Three Weeks Old!

Jude is three weeks old today! After the insertion of Jude's chest tube around lunchtime, the rest of his three-week birthday was mostly uneventful.

The fluid that was drained from Jude's pleural space on his right lung was sent the lab to be cultured and to be tested to determine exactly what it is. The doctors weren't certain of the type of fluid after the preliminary lab results came back, so additional testing will be done tomorrow morning so that they can compare the two sets of results and come to a conclusion about exactly what the fluid is. It could be a type that follows an inflammatory response, a residual form of the parenteral nutrition that was drained from his abdomen last week, or chyle (lymphatic fluid). Chyle might suggest a problem with Jude's lymphatic system, so we're hoping and praying that it is something other than that. Please pray with us that Jude doesn't have a serious underlying problem associated with his pleural effusion.

A bit of good news: Jude urinated quite a bit today! While patients are on ECMO, their kidneys may temporarily stop functioning, particularly if hemofiltration or dialysis is done through the ECMO circuit. By urinating quite a bit today, Jude showed that his kidneys are functioning reasonably well, which made his kidney doctors happy. Thank you, God, for this good news!

Jude's lung volume began to slowly increase after the fluid was drained from his pleural space, but it will take some time to more fully inflate and such that it can begin to function well, so we're hoping to see additional progress tomorrow. Please pray with us that his lung volume and function will continue to increase each day.

Unfortunately, Jude seemed pretty uncomfortable this afternoon. He was grimacing quite a bit and making faces like he wanted to cry. It was really sad to see him in that state and know he was in pain, but his nurse gave him several doses of morphine to offer relief. To be sure, there are at least several reasons Jude would be uncomfortable: He had a tube inserted in his chest today and he has peritonitis (i.e inflammation of the peritoneum, the space along the edge of his abdominal cavity), which can result in acute abdominal pain or discomfort. Please pray that Jude's pain will subside and that he can be kept sufficiently comfortable in the coming days.

I think that's all for now, folks. Please continue to pray with us for continued healing in Jude's body and that the medical staff caring for him would be equipped with everything they need to support him. And please pray that Rose will be on the mend soon so she can return to the NICU and see her baby boy. She misses seeing him!

Good night!