Giddy takes on UofM

(This was suppose to post last night, but apparently did not - we went to UofM today for some appointments - will update later about that!)

Well we got to U of M Thursday early evening and from the moment we pulled in to Motts Children hospital we were impressed. And mind you, all this is from two people who despise the University of Michigan, so we are not easily impressed. But, this was impressive! They had complementary valet parking, which was so awesome with a baby and all our bags. We got in, they triaged us within a minute, we did not even go to a waiting room or anything, and were in an ER room in 10 minutes. While we were getting triaged they had Giddy’s diaper off (which anyone with boys is cringing) and of course he peed all over the room. How does such a little thing shoot pee so far? Who knows. 

We got into an ER room, and quickly (like within 10 minutes) saw the attending ER doc. He came and evaluated Giddy, and then consulted ENT and plastic surgery. Both of these specialists sent people who came and evaluated him within a couple hours. They all took pictures and videos of him breathing and went to discuss a plan. The plastics resident came back and cleaned out quite a bit of debris from his nose and it really improved his breathing (pulse ox went from low 90s to high 90s), and he seemed much more relaxed. We then found out they were going to admit us for at least one night and day.

Our room was on the 11^th floor and was absolutely amazing. It was very impressive. Mark and I joked that it was much nicer than any hotel we would stay at. We got a tour of the floor and got admitted by the pediatrician. They were so nice to get me a hospital bed and Giddy a basinet, so that I would not have to sleep on a pull out – which was amazing having just had a c-section a week ago. It made a HUGE difference.

The steady stream of doctors started early the next morning. Really early. The highlights (and main doctors that will be following him) were visits by the ENT and plastic surgeon and their teams. The plastic surgeon attending who will be following him was amazing. He was so personable, understanding, and seems to have a really wonderful reputation for being one of the best. He spent quite a bit of time with us, took more pictures of his nose with a nicer camera, and explained the plan. So far, the plan from their perspective is to wait patiently. He explained he has to restrain himself from taking him to surgery to get some of the necrotic tissue off, because in someone this young, he will end up taking off tissue that looks bad, but still might rebound. He said we will wait to see how his body handles the dead tissue, and will hopefully get rid of it after a few weeks (like a scab). We also discussed putting stents in his nostrils to keep them open to help breathing, which he debates doing, but again wants to hold off to not traumatize tissue any further.  He said that he would “know this kid his whole childhood” and would likely need to have surgeries down the line for cosmetic purposes and possibly for function (his nose might not grow well). He was very reassuring that he could handle this case and made us feel much better.  Our goals from him were to keep the nose from getting infected, keep breathing, and keep patiently waiting.

ENT sent several people in, and ended up doing a scope, where they looked inside his nose up past the part you can see with your naked eye to evaluate the health of the airway. They were hopeful that there was some good tissue up there. They also planned to come back with more tools and people and be a bit more aggressive in the debridement of his nostrils – aka getting rid of the dead tissue. It was so traumatic to watch, they had suction and many instruments and people watching, and bleeding and lots of screaming from Gideon. It was heart wrenching. But it really did open things up, so hopefully we could limp along through the weekend until we saw them again in a couple days to do it again – ugh.

The attending pediatrician also came in and said that he had spent all morning researching and could not find anything like this in the journals and medical literature, and asked us to sign some papers to publish it. We were okay with that, actually the PA in me loved the idea of by boy getting published, but the mom in me was a bit nervous and freaked out that they have never seen anything like this. They said they see traumatic births all the time, and know in theory that the skin can get necrotic from pressure from birth, but have never actually seen it. So we signed the papers, they took MORE pictures and hopefully we can provide some help for other families somewhere out there.

Jenna and Jake (my sister and her boyfriend) came by after work and got to see Giddy and spend time with us, and eat dinner at the hospital, which was so much fun!  Then we had a little photoshoot in the amazing lobby – which is where the pictures below came from. We then headed home, and over the whole two hour trip home he did not make a peep – praise Jesus! 

We are so thankful for a medical institution so close (relatively) and doctors who care and are at the top of their fields taking care of our boy. We feel so cared for and loved by our friends and family, which has made this difficult situation much easier. We also have a good God that gives a peace that surpasses understanding, which we have a whole new understanding of. 

A couple of the ENTs doing the first scope on his little nose - so hard to watch!

With all this UofM bragging I am doing, you may need to be reminded where our true allegiance is

Giddy's door they decorated at Motts, and some cute pictures just hanging out in his adorable hospital gown.

Family photo in our MSU gear in front of the beautiful Christmas tree. 

My awesome sister Nenna and itty bitty Giddy

Love, 

Brittany