Back home

I do not have time to write a complete description of all that has happened in the last few days, but because so many people have written and called, I want to make sure everyone knows I am home from the hospital. I was discharged this afternoon and have lots of followup appointments this week but they believe my condition has stabilized and that I am on the mend.

Another very hopeful piece of new information is that I may be able to breastfeed. The pulmonologist is very good, I think, at his specialty, and I believe he will help me figure out what caused the hemorrhage and make sure it is successfully treated. However, he is used to dealing with very sick patients whose inability to breastfeed is the least of their problems, so I think he may have jumped to the conclusion that I couldn't breastfeed without actually doing any research about it. I did some research on my own and have the best medical brains I know (Claire, Adrienne, Sara, etc.) thinking on it and researching, etc. It may be possible that there is an alternate drug that might leach into breastmilk even less than the prednisone that would be equally effective for me, and there may be precautions I can take, like pumping and dumping sometime after taking the steroids and avoiding breastfeeding for some period every day. We will see. And thanks to Sarah I have some extra breastmilk that will reduce the amount of time they will be on formula.

I am humbled by the calls, emails, notes, banana bread, breastmilk, and hands on support from everyone. I wouldn't be able to do this without Kate's pump, Sarah's milk, Adrienne's expertise, my parents' and Jeff's parents' dropping everything and coming to be with us, Kelly's offer of dinner and diaper laundry, and knowing that so many people are out there wishing us the best during this very very tough time. I truly believe that the prayers, thoughts, and well wishes make a difference for all of us, however far away, and I appreciate them so very much. Thank you.