Good Byes

Goodbyes are often hard, unpleasant, and not enjoyable.  We, however, have had many good byes.  Today was another one.  Goodbye home oxygen!  After 2 and a half months at home on oxygen, Wyatt is now oxygen free, breathing completely on his own all hours of the day and night.  He recently "passed" his overnight oxygen test with flying colors and we received the call today from pulmonary at Children's.  Some of the things we WON'T miss about home oxygen include:

• Wyatt pulling out his cannula (and us having to put it back in)
• Replacing the cannula and stickers each week (he HATES this)
• The monitor alarming falsely and unpleasantly waking us in the night
• Hauling around the monitor and the oxygen tank wherever we go - from room to room, to doctor's appointments, in the stroller when we take walks, upstairs each night and morning...
• "Hosting" many oxygen tanks in our entry way
• His stinky feet (the pulse oximeter makes his feet smell)
• Did I mention the alarms?
• Tripping over the oxygen cable and the monitor cord
• Explaining to people what that "thing" is in his nose and why he's on oxygen
• Every time the blasted machine beeps because we lose the connection 
• The looks of alarm from visitors whenever the monitor beeps
• Calling the (slightly difficult to work with) medical supply company each week to request new tanks

Although we truly are grateful that Wyatt could come home when he did and that there is home oxygen support available to him, we're thrilled and beaming with pride to have our boy off the support.  One more good bye for this family. 

I love this picture.  It's as if he's saying, "Really, Mom?  I am so over this cannula thing." :)