Who's Driving?

I talk about the boys and think about the boys a lot so it is hard for me to remember what parts made it to a blog post. Sorry if some info is repeated. An example is weekends at the hospitals. I find it interesting that, despite it being a 24/7 operation, things are different at the weekend. I may have mentioned this observation before. 

This weekend, Charlie and Henry's attending for February had the weekend off. Her name is Dr Newtotown. We really like her and we particularly like her fondness of a plan. So, a different doctor does rounds on the boys. It is accepted that you can't predict what is going to happen in an intensive care unit but you can reasonably expect that issues are going to come up and it is going to be tempting to address them as they do. Join me please, for a moment, in a metaphor. You are the main driver of a bus on a very long journey. You have thought through the route and considered all of the likely issues along the way. You take a break and let someone else drive for a while. When you come back, you are an a different route. The other driver hit traffic and decided to try some way round it. Other driver may be right but as you take the wheel again how do you feel?

This morning when we got to the hospital, there had been an adjustment to one of the settings on Charlie's ventilator. Aly was edgy. We had a plan. This wasn't the plan. We want to be respectful to the great doctor that is on call this weekend, but who approved this detour? We both thought this but we were silent. We learned later that Dr Newtotown had been checking things from home and had asked for the change. It's funny how much better that made Aly and me feel. We felt a little guilty that Dr Newtotown was spending any of her time off checking on Charlie - she has a lot of other things to be taking care of - but it felt good too. There are some decisions that need to be made this week and Aly and I are really happy about the doctor that is making them. She can choose the route for the bus and Aly and I are on board.

Henry is growing. He got his CPAP setup cleaned, so he breathes air with no support for a short while as that happens;

Then he spent some time with his mom;

(D)