Emily was doing much better tonight when we left. Her last blood gas had a pCO2 of 66, and she was on ~60% oxygen when we left. Jennifer says that around 11:30 this morning Emily woke up, opened her eyes and kept smiling at her Mommy. The doctor seemed encouraged when we told him this. They’ve taken more lung secretions and a blood sample to see if they culture any bacteria, but it seems as though she may be getting over this infection. The doctor started to wean down her pressure this evening, and if she continues to do well, they will drop the pressure again overnight. It seems as though Emily will likely be on the oscillator longer than a week to help her lungs heal and recover from the infection. As a precaution, Emily is no longer getting fed, but they have her on HAL instead. The doctor is concerned about NEC, and would rather that the lung infection clears up first instead of trying to battle a serious lung and a serious gastrointestinal infection simultaneously. Also, Emily has lost a bit of weight as a result of being on the diuretic. She is now 900 grams (1 lb, 15 oz.), but the loss of water weight should help reduce the amount of fluid she has in her lungs. Emily has another head ultrasound tomorrow and an eye exam on Monday. We hope that we continue to hear good news from these routine examinations.
Jennifer and I would like to thank everyone who prayed for Emily, especially this morning.
Tony