We spoke with Dr. Martin yesterday for a few hours and his current working diagnosis is that Charlie has developed a case of pneumonia. They switched him to a bigger breathing tube (an experience that Charlie did not enjoy) and tried going back on the original ventilator, but were not happy with the results and went back to the Jet ventilator. The dilemma is that the origianl "pump" style ventilator that opens and closes Charlie's lungs more completely will help him work more of the fluid out his lungs, but it is a lot harder on the lungs to fully open and close them with positive ("blowing in") pressure. Anyway, in Charlie's case it wasn't getting the kind of blood-gas results that Dr. Martin wanted to see, so it was back to the jet ventilator, which keeps the lungs inflated and uses small, short bursts of air to oxygenate the lungs.
They are running some tests to confirm whether or not the pneumonia is a bacterial infection. Dr. Martin believes that the positive bacteria test on his PICC line plus the fluid in the lungs points pretty strongly to a bacterial infection. So, they have widened the spectrum of the antibiotics that Charlie is on until they get the results of the cultures back.
I'll post the results of that and any new information from today later on along with some new pictures.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
10 comments:
Hang in there Charlie!
You too Chuckie & Shannon !!
xoxo
Chuckie, Shannon and Charlie
All of us at Farnam were so excited when Grandpa Chuck told us about you on Friday morning! Your blogsite has been shared with everyone and you have more prayers here than you can imagine! We love the site and thank you for taking the time during your busy life to keep it updated so we can follow the progress! He's just beautiful! Rhonda Dimmick
Happy 2 Week Birthday, Charlie!
We love you!!!!
xoxoxo Grandma & Grandpa
Another few words of encouragement from a friend of a friend. I remember feeling frustrated by our baby taking two steps forward and one back in the NICU, sometimes one forward and two back.:) but you two keep on keepin' on and be comforted that you are doing what can be and needs to be done for Charlie at every turn, whatever that might be at the moment - Bravo! You sound like super parents, Charlie is a lucky little dude! And be assured he is aware on some level what you are doing for him and going through - it will make a difference in his little day having you there, even in ways you cannot see or measure. Enjoy today!
Liz McDougall
Shannon, I work with your mom and want you to know I am praying for all of you.
To both you and Chuckie, Hold tight to each other until this storm passes and don't forget while taking care of Charlie that you take care of yourselves too.
Jane from Deluxe.
"...Yet we do trust our God; we do believe that if there had been anything better than what is, that better thing would have been chosen for us. We do believe that when we look back at the end of the journey we shall see how perfect the way was- every mile of it."
-by Amy Carmichael
Sarah Martin
Hey Charlie!! Welcome to the world, little dude! I believe in you, man. You've got some pretty solid genes what with all the smarts, ambition, and punk rock attitude your parents passed on to you. So I know you can get through this premie business. And, hey, keep in mind that things'll get easier, at least until puberty...
Chuckie and Shannon, I just found out about Charlie via MySpace. Congratulations! I hope you guys are holding up ok; it sounds like you're on top of everything so far. Give me a call if you need to unload at all, Chuckie, or if you just want to get your mind off the stress and worry for a bit. I wish I could be there to offer you guys more direct support. I'll be in Phoenix in late May. I look forward to meeting Charlie. I'll be thinking about you all.
Will in Baltimore
/\
utubvcc;m,mb //=Hi Charlie. I can't wait to meet you so we can hang out! Mommy and Daddy always show me your pictures and I think you're super cute. Love Levi Block. Translated by Jenny
Chuckie, Shannon, Grandmas and Grandpas--Keep your positive attitudes for Charlie. He is a little fighter! He can feel the positive energy from all of you.
Tracy Young at Farnam.
Chuckie - I just had a chance to catch up on your blog. Congratulations on a beautiful little boy! I'm praying for you, Shannon and Charlie.
Liz Hight - Farnam
Post a Comment