More than just an overnight stay?

It's beginning to sound like Jude may be in the hospital for a little while. We're not sure yet exactly how long he may be here, but we're pretty certain that it'll be more than just an overnight stay.

The latest tentative plan, which was reportedly approved by the attending pediatric surgeon that was consulted, is to suck out the contents of Jude's stomach and decompress it using a tube through his nose, then start him on IV nutrition.

One of the residents from the pediatric surgery team came by about two hours ago and advanced a gastric suction tube through his nose, then an x-ray was done to ensure that it's in his stomach. Jude's nurse actually just got the order to turn on the vacuum/suction a few minutes ago. Sometime later today, Jude will get a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) and it will be used to begin delivering his IV nutrition. The surgery resident that placed the gastric suction tube mentioned it's possible that Jude could get a BROVIAC catheter, a kind of long-term catheter that Jude had for several months during his previous hospital stay, but that's not yet certain. We'll post more updates about the plan as we learn more.

For now, if you would, please continue to lift up Jude as well as his doctors and nurses in prayer. More specifically, please pray with us for Jude's comfort, that his respiratory and nutritional statuses won't worsen, that a clear plan of care will come into view as we move forward, and that God might move in miraculous ways in the midst of this situation.

Please remember us and our families in prayer, too. We're beginning to process the *possibility* of a longer hospital stay, but after so many months of trials and difficulty, the thought of it is a little hard to bear. This is apparently what God intends for all of us right now, but we're also asking, How long? May He give us grace and mercy to sustain us through whatever lies ahead.