Pain control..fluid balance and sleepiness

So today we hit the 24 hours post-op mark and wow what a day it has been. This morning began with mommy going back to our hotel and getting ready for the day and to pick up a surprise for Braden from his "goodie bag" When mommy returned to the PICU the dr's and nurses' were "rounding" on Braden. This means they are talking about Braden and his progress and dicussing his plan of care with us. It was amazing because Ian and I were asked to join in on the rounds and ask questions as appropriate. Overall, the doctors were please with how Braden did overnight there were only a few concerns regarding his urine output and Blood Pressure control. Over the next few hours the solutions were to give Braden a bolus of fluid to help his hydration and also to start a medication call Nicardipine which helps decrease BP. This is a common occurance following the Renal Revascularization surgeries and when I asked the doctor where he would rank Braden his response was " this is all normal" the nurse taking care of him (whom again is amazing) also agreed and reassured us that he was following the path that most other patients do. So as the day progressed Braden's pain became more intense and the decision was made to increase the medication in his epidural. The incision that Braden has on his abdomen looks like and upside down T and when looking at it he had significant pain and was VERY guarded on the upper right and left sides of the incision. Once the dose was increased his pain seemed more under control however he became very sleepy and groggy. Braden's biggest frustration is that we cannot give him ANYTHING by mouth. And he keeps saying he is sooooo hungry and thirsty. My poor baby!!!!Once shift change rolled around we were blessed to have our favorite nurse thus far "jess" back. She did her initial assessment and discussed with us how groggy and sleepy he was and we consulted the pain management nurse and anesthesiologist to reevaluate things because his oxygen saturation was slightly lower than it had been which could be a result of how sleepy he is. So we are now going to decrease his rate of the epidural and give him tylenol as needed for additional pain. Also we are trying to wean him off his BP medication and see what his body will do on its own. Other than these adventures, we were able to share some time with my mom and dad as well as my cousin Jane today. So tonight our goal is for all of us to get rest and move forward as much as possible in his recovery. Overall, today was a good day. I am optimistic that our days here will become better with time.