The White's: March 2009

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Riley

As you all should be aware (thanks to Sharon sending updates to all of you on my mailing list) the boys are back in the hospital.

Zachary is doing better... still on a respirator, but they are talking about the possibility of him being taken off of it as early as tomorrow! Yeah Zach!
Alex is right in the thick of it... I tear up when I look at him, cause he looks the most sedated and lifeless out of the three of them. He is at the hardest part of his fight against the virus. Hopefully he doesn't get pneumonia like Zach did.

Riley has had 3 rapid RSV tests done on him... all three of which came back negative so they moved him to the "floor" (meaning the pediatric floor). Where babies go when they are not seriously sick. I had a bad feeling about this, because Riley was showing all the tell tale signs that his brothers showed at the beginning of their sicknesses. Earlier this week they told me that they were going to send Riley home on Wednesday. I told them that they weren't sending him any where unless they tested him again, and this time do the longer test. All along they have been doing the rapid version which has a larger margin for error. It can have a false negative! Well, yesterday I talked to Riley's doctor on the floor and she said that she thinks he doesn't have RSV. She thinks he "just has another virus that can be treated at home," she obviously wasn't very good at listening, so I had to be frank with her. I said, "I will not take him home only to have to turn around in a day and do the whole ER, intibation and Ambulance Transport back to Legacy! I know he has RSV... he is Lethargic, he has spells (oxygen saturation dropping, and heart rate going up too high) His lips turned blue and his face grey when I was feeding him today, and he has a cough and mucus in his nasal passages. You guys have just got to trust my instinct as a mom, I don't care what the test says, he has what his brothers have." She finally took me seriously I guess, cause she ordered the test that is more accurate, and also ran more blood work on him. This morning Rex went over to the hospital for "Rounds" (all the staff that works with the boys meet at their room every morning to discuss the game plan for that day~ they did the same thing at the NICU in Salem). After rounds for Alex and Zach in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) Rex went over to the Pediatric floor to get the over night update on Riley. The test results were back and Riley is POSITIVE for RSV! Here we are saying "I TOLD YOU SO!!!"

I asked Rex to go over to the PICU and talk to doctor Buchottz (one of Alex and Zach's doctors) and tell him that Riley is positive. Rex explained to him that his wife is frustrated because they haven't made a decision on whether or not to send him back to the PICU. Doctor Buhottz said, "Don't worry... now that we know, we will make sure to get him over here asap!" So when Rex and Seth and Madison and I went to the grocery store this afternoon we got a call from the peds floor letting us know that Riley has been moved back to the PICU and is now in room 12. Alex and Zach are in room 7. They can't fit all three in one room.

So I am greatly relieved that all three boys will be treated well.

About Aleece

I was born in Reno Nv. on June 14th 1981 to Jeaneen and Tony Sobrio. I am the oldest of 6 kids. I graduated from Washoe High, in Reno, NV. I have some of my degree at Snow College, but now I am a stay at home mom (and I love it... No better place for me!) Rex and I are parents to 5 beautiful children; Seth, Madison, Alex, Zachary and Riley. Seth turned 5 years old just 3 weeks before the triplets were born. We have had an exited and eventful life. So many hard trials over come, and many more we are still working on. If you read below about my husband, Rex, you will learn a little about him and his endeavors at this time. It is hard having him gone for so long, and we miss him. I have had to pull strength from a place I wasn't sure I had. After he had been gone exactly one month, I broke down in my first tears. Rex's mom was there to hug me and a dear friend took the kids while I got a little break. I have been doing much better since that break down, and I anticipate another sob fest is in the works when we all get to see him again at Christmas. Just so you all know, Rex and I choose this path because he need to finish what he started before the triplets were a factor. He needs his law degree to provide well. I need him to provide well, to allow for me stay home, where I want to be, for our children.
I love music, and crafts. I sew a lot too. Okay, I used to do those things a lot more than I do now. ;-)

My favorite quote is: “No success can compensate for failure in the home.” President David O. McKay.

About Rex

Go Ducks! Need I say more?
Okay Rex says that fits him well, but I will write a little something for him. Rex Graduated from the University of Oregon in June this year with a bachelor of Science, Political Science Major, and minors in Business Administration, and Economics. Rex is a hard worker. He got great grades, and on top of full time school, he worked part time, has five kids, and a demanding wife (not!) Rex is currently enrolled at Baltimore University School of Law, in Maryland. This was the only school he was accepted to inside an area he was familiar with. See Rex served a mission for the church in Maryland from 2000- 2002. The Brown's (a very nice family from Rex's mission) offered Rex a place to live while he finishes his first year of law school there in Maryland. After the first year we hope he can transfer to another school nearer family. If not, the kids and I will move out there. The reasons why the kids and I didn't go with him now are mostly monetary. It would just cost too much to move again so soon. We had to move 2 months before he found out what schools he was accepted to for law school. So we are sealed into a lease at our new place, with the option to break it, but not with out penalties, penalties we can't afford. So here we are...

The great thing is that Rex is doing well at school, I am holding together better than most thought I would, and we talk to him every day either by phone or Skype. I send him lots of texts with pictures or videos of the kids. It's hard on a man to be away from his kids, so I try to keep him in the loop on every little thing they do. We miss him a lot. Can hardly wait until Christmas! My husband is a stellar guy. So glad we have each other, forever.