COLTON
You’re welcome. I am attaching what I have written about
our first months, its probably way to long. Would you please look at it and help
me with anything that may need changed? I know what I was trying to say, but it
is hard to do on paper, (especially through tears) If I had to say one thing to
anyone about all this, it would be to “hang in there, it gets much easier!” Talk
to you soon......Vicky
It was Nov. 11, Veteran's day, and I had great news! I had to hurry home
and tell my husband that we were pregnant with our second child! I was so
excited! I had a perfect pregnancy, the months flew by. Finally the day was
here, the Dr. said we would have to induce as our little angel was already 10
days late. I didn't mind a bit.
We made all the calls and Grandma and Grandpa were on their way. It was
Friday, July 24, my Nana's birthday (what a great present this would be) I was
in the hospital all ready to go. We just couldn't wait any longer! Our angel
felt we could wait another whole day. After a very long night, morning came and
the Dr. said it was time. It was July 25, 1998 our baby was here.
Everything went fine. The Dr. said, "It's a boy!" and set Colton on my
stomach, no one was saying much of anything and everyone was crying.
I looked down at my new baby and all I could see was a hand with no
fingers. My emotions went out of whack at that point. The Dr. said, "There are
some problems, I need to check on the baby". I didn't know what to think, all I
could do was cry.
Later that day, my OB Dr. came in to my room and told me that he thought
he new what was going on with Colton. He said he had recently done a paper on
something called Moebius syndrome and another on Poland syndrome. He wanted to
send us to the big hospital where all the specialist were.
The first week of Colton's life was a whirlwind of Doctors. I think we saw
every specialist that there is! They started at the top of his head and worked
down. Neurologist said, "I don't think he will ever function at a normal level,
this baby doesn't react to anything!" Opthamologist said, "He is probably blind
in the left eye!" Audiologist said, "Definitely deaf in the left ear!" Speech
and Feeding specialist said, "He needs to be tube fed, and probably won't be
able to form words." The list goes on and on, we had many of the Drs. tell us to
bring Colton home just wait, because he wasn't strong and he wouldn't last very
long.
We did bring Colton home and he was drinking from a bottle with a habermann
feeder! A very exciting step for us! No tubes or treatments or anything! We felt
pretty good about everything and Colton seemed to be doing great! Then the
really scary stuff started.
Colton had a cold, and was very weak, the Dr. at the ER didn't think it was
to serious, he gave us some tylenol and sent us home. The next night, my husband
was holding Colton and dozed off. Something startled him and he looked down and
Colton was blue. His heart had stopped and Keith started CPR. We got Colton to
the hospital and were introduced to life with monitors! He was put on a pulse/ox
monitor and an apnea monitor. The Drs. decided that he had reflux, and was then
put on cisipride and zantac. We were just getting used to the idea that he was
getting better and it was ok to sleep again, and Colton got sick. His pulse was
in the 180's and O2 level was in the low 80's. I we headed back to the hospital
and found out he had RSV. This started our fun with Oxygen 24 hrs a day, and
Nebulizer treatments every 2 hours. We would spend about a week in the hospital,
come home for 2 or 3 days and go back in for another week.
That was how we spent the first eight months of Colton's life. In January
the Army finally decided we could use a nurse for 12 hrs a day. Boy, did I fight
that. I was a mom, and mom's aren't supposed to need help! Finally I gave in. It
was the best thing I could have ever done. (for me and my family) Ms. Pat was
great! She loved our family and was able to do the things for Colton that took
up so much time. Colton showed a very quick turn around. He was getting
healthier every day.
In June the Army said "You don't need Ms. Pat anymore". This was a very
hard thing for me to face. I felt like I had to go through the new baby thing
all over again. I didn't think I could do it, I was scared! I was used to being
able to leave the house and not have to worry if he was ok. I didn't like this
idea at all. I called my Nana, and she told me that things were ok now. Colton
was stronger and so was I. Nana was right!
In January, it will be a whole year since he has had a hospital stay. We
got rid of the oxygen in August and the monitors in September. We still do the
inhaler treatments everyday, and are down to just taking Zantac. I would say we
have made some real progress. Colton is now 17 months old and is a real pistol!
He is taking physical therapy, speech and feeding therapy, and occupational
therapy. He has is pulling himself up in front of the furniture and standing.
His therapist is working with him with a walker. He is also starting to talk and
he is learning some sign language. We had a surgery in August to tack his eyelid
closed a little. (to prevent it from drying out) and had tubes put in his ears.
Since the surgery, they have found he does have some hearing in the left ear and
can see from the left eye.
webmaster note: Click
here to see pictures of Colton then and now.
What an incredible change !