Nevermind, once again things have changed....

They removed the ventilator! Porter is breathing on his own! He is fully awake too. He has a c-pap to help him get enough oxygen and has to keep the neck brace on for 2 more weeks, as they did find ligament injuries. He cried out "mom" when they removed the vent and Melanie said whenever the doctors or nurses approach his bed he says "no no". Isn't that the cutest thing ever?

He's going to stay in the PICU for another day or two so that he will continue to have a nurse with him 24/7 in the event that he codes again. I feel like everyday has been a struggle and then this afternoon it's changed so much for the good. I can't wait to go and see him again!! Way to huss Porter!!

Oh and in response to everyone's question, I am feeling a little bit better today. I've been sick this past week and stressed to the point of a nervous breakdown. Ok I thought I was ok, but my family told me otherwise. So what if I stay in bed for days? lol. In all seriousness my headaches have gone down, swelling has gone down, so I'm sure my blood pressure has too! I'm just going to stay away from stairs!!

Today's update

Porter is still using 40% of the ventilator to breath which is too much to take him off at this point. His MRI didn't show any neck injuries but to be absolutely sure they are taking more xrays today. He is somewhat awake. He yawns and opens his eyes when he hears someone in his room. He was watching cartoons yesterday too. He doesn't really respond other than to look at you. At least he's not feeling any pain or acting scared.

So the next step is to completely rule out any neck injury. Then they can remove his neck brace. Then they will continue to work on his breathing and removing the ventilator. We just have to be patient and wait for his little body to heal.

Today is a big day...

So today they are going to try and wake Porter up again. They turned the ventilator off yesterday to see if he could breath on his own and he did but he couldn't regulate his breathing and was hyperventilating. So they put him back to sleep and turned the vent back on. Today since his stats and vitals look so good they are going to try again. His pneumonia looks better and the respiratory therapist is going to work with him all day to regulate his breathing so they can remove the ventilator completely. He is still in ICU with a nurse at his side 24/7.

Melanie took her other kids home last night for the first time. She and Jeff are going to alternate spending nights at the hospital. Grandma Shelley is staying with the kids so Mel and Jeff can both be at Porters side during the day. The doctors have said it's critical that one of them be with him at all times since they are slowly waking him up. They will need to keep him as calm as possible. They've inserted a PIC line in his chest, since he tries to pull out the IV's and vent when he comes to.

His back brace is keeping his spine aligned and will heal on it's own. He'll have to wear it for a couple of months. Once he can breath on his own and they can keep him awake they will start to do testing on his nerve damage to see what the extent of that is going to be. As of right now they are saying he may have to wear a diaper for the rest of his life. But they don't know for sure until he wakes up. He is being given Pediasure in his feeding tube to give him much needed nutrients to help him get stronger. His one remaining kidney is still bruised but is working just fine.

I love you little Porter....keep getting better buddy. Hang in there Mel and Jeff....we've come so far now!!

Our good day didn't last very long

My little Porter woke up. The doctors removed the ventilator and he kept mouthing "mom" but couldn't talk....he can't breath on his own. They had to sedate him and re-insert the ventilator. They said no attempt will be made for another 5 days. His pneumonia is worse and my poor sister witnessed the entire ordeal. They are so traumatized and I can't believe they could take anymore. I don't know what else to do or say.....

Today's good news...

Porter was fitted with his new back brace this afternoon and the xrays look good! It looks like it's going to keep his spine aligned and as of this minute they are taking him off the meds that have kept him asleep. If he can breath on his own they will also remove the ventilator! This has been such a good day! I'm so happy. I'm so relieved! I just want to be able to hug him now and let him know that I love him.

My little nephew Porter.....

Late Wednesday night I recieved a call from my sister that Porter, her two year old son, had fallen out of their two story window and landed on/in the basement window well. He was life flighted to Primary Children's Medical Center in critical condition. My other sister, Emy, and I drove up there that night not knowing how he was doing....we arrived at the hospital at 1:00 am to find that he had lost a kidney, had internal bleeding, a broken vertabra in his lower back, and was being kept completely sedated. He is on a ventilator and as of today has developed pneumonia.

He was fitted for a special back brace and will have it tomorrow. Once they have it on him they will xray him to make sure his spine is aligned correctly. If not, then they will have to do surgery and insert pins into his back to correct it. He has suffered unknown nerve damage as well in his lower back that we will not know the extent of for a time. My parents have taken their other 4 children home with them and Melanie and Jeff have not left Porter's side. We are all just waiting to hear the results of his xray tomorrow. Keep my little Portarelli in your prayers!!

Where's the new pics?

Ok so Easter has flown by. Today is my birthday and I have no pictures to post for either "special" event. Last weekend we went to my parents in Lehi and spent the whole weekend. I went shopping for myself and the boys played with their cousins until......Casey woke up in the middle of the night Saturday night having trouble breathing. His chest was retracting and he couldn't get enough air. So while his beautiful, graceful mother was trying to rush him to the hospital she fell down the stairs carrying him! We both ended up with a few bumps and bruises and made it to the hospital where he was diagnosed with croup! The kid had no sympoms during the day at all. Anyways when we got home I discovered that we had left our camera at my mom's house. So that is why we don't have any new pics to post.

As for the birthday - We're not doing much of anything. I want to spend all day oustide and maybe grill some steaks, drink a diet pepsi, and let the kids run wild. Hopefully it will be sunny enough that I can get some color on this pasty skin of mine.