Day 19

We called into the nurse's station this morning before church. The nurse was not available to talk to us because she and the surgeon were busy in R's room working on him. The surgeon had to put in a chest tube to drain an air pocket that formed around the lower lobe of his right lung.

Tim and I stayed at church until the announcements were over and then went straight to the hospital. While we were there, the surgeon returned because the chest tube was not working. R's blood pressure was critically low, his oxygen saturation was in the low 80's and he was not doing well. The surgeon repositioned the tube and immediately the air started to flow out. It took over an hour, but R's body began to respond by increasing the oxygen saturation and his blood pressure slowly climbed.

During rounds, the doctor told us that they are going to leave in the chest tube for a couple of days to help the lung repair itself as the lower lobe had collapsed. They are again trying to wean down the settings on both the ventilator and the dialysis machine. Along with these goals, the doctor is going to see how R does with his g-tube clamped. (The tube that leads directly into his stomach.) This will force anything that is in his stomach to hopefully travel through the intestines and not out into the bag that is there now. The doctor wants the intestines and the liver to function again. If he tolerates the g-tube clamped for 24 hours, then they may slowly add food to his stomach. He has not really had any formula feedings in his life, so this would be a first!! Although there is so much to pray for in his little body, I pray that the feedings would be able to begin and the liquid would flow through his intestines without any trouble.

So, if you happen to be keeping a list of needs for R, here is our cheat sheet...

For his heart to stay at a healthy rate and pressure
For his kidneys to begin to function on their own
For his lungs to heal of influenza and the lower right lobe to heal
For the infection in his liver to heal and his liver enzymes come into balance
For his stomach to tolerate liquid and move it into the intestines
For his intestines to "wake up" and begin to absorb the nutrients and digest

and lastly

For the doctors to find the perfect balance of putting in and taking off fluids.

It has been a challenging time. I have been hopeful, hopeless, and everywhere in between. But what I am learning and living is that God is enough, He has the perfect plan, and He has the whole picture. We give R to him daily and trust in Him COMPLETELY.

Thank you for your prayers.