when I started this blog five years ago, I was a pet sitter and the name animal-crackers made sense. now I'm a stay-at-home-dad and freelance writer, but rather than confuse everyone by getting a different blog, it's just easier to keep posting things here.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Gas and tap
Dylan has passed gas!
Normally that's not a big deal in this family. But by having a movement Dylan has taken the first step toward feeding. That's important because the IVs put stress on his liver and lungs.
Of course, it doesn't come without bad news. The doctors fed him a dye and X-rayed his belly every hour yesterday to watch how well it flows through his system. It took a long time getting from the stomach into the intestine.
No one knows for sure what is causing the bottleneck. It could be a build-up of meconium or mucus. It could be an inflammation. Or it could be a congenital defect. If it's the a defect, then Dylan will need surgery.
And they can't perform surgery for another week because of his size. So that's another week on the IVs and more stress on his liver and lungs.
Also, we still don't know what's going on in his head. The infection is gone and his blood is clotting a little better. However, since the blood leaked into his brain, it's not unreasonable to believe bacteria did also.
And the fluid from the brain mixes with Dylan's spinal fluid. That means he needs a spinal tap to look for the bacteria.
Sigh.
Dylan looked better last night and the respiratory tech said his blood-oxygen levels were "impressive." So all is well today.
Normally that's not a big deal in this family. But by having a movement Dylan has taken the first step toward feeding. That's important because the IVs put stress on his liver and lungs.
Of course, it doesn't come without bad news. The doctors fed him a dye and X-rayed his belly every hour yesterday to watch how well it flows through his system. It took a long time getting from the stomach into the intestine.
No one knows for sure what is causing the bottleneck. It could be a build-up of meconium or mucus. It could be an inflammation. Or it could be a congenital defect. If it's the a defect, then Dylan will need surgery.
And they can't perform surgery for another week because of his size. So that's another week on the IVs and more stress on his liver and lungs.
Also, we still don't know what's going on in his head. The infection is gone and his blood is clotting a little better. However, since the blood leaked into his brain, it's not unreasonable to believe bacteria did also.
And the fluid from the brain mixes with Dylan's spinal fluid. That means he needs a spinal tap to look for the bacteria.
Sigh.
Dylan looked better last night and the respiratory tech said his blood-oxygen levels were "impressive." So all is well today.
1 Comments:
*shudder* spinal tap. I'm so glad he farted though! (that sounds so weird). thats a step in the right direction! T thinks you need to bring him here. He said our doctors are better. He's very serious about this and I swear you might have him knocking on your door soon, haha.
Post a Comment
<< Home