Excitement and Improvement

Well, we have had a good last 24 hours. Last night, they were able to wean Hank's oxygen requirements from 100% to the low 80's and still keep his sats in the 90's. Woohoo. What a good boy. But, we had a little excitement today when his heart had a few episodes of atrial flutter.

At first, the cardiologists thought his PICC line was "tickling" his atrium, but that was ruled out by x-ray. After that, unfortunately, the docs messed with his pacer, put a 12-leads on his little chest for an EKG. All of this must have stressed him, and his oxygen requirements went back up to 100%. What a sensitive little guy. We still don't really know why his heart did that. At least he has a pacemaker!

Hank's nurses have been able to wean him back down on his oxygen and he is sitting in the 60's on his requirement tonight. I'm so glad. Hope we can keep going in that direction.




Everything else is pretty much the same. Good.

Thanks everyone for your loving words, stories, and kind thoughts and prayers. They have really helped me, my family, and my baby Hank. Love you all!


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Sunshine

Today was a good day. Here's why:

1. Hank has had a really good last 24 hours
(must be from Leslie and Brian's help)



2. Drew was a much happier child than he has been the last week. The move to Salt Lake has been hard on him.


This is Drew outside the hospital playing in a little garden. Fun place.

3. I got to meet Stephanie Nielson, writer of the blog NieNie Dialogues. You can visit her blog here. She was at Deseret Book doing a book signing. I didn't take a picture though.
4. The weather was awesome. I love the sun!

About Hank.


He's doing really well.
Still on antibiotics.
His dopamine is down to a really low dose, but his blood pressures are tolerating it really well.
Had his umbilical catheters removed today. A PICC line was placed instead along with an arterial line.
Oxygen sats have been good, in the 90's. So good in fact, they are going to try and wean his oxygen down tonight. He has been on 100% oxygen since his surgery.
May increase his heart rate. The pacer is set to 125, but most preemies usually have a heart rate between 150 and 180. This is in discussion with Hank's cardiologists and neonatologists.
X-rays are still good.




Goals:
Get the oxygen weaned.
Grow, grow, grow!

Overall, we are happy.




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Yesterday, when I went to see Hank in the morning, he was back on the dreaded oscillator ventilator. Yuck. His CRP was about the same. Poor kid was definitely agitated.





Last night though, my sister Leslie and her husband Brian came by to see him. They had a good visit and Hank was feeling much better. He was back on a conventional ventilator and was tolerating that really well. Thank heavens. The doctors also removed his cerebral monitor, so now we get to actually see a little more of Henry's head.




Ups and downs. Just something we will have to get used to.


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Minnie

Look who we got to see at the hospital today.

Seven Days

Can’t believe we have had our 2nd baby boy for 7 days now.  It’s a little different not having him home with us, but we know he is in the best place right now.  I have to admit, it made me pretty sad to watch all the moms go home from the hospital with their little carseats, filled with their little babies.  It’s definitely a different experience.

So what’s new with Hank?  He is doing pretty good.  Stable for sure.

• Hank has lots of drugs.  Antibiotics still, though his CRP has gone way down (12.8 two days ago, 1.8 today).  He still is having some sort of inflammatory process and sepsis, but he is much better. 
• Definitely still full of fluids, though the lasix they have been giving him has really helped him loose some of that.  He looks much less swollen, although, you can still see it in his face. 

• The milrinone drip that was started seems to have really helped Hank stabilize.   This is a drug that is used to treat heart failure.  
• The umbilical lines that Henry has been getting his IVs through will be taken out soon and replaced with a PICC line. 
• We are learning that there is some component of pulmonary hypertension going on with Henry, but we are unsure why.  It is making the whole right side of his heart pretty wimpy.  Once the pulmonary hypertension gets resolved, the right ventricle of the heart should improve. 
• Because Hank’s coags were off, he has been receiving different blood products.  None today.  He did get some cryo-precipitate yesterday, which is just concentrated clotting factors.
• X-rays still good.  Ultrasound of head today, good. 

Today was a good day.  Who knows what tomorrow will be, but we are happy.   

Henry:  7 days

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