From the ER to ICU

Mom, Dad, Christina, Dr. Kozenko and the unamed nurse grabbed all my things and ran to the ER.  Once there I was rushed to one of the rooms and a whirlwind of nurses and doctors started taking blood samples and tried to find an intravenus line.  I was trying my best to be good but WOW this was overwhelming. 

My little veins didn't like pokes, my feet were a battleground, my temperature was super cold, and the heater they put me under kept shutting off!  They worked long and hard to get me back to something resembling normal and a few hours later I was resting in a little blanket.

Meanwhile during this whole ordeal, mom and dad were worried sick about me.  They kept asking for water to keep there fluid up as they were busy leaking from the eyes.  Once I started to settle down Dad turned to a nurse and said "We're new in town, know any good places to eat?"  The nurse took dad down to the cafeteria and he grabbed a light lunch for him and mom. 

Now that we were all done in the ER, we waited a little while for a bed in the Pediatric ICU to open up for us.  Once it did, I was moved from my heating bed into a mobile crib and wheeled up a floor to the ICU.  They transferred me from the crib to a special bed called a Giraffe.  It was like an incubator but the top could be raised high up to allow access for IVs and easy blood testing.

I settled myself into my new digs and we met our first nurse, Catharin.  She took really great care of me as we tried to get a proper IV set up.  As it turned out, the only good place for an IV was my bellybutton as the umbilical line was still fresh enough.  Mom and dad had to leave for a bit while the doctors wired me up.  Once finished, I had a very special UVC line in my tummy. 

Mom and Dad were allowed to come back and we started taking hourly blood samples to see where my PH, Glucose, and Lactate levels were at since apparently I was abnormally high.  Dad tracked my progress through the tests in a little coil book he brought.  He tracked how I looked, my temperature and temperament and most importantly, my blood chemistry. 

As night time came, mom and dad grew tired.  They decided to try and sleep by my side.  The hospital provided small chairs that could fold out to become a very tiny single bed.  They curled up next to eachother and tried their best to get some sleep.  Meanwhile I got cosy and they closed the lid on my Giraffe.

The Blood Test

While I was at GRH, the nurses took one of my blood tests and checked me for a standard set of 28 diseases and disorders.   My mom was called in for a followup visit with me at the hospital where they told her I had screened positive for Glutaric Acidura Type 1.  Also called GA1, this disorder causes an inability for the body to breakdown certain animal proteins.

We were told we would have to go down to Hamilton to have a followup test completed as often the screening results create false positives.  Mom called dad at the office and let him know to make arrangements to be away on Friday.  Dad had just finished the big job he was working on at noon that day and was able to steal away to take us both down.

The next morning we all piled into the car for our trip to McMaster Children's Hospital.  Dad decided he would try a special route to the highway but was surprised to discover he had no idea where he was going.  After 20 minutes on backroads we found an on ramp to the 401.  Thankfully traffic was moving smoothly and we made great time getting to Hamilton. 

We arrived at McMaster and went to the 3rd floor to an area called the specimen collection centre.  The nurses took a blood sample and tried to collect some urine but I made that task a tough one.  After collecting what they could they sent the samples to the lab and mom, dad, and I went down to meet with Christina who mom had spoken with about my results.

While we were chatting with Christina a Doctor named Maria Kozenko joined us to discuss the details of GA1.  While we were discussing the implications of the disorder, another nurse came charging into the room with my morning blood test in hand and shouted "We're going to the ER NOW!"

My Grand River Hospital Stay

Mom and Dad stayed with me during my first two days at Grand River.  I was just a little man so they needed to keep an eye on my sugar levels to make sure they didn't get too low.

I learned very quickly about a procedure called the "Heel poke" in which a small cut is made on the surface of my foot and they can take a small blood sample from it.  Unfortunately they did this every 4 hours! 

My sugar or glucose levels were sort of low (under 3) which made everyone a bit worried and I couldn't leave until we got two readings over 3.  The nurses told mom and dad to make sure I ate enough and gave them some guidelines of how much I should be getting.

They tried to feed me the traditional ways but even though I could latch pretty good, I didn't have a great suck reflex, and even when I tried my best, I would usually just get tired and go to sleep. 

This was frustrating for mom and dad who were already pretty sleep deprived and stressed from all the blood tests.  Mom and dad held me lots and dressed me in a fun little bear outfit.  my Grandmas and Grandpas came to see me and so did my dad's friend Kyle, and my uncle Brian and his girl friend Paige.  Mom and Dad ate some interesting hospital grub and we all did what we could to sleep between feeding times.

As the time passed, we kept trying to feed, now using a bottle but I was still just a tired little man.   We tried different bottles, positions and we even tried a special little feeding tube attached to dad's finger.  After awhile we were getting some decent meals into me but never really as much as the "rule book" suggested. 

The nurses kept testing my sugar levels and after a roller coaster of ups and downs and 24 heel pokes, on Monday morning we got two good ones in a row.  The hospital decided that meant time to go home!  So at about 9am, mom and dad poured into the car and we all traveled  back to our house. 

With Grandma Philp in tow, we arrived at our house and Mom went to bed.  Dad on the other hand was off to the office.   He had a lot of work to do as tax season was winding down.  After putting in a good day at work, dad came home to see me.  We sat together and had some food and then we both tried to sleep.  It was nice to be home.

 

My Birth

Mom and Dad were at home with uncle Jan chatting in the kitchen while making dinner.   Mom was making some strange faces every few minutes until dad noticed and started to check the clock.  Those strange faces were getting closer and closer until they were only 3 minutes apart.  Dad said let's get this show on the road and mom reluctantly agreed. 

After sending uncle Jan home, mom and dad sped off to Grand River Hospital and proceeded to the 4th floor.  Once there, mom was checked and told she was at 4cm.  The nurse suggested they walk the halls for an hour to see if they could make any progress. 

They walked and walked, and walked some more.  After a few pauses and obvious contractions, they returned to see the nurse.  The walk hadn't made things any better and mom was told she was still at 4cm.   The nurse suggested another round but by this time mommy's legs were pretty tired.  Instead of the walk we just laid down and passed the time.  Mom continued feeling some pretty big contractions and 30 minutes later we were at 7cm and rolling!

Once the news of the 7cm started to spread, the nurse asked if mom wanted an epidural.  At this point the pain was getting pretty intense and mom was looking forward to some relief.  The nurse let us know that the anaesthesiologist was around the corner but had a few people to see before us.  Mom's pain continued to increase and a few minutes later she felt like maybe it was time to PUSH! 

The nurse came back and was told it was time!  With that we were whisked away to the delivery room where mom was checked again and we were at 9cm!   The nurses started to gather around and prep the area for my arrival.  One nurse came by and asked if we still wanted the epidural but noted it would take about 15 minutes.  Mom said I don't think I can wait that long... I NEED TO PUSH!  So mom did.  Four big pushes later and there I was!!!

Mom and Dad named me Ethan Viktor Reimer.  My dad always wanted a boy named Ethan and my great grandpa's name was Victor Reimer.   I was born at 12:29am on Saturday April 23, 2011.  I weighed a tiny 5lbs 13 ounces and everyone said I was such a cutie!