Mommy, I Don't Feel Good!

Paxton was up every hour last night. He couldn't get comfortable and it was becoming more difficult to breathe. Susanne was hoping to find something that would alleviate this problem because she could tell it was taking a toll on him. His little heart was having to work extra hard because of all of the stress his body was under. Susanne had been warned prior to his second heart operation that if he got a cold, he would probably have to be hospitalized because of the challenges he would face. The concerns were regarding his ability to breathe, the extra strain it would put on his heart, and the low level of oxygenated blood that would be circulating in his system. Once again, Susanne was beyond ecstatic that he had managed to avoid getting sick over the last 14 months. It was just unfortunate that he was sick now. He was in a much better state of health than before his reconstructive heart surgery, but he still struggled more than a child that didn't face the same medical issues.

Susanne's goal for the day was to find Paxton some relief. She started off his morning with sitting him in the bathroom while running a hot, steamy shower for fifteen minutes. By the end of it, it felt like a sauna in there. He didn't seem to mind it. Afterwards, she gave him a warm bath followed by a massage. She applied Little Noses to each nostril and tried to suction whatever she could out of there. She was shocked that not much came out at all. It seemed like it was all collecting in his sinuses and was untouchable. She started up the humidifier in his room to see if that would help. She elevated his bed even more than it already was to see if this would help him to breathe better. She had run out of ideas after that. She was keeping her fingers crossed that something would work. She felt helpless.

Paxton had a therapy-free day. He had not had one of those in a long time. Usually, someone was working with him someway, somehow, whether it be Susanne, Scott, Poppy, or the actual therapist. Today, however, she thought it would be best for him to take it easy and rest up as much as possible.

Aunt Leenie and Uncle Loonie stopped by in the evening to check on the little guy. Uncle Loonie offered to watch him while Aunt Leenie and Susanne went out for dinner so they could catch up. Paxton actually seemed to have some energy that evening. Uncle Loonie propped him up on the couch with his bowl of pasta noodles on one side of him and one of his sensory balls on the other side of him while they watched a bike race. Paxton was more active than had been expected. He spent a long time picking up handfuls of uncooked pasta and placing it next to him. He batted at his sensory ball and pushed it around. He finally tuckered out right before the girls got home. Susanne was just praying that he could stay asleep so they both could get some much needed rest.