The night shift was uneventful. His weight is up by 3 ounces today . . . a good thing for now. He must have finally held on to some of the fluid boluses he received yesterday. His Oxygen requirements (FiO2) are up this morning to 48%. Some of this may be from the extra fluid . . . we can't control where it goes. But, this mornings chest x-ray showed an area on his right upper lobe that was collapsed down a bit. They are going to turn him slightly to his left side to help open up and drain the right side. His little lungs are so fragile and sensitive to any change.
They're discussing the idea of stopping the Dopamine drip. His blood pressure just needed a bump last night and then they were able to wean it way down. He still has his urine catheter and he continues to put out a lot. They are going to start weaning his Morphine drip again. The doctors want him to start waking up a bit more, so hopefully by the weekend they can address the idea of removing his ventilator. He will need to be alert and able to do all the breathing on his own. He will also need a clear x-ray. The sooner they can get his breathing tube out . . . the better. Any time there is a tube in the lungs, there is the risk for infection. He does not need to get pneumonia right now.
His stomach seems to be healing . . . as far as we can tell. There really is no way of knowing right now. Like I said earlier, they will check it with an X-ray after 7 days. However, we can assess the color and size of his abdomen, as well as how firm or soft it is. And, the nurses listen for bowel sounds several times a day. I forgot to ask if he has any . . . but I'll check myself when I go visit in a few minutes.
He's far from being out of the woods. We will be on pins and needles until he's safely off the ventilator and on full feeds. I'll post more photos this afternoon. Keep our little guy in your thoughts, and those prayers coming.
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