Calling all doctors, Brody has to poop!

Yesterday, Brody started to gag on his breathing tube, which caused him to throw up most of his feeding. This made him really mad and his tummy became very distended. He looked really big, so the doctors were called in. They did a chest and abdominal x-ray and there was a lot of air in that tummy. So they ordered a shot of glycerin to help him poop and just as the nurse was about to give it, he pooped. All that excitement, and little Brody just had to poop.

Later that day, he threw up more, but he tolerated his feedings overnight. The doctors assure us there is no sign of the NEC (the bowel inflammation they were concerned about). Today, they are going to increase his feedings to 19 mL per 3 hours. This makes Mom nervous, considering what happened yesterday as well as the fact that the most he has ever had was 17 mL per feeding. The maximum for his weight is 28 mLs per feeding.

Today, they pulled out his arterial line, which was the line they had in his right hand to take the blood for labs.  They will still need to take his blood, but not as often. They will now take blood by pricking his foot. Although it is painful to get your foot pricked, it is better to have the arterial line out because of risk of infection plus there is a small risk it can cut off blood flow to the fingers.

He went backwards on his vent settings for the second day in a row. He is having trouble getting rid of carbon dioxide and his pH is staying alkaline. So they are giving him a 5 day round of steroids to help his lungs clear up and starting him on an oral diuretic to help his kidneys flush out the waste products.

They are removing the pain medicine IV drip today, which has been weening since the surgery. He will get doses of it through his IV now to ween him completely. It is a good step to be off the continual drip.

We are hoping to get back to St. Cloud soon, as this place is starting to get to Mom. The doctors and surgeons have been wonderful, but everything else about it is horrible. They are talking about next week, as long as Brody continues to tolerate his feedings.