Mommy's Little Hero

Landon's doing better today!  Thanks all for your prayers!  It's been a crazy couple days.

It was really hard to believe he was so sick, but his belly is getting better.  His bowels are getting smaller and his belly isn't as distended (swollen).  At first they thought all of this sickness was from NEC.  It's really rare for babies to develop it again, but that would be our luck!  He had blood in his diaper and coming out of his ropolgo (light vacuum that suctions out his stomach).  This was very worrisome to the doctors.  He small intestines were very large - about triple noraml size with lots of gas inside.  They haven't found a perforation and hopefully won't.  The docs do know he has a Ileus (bowel obstruction), but are not sure to what extent.  The dye from the lower GI study hadn't gotten out of his system so they have to wait to do an upper GI.  Because of the obstruction and being paralyzed, his bowels are working slower than usual.  Once this is out and he's stable, they'll do an upper GI and go from there.  He may or may not need surgery.  This time thankfully it won't be an emergency!  So overall, we know it's a belly issue - just need to wait until he's stronger and infection free to proceed.  Until today all of his lab work (blood, cerebral spinal fluid, nose & throat swabs, etc).  This was until they got a urine sample and today found out he has a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI).  Since it grew while he was on so many different antibiotics they've decided to start him on Meropenin (the big gun of antibiotics!).  He's still on the ventilator but have been able to tweek some settings and still paralyzed.  As long has he's paralyzed, he doesn't clamp down on the ventilator.  We learned the clamping down is part of Bronco Pulmonary Dysplasia (BPD).  He's having BPD spells.  They have been quite sever dropping his heart rate and not allowing his lungs to take air in and out.  Since he has been paralyzed these spells have stopped giving his body a chance to build up some reserves.  They are hoping this will help them buy time to figure out what is causing his challenges.  (last night)
Today they believe that his UTI  may have spread into his gut and now has caused sepsis.  His Lungs are also not doing well.  They are continuing to give him Lasik to help him.  They also have put him on the oscillator to help lower his co2 levels.  Right now he is stable but on high settings and 100 percent oxygen. Landon also had to have the surgery team place a arterial line in due to his feet being really beat up from all the blood gases They have begun to spread out his blood gases which is a good sign but we have a long ways to go.