D-Day

Well, today is it. The day I've been waiting for since we first stepped foot into the inpatient waiting area on the 25th before surgery. That's right... we're coming home today. Nathan is doing amazingly well and ORL has released him from their service. He is safe to go home with no trach, for the first time in his WHOLE life he will be home with no trach.

That's right, Nathan has NEVER been home without his trach before. Matt and I have no idea what it's like to have kids and no one have a trach. Nathan was trached when he was 4 months old and had never been home before. We took him home a short 2 weeks after that surgery for the first time. We only know what it's like to live with constant illness, medical stuff and doctor appointments. We have no idea what it will be like to live with no trach, a big change for us all.

While Nathan is still weaning off his narcotics he isn't allowed to go back to school and I can't go back to work, Nathan is under my care in case he has any withdrawl symptoms. They typically don't send kids home on ativan and morphine weans, but they said because I'm a nurse we can take him home. We have to follow-up with our pediatrician in a few days so he can see how he's doing. So today Nathan gets to come home and hopefully in a week or so he will get to go back to school. The most exciting part of going back to school is that he won't have a trach, he won't need a nurse with him for transportation which means he will be able to take a bus to school. Matt and I will no longer have to drive 45 minutes each way twice a day for school. Nathan's just excited to go on a bus.

Now I'm impatient, I want to leave NOW. Not that it would do any good, my ride is still in NY and won't be here until around noon (hopefully). So I am hoping that Nathan gets discharged right around noon and we won't have to hang around the hospital long. What a better thing to do on this rainy day than take my sweet little boy without a trach for the first time in his life?