March 4-5, 2021 "Wound vac change #7"

March 4, 2021 (Day 49 in the hospital)

Rayden got a promotion at his UNC job! He is now training nurses. Gina, the charge nurse, told us that she had some student nurses coming today and tomorrow. She asked Rayden if he would train them and show them around. She was very serious! She wanted to give them a patient that could talk to them (most of these patients are babies). He took on this new job with a smile. When he saw the new nurses in the hall this morning he went straight to work. This boy was serious about his new commitment. He introduced himself and told them he was in charge, haha. He went straight to showing them around the floor. He introduced them to everyone, told them what was behind every door, and where everything was located. He eventually got only one assignment named Angel. 

She stayed with him all day. She went to the playroom with him and helped him build a house with hardwood floors. He told her to be his 'Kevin Tyndall". I had to explain that Kevin was our contractor, and when Rayden builds houses he pretends that someone is him. She played along. He allowed her to take his vitals all day, put Heparin in his PICC line, attend his meeting with his hospital teacher, and even join us outside for our sun break. She ended up giving him her foldable clip board when she left because he wanted to write on it all day. 

Rayden's favorite nurse, Alissa, brought him a gift this morning. She has not been here in a week and he was just so tickled to see her. She brought him a white basket filled with great items just for him. This afternoon the helicopter crew gave him a pin for his shirt and told him he was a member of the "flight crew!" He's making such great friends and getting so spoiled up here, he's probably never going to want to leave! 

Even though I told the doctors Rayden has missed over 6 weeks of school, PT, OT, and Speech, I was informed that they didn't have the resources to provide him with his therapy. That's just great! I am working with him as best I can, but it's just not fair that he is missing out on much needed therapy and is regressing! They recommended doing tele-visits with his therapists. That's what we are doing with school and it's just not the same as hands on. 

March 5, 2021 (Day 50 in the hospital)-

7th wound vac change

The day started with the nurse hooking Rayden back up to IV fluids because his procedure wasn't scheduled until 2pm. They didn't want him to get dehydrated or be complaining because he was so hungry. He didn't seem to mind because she explained why he needed the fluids. After his sponge bath he had to get to work. He had a new student nurse to train today. Her name was Cindy. He took her on a tour and allowed her to take vitals. He wasn't as excited about it today because he had the helicopter crew on his mind. He told every person he met that he was looking for the helicopter crew because they gave him a lapel pin last night and told him he could work with them. Monica and charge nurse, Gina, told him they never got his resignation letter and they were not approving his transfer, haha. They are so comical.  They want to keep him working here! Luckily the helicopter crew never came to our floor and he gave up. He met with his hospital teacher, completed some of his school work, and started an ocean discoveries experiment. 

They finally came for his 7th wound vac change at 3pm. The student nurse went with us. She was able to stay for the entire procedure and was amazed at how smoothly it went. The nurse in the procedure room got wind of how Rayden enjoyed the water gun on Wednesday so she started with that. He shot the water across the room and wet the doctor! Everyone was laughing so I suppose it was fine. She had him drawing the water up into the syringe a couple times and squirting it at people. Then he noticed the syringe with the white propofol in it. She told him it was 'magic milk'. He wanted to squirt that as well. She allowed him to twist it onto his PICC line and actually dispense it to the number 6. Then she allowed him to twist on the flush and begin pushing it. She told him to count each number as he pushed in the flush. He said "one" and drifted off to sleep. I am so very thankful that they have engaged him in this experience so he isn't afraid anymore. 

The wound looks much better today. (My pictures aren't the best because I take a picture of the computer screen.) There is actually a noticeable circle on the AlloDerm where the red, granulated tissue is growing through. The tissue is also closing in around the outline. It shouldn't be much longer that the tissue has taken over and we will not be able to see the AlloDerm anymore, which is the goal.