Nil Per Os !

Learning the acronyms of the hustling and bustling hospital took some getting used to in the beginning. Doctors tend to be a little forgetful to dumb down the acronym lingo, and unless you ask questions,  generally you have their attention for a short time at about 400 bucks for 5 minutes, something will get missed in the translation even if try to figure it out yourself, ask a nurse, or even research on the internet. Get the laymans info from the docs mouth...

NPO as it is called is Latin and basically means NO food or drink 24 hours before any major procedure.So the day after his diagnoses on August 15th in the afternoon was the first time we almost lost him, because Bear was hungry and we didnt know better. It unfolded like this...

Mama Bear new her cub was hungry so went out and got one of his favorite sandwichs. Turkey and Advocado with cheese on a roll. He nearly ate 2/3 of the sandwich and was content. We were informed that in the late afternoon he would have what is called a PICC line installed in his arm for administering chemo agents. Basically, the doctor described it as putting a fishing line through a large vein(the diameter of a spaghetti) in his right bicep and ending up right in one of the four chambers of his heart. I left with Mattie to go upstairs for the procedure. Doctors said good to go and to step out, kissed Matt and said I would see him soon. Standing in the halway 20 minutes later and no word, except someone dashing out of the double doors, running to a window calling a code 87, getting a kit and rushing back in. This couldnt be for Matt?

But it was.

Code 87 means cardiac arrest. As the line was fished through his spaghetti sized vein it tickled his heart in such a way to make him vomit his lunch. He then inhaled alot of the vomit and went into arrest. He was revived, but they had to put him in an induced coma, inhalated him(tube down throat), and put a cathetar in so he could pee. I was there the next 36 hours with no sleep doing research, talking to nurses, getting to know the lay of the hospital, and doing a lot of praying to send a guardian angel for my son.