Day 2 on ECMO

Hey, folks. This is Brian checking in for an update. It’s been some time since Rose and I have written, as we’ve been preoccupied with Jude since he was born on Tuesday. We are very grateful that Papa Jack has so graciously assumed the responsibility of updating the blog to keep people informed.

Thankfully, today was uneventful. After a two-day roller coaster, today didn’t bring any significant changes to Jude’s treatment or prognosis. He is still on ECMO (often called “bypass” by some of the medical staff) and his body is resting. Since ECMO does the job that his lungs and his heart normally perform, those organs can rest and hopefully recover some of their functioning in the coming days and/or weeks that Jude is on bypass. In the interim, the medical staff will be checking his blood gases (i.e. the pH level of his blood, and his oxygen and carbon dioxide levels) on a regular basis, doing ultrasounds on his head to detect any bleeding around his brain (which can occur because Jude is on blood thinners so long as he’s on bypass), and doing echocardiograms to check the functioning of Jude’s heart. The latest of all of these tests indicate that Jude has good pH and gas levels, no intracranial bleeding, and some slightly recovered function in the left side of his heart: His body is responding pretty much in the way that our doctors have expected. While Jude’s status today afforded us a rest from the breakneck pace of Jude’s first two days, his overall condition is still extremely serious, and we won’t know his real prognosis for some time. We’re preparing for the possibility that Jude could be on ECMO for weeks before having surgical repair of his diaphragmatic hernia.

Today, we are thankful for many things, with the following just being a few of them:

·         Rose is now at our home away from home in Mount Pleasant, which will allow both of us to rest more effectively than is possible when staying at the hospital.

·         Jude didn’t regress today, and even showed a small sign or two of positive development, which is encouraging.

·         Rose and I are utterly amazed at how God has drawn people into our lives since we found out about Jude’s diagnosis, and we continue to be floored by the great generosity and support of those who care about us. We cannot pay you back for what you have done for us, but know that the gratuitous nature of your love continues to point us back to the cross and His great love and mercy toward us.

As you feel led, please remember us by praying for the following:

·         That the ECMO machine will continue to function properly and give Jude time in which his body can recover, his pulmonary hypertension can abate, and his other problems can lessen in their severity.

·         That Jude would have no bleeding in his brain or blood clots during his run on ECMO.

·         That Rose’s recovery from her C-section would be as swift and complete as possible.

·         That our family would be given the strength, stamina, and peace to weather the coming weeks, no matter what difficulties should arise.

Sorry this isn’t a longer post, folks. I’m not the fastest writer in the world, and I don’t feel terribly lucid right now either. Rose and/or I will try to provide more details tomorrow.

I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. -Psalm 116:1-2