Last Thursday, Aidan was tested for MRSA, a very bad antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria. I think he was tested as part of a general NICU population culturing, where all NICU babies were tested to make sure they didn't have this. This came back negative (thank God).
Then over the weekend, Aidan was re-tested for the staph bacteria that originally put him into isolation. His test came back today negative. We are waiting for the results of his neighbor's culture next door, to see if they can both be removed from isolation. We should have this today.
The nurse didn't know if they would be moving Aidan to a new location, or what was going to happen when he gets out of isolation. We'll probably find out tomorrow.
Aidan turned 6 weeks old today. In tonight's weighing, he gained another 38 grams and is now 1884 (4 lbs 2.5 oz). His weight gain continues to be strong.
Denyse talked to Dr Kaempf briefly today. He mentioned that he sees about a 90% chance that Aidan will "go home on oxygen". What he means is that Aidan will probably need to have a slight amount of supplemental oxygen for the next few months, and will probably wear a low-flow cannula when we take him home. Just last week, Dr Kaempf told me that babies like Aidan have a 20-30% chance of going home on oxygen.
In hearing this, and in talking to the nurses today, I think this means that Aidan's progress (or lack of significant progress) in the area of independence from supplemental oxygen, is confirming that his lung issues are chronic. For weeks now, we've heard the term chronic lung disease in premature babies, and I cringe every time I hear this. I hate this phrase. I think it sounds worse than it really means, and is used to simply describe lungs are not mature, and are taking longer than normal to correct themselves. It's not the same as when an adult gets lung disease.
Our hope all along has been that during the 6 weeks when Aidan was without measurable amniotic fluid (weeks 22 - 28), that he still was getting some fluid in his lungs, and he was far enough in his lung development before the water broke, that his lungs would end up relatively normal at birth. Aidan has been on the high-flow cannula for 2 weeks now, and the amount of supplemental oxygen he needs (usually 27%-29%) hasn't improved significantly. I think the doctors and nurses see this and are getting a clearer picture of the state of Aidan's lung development.
With all this, we need to remember that children's lungs continue to grow and develop for the first 8-10 years of their life. We've read that in cases like Aidan's, that by the time the child is 2 or 3, the portion of their lungs that was originally faulty or damaged is very small relative to the rest of their lung tissue; they show no signs of the original problem and can do all the activities of other children.
Pictures from today:
1 comment:
Glad to hear the Aidan's infection is all cleared up & he will be out of "solitary confinment" soon. Although he might like it better in isolation where it is dark & quiet. Aidan is growing so well & looks sooooo perfect that it is hard to remember that he is still 6weeks from his approx. due date. His little "innards" have some developing to do.
It must be scary sometimes there in the NICU where there are so many things that could possibly go wrong. We just all need to remember that Aidan is a long-term investment & that he is improving a tiny bit every day. Love to All, Mom
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