5.15.11

We had a WONDERFUL morning at home with Kade and Adry and my (Kerry’s) parents and sister earlier today.  We played and ate and watched some “shows” and had a great time together. It was fun to get to hang out with the kiddos and catch up on some good Kade and Adry cuddle and play time before we headed back to the hospital this afternoon.

Koal is still doing well.  They continue to monitor his blood and gas levels and adjust meds, oxygen and fluids as needed.  Last night they gave him a bath and moved him to a new “big boy” crib and out of the infant warmer. He seems to like his new digs and has been pretty quiet all day.  He was awake for a bit early this morning and then again this afternoon when we got back from being home, so it was fun to see his eyes open and him being so alert.  He’s been bleeding out of his chest drainage tubes a lot over the past two days, though they don’t seem very concerned about it.  They do want to watch it, since he is still on the blood thinners, however.  Please pray that will not cause any problems and that it will stop bleeding soon.

There are a few other specifics that you can be praying for as well:

*Please pray that Koal’s oxygen saturation levels would stabilize in a normal range.  They had been a bit low, so he’s on some extra oxygen, and each time they try to wean him back to room air, his sats go down or his CO2 levels get to high. They know his lungs are still gaining strength after surgery, so pray that he will respond well to his respiratory treatments and be able to take deep breaths and fill his lungs completely on a regular basis, which should help both his CO2 levels and his oxygen sat levels as well.

*Please pray that the little man’s bilirubin levels would come down as well. They are not so high that doctors are concerned, but they are high enough that Koal’s blood heparin levels cannot be tested in the lab correctly, so it’s been difficult to make informed decisions about how to adjust meds as needed.

*Continue to pray also for all of Koal’s doctors and nurses here at CMH. We are so blessed to have such an amazing hospital and staff here in KC to be treated from, and even though the most difficult part of surgery is over for now, Koal still has a lot of recovery to go through, and we pray that the doctors and nurses would be full of God’s wisdom and peace as they make decisions concerning his care. Even when he is doing well, we know there are day to day decisions that have to be made concerning meds, feeding and further treatment, so please keep that in your prayers as well.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 19:1