Although the antibiotics probably wouldn't do anything for my infection, which was presumed to be viral in nature, I had to do anything to prevent my cough from going on. For every cough was agony. So I loaded up on the cough drops and robitussin.

The day passed and it was quite uneventful. I kept in touch with the hospital staff and asked them about Dryden's condition. Every so often I would call Richel to see how she was doing and would ask her to take some pictures for me. So far, everything was good news. Dryden was stable, his respiratory rate dropped but he kept his oxygen saturation up; he was on the mend.

By this time Richel was doing quite well. Again, out of all three of us, she was doing the best, next came Dryden, and coming in at a lame 3rd, me. She was released from the hospital that night, and she spent as much time with Dryden as she could before they officially discharged her. Kevin drove her home that night.

That night was a tough one for us all. I did get my antibiotics, which to my surprise helped immensely (apparently, my cough WAS bacterial). But poor Dryden was in the NICU and at the hospital all alone, now, Richel was at home and couldn't stop worrying about Dryden, and I couldn't do anything about anything as all I could do was lie on the sofa and try not to cough.

Poor Richel had the hardest time especially as she was putting away all of her baby shower gifts. Everything was basically a constant reminder of what we would be doing had everything gone smoothly and Dryden was at home with us: little onesies with matching socks that we would dress him in; little hats with matching mittens we would have him wear on his visits to the pediatrician's; little baby diaries to document his historic arrival home (and the beginning of the end of our lives). I guess I don't really have a burning desire to see Niagra Falls, anymore.

But things would get better. They had to. They couldn't get any worse.