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Boring is what we like best down in the ICU and unfortunately the past 2 days have been quite exciting. Before I get to the details, I'll let you know that Eli is currently doing great and making progress.
On Friday night around 2:30am, I happened to be awake and Eli's nurse was performing his usual bedside care. They have to suction his breathing tube periodically to get as many secretions out as possible. As soon as they finished the suctioning, Eli's heart rate, blood pressure and oxygenation immediately took a nose dive. I was sure they would come right back up but instead they continued to drop pretty quick. When his heart rate and oxygenation got down below 30 I started to panic and his nurses hit the "Code Blue" button. He hadn't technically coded yet because he hadn't lost his pulse but they wanted help in there as quickly as possible. Long story short, a blood clot got caught in Eli's breathing tube so he wasn't able to get proper ventilation. It was a terrifying several minutes but as soon as they got it cleared out he was just fine. I'm pretty sure my heart rate dropped lower than his!
On Saturday afternoon, the dialysis nurse came in to switch out the solution that filters his blood and everything was going just fine. About an hour later they sent in some blood work and got a call back right away from the lab saying his potassium was critically high at 7.4 (it should be around 3 or 4). Apparently potassium is very dangerous for the heart so once again, the team rushed in and started pumping him with stuff to protect his little body. The dialysis was stopped so he didn't get any more potassium until they got him stable. The solutions were re-mixed and about an hour later everything was up an running and his levels were much more normal.
After both of those scares, he had a great evening and night and is making baby steps in the right direction! We're continuing to come down on his vent settings and his lungs are looking better every single day. Logan and I are perfectly happy to take everything very slowly so we don't have any relapses so we aren't pushing anything at all. The toughest thing for me lately is whenever Eli tries opening his eyes. I'm confident he isn't in any pain because his heart rate has stayed at a nice comfortable level but you can definitely tell when he's a bit more awake and trying to open his eyes because his little arms and legs will move around and he'll move his head from side to side. Occassionally I'll hold his eyes open and talk to him but otherwise he's still happily sleeping :) I can't wait to see that little man completely awake and happy again!
This is currently my favorite picture from when we were at home:
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| A kiss for every person that helped make the boutique such a success! |
Way to go! Sending positive thoughts and prayers your way! Love that pic
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've seen that particular kissy face picture and I love it. Eli, Grandma Janet can't wait to smooch those little lips in person (when your germ conscious mother's not looking)!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet boy! I'm glad to hear that Eli is doing well after an eventful few days! Love you all! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad so many people were willing to help with the boutique, I feel so blessed to have been able to help in some small way. So excited that Eli is moving in the right direction and slowly getting stronger. I KNOW you'll see the sweet little eyes gazing up at you soon!
ReplyDeleteHe continues to be in our thoughts and prayers. I use to be a NICU nurse before I went into Labor & Delivery. It sounds like he's in good hands. I know God is watching over him and his doctors and nurses. I remember what a good nurse your Grandma Gina was. ((((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))))))) <3 Cyndi Dillion
ReplyDeleteThank you for these updates...we are cheering and praying always! Baby steps are the BEST :)
ReplyDeleteLiz, I finally came across your blog recently, so I was catching up reading every single post. (Krystal told me the situation a while back, and I started crying even then) I have to tell you that I am in complete awe and adoration for you, Logan and Eli. I have been bawling through every post, through the good and the bad, and can't imagine putting myself in your shoes. A week after we had our little guy, we had to stay 2 nights in the hospital again for jaundice, and I was a wreck! It is SO hard seeing your little baby go through something like that- whether big or small. And what we went through back then is nothing to what you are going through now.
ReplyDeleteYou truly are an inspiration with how positive you are through all of this! Seriously, you are amazing for just being able to document and remember every little thing. My brain would be mush the entire time.
I truly admire you and your little family. I wish there was something more I could do, but like everyone else, we are praying for you, and I hope and pray for the best. Little Eli is a fighter and I know he will come out so strong, especially because of the faith, hope and patience from his parents, and everyone else fighting for him! Thank you for being an inspiration to everyone reading this and going through the roller coaster/journey with you!:)
-Jen Kastleman:)