A Dose of Reality

I think today was a good reality check and we all need to take a moment and breathe. Elias did not have the best of days today. This morning during a chest x-ray they discovered a pocket of air around his right lung. The good news is during the follow up x-rays later in the afternoon it appeared to be clearing up. The doctors are not 100% sure as of yet what is causing it. It could be related to the surgery or possibly another issue all together. They have increased the oxygen level to 50% to help flush it. His blood carbon dioxide levels through the day were a little high, but were improving. While talking with the doctor about the latest we decided to ask the very brave question.....is he going to make it? The doctor responded very quickly with " I don't know" She then proceeded to state that there are still A LOT of things wrong with our little guy and a long road still to go. She told us, "Do I think he will die here in the NICU, no i don't...do I think we can help him here, yes! Beyond that we are just not able to tell." This was the reality check, but I think we needed it. Things have been so optimistic and it has been wonderful, but I think we were starting to lose sight that we are running a marathon here and not on a mile hike. We will continue to stay optimistic and celebrate the successes, but we do need to remain realistic. Until he recovers from the surgery there is not much else they can do to move forward. The biggest concern at this time from what we know is the potential for hemorrhaging and that he needs platelet transfusions every few days. Hopefully the genetics testing will yield some insights and steer us in a general direction for this. They did a brain ultrasound shortly after he was born, mainly routine, but they were also checking the ventricles since that was a prenatal concern. They did see a level 2 hemorrhage (on a scale of 1-4, 4 being the most serious). Basically this was enough to raise concern but not overly alarm. They will be keeping a watchful eye. Poor Elias today was not very happy. You could tell he was uncomfortable and probably in a little pain. He was over stimulated easily and became agitated, when he can speak he WILL be loud!!

Elias is not out of the woods yet, there is a long way to go and we need to remember that. Like I said we are running a marathon, not a mile hike. If we do not keep this in the back of our minds we might find ourselves disappointed, frustrated, or even caught off guard. Please continue your thoughts & prayers. He is fighting and fighting hard. We have faith that with all the people looking out for and praying for this little guy he will overcome these obstacles. God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, nor sun without rain, but he did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a more comfortable day for our little Elias!!