Jordan is 43 days old today!
Hooray!! I am just so blessed and honored by his life! Today we had a meeting with all of the doctors
and were able to learn a lot of information.
Jordan’s inflammation response went up a little since last night. It was 1.4 CRP yesterday. This morning it was 2.6 CRP. The doctors were not sure of the reasons
behind this rise. They were thinking
that maybe it was because they had administered surfactant to his lungs last
night and that caused a response. We are
praying that it did not go up because the bacteria is resisting the
antibiotics. His x-rays are still not
good and still show white patches in his lungs.
The lung condition is the biggest and most important problem right now
with Jordan’s health. Last night he was
having difficulty keeping his oxygen levels up so they switched ventilator
settings around and worked with him until they could stabilize him again. He has Chronic Lung Disease but they expect
that he can overcome this disease as he grows older. They do not think that he will have to live
with lung issues his entire life. The
only way to stop the progression of CLD is to take him off of the ventilator
but they cannot do that while he has the infection and inflammation. We really need the infection to be healed so
that things can progress well.
Jordan is using a ventilator
system right now called Airway Pressure Release Ventilation (APRV). This setting is the ventilator form of
CPAP. The machine pushes in high
pressure to open his lungs and airways.
During the time his lungs are open, he uses spontaneous breathing to
exchange gasses. The machine provides
the pressure to open the lungs and also provides the higher concentration of
oxygen air. Jordan does the exchange on
his own. It is basically the same as the
CPAP which is what Jordan will be weaning too once he is off of the
ventilator. He just cannot be taken off
the ventilator right now because of the infection. He also needs a higher percentage of oxygen
concentration right now because of the inflammation and infection. The concentration will have to go down to
around 21% oxygen in order to wean. This
is the same concentration that you or I breathe with normal air. The doctors believe that he will be able to
wean from the ventilator but the inflammation and infection may set back the
timing. They were hoping to have him off
of the ventilator by the end of this month but it may not work out like that
unless the infection clears up quickly.
Jordan is currently on steroids,
two types of antibiotics, and an asthma medication that is similar to caffeine. It is supposed to stimulate his lungs. The doctor was talking about the rest of
Jordan’s condition besides the lungs and everything else seems to be going
great! This is awesome news! His
digestion and nutrition is fantastic. The
doctors seemed very impressed that he has not had any tummy issues. They do ultrasounds on his head 2-3 times per
week and there have been no issues with his brain. Everything looks normal. This is also great news! Praise God for these
blessings. Jordan’s growth is on target,
and the rest of his organs are healthy and working properly. They will check his eyes in a few weeks but
right now it is too early to tell if he will have any vision problems from his
prematurity. It is possible that he will
need another transfusion to avoid anemia.
The doctors like to have higher hemoglobin levels in his blood for his
respiratory condition. The antibiotics
sometimes can affect the hemoglobin which is why he needed a transfusion
earlier. With the infection, if it gets
bad again, there is the possibility of it turning into sepsis which is a blood
infection. This is very serious. The doctors are looking at everything very
closely though and they know what they are doing 100%. The pediatric doctor seemed impressed about
many things with Jordan’s care. I am so
thankful that God placed us here in Japan so that Jordan could receive this
type of care. The wisdom and care that
the doctors show is really impressive. Please pray that God will remove Jordan’s
pneumonia and heal his lungs completely.
Jason had a great day. Since we had a meeting with the doctors today
he did not come up to Aomori with us as he usually does on Saturdays. He loves going to his babysitter’s house so
much though that he did not mind an extra day with his friends. Jacob and I packed a lunch today instead of
eating out. We have started our healthy
eating back up. We will start our exercising
routine again on Monday. It was not
difficult to keep within my calories for the day but I was tempted to sneak in
some chocolate. I resisted though. I pray for will power. I do need to get into shape. I am thankful that my dear husband wants to
join me on the journey toward health. Jason
is obsessed with his cars tonight. He is
driving them all around and creating stories with them. I just love his imagination. I took a nap this afternoon and I woke up to
find Jason and Jacob building things with Legos. LOL I am thankful for a husband who likes to
be a daddy and play with his son! I am also thankful that he is willing to take
care of Jason so I can get a nap in! I
needed that! Jacob is going back to work
on Tuesday. It will be different having
to do lots of things by myself but his squadron has been so supportive of
us. He will still have Mon, Wed, and Fri
off so that he can travel to Aomori with me.
At least for now, this is the plan.
Praise God for taking good care of us in many ways.
Lord I just wanted to thank you
for you glorious creation. You have
blessed us with so much. I have an
awesome and loving husband, an active and adventurous little two year old, and
a precious little fighter that is truly a miracle baby. I am so undeserving of all of these
blessings. I pray that you would
continue to strengthen us and work in our lives. Although this journey has been challenging,
it has also been the most rewarding experience.
I praise you that Jordan is doing so well. I pray that you would eliminate this current
challenge with his care. Please heal his
lungs from this infection. I ask that
you would completely remove the bacteria and inflammation. Allow his inflammation to go back down and
continue to decrease. I pray that you
would control everything perfectly to allow for the best timing. As impatient as I am for them to remove the
ventilator, I know that you have everything under control and that your timing
is perfect. Lord I praise you for Jordan’s
progress with this new ventilator setting.
I pray that you would allow this setting to work for Jordan and work
well. This machine seems like a very
progressive step toward independent breathing.
I am not a doctor, but Jordan doing the gas exchange all on his own definitely
sounds like a step in the right direction.
I praise you for this. I praise
you for the care that we are receiving.
Jordan is receiving care from wise and caring doctors while Jacob,
Jason, and I are receiving care from a great body of believers that you have
provided for us. Continue to infuse
Jordan with your strength. We also ask
that you give us patience and peace.
Thank you for your blessings in our lives. We ask all these things in your name, Amen.
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