I'm just being quiet

Good news for this afternoon! Caleb was extubated (tube removed) this afternoon at 2:10. It took a little bit, but he seems to be breathing well on his own now. He has what they call a "blow by", just to give some extra oxygen to boost him a little. A blow by is basically a wide tube that provides an air flow of oxygen--the open end is placed near Caleb's head so that the area around him has a higher concentration of good air. I've been reading stories to him for the past hour or so, and that oxygen is potent! We are having more smiles and laughs in the PICU, our nurse Erin has been really great for us.

Caleb's chest tube was not removed; they hope to do that tomorrow. The doctors said that because there is a small chance that the disruption of removing the breathing tube and a bit more movement could make more fluid show up around his lungs. We know well that the small chance could very well happen, so we're happy to wait until that risk has passed before removing the tube. It doesn't seem to bother Caleb too much, and he's still on a small dose of morphine.

More good news--they've accessed Caleb's port, which means that all of this surgery was a success, despite the complications. We are so excited about this. Initially when we arrived here this morning, our night nurse told us that she had not been able to get it to work properly. That was hard to take, but because we were so concerned about Caleb, we hadn't had much time to think about it. They have since been able to use it the way it was designed, for giving medications through IV and for taking blood for testing, and so we are thrilled. No more pokes! That was the goal of surgery.

And more good news--our supervising doctor just came in and told Tim and I that there is no evidence of blasts in Caleb's cerebral/spinal fluid. I think I had explained that was also part of yesterday's surgery, to test if the leukemia had spread to that highly protected part of his body. High five was about all Tim, Caleb and I could do for now, but we're celebrating inside!

So much happens in such a short time. Good news for today is relative to what might be happening. We are so glad to share this good stuff for now. Thank you thank you thank you for your prayers. They've been answered in many ways!

We'll probably be at the PICU again tonight, because they'll want to monitor Caleb's chest tube and breathing. My hope is that we can get back into our old ward tomorrow. Caleb asked for his old room back. I think he just wants his big-screen TV. He noticed that our current room (a quad room, four beds) has a sink, and he was jazzed about that. And his neighbour has a Backyardigans balloon, also very cool. Caleb seems to be doing well. He's groggy, but alert too. His personality is gradually re-revealing itself--we are constantly checking in with him and asking him how he's feeling, etc. About an hour after he was extubated, we were asking him if he was sleepy, or tired (he closes his eyes often, and can't talk a lot because the tube affects his throat and vocal chords). He said, and had to repeat it 5 times because he's whispering, "I'm just being quiet." That is my son talking, a true Caleb line.

Please keep praying for him and us. We are truly cared for.

Thanks,
J