4th Birthday

Another year, another birthday. We spent most of the day Friday at the ER (April 1st) because there were no beds at Dartmouth. Because Ben was stable the plan was to give him IV fluids and antibiotics, send him home and then return the next day for another dose and see where the bed situation was at Dartmouth. I was okay with that and hopeful that just maybe Ben would make his party after all. It took another 4 hours or so to get the IV in (5 attempts) and then to run fluid and the antibiotics. Meanwhile Ben was deteriorating. The ER doc became really concerned and started making calls to other hospitals. Boston Children's was full, Maine Medical was also full. She tried Mass General and they had a PICU bed. The helicopter was sent and Ben and I were flown to Boston. It was a crazy situation. I was really scared to go to a place that didn't know him. The flight team was extra nice and allowed me to go in the helicopter with Ben so that I didn't have to find my way in the city. We arrived at 3am and settled into a crowded, dirty, curtain surrounded bed. The staff was exceptional - the PICU itself was more to be desired. After all the blood work, x-rays, etc. it was determined that Ben had pseudomonas pneumonia (again), strep and MRSA. Because of that diagnosis, he was moved into a confinement room that actually had walls. I was much happier to be in a more private area. Poor Ben got worse as the days went by. He was placed on a vent with the highest settings he's ever needed. There were a few scary moments when he would be suctioned and it would cause him to brady and stop breathing. They aren't sure why it was happening but thankfully it resolved as he started to get better. It seemed like his IV's blew every day and because he needed IV meds, they had to keep replacing them. At one point they tried to put in a longer lasting PIC line but couldn't get it in. At this point he was on 3 major IV antibiotics which called for daily blood level draws. By the 8th day the PICU at Dartmouth finally had a bed and so he was able to be transferred back. He finished 9 more days there before he was discharged home.

Aunt Jenny brought you a birthday pie, hat and balloon... Mass General PICU - we were CROWDED in this room...
Going back to our favorite hospital - DHMC - to the PICU...
Looking better already...

See all Ben's cards in the background? He is definitely LOVED!

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For Ben's 4th birthday, Steve and I wanted to do something really special. We tried to throw him a big party when he turned 1 but he ended up in the hospital instead, so we wanted to try again. Because of Ben's recent wish trip we decided that we did not want any presents. Instead we wanted to purchase a stone at "Give Kids The World" that would be placed in the village. It is a great cause and so we wanted to contribute in any way that we could. We invited over 100 of Ben's closest friends! The day before the big party guess who decides to get sick? You guessed it! Benjamin came down with a high fever, lot's of coughing and green secretions. I had to take him to the local ER to be evaluated. Meanwhile, the party continued on and there were over 100 people that showed. Too bad the guest of honor bagged out AGAIN! We raised almost $1,000 and gave it all to "Give Kids The World". Thank you to everyone who donated, helped out and attended the party! Couldn't have done it without you!!!

Ben's table
Lots of tables ready for people to come...
the guests arrive...
lots and lots of people...

Happy Birthday my cute boy!