Oxygen Tank

So, when I consented to get this special treatment done little did I know this would be such a big deal. The hyperbaric chambers are not located in the hospital, they are done as an outpatient therapy. Seeing as Lincoln is in the care of the hospital, they have to have him transported via ambulance to his treatments. The hyperbaric building is literally only 3 minutes away but we have to take an ambulance and have the medics stay on site for an hour as we do the treatment for safety reasons.

This is a big ordeal, which it ordinarily wouldn't be if it weren't a tiny cardiac kid. I am not sure what I expected, I guess I thought I could walk him over in his car seat as long as we had his monitor or whatever. Oh, no- check it out, it is like a train of people following our little monkey down from the NICU to the ER and out into the ambulance to make sure he is safe and all his vitals are spot on. It was 3 medics, the Flight/Transport Nurse, a NICU nurse practitioner and myself. Crazy.

Little Lincoln's life is far from ordinary- he gets an ambulance ride 5 days a week.

I think the medics were really nervous. They were really sweet and asked me so many questions.

Here is the flight Nurse Judy, and Tracy the Nurse Practitioner watching Lincoln's vitals as we drive to our destination. I love these women. We have had fun, and they take such good care of Lincoln!

This is the bed he lays on where the doc checks him out before they slide him into this chamber where he lays and breathes the pure concentrated oxygen for an hour.

He is so tiny in this huge chamber.

Tracy, Judy and I stand over him for the entire hour and watch to make sure he is breathing and for any changes in his color etc. He is not hooked up to any monitors, so that is SCARY. He can't have any monitors on in the chamber, the only thing they monitor is the amount of oxygen his body is absobing and his blood saturation. He started out at 53 before he went in and as he breathed over the hour his sats rose to 705. The next day when we put him in he was at 65 and he rose to 625. I think this is really going to help.

He did so well his first 2 sessions. He slept the enitre time and looked so peaceful.

Tracy the NP, is doing her doctorate in Wound Care and is going to follow Lincoln's progress with hyperbarics and wound healing and will be using his story as a case study. She wants to use his experience to help the medical community understand the benefits of these treatments. She will publish his story and hopefully this unfortunate event can help others that may deal with the same issue somewhere down the road.

Our little man is already touching so many lives. He has really shown everyone just how resilient infants can be. I am so proud of him and thank God everyday for trusting us with such a special and amazing son!