Today is a better day.

Maximus is in better spirits since I have been home. So he must love me. ;0) I was able to get him to drink a half of a bottle. So that is a good sign he will soon be past his feeding tube. He has been very sleepy today which is good. He is probably thrilled to get some uninterrupted sleep.

Yesterday mommy and grandma took him to his cardiologist during which he proceeded to scream for a good twenty minutes straight! The "no crying" song didn't even work. I'm sure his behavior was due to the drug withdrawals it certainly isn't the Max we all know and love.

Max will stay home with grandma for the week while mommy goes back to work.

Thank you once again for all your prayers. We felt fortunate that we were only back temporarily, there were families still at the hospital from our first visit. One little girl in Moderate Care has been there for nine months!! I will take our two week visits anytime!

Elvis has left the building

Wednesday morning Mommy told me that I would get to go home that day, so I pulled my feeding tube out. I was only trying to help the nurse, but Mommy said I had to have that in when I went home because I still am not drinking my bottle.

Mommy tried to put it back in but I don't like it so I gagged when she was doing it. Grammy played along and gagged with me so Mommy gave up. She put it back in when we got home.

I still have a respiratory infection so I'm not real hungry which may play a part in my not taking my bottle. Other than that, I'm very glad to be home in my own bed!

I'm outta here!

Hi everyone! Just wanted to let you know that they're springing me tomorrow! Mommy and Grammy are packing up their things at the Ronald McDonald house so they'll be ready to go as soon as I can leave. I'll still have a feeding tube, because those nurses have been keeping my belly so full that I haven't wanted to take anything from the bottle. Mommy thinks if I'm given a chance to get hungry, that I'll be fine with taking my bottle again. I still have a respiratory infection, so I'll have to take it easy when I get home. I'm coughing and wheezing a bit still, but not enough to keep me in the hospital. I appreciate all the prayers and support, and I'm looking forward to getting back home.

Love, Maximus

Maximus is on the move again.

Max was moved from moderate care down the hallway to a less urgent care room. He is in better spirits. He had his chest tube removed yesterday. He is still not taking from a bottle yet, so he may have to keep the feeding tube for a little while more. Michele said that maybe Wednesday they may be able to come home. So I pray for that day to come soon. I think he would like it better at home. So keep them in your prayers. I will be going back to work now that Maximus is more stable. I will try to keep this up dated when I here more.

Maximus had his last chest tube taken out last night!!!

That's right, Max had his last chest tube removed last night. He only has a I.V, and feeding tube now. He is still in moderate care for now. But things are starting to look a little brighter. I have some photos to put on, so here they are.

Grammy is happy!

Grandma just called - she says that Max is doing much better today - he was actually talking up a storm this morning (in Max language of course!). He still has his chest tube in and because they are still getting a fair amount of fluid they will leave it in for now. He still has one iv in his leg, a feeding tube (which they are trying to bottle feed him, so should be gone shortly), and oxygen through the nose.

Max is out of the PICU!!!

Maximus was moved out of PICU tonight. They needed the bed space, and he is healing well. He is on the west side of the hospital in moderate care while he looses some more sputum. They did remove some more lines from the little guy. He is having issues with turning his head to his right, but that makes since because that was the side that the tube was attached to. With every day we get a little closer, so keep up the prayers. They are doing wonders. We will keep everyone informed.

Baby steps towards recovery

Hi all! I have been doing well since being taken off the respirator - I did not like that thing at all! A family friend, Brock Richmond actually helped take it out.

I still have some crud in my lungs, but have been coughing on my own to get rid of it. The doctors said they plan on unpluging me from most of these wires by tonight so that will be good. Maybe they won't have to keep me strapped down then!!

The Nurses think that I get a little wild at times so they keep giving me drugs to sleep. Don't they understand that I'm a boy and that is what boys do? Maybe if they would sing the "no crying" song to me I would calm down! Mommy should teach the Nurses it.

Sometimes I'm just sad and bored, but when they try and give me my pacifier I don't like it because it tastes too much like that yucky tube they stuck down my throat so I spit it out. That makes them wonder if I will take a bottle, so I still have a feeding tube in.

I am moving again today - to a different part of the PICU, someone else needs my bed. Mommy hopes that by the weekend they will kick me out of here! That would be nice!!

And He breaths on his own!!!

Today at 2:30 pm, Maximus J Smith was removed from his breathing machine and is doing well on his own. Michele and I are really happy about this event, because he will soon be moved from ICU, if he continues doing well. That is just one step closer to getting to go home. Grandma Peacock was very emotional this morning, and now she can ease her mind a little. Just to remind everyone, sometimes it looks good, only to go back the other direction. So, keep up the prayers, and we will keep up the faith.

Not Much has changed...

Max has had some issues with fluid pooling in his lungs, and this has developed into Pneumonia. He really shouldn't have to fight this as well, but he's a tough little guy & will get through it. The doctors are able to give him breathing treatments through the respirator so that is one upside to still being on it. They did move him to a different room (for patients that do not need one on one care) so we should be thankful that he is on the path to recovery!

Discouraging day

Well, today has been another discouraging day. Maximus is still struggling to breath on his own, so is still on the respirator. Michele said he just has too much crud and can't get it out. They're running some tests to see whether he may have an infection that is producing the mucus. He did have one of the drainage tubes removed, so I guess that is some progress. Keep the prayers coming and hope for better progress for tomorrow.

BUMMER

Well, removing the respirator proved to be too much on little Max, so they had to put it back in. Michele is not sure what happened other than the nurse said Max must still have too much fluid on his chest to be able to handle the stress of breathing on his own. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day. He will remain in ICU until they can successfully remove the respirator, which means a longer stay overall at Motts. Keep our little buddy in your thoughts & prayers!

The tube is presently being removed.

Hi everyone, Maximus's breathing tube is currently being removed. He has been through a couple of sprints, and his blood gases are good, so they decided to try to remove the breathing tube. So with that, he may be able to take formula, and he won't have to be as sedated. I will keep you posted when I know more.

Hi from Max

Hi all,

Surgery went well on Friday. They pumped me up with all sorts of fluids - mommy says I look like the marshmallow man! I think i look more like Buddha! I have a girl for a roommate this time (in ICU) - I'm not sure if the nurses knew that we were a boy & girl because the first day they didn't put diapers on us! They must have figured it out now, because they covered us up the next day. She is a yooper, eh (from the U.P. for those not from MI reading this).

My nurse Sue says that she hopes they get enough fluid off me today & tonight so that they can start weening me from the respirator tomorrow. They may be able to remove one of my chest tubes as well (the one that goes in right by my heart). I still will have one in my right lung until I'm completely off the respirator. They drained about 10cc of fluid off my left lung last night, and that seemed to clear that one up. Nurse Sue just keeps telling me I have to "pee, pee, pee" and all will be good. (Shes kind of crazy) That is one skill I have mastered so it shouldn't be a problem. I still have a catheter so at least she won't have to change 100 diapers tonight!

I'll let you know tomorrow how I'm doing - thanks for thinking of me,

love you all - Mighty Max

Pee, pee, pee, pee!!!

Well, they upped his dose of lasix. They are trying to get the fluid level down still. He is having a problem getting rid of it. Like Barb said, when he converts it to pee, it will leave his body quicker. Until it gets lower, he will have trouble breathing on his own. We are letting him rest at this point. Tomorrow they will try to sprint his air way.(that means taking him off the respirator for a few seconds at a time to see how he reacts.) The nurse says that he is doing "great" other then that extra pesky fluid. She believes that once he is off the respirator that he will be quickly on his way home. He started getting tube feeds today and did well. As soon as he is of the vent he can drink from a bottle.

Yes, getting home to find the fridge quit was not a great experience, but manageable. I just had to throw away a couple of months worth of food, anyone who knows Michele knows she always stocks up on sales. My father helped by mowing the jungle that we lovingly call a lawn. The rain this week made it explode with growth. My cousin Tony took the stuff from the fridge and disposed of it.

A little update

I just talked to Michele. She said the nurse she talked to said that it is not likely they will be able to take Max off the ventilator or bring him out of sedation today. When he starts to wake up, he becomes agitated and it's hard for him to breath. For that reason, they'll also keep him on the ventilator. So, he'll be sleeping through another day as the medical team works to get his fluid levels down.

Peaceful night

I just called Grandpa Peacock for an update. Max had a pretty quiet night. He is continuing to have issues with fluid retention and still has the drainage tube in one lung. The doctor also drew off 10ccs of fluid from his other lung this morning. The nurse Grandpa talked to said she thinks they may be able to take him off the respirator today, which will then allow them to back off on the sedation. Once Max is not so sleepy and starts moving around, that will help a lot with getting the fluids out. Moving around helps our body push any extra fluid to our lymphatic system, which in turn moves the excess to the excretory system and we pee it out. That's your biology lesson for the day!

In the category of "We didn't need anything else to deal with right now," Max's daddy went home yesterday to take care of some things, and found that their fridge had died. In addition to the food that was lost, Max's medications that need to be kept refrigerated may have been ruined as well. John is on his way back to Mott's today and Aunt Diane is riding with him. Aunt Di will ride back with Grandpa this evening, and Grammy will stay with Michele, John, and Max at the hospital.

I'll keep you posted as I hear more (or Aunt Di or John may post from the hospital).

Status Quo

Maximus is still holding his own and remaining stable. The nurses say this sort of fluid build-up is normal after open-heart surgery and is not a big concern. They will just continue to drain the fluid from his lung cavity until things settle down. For now, he is also being kept heavily sedated so he doesn't get too agitated and to keep him comfortable. He will be kept sedated through the rest of today at least. He is still on a ventilator as well, and, as Grammy put it, any place they can put a needle or tube in his body, there is one (IVs, ports, catheter, etc.). Tomorrow, they may start easing off on the sedation to see how it goes.

I don't know how to title this.

Maximus early this morning had x-rays that show a lot of fluid on his right lung. So they had to put a drain tube into that lung. He will be in I.C.U a while longer because of this development. Keep on praying, and we will keep on being strong.

He is in recovery.

Little Maximus has gone through a lot today. We all have, but not as much as he. Michele is back there with him right now. I will go back again once his grandma gets back. I am happy he has pulled through so far, and looks strong. Thank you all again, and I will keep you posted, when I know more.

The Doc spoke to us.

Dr. Ohye came up to visit us. He said that everything looked good, and they were able to close his chest. His chest being closed will help him heal quicker. His blood pressure is good, and it looks like it is normal--actually even better than after the last surgery. So when he gets up here, we will be able to see him. They said about an hour or so. (In hospital language that means one and a half, to two hours. LOL) I will put up photos when I get a chance.

Good news.

Maximus is done with his surgery. A Nurse came back to tell us that it is over, and everything looks good so far. He will be coming down in about a half hour. He will be asleep, and hopped up on drugs. Thank you all for your prayers. I will try to get some photos when he gets into the care unit.

They finally took Max back to surgery at about 2:15. We probably won't get any updates for at least a couple of hours. It's an hour just getting him ready for the surgeon to start, then the surgery will take around 4 hours. Max, good-natured boy that he is, was so good and patient all morning, and all smiles for Dr. Ohye, even though he hasn't been able to eat since 5:30 a.m. Now, we wait.

Well, it's after noon and we're still waiting for Max to go into surgery. The first case is taking longer than expected. He was supposed to go into surgery at 11 a.m. Thank goodness he has been sleeping since about 10:30, because he is not usually very patient when he is hungry, and he will be letting the world know he wants to eat--NOW! :) We all appreciate his current cooperation! We'll keep you posted. Keep the prayers coming.

Aunt Barb

Today is the day.

Good morning Everyone, Michele and I were woke up by a fire alarm again. 5am right on time. We stayed at the Med Inn at the hospital.

Maximus is up and talking away. He is telling Grandma all sorts of stories. Especially about the darn fire alarm during his last feeding of the day. We were happy when the nurse told us he could eat up until 5:30am today, that made a world of difference!! Max slept like a log last night. He was wore out from the three vials of blood they took and the four tries it took to get it.

Aunt Di and Aunt Barb are both on their way here. We have to be down to the pre-op waiting room at 10:30. We should be seeing Dr Ohye before the surgery. We will have him sign Max's Dr. Bear.

Talk to you mid day hopefully :)

MMJ

Maximus and U of M Take three?

Well, we made it down here this morning. Max was a trooper through it all. He was drugged and x-rayed. Then he waited for a few hours to get poked and have blood drawn. Now he is on the bed talking to his stuffed blanket. We were very lucky to have such a good natured boy. I am not just saying that either, he truly seems to be a happy boy. Tomorrow we have to be downstairs at 10:30 a.m. so they can prep him for surgery. I will keep everyone updated when we get news. Good night everyone.

Michele's first Mothers day!!!

Michele went threw her first Mothers day like a pro. You would think she had done them for years. ;o) We went to Marshal to Barb and John's house. Maximus was not as over whelmed by all the people. I think he is adjusting to his fans. Two more day's untill his surgery. We are not looking forward to it of course, but we would like to get it behind him. The sooner it is over, the quicker we can have a more normal life. I am putting photo's on, these are from Mothers day. I will keep the blog posted when I can. I know you will all be there with us, and we want to thank you for being such good people.

We made it through our first full week!!!

Well, mommy and I survived our first full week of work and daycare. I think that I faired a little better than mommy since my nap schedule was still available. I was nice enough to wait for mommy on Thursday so we could nap together when we got home.

Mommy had a very long week at work. She is very greatful that Grammy comes to watch me on Wednesday, one less day that she has to get me around in the morning :) We are still trying to get our mornings right. Just when mommy thinks she has time to get in the shower I trick her and wake up!!

I do think that mommy is beginning to go a little crazy! She says that having a baby has made her very forgetfull and paranoid. Just the other day there was a Priority Mail package in our box adressed to me from Vermont. Mommy knew that she didn't know anyone from Vermont and started wondering who the heck would have sent this. Not only was it form Vermont but the return adress was from a P.O. Box!! That really made mommy wonder.

She called and Aunt Di to see if Katie's Nanna had friends in Vermont. Aunt Di said they did but the name on the package didn't sound the same. So, mommy called Grandpa and daddy to see if they had any Army buddies in Vermont and they didn't. Now mommy is really convinced that something awful and horrible are in this package!! Daddy tells her to open it up but she says not with me in the car, it could be Anthrax or a bomb!!! Mommy drops me of at Lois' house and tells her all about the mystery package.

Mommy gets to work and threatens to make the new girl open it up. Instead she gets on rubber gloves and goes outside, Cindy comes along for support and to identify the body after whatever mommy thinks is going to happen by opening this package!! Mommy very gently opens one little corner of the package with her arms stretched out as far as she can reach so it won't blow up in her face. Nothing happens so far so she tried a little bit more and the more. No explosions and no white powder, just another little envelope inside with a note that says MAX. Mommy still isn't sure the danger is behind her and carefully opens that envelope to find three wooden angel madallions. No bomb, no Anthrax or anything else harmful, just some well wishes from Nanna's friend in Vermont!!!

Now do you see why I think mommy may be loosing her mind??????????