Friday, May 2, 2008

Yesterday was Hunter's one month Birthday - Happy Birthday Baby Hunter. He is now 29 weeks gestation.
Hunter has had a roller coaster week. I was sick on Wednesday. I thought I was coming down with a cold, so I had to stay away. A cold could be life threatening for Hunter. So, I couldn't expose him to that. I slept almost all day long. I am feeling fine now, and typing this from Hunter's hospital room. I think it was my sinuses acting up again. But, I didn't want to take the chance.
They were going to feed Hunter starting this week. That didn't happen. Hunter has some air in his intestines and it is not moving through the way it should. This suggests that he might have a bowel or intestinal obstruction. This is caused by NEC and the bowel perforation that he had a couple weeks ago. They think that the perforation is healing but forming scar tissue that could lead to this blockage. They brought over a specialist and surgeon from U of M. His recommendation for now is to wait and watch. They are waiting until next week. If Hunter's condition has not improved, then they are going to move forward with diagnostic tests to determine whether they are right and make the diagnosis. If Hunter has a blockage, he will need surgery.
If Hunter needs surgery, it may be possible that they will have to move him to U of M. We are not sure yet. They might do the surgery here. They aren't discussing that with us at this point. Life in the NICU is one day at a time.
Fluid is also starting to build back up on his lungs. The doctors don't think that it is congestive heart failure. They think that it is caused due to the fact that he has immature lungs and can't push it out. They are watching it very closely. Doctors would really like to see Hunter off the respirator by this point. But, because of the NEC and gut issues, it has really set him back. The doctor is also seeing some chronic lung disease developing in Hunter's lungs. More than likely, he will be sent home with a nasal canila for oxygen. He will need to wear that for 3 months to a year when he is home. But, the good news is that Hunter will be fine when he gets older and his lungs will heal. As a child, he will have to be watched closely. Colds will still be dangerous for him. His colds might be worse for him until his lungs heal with age.
Last night, I received a phone call that they had to put Hunter back on antibiotics. They were suspicious of an infection. YIKES! It will take 48 hours to get the blood cultures back. But, they wanted to get control of the infection before it got control of Hunter. Today, the nurse said that a couple cultures came back as negative. But, not all of them are back yet - and we won't know for sure until tomorrow, possibly Sunday. Oh, Hunter has gained weight too. He is up to 860 grams. This converts to 1 pound 14 1/2 ounces. He is almost reaching the 2 pound mark.
I am breathing. I, sometimes, have to remind myself to breathe. I have caught myself holding my breath a couple times. :-)~ Life is one day at a time. It can sometimes be one hour at a time, one minute at a time. They are great here. He is under the best of care. I find that it helps me to leave here. For the first couple weeks, I stayed morning to night here. The nurses had to kick me out. By the time I left, I was so tired that I think I almost fell asleep driving down US-23 a couple times. I learned that I can't do that anymore. I usually come to the hospital and stay for a couple hours (between 5-6 hours a day) and go home. Hunter is always on my mind and I call the nurses every hour when I'm not here. But, it has helped me emotionally and physically to not stay here all day and night. It is just not feasible.
I appreciate all the prayers and support. Please continue to pray for Hunter. This is a long, hard journey for him. (and us) He is my world. I tell him that every day. I hope he knows how much his mommy loves him, but I'm sure he does. :-)