The site has finally been updated with some new hospital photos, thanks for your patience and please check them out.

Today Zach is having a pretty good day. His urine output is very good. Although, today marks day four of having diarrhea. He is not tolerating his feeds and they are discussing feeds via TPN. This would mean using his Hickman(central line) located in his chest to deliver the nutrients he needs. They did the stint study this morning to determine if it can be removed from his bladder and results were positive. They have scheduled removal of the stint tomorrow morning.

His temps have been staying steady and he is still tolerating the anti-rejection drug.

The wagon ride has become part of his daily ritual and he really enjoys the trips. His ride took him over to the play area where his sister Kiley was coloring pictures for his room!

Stacey and Wade attended those classes today and learned about caring for his central line (for convenient blood draws) and the dialysis catheter (this is just for precautionary purposes if he would need to be dialyzed) which are in his upper left chest area.

Hopefully I can report tomorrow that those big famous smiles are back!

Gma E & Wade

Zachary didn’t start the day with the famous smile, if I was poked and prodded as much as him, I’d never smile! As of this morning, he is still handling the new anti-rejection drug well. His immune system is still low, but he was able to go for a another wagon ride to check out the other nurses on his floor. He is the one who gets checked out – he is a real babe magnet!

After Wade and Stacey attended a couple of classes on post hospital care and drugs, Wade stayed with Zachary and Stacey got to see the outside world again. The smell and feel of our COLD fresh air was good for her. She was able to spend several hours with Kiley and that was therapeutic for both of them. They stopped at home and Kiley really enjoyed playing with her friends Gracie, William and Matthew.

Tomorrow Zachary’s day starts with a stint study. In my laymans terms: a dye is injected to see if the urether is still open going to the kidney. His uring output is not great, but not completely abnormal. Also, Wade and Stacey have a couple more classes to attend.

Gma E

The day started with sunshine after a stressful night. Zach did not urinate for 4 1/2 hours, last night and Stacey was really worried. But today he is again and his immune system improved from .09 to 2.9. This was really good and so they said he could go for a ride in the wagon down the halls. They figured a change of scenery would do him some good. They put him on a new anti-rejection drug and so far, that seems to be working and not creating any tremors. He is using the kidney but with the help of meds.

He got to drink out a bottle yesterday for the first time since he was a couple weeks old. It was just water, but he loved it. His second tooth also popped through so he properly really enjoyed something to bite down on. At least he hasn’t lost the sucking instinct.

Evening brought that famous smile back for the first time! Mom and Kiley were dancing to music and he was laughing, smiling and kicking his legs. Dad wasn’t up the those fast moves yet!

Tomorrow Mom and Dad have to attend a couple of classes on caring for a child with a transplant. It will be a busy day for them.

Stacey had written up a nice article for you today but for some reason (you know how the net-work likes to not cooperate) it wouldn’t save. She did it again, and the same thing. Maybe tomorrow she can give you a better update.

Until then, Gma E

Zachary and Wade are doing great. Wade goes home today on some pain meds, which he seems to like. Zach is very tired today. He has had a couple of rough days. With high fevers , fluid in his lung, just the beating on his body from the surgery and all of the anti-rejection drugs. Zachary has been reacting to some of his anti-rejection drugs so they had to stop some of them. His white blood count bottomed out today so he can’t have any vistors until his counts go up. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers the Elsenpeters

December 5, 2004

It was a rough night at the hospital. Neither of the patients or Stacey got a lot of sleep. HOWEVER, Zachary must have gotten some, because he really came around this morning full of energy. He was moving around in the crib and trying to roll over, lifting his legs and swinging the arms. Everyone was thilled as it takes stomach muscles to lift the legs. The rattle in his chest has become less but one of his lungs did collapse during surgery, so he is retaining fluids. They have put him on meds to release them. They also forgot to re-insert his “J” tube, so Monday the poor little chap has to go back under again to have that inserted.

Gma Gina came up this morning and did the watch while Stacey got a 3 hour nap and Wade went to his room to get some sleep.

Sounds a though Wade will be released tomorrow, provided he has that famous movement that you must do before they let you out! He is feeling good and moving about (he says good) but from my point of view, pretty slowwwwww! That’s ok, he is really doing great.

Kiley and Gpa put up the xmas tree today, and she got invited by the O’Brien’s (next door neighbors) to go and have breakfast with Santa tomorrow morning and then play afterwards with her friend Gracie. Gracie has been taking care of her rabbit (Buster) while they are away.

Tonight they had Zach in a mobile swing trying to get some movement going in him to release some of the fluids. He was pretty uncomfortable. He is also getting a tooth, seems he has all kinds of thing to endure. Hopefully he will get a good nites rest and tomorrow be a better day.

Thanks for the prayer and well wishes, it means so much to Wade and Stacey.

Gma E