Three peas in a pod - Ethan, Evan & Aiden

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Update on Aiden - October 30, 2007

On Saturday, we went to the NICU and Aiden did not look good at all. His stomach was very swollen and distended and he appeared very weak and lethargic. They had to put a special tube down his throat to remove the mixture of blood and bile that was backing up into his stomach, and even with the tube, it was still pouring out of his mouth. Although they had originally diagnosed him with NEC, the doctors did not seem to know exactly what was wrong as the bloodwork did not show any major problems or signs of infection as would be typical with NEC. Saturday night, we noticed that his condition seemed to have declined significantly and he seemed much worse than he was when we had arrived at the hospital earlier in the day. They quickly performed another xray earlier than planned, and the doctor went ahead and called the surgeon to get a consultation and see if they would be willing to go ahead and operate.

Late that evening, the surgeon arrived and examined him. Within seconds, he noticed that Aiden's hernia had become incarcerated with his intestines and was very extended. He popped it back into place and told the nurses to continue to remove the contents out of Aiden's stomach, hold feedings and watch him closely. The surgeon said that he thought it might still be possible that there was also something else going on (such as NEC) due to some of Aiden's symptoms, some of which were still consistent with NEC; however, he thought that relieving the obstruction caused by the hernia would make a significant difference in his condition. Within the hour, the swelling and distention of Aiden's stomach started to go down and his countenance began to look much better.

Throughout the weekend and on Monday, the swelling continued to diminish and Aiden started to act more like himself. Today, his stomach was back to its normal size. They performed another xray this morning and the doctor explained that it was the hernia that had obstructed the small intestine and caused all of the problems. Thus, Aiden did not have NEC and it was a false alarm.

All we can say is that this is an amazing testament to God's grace and an answer to prayer. The surgeon who fixed Aiden, Dr. Hermann, shared his personal testimony with us and told us to keep praying for him. It was a reminder that God is always watching out for His children and that we can lean on Him for everything. Dr. Hermann was an answer to our specific prayers that God would send us the right doctor for Aiden.

Thanks for all so very much for your prayers through this scare! Aiden is doing much better and this afternoon, they have very slowly starting feeding him again with 2 cc's every three hours.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Aiden has developed NEC - October 27, 2007

On Thursday, Aiden was put on nasal canula oxygen and on Friday was moved to the South Hall of the NICU, in the same room with Ethan and Evan again for the first time in a while. He seemed to be doing well yesterday, but we rec'd a call from the hospital early this morning telling us that Aiden has developed a serious condition called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).

NEC is a gastrointestinal disease that mostly affects premature infants. NEC is caused by air becoming trapped in the wall of the bowel, and involves infection and inflammation that causes destruction of the bowel (intestine) or part of the bowel. NEC can result in perforation of the bowel or peritonitis (inflammation of the abdominal wall), in which case immediate surgery would be required. If it does lead to surgery, it is extremely concerning as there is an even higher mortality rate. There are many other possible complications and side effects that can be caused by this condition; however, we know that God is the great physician and can heal his little body before it ever reaches this point if it is His will.

They have moved Aiden back to the North Hall of the NICU and the doctors have stopped feeding him and started antibiotics. They will be taking x-rays of his abdomen every 6 hours and doing blood tests on a regular basis to monitor his condition, and will likely have to re-intubate him and put him back on the ventilator. Please pray for him.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

How Adorable (October 24, 2007)

The babies are getting so big -- it seems like each day they look bigger than they were the night before! Aiden is now on CPAP, and the doctors are planning to move him to nasal canula sometime this week. We will be very glad to get those long prongs out, and he will be so happy to have them out of his nose! As of today, Ethan and Evan are now taking four feeds a day by mouth. Evan is completely on room air, and Ethan is at a very low setting on his oxygen. Ethan and Evan are still having some effects from the chronic lung disease and are on breathing treatments to help oxygenate their lungs and keep them from requiring more oxygen or assistance breathing.

The doctors have started talking about Ethan and Evan possibly coming home in the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately, since this is the beginning of RSV season, the doctors have told us that we should be prepared to stay home with them until April and not allow them to be around any crowds, anyone with small children or anyone who has been around any type of illness (even someone with a runny nose) due to their chronic lung disease and the danger of their susceptibility to any type of illness. We will certainly be happy to have them home no matter what the circumstances, and are hoping that they will be home soon.

Manish has put together a new "weight" chart (below) showing the boys' progress since they were born.