Feeling Better

Today it seems that Mason is feeling a little better. He is still very fussy but can be consoled much easier than the last couple of days. His white cell count is lower today which is a sign that he and his antibiotics are fighting the infection.

Mason has reached his goal of 20 cc's per hour tonight! This means no more TPN or IV fluids! Mason has been doing a great job of shedding his tubes and pumps. We are not sure what is going to happen with his feeds in the future. We found out tonight that they cannot do bolus feeds into an NJ tube because the intestines cannot handle it. Bolus feeds must be done with an NG (stomach) tube and we are not sure the docs are ready to start him on that. There is a good chance that Mason will come home with an NJ tube on continuous feeds. This means we will have a feeding pump that will run continuously, all day, every day. This should make life interesting, especially when we have to leave the house for doctor appointments ....

Mason now has pulmonary docs following him and advising the pediatric surgeons. He is on a couple of breathing treatments that help to open up his lungs and make it easier to breathe. They have increased his diuretics to help rid his lungs of extra fluid. They are also trying to evaluate how well his diaphragm is working on the right side. He doesn't really have a diaphragm on the right side, just some tissue and a small gortex patch, so it is not expected to be working right now. Mason is compensating for this by using some of his belly muscles to breathe.

He has also learned that the pacifier is not all that bad. He can even hold it in his mouth himself. I have added some pictures to the photo gallery....