Two steps forward, One Step Backward

Mason was doing great in all areas this week. He continued to breathe well on his own and was even starting to take some feeds by bottle. Unfortunately he now has an infection somewhere in his body. The doctors are not sure where yet. He is on a "big gun" antibiotic, but is currently not responding to it. They are hoping another day on this antibiotic will help rid him of this infection. Infection possibilities can include a blood infection (from IV lines), urinary tract infection or an infection in his lungs. The docs initially thought the infection source was one of his broviac IV lines. They removed this one yesterday but his white cell count continued to climb today. We are praying that it is not an infection in his lungs. Something like this could be devastating to Mason and all of his progress.

On a good note, Mason's feeds have been going well. He is at 15cc's per hour and is continuing towards his goal of 20cc's. Tonight, his TPN (IV nutrition) will be turned off since he is getting all of his nutrition and fat from his feeds. He is also taking some feeds by bottle (when he was feeling better) and is doing quite well. He will have a swallow test in the next few days to make sure he is swallowing properly and not "dumping" anything into his lungs.

We are just hoping that the docs can get his infection cleared up quickly. If so, the latest word is that he will only be in the hospital for a couple more weeks.