Questions & Answers

Q - What do we do about laundry in Naperville?

• A - It's been one week since we initially arrived in Naperville. Amy & I were able to get to the hospital after a few work calls/meetings this morning. On the way from the hotel, we dropped off a suitcase of dirty clothes at a wash/dry/fold cleaners... we just didn't have it in us to do laundry at the hotel the last few nights, and we were completely out of clean socks. Each day we spend the day with Logan, head to dinner, and then straight to the hotel to sleep. Who wants to do laundry? LOL

Q - How do Logan's therapists describe her progress during her first month?

• A - Today at the hospital, we had another great session with the Speech Therapist. The therapist is impressed with how much Amy and I have been able to understand what Logan is telling us during a feeding. We also had a session with Physical Therapy. They both are impressed at Logan's growth and progress over the course of the month. That's such good news!

Q - How are we getting home?

• A - One of the neo doctors came by this afternoon. He, too, is pleased with her progress. He feels confident that she could go home by commercial flight or by car. This has been a big topic of discussion over the last week. Because she is still so young, has a G-Tube, and she is still working to develop her trunk strength, doctors have been concerned about her spending so much time in a car seat. To assure Logan stays safe, we will stop every hour and a half and get her out of her seat, run through some exercises and stretches, and then jump back in the car for another leg of the trip. This appealed to us and seemed much more manageable for Logan than the chaos of an airport.

Q - When are we going to be discharged?

• A - Today's doctor started talking about discharge for this Thursday. They have made some changes to Logan's feeding schedule, and they want to run through it a few nights to see how she tolerates it. Currently, she feeds with the G-Tube every 3 hours. Each feeding runs for approximately 40 minutes. They want to simplify her night feedings, to help transition her to home. They are going to see how well she tolerates 'continuous' feeds. This means the pump will provide the same quantity of food throughout the night, continuously, rather than in 40 minutes increments. The continuous feed means that we aren't waking her up, connecting and disconnecting the tubes and washing the equipment after each 40-minute feed. With continuous feeds, we will get up in the night to refill the bag one time and change stinky diapers as needed. Currently, Logan does great with the bolus feeds (40 minutes every three hours). She has minimal reflux, and she doesn't vomit or spit up during or following a feeding. So, tonight (Monday), Tuesday, and Wednesday night, the medical staff will monitor Logan for reflux, vomiting, or other symptoms that indicate that continuous feeds are not what is best for her little system.