Just One More Thing

Well, it happened again. Just one more thing to remind me how things are. The suction machine arrived tonight, and, sadly, it's probably a good thing.

Last week at Jordan's one year check-up the doctor suggested that we get a suction machine, because at some point in the future, keeping her "cleaned out" will make the difference between being home and being in the hospital. 4 business days is record speed for insurance approval, and here it is already. I guess I just wasn't prepared to get it so soon.

She just doesn't seem to have the umph to get a good cough most of the time, so when she finally gets a good one it seems to pull the food out of her tummy, too. One thing I am looking forward to is sucking the snot out of her nose before it drips down her throat. That rattling snot sound can really drive me crazy sometimes. I have even gone so far as to holding tissues up to her nose, somehow thinking that she'll just instinctively know how to blow it if the tissue is in place. It never happens.

I just hate all this medical equipment. I just hate this cold she has (it's been waxing & waning for ~6 weeks now). Colds are just devastating to her system. All she does is make snot, then, as it drips down her throat, coughs, which makes her barf, which sucks!

And on that note, I have to admit that I hate the idea of the feeding pump, but I like how it makes our lives easier. I feel totally guilty that I'm so willing to use it. But feeding her takes alot of time out of a day, especially if you have to sit there and drip it in by hand. If you go too fast -- barf! And we already have enough of it with this never ending cold.

Now here's the crazy thing with the suction machine. It arrived at 9:00pm while Kelly & Kate were here with Avery & Jordan (I was driving Devon to the airport), and the delivery guy had to show Kelly how to use it, so she could sign the papers for it. She's an RN, so I was almost happier he showed her, then she showed us. But really, what are durable medical equipment delivery people doing delivering things at 9:00pm, and why are they delivering things if they're qualified to use them. . . .I guess stranger things have happened.

So, If Jordan is up at 3:30am again this morning, coughing her little brains out, perhaps we'll try to give the suction unit a whirl. No aspiration, no pneumonia, that's her resolution for 2007! Whatever it takes, even if it is another machine.