Well I'm glad I waited until today to get a picture. It's not the best but he seems to be making some progress. After spending most of the day at the hospital I think I can cover today's events thoroughly. It was a taxing day on Parker with lots of poking and prodding. He continues to get new IV's in place of old ones. The medicines and all of the fluids have been causing the IV's to go bad quicker than normal. At most he has had four lines at one time. They discontinued the IV in his left foot this evening and I counted six holes in that foot alone.
The run down on today events. No noticeable seizures since 4 am, he is on a maintenance dose of phenobarbital. Parker received his third round of platelets this evening and his level is now at a respectable 72. He is currently getting another blood transfusion, the third this week.
Parker cracked the 4 pound mark but the majority of this weight gain is fluid. His feeds have been held so I'm assuming once he gets better he'll be back in the low to mid 3 lb range.
Our major concern now is the necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) which involves infection and inflammation that causes destruction of his intestines. The majority of babies with NEC will resolve the problem without surgery and we continue to pray for these results.
Ultrasounds were done around 5:00 pm this evening on his head and belly. There was almost a homicide in the NICU when the tech insisted on rolling Parker on his belly to scan his head. Penny, Parker's nurse was not going to allow this. These nurses are the little one's best advocates. They are constantly with the babies and are responsible. There was no way this scan was going to be done with him on this belly. Penny won the battle after calling in the nurse practitioner. Thanks, Penny! This kept me from being the know-it-all parent trying to keep the tech from doing her job. We should have results in the am.
In addition to the 2 IV's and the arterial line a PICC line was inserted into his left leg. The PICC line is a long, slender, small, flexible tube that is advanced until the catheter tip terminates in a large vein in the chest near the heart to obtain intravenous access. We got a bonus because he got a double lobed line for two access ports. This procedure took about an hour and a half.
The LP (lumbar puncture/spinal tap) will have to wait until tomorrow.
Sleep tight Parker!
Love,
Daddy
Thank you for taking the effort to keep us up to date. I can't imagine how tired you are. Thank you. We continue to pray and think about Parker. We continue to hope! Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteThe Hansen family
Thanks for the updates Lance, you're doing a fantastic job. Keep fighting little man! Wow, if you can get through all that you can get through anything. Humbling for us readers for sure, who think that we're going through hard trials right now.
ReplyDeleteHang in there both of you. Little Parker is so blessed to have parents like you both. I am praying for your family and especially little Parker all the time. He is a tough little boy. Please let us know if you guys need anything! We are always thinking of you. We love you. Love Jenni Jones
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is that I'm thinking of you guys constantly. My heart is so full of love for Parker and I haven't even met him yet. Having had problems with my own first two babies, I know the stress you are going through and the pure mental and emotional exhaustion . Hang in there. And trust me, leaning on your spouse is such a comfort. When I was weak, Josh was there for me, and when he was about to break down, I took care of him. I know the two situations are different, but the love for our children is the same. Give Linds a kiss for me.
ReplyDeleteLove
Debbie, Josh and Noah
Dave and I have been checking your blog every day. I love the pictures of Parker taking his bottle. Our prayers are with your family and for Parker. He's a little fighter.
ReplyDeleteDave and Debbie Felsheim