This morning, they told us he might not make it through the surgery. He was prepped and sedated for the operation, and Mauricio and I were moved to the waiting room where we sat for three hours before the surgeon came in.
The good news: RJ is still alive!
The bad news: The bowel perforations that had been repaired on Friday were beginning to leak again. And once again, stool had been spilling into the abdominal cavity putting him at an exceptionally high risk for infection. The surgeon made some changes to the location of his ostomy (the portion of the intestine that is now exposed), but assured us that this is nothing that can't be put back together in the future. At some point, RJ will have yet another operation but should regain normal bowel function.
Having been at the hospital so early this morning, Mauricio and I went home to take a nap while RJ recovered from his anesthesia. Unfortunately, we were once again awakened by a phone call from RJ's doctor. This time, we were told that his vitals have been very unstable since the operation.
We are back at the hospital now and, after speaking further with the doctor, here's what we know:
-RJ's ventilation settings were extremely high after surgery requiring him to once again be put on the oscillator. He is on moderate settings on this machine.
-RJ's blood pressure remains low despite a blood transfusion and almost maximum doses of medication for blood pressure support. The "last resort" medication (epinephrine) has been ordered but is on hold for now.
-It is possible that the stress of surgery today, combined with all of the fluctuations in blood pressure, will cause RJ's brain bleeds to worsen.
-RJ's condition is so unstable that he has been assigned 2 nurses specifically for his care tonight.
-4 antibiotic medications will be continued to fight any infections caused by the bowel perforation.
Despite all of this, the doctor told us that there is still hope RJ will recover, although he is obviously not recovering from surgery as easily as last time. We were told that the next 24 hours are critical and if we can get past that hurdle, he should begin to stabilize.
RJ has been put through the ringer today and it is killing us, but we know our little boy is stronger than the two of us combined. As usual, thank you for your continued support. We are hoping against hope that we can get back to everyone with good news tomorrow. Please say an extra prayer for baby RJ tonight.
The good news: RJ is still alive!
The bad news: The bowel perforations that had been repaired on Friday were beginning to leak again. And once again, stool had been spilling into the abdominal cavity putting him at an exceptionally high risk for infection. The surgeon made some changes to the location of his ostomy (the portion of the intestine that is now exposed), but assured us that this is nothing that can't be put back together in the future. At some point, RJ will have yet another operation but should regain normal bowel function.
Having been at the hospital so early this morning, Mauricio and I went home to take a nap while RJ recovered from his anesthesia. Unfortunately, we were once again awakened by a phone call from RJ's doctor. This time, we were told that his vitals have been very unstable since the operation.
We are back at the hospital now and, after speaking further with the doctor, here's what we know:
-RJ's ventilation settings were extremely high after surgery requiring him to once again be put on the oscillator. He is on moderate settings on this machine.
-RJ's blood pressure remains low despite a blood transfusion and almost maximum doses of medication for blood pressure support. The "last resort" medication (epinephrine) has been ordered but is on hold for now.
-It is possible that the stress of surgery today, combined with all of the fluctuations in blood pressure, will cause RJ's brain bleeds to worsen.
-RJ's condition is so unstable that he has been assigned 2 nurses specifically for his care tonight.
-4 antibiotic medications will be continued to fight any infections caused by the bowel perforation.
Despite all of this, the doctor told us that there is still hope RJ will recover, although he is obviously not recovering from surgery as easily as last time. We were told that the next 24 hours are critical and if we can get past that hurdle, he should begin to stabilize.
RJ has been put through the ringer today and it is killing us, but we know our little boy is stronger than the two of us combined. As usual, thank you for your continued support. We are hoping against hope that we can get back to everyone with good news tomorrow. Please say an extra prayer for baby RJ tonight.
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