Two Steps Forward...6-6-10

[pepper-gina]

Two steps forward, one step back. That's what someone told me who has been in my shoes. I got here this morning and was getting ready to feed Merrick. A nurse (one that had seen him/ taken care of him for 3 days over @ Seton) and I noticed that he wasn't acting like himself. He normally gets really worked up around feeing time and he was just laying there. So during assessment they took his temperature. He had a temp of 103 and was almost completely lethargic. They ran some tests and have a culture going. It looks like he has a UTI and now he is on antibiotics for it for about the next week. And he is off feedings for at least 24 hours. So now I get to pump every couple of hours to keep up my supply, so that when he can finally eat, it won’t be low. And I have a feeling his appetite will come back in a fury. They are trying to figure out what strain it is, and when they do, they will cut off one of his antibiotics. The nurse practitioner, as well as the neonatologist, says this is common in babies and people who have to have a catheter put in. And it’s one of the risks of PUV (post urethral valve). It looks like they will push back his surgery to maybe next week; depending on what Dr. Cortez (the Pedi-urologist) wants to do. He has a renal x-ray on Monday to look at his kidneys again. We’re hoping and praying for good results from that as well.

Other than that, things have been pretty normal. Brandon and I are trying to get as much sleep as possible, which can be tough, since I spend my entire day up here at the hospital. And once we do get back in our room together, we’re trying to maintain a healthy relationship. We miss spending our time together, and dislike what we are going through, but are pushing forward. We both know that this is what we have to go through for now.

10:30pm-
Merrick's temp broke around noon. But he still wasn't wanting to eat. Then at 8:45pm, he was screaming furociously and rooting bad. Brandon went and hunted down his nurse and she found the NP and got permission to feed him. Merrick was so happy. So he's back onto feedings now. YAY!!!

[Burnindinner]

Poor guy. Poor mama and papa. Hang in there. I replied too fast to the other thread, sorry to hear about the tough stuff today.

[pepper-gina]

eh it's okay. you can reply to both. i was just trying to catch everyone up. lol i guess i could've done it in one post.

[Tiffanoodle]

It sounds like you're doing a great job trying to stay positive. I hope your 2 steps forward continue to be giant and the steps back are just little tiptoes. Thanks for taking the time to keep us updated.

[bananabee]

Yay that his fever broke and he got to eat! Yeah, you've got to expect the little setbacks but in the end, it will all be okay.

[crbyard]

That's a relief that he is back to wanting his mama's milk. I am so glad for you as I know how hard it is to pump exclusively. You don't need that stress on top of everything else. Thinking good thoughts for you and that the surgery can occur sooner than later so that you can go home.

[neldabean]

to you and your family. I am glad his fever broke and is back to eating.

[pepper-gina]

The NP came in today and told me that they are seeing that the infection did get into his blood stream, but we caught it early. They have to do a Lumbar Puncture (a spinal tap) to see if he has Menengitis, but she doesn't think he does. It's just precautionary. I hate that my baby has to go through so much. They have to keep him on antibiotics for the next 7-10 days and it will probably prolong his cystoscopy surgery. I'm hoping not. I just want my baby home. He also had another renal scan today, and I am waiting to hear back about that.