A Few Steps Forward, One Step Back

Yesterday they were hoping to extubate Elias, but he wanted no part of it. Overnight they had weened down his vent setting to around 20, making him really work on his own to breathe. He did not respond as well as they hoped. They increased the oxygen concentration but not the vent. This did help some, but it left questions in our mind about whether or not he is ready. They are taking it day to day with moving forward to extubate. At this point it is in his hands to tell us when. They are really hoping for this morning. While it is exciting, it is also a little frightening. Thinking back to May 6th when they tried to extubate and he crashed, forcing them to bag him and perform CPR, we have mixed emotions. They obviously will not allow us to be there during the procedure in case that happens again, but the waiting is agonizing. We pray that God will continue to look down upon Elias and give him the strength he needs, and to watch over the doctors and nurses that will lead him down this path to a success. As the doctor told us yesterday, the only way to know if he can breathe without the vent is to try and see what happens. They just need his vitals and other factors to be at a point where they are comfortable. Maybe today will be that day!

For some better news.....we talked with Elias' surgeon, Dr. Stuart, yesterday. He updated us on (and showed us pictures of) Elias' esophagus. The results of the Upper GI were great. He is very pleased with the way things look. He said the only thing they will need to be wary of is very common, but very simple thing. If the esophagus is not large enough to facilitare swallowing, they may need to dilate it. This will be something we follow for several years and will not require immediate attention, if ever.

With the positive findings, they gave the green light to start feeding. Elias had his Mommy's breast milk for the first time at 6pm yesterday!! He was fed through his feeding tube a very small amount. He seemed to take it well, so he was fed this way throughout the night. Now we will be watching the chest tube for drainage to see if the Chylothorax has cleared. They want to wait a few days to make a decision and let things develop, or not develop hopefully, before removing the chest tube. We look for a time line for the removal to be established Monday.

As we have learned very quickly about things in the NICU you take nothing for granted. Celebrate the successes, but try not to get too depressed about the set backs, because they will happen, and usually time when you do not expect them or want them. It is a hard concept to accept, but we are slowly adapting to this philosophy. Yesterday was one of those days where Elias was able to take more steps forward than backward. We are very gracious for days like that.