- Yesterday the doctors did a brain scan/ultrasound on William and discovered some dark spots on the left side of his brain which might indicate that some brain cells have died. This could mean he may end of having cerebral palsy and unable to move his lower body. Although, he is moving his lower body quite a bit and ultrasounds aren't always correct, so this is unsure.
- There is a really important big tube that goes into William's belly button and is used for testing his blood, blood pressure, and a whole host of other things that measures how his body is doing. Right now the tube isn't working. They think there might be a blood clot in there. If the doctors take the tube out and replace it with a new one, the clot could dislodge and cause damage to other parts of his body, or he could get an infection. The other option is to put the tube in his foot, but that would cause his foot to swell very large. They are going to try and replace the tube in his stomach, but there's definitely risks.
- William is on 100% oxygen right now and has had his 3rd dose of steroids to help his lungs. The longer he is on oxygen, the more damage it can cause his lungs, which are already small and may be underdeveloped. The steroids should reduce inflammation but this also causes his immune system to be weakened. The goal is to try to use the steroids so his lungs can heal and grow, and have an easier to accept oxygen so his blood gets the oxygen he needs to all parts of his body.
- William is getting a little bit of breastmilk every 6 hours but it's just to prepare him for receiving more food later. If they give him too much, his blood will circulate more in his digestive system rather than in the areas where he needs the most healing.
- The doctors are very worried about William but it's too soon to tell what will happen. As noted above, William has a lot of risks, so keep praying. He's managed to survive these risks before so we hope that continues!
Here's some good things that happened:
- Jeff and Melissa were able to see William without the top hatch of the incubator
- They could hear his little voice as the ventilator air flowed past his vocal chords (which is normal). Jeff said it was like a little squeaky breath, in and out, and very cute.
- William was holding Jeff's finger very tightly today!
- William is still moving around a lot, which is good.
- He has blondish-red eyebrows like Jeff. :)
Please keep praying for William:
- The tube can be replaced without any issues
- His lungs would grow and heal quickly
- The spots on his brain will turn out to be nothing
- That he won't have any damage to the rest of his body
- That he will not get any infections
