His cardiologist came in today and preformed a very extensive echocardiogram. The positives were his heart is normal and healthy and also shows no sign of infection, something the doctors thought might be there. Unfortunately, his PDA has reopened. The plan now is to try to treat the PDA again with the Indomethacin and then do another echocardiogram. This also means that the 5 cc of breast milk Eagan was getting will be discontinued until the Indomethacin doses are completed. He is now a hungry, fussy boy. If it hasn't closed, the cardiologist wants to do surgery to ligate or close off the PDA.
Because his heart shows no signs of infection, his PICC line can be replaced. Two attempts were made to place the PICC line but both failed. Tomorrow, his doctor will decide if another attempt should be made or if they should go straight for a CVL. Placing the CVL, central venous line, requires two incisions therefore anesthesia is necessary. This would also mean Eagan would have to go back on the ventilator for the surgery then be weaned off again.
When Eagan was on the ventilator, if he fell asleep the ventilator basically breathed for him. We are now encountering issues with Eagan falling asleep and forgetting to breath. He relaxed while I held him today and fell into a deep sleep. This is great because deep sleeps help preemies grow. The problem is he stopped breathing. After rubbing his chest, he came back up on his own, but this is very scary and something a close eye will need to be kept on.
Here is a run-down of his current status:
Weight
2 lb - He lost an ounce but that really isn't much in the NICU world.
Length
12.5" - We aren't measuring his length yet, so this is birth length.
Breathing
Eagan is still on CPAP and doing awesome! He really hates the CPAP but we would much rather him be on CPAP than the ventilator. Hopefully he can move to a nasal cannula in a few more weeks.
Vitals
Eagan's vitals have been stable overall.
Vein Access
Eagan has no PICC line now and now has an IV in his left arm.
Medications
Vancomycin is being given for a few more days. His CRP is down to 1.2, so as long as it continues to go down, we can discontinue this medicine.
He is getting Amphotericin for the yeast infection. His most recent cultures are all negative. His white blood cell count is down to 53,000. Hopefully the Amphotericin can also be stopped soon because it is caustic on his veins.
His thyroid blood test came back low. He is on Sythroid for low thyroid.
Caffeine has been added to his medications. Caffeine has multiple benefits for Eagan such as reducing his risk for cerebral palsy. The main purpose of the caffeine is to help Eagan to remember to breathe, preventing spells of apnea. He gets caffeine once a day.
He will be getting a glycerin suppository every 12 hours depending on how often he is having bowel movements. It seems odd to be so excited about dirty diapers, but he is peeing and pooping great which means his body is functioning well!
Nutrition
Eagan's feedings have been discontinued until the Indomethacin doses are all given.
Eagan is still getting vitamins and lipids (a healthy fat).
Transfusions
Eagan had transfusion #8 today because his hematocrit was low.
April 23 - Transfusion #7
April 22 - Transfusion #6
April 20 - Transfusion #5
April 19 - Transfusion #3 and Transfusion #4 of plasma
April 18 - Transfusion #2
April 15 - Eagan got his first blood transfusion tonight. This will be the first of many transfusions Eagan will need. His hematocrit (the amount of red blood cells in the blood) has been low, which is just one of the many reasons he needs a transfusion. His blood is also drawn for tests quite often. Even a tiny amount of blood is a lot of blood coming from such a tiny baby. The transfusion will also help Eagan maintain proper oxygenation.
Upcoming Tests
The cardiologist will be back in three or so days to repeat the echocardiogram.
Eagan's eyes will be examined next week. Both of his eyes are now starting to open.
Thank you for all your love, support and prayers.
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