Last 24 hours

Davis has been out of surgery just over 24 hours now.  Immediately after surgery, he was doing quite well and we expected the best.  He began to wake up yesterday evening, which just broke my heart.  He was not comfortable and did not like the tube down his throat.  He cried little tears with no sound.  It was definitely a moment I wish I could forget.

Then things started going downhill; his temperature began to rise, his heart was beating at times slowly and at times too fast, his blood pressure plummeted, and there was a possibility of pulmonary hypertension.  The decision was made to give him medicine to keep him asleep and keep him still, on top of all the other medicines needed to assist his pain, blood pressure, etc...  He also started a nitric oxide treatment.  A pacer was necessary to keep his heart in rhythm.  He was monitored very closely through the night.

In the morning, the doctors discovered that he had a pocket of fluid on the right side of the body that was not draining; an echocardiogram was performed to double check the condition of the heart, which was found to still be in good shape.  Another chest tube was inserted to drain the extra fluid.  Once the fluid began to drain, he began to improve rather quickly.  He soon came off the pacer and hasn't had to be put back on it.  This is a very good sign!  His temperature is also much lower and his white blood cell count is normal.

The tricky part now is to keep his blood pressure stable while eventually getting him off the ventilator.  Over the next day or two, medicines will be adjusted to work on these goals.  He is beginning to wake up some, very slowly, and we will see how he does.  It is basically just wait and see at this point while assisting him with moving in the direction of his little body working more on its own.

Davis is in good hands.  The staff is very knowledgeable and kind - they are very gifted, and I'm so thankful for them.  Davis is a tough little guy!  He has been through so much and has a long road of recovery ahead.  I keep hearing that I'll be amazed at how quickly he will recover, and I hope that is the case.

We are hanging in there okay - we are tired, but it's hard to rest when you are this worried.  I literally thought at times last night and this morning about the worst case scenarios.  Seeing him make these little improvements really eases our minds.  I should know better than to doubt my little fighter!

I gotta go hold my little guy's hand now since he is starting to become more aware.  He needs his mommy!  And we need you guys - it's so comforting to hear your words of encouragement.  Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers.