06.22.08
3 Weeks Old!!!
Lots has happened since our last update . . . here’s a summary of what’s been going on with Logan . . .
After recovering from the surgery to close his PDA vessel (which happened last week Tuesday), Logan had several good days in a row. His blood pressure improved & they were able to take him off of his Dopamine (the medication to help stabilize his blood pressure). We were all relieved to see that the surgery, despite how rough it was on him, really seemed to help Logan to improve.
Things were going smoothly until this past Monday . . . out of nowhere, Logan decided to have a yucky day. Aunty Nadine (one of his nurses) called it a “punky” day. Something was definitely bothering Logan & he was not a happy camper. His blood pressure dropped & stayed pretty low, which made the doctors decide to start him on Dopamine again. He started on a low dose, but by Monday night he was up to 20 (the highest dose). He also had some swelling on his neck, chest, & back (all on his right side).
This setback took us by surprise because he seemed to be doing so well after his surgery. His doctors began to suspect that his problems were being caused by his PICC line . . . they thought that his PICC line was leaking fluid into his body. Initially, they were giving him the Dopamine through his PICC line . . . once they began to suspect that it was not working properly, they decided to switch it to his IV. Unfortunately for Logan, he needed a new IV for this because he was already getting Morphine through his existing IV. Aunty Nadine worked hard to get a new IV going, which left Logan with no limbs free. :o( Ouch.
In addition to moving his Dopamine to an IV, they also gave Logan a dose of Hydrocortizone to help him deal with the stress his body was going through. One of those things seemed to do the trick . . . by Tuesday afternoon, they were able to take him off the Dopamine completely.
On Tuesday, the nurses removed his PICC line. On Wednesday, they did an ultrasound of his chest to look at the fluid surrounding his lungs. Since the swelling was starting to go down, they decided not to use a needle to drain the fluid from his chest . . . doing so would have been too risky since the pocket of fluid was small.
Wednesday was another hard day for Logan because Aunty Janice & Aunty Pamela tried to replace his PICC line . . . they worked on him for 2 1/2 hours, without any luck. While they were working on him, his 2 existing IVs infiltrated & had to be replaced. They got a new IV started in his right arm & were forced to start another IV on the top of his head.
Getting a new PICC line started was the #1 priority . . . they use this line to give Logan his Hyperal (his main source of nutrition) because the Hyperal is too harsh for his IV. Without his PICC line, they had to reduce the nutritional content of his Hyperal to allow it to be administered through his IV. Aunty Delight tried again on Thursday to put in a new PICC line, but was also unsuccessful. We’re proud to say that through all of this, Logan was a real trooper!
Since the 2 attempts had failed, Logan’s last option was to have a Broviac catheter placed in his chest. On Friday morning, Dr. Johnson (a pediatric surgeon) came to Logan’s bedside to surgically implant the catheter. The procedure lasted about 45 minutes & Logan pulled through without too many problems. His Broviac was placed on the left side of his chest . . . hopefully this catheter will last him until he outgrows it.
Logan now has a Broviac catheter in his chest, an IV in his head & right arm, and an Arterial line in his left foot . . . this leaves his left hand & his right foot free (although his aunties do have to put his pulse ox sensor on one of those 2 limbs). Logan LOVES having his left hand back . . . he can finally touch his face again, which makes him quite happy. The other day, he had his thumb in his ear! :o) Although the IV in his head looks horrible, it’s actually okay because it frees up his hand . . . plus, it doesn’t seem to bother him too much.
Although it seems like a lot of bad things have been happening, Logan did tackle one huge obstacle . . . on Friday, after his Broviac procedure, the doctors decided to put him back on the Jet ventilator!! This was what we have all been anxiously waiting for . . . on the Jet, Logan can work on growing bigger without having to worry about too much damage to his lungs (since the Jet is a much gentler system than the Oscilator). He also has more freedom to move while on the Jet (because the tubing is much more flexible) & can actually face the front of his isolette! It’s now much easier to see his little face! :o) We’re hoping that Logan doesn’t decide to abuse his new-found freedom & move around soo much that he gets himself into trouble. Mommy, Daddy, & all of his aunties & uncles in the NSCU are keeping a close eye on this little monkey!
Whew . . . that was a looong update. In case you haven’t checked out Logan’s website recently, Lance uploaded new pictures for his third week.
http://logan.shinsato.info/logans-third-week/
Thanks again to everyone for all of the positive vibes you’ve all been sending our way . . . Logan is a fighter, but he can definitely use all of the positive energy you’ve been sharing with him!
By the way . . . today is Sunday, June 22nd & Logan is officially 3 weeks old!