Bumps in the road

Kelly and John met with Dr Sotomora this morning. He told them that the type of jaundice that Max has is not the newborn kind of jaundice. He said his bilirubin is high in processed and conjugated form which usually means disfunction of the liver. He said it can be caused by several different things. He said that we hoped the cause was liver injury which can be treated with steroids or a viral infection. We just got the news that his liver function test all came back normal. They plan to run tests over the next 24 hours to rule things out – blood tests and metabolic tests. He said that the jaundice and unstable blood sugar could be related.

Max’s blood sugar dropped to 28 so they had to start another IV. They had to put it in his head because all of his other veins have been used so much. His sugar has come up to 78. The last test was 60. They have also started giving some high calorie formula with his feedings. He is still digesting his food well.

Due to Max’s low blood sugar he cannot be overstimulated right now. Kelly and John will not be able to hold him or touch him until blood sugar is more stable

Max has a little bit of a fever today, 100.1. The doctor said that sometimes they get a little too warm in the incubator. They now have put him back in the open warming bed.

Prayers of Thanksgiving
~Max’s platelet count has increased to 142,000
~Max is digesting his food well, he is now getting 45cc (1.5 ounces) through his NG tube (in his nose)
~With IV fluid his blood sugar went to 78
~Max’s bilirubin level has dropped to 10.4
~Max’s liver function tests were all normal
~Max’s head circumference is the same
~Max has gained a little weight – he is up to 6lbs 3oz
~Max has been resting well
~After moving to the open bed his temp is down to 99.1

Prayer Requests
~That Max’s blood sugar will stabilize and they will be able to stop his IV fluid
~That the jaundice and high bilirubin are being caused by a minor viral infection or liver injury that can be easily treated
~That Max’s bilirubin level will continue to drop and will get into a normal level
~For rest and peace for Kelly and John
~Please continue to pray for the ultrasound tomorrow that it will show that the bleeding has resolved completely and that there are no signs that the blood was ever there. That they will only see healthy brain tissue
~That Max will have no seizure activity as they decrease his phenobarbitol
~That Max will be able to be taken completely off of the phenobarbitol

As you can imagine, Kelly and John are disappointed with Max’s unstable blood sugar and now the questions about the cause of his jaundice. We are on a constant rollercoaster ride and it is getting tiring for all of us. Please pray that all of these little things will clear up and be healed completely.

We keep praying,
Karie