Last night the phone rang - and rang - David's blood pressure dropped again and they put him back on the oscilator rather than the ventilator after his oxygen level dropped. They also added another blood pressure medicine (epinephrine) and a med to help with kidney perfusion and seizures (phenobarbital) as he was having "alot of movement" and they were unsure as to whether it was a benign seizure - common for his gestational age. So, two steps forward. One leap back I suppose. His urine output had decreased significantly (now too low) and they were hoping that it would pick up again once his blood pressure was stable. They still can't rule out an infection as the primary problem but they think it is more likely pulmonary hypertension again. Apparently preemie babies are born with 2 heart issues - the PDA (now closed on David) and a patent foramen ovale. This one tends to close in time - cannot be fixed with medication and allows another avenue for David's heart to shunt blood in the wrong direction causing higher pressures in his lungs.
This morning I phoned in to check on them. David's urine output has increased once more to an acceptable level but his blood pressure has fluctuated periodically. He is considered relatively stable at this time however and will remain on the oscilator for now. He is back on the nitric oxide as well to help with the pulmonary hypertension. We are praying this new / old issue resolves quickly.
Mary Louise is doing well according to her nurse today. She is tolerating more stimulation - changing of position, etc. and is slowly being weaned once more off of her dobutamine as well as her ventilator settings. She is now 2.2 pounds.
Roller coaster - back on. We will see them this afternoon and if anything has changed, I'll post more then.
Love to all, Heather
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Sorry to hear that your first night and day at home was not a good one. Hopefully David's problems will resolve and Mary Louise will continue to do well. Still praying for all of you! :)
ReplyDeleteSo hard for any of us to breathe comfortably day to day. When Mary and David breathe well and thrive, so do we. Please, let us know more after your afternoon visit. More love and prayers.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is a continued inspiration to me in your unwavering faith and optimism. All three babies have been a huge blessing to you and you have been a huge blessing to others with your blogs. You all are in our thoughts and prayers and we can't wait for happily ever after!
ReplyDeleteGod Bless!
Melanie (and Jonathan) O'Leary