Crazy Crazy Rollercoaster Ride!

Who knew that the last paragraph of the previous blog entry would turn out to be so prophetic?

Last week the focus of Jadon's care was to wean him off his blood pressure medication (singular) and wean off his sedation.  Once these were accomplished he could be transferred up to the cardiac floor to continue his recuperating.  He was making good progress on these fronts.  So well in fact that they had started him on very small amounts of feeding through his NG tube.  On Saturday Jadon was able to go on a walk (stroller ride) around the hospital. This was a high point on the roller coaster.

Sunday morning when I came into his room I saw a very different child!  His blood pressure was very low and his heart rate was very high and his chest wound was leaking once again.  It was as if a switched had been flicked.  Jadon went into full body sepsis.  They started him on a couple antibiotics and started him back on blood pressure meds.  By Monday morning he was on 3 different blood pressure meds (plural) and in full renal failure.  They intubated him and brought him to IGT to insert a VAS (vascular access) catheter to prepare him for CRRT (continuous dialysis).  A definite low point on the roller coaster.

At this point we were very concerned.  While waiting for the VAS catheter insertion Jadon started producing some tiny amount of urine.  We prayed urgently and many friends joined in.  When he returned from the insertion it was too close to shift change to hook him up to the dialysis so they decided to wait.  Jadon gradually started producing more and more urine to the point that they delayed the hook up and eventually decided that the dialysis was not required!  What an answer to prayer!

Since then Jadon got a CT to look for a pocket of infection in his chest.  He doesn't have one.  They are daily checking out and repacking the openings in his chest wound.  He has been completely weaned off of the blood pressure meds and they are once again working on weaning his sedation. Today he is almost back to how he was like a week ago Saturday.  Back climbing up the hill on the roller coaster.

We are once again cautiously optimistic.

Family portrait on the white board in Jadon's room, compliments of Jie Jie Rykauna

Jadon wearing his 'corset' to help the chest stay more stabilized as it heals.
He no longer has the IV and arm 'pillow' on his left arm.