Oliver has been slowly stabilizing and improving last night and all through today (Saturday). He is still heavily sedated, receiving heavy doses of pain meds, getting full support from the ventilator for breathing, and requiring a diuretic to help keep the fluids moving out of his body. His blood pressure has been pretty stable, his heart is doing its job, and his color is so much better.
He still is on a 1:1 ratio with a nurse, but it was encouraging to us that he was one of the last patients that the doctors visited when they made their rounds this morning. That means that his condition is not quite as critical as it was yesterday when they visited him first! This morning his lungs still looked to have about the same amount of cloudy fluids, but the doctors were not surprised at this and increased his diuretic to see if it would help. They also started the slow process of trying to back off of the ventilator. He had one major dip in his oxygen saturation this evening so they gave him the ROC (paralyzing med) again and went back up on the ventilator again, but not quite up as high as it was. That's is how it's going to go - two steps forward, one step back. We're praying for more steps forward than back!
He still is on a 1:1 ratio with a nurse, but it was encouraging to us that he was one of the last patients that the doctors visited when they made their rounds this morning. That means that his condition is not quite as critical as it was yesterday when they visited him first! This morning his lungs still looked to have about the same amount of cloudy fluids, but the doctors were not surprised at this and increased his diuretic to see if it would help. They also started the slow process of trying to back off of the ventilator. He had one major dip in his oxygen saturation this evening so they gave him the ROC (paralyzing med) again and went back up on the ventilator again, but not quite up as high as it was. That's is how it's going to go - two steps forward, one step back. We're praying for more steps forward than back!
So, Oliver is improving, slowly, and stabilizing, but is still critical. The doctors are working hard to keep his medical conditions, medicines, and ventilator support all in balance to help his body fight the infection as best as it can. One doctor yesterday explained that it is very encouraging that Oliver is responding well all the treatment, but was honest with us that, in his estimate, 20% of medically complicated kids like Oliver still don't survive a severe infection like this. We'll be in Portland for at least another week, best case scenario.
So far no results have come back to indicate which bacteria or virus is making him sick, and we may never find out, but the doctors are suspecting some sort of virus at this point. They explained that the bug Oliver has is not necessarily a serious or deadly virus, and Oliver is not necessarily more susceptible to getting sick and he has a good immune system, BUT because of his medical condition, when he DOES get sick, he gets REALLY sick. In other words, the same bug may have given you or I a runny nose, but it sent Oliver to the ICU.
Oliver still has some atypical symptoms that the doctors are puzzling over, like his inability to regulate his temperature still, and the lactate levels in his blood work. They've started us talking to a specialist in metabolic disorders, which was interesting to me because his cardiologist has also mentioned the possibility of Oliver having metabolic disorder, specifically a mitochondrial disease, because of his sleepiness and fatigue. It could also explain some of the abnormalities with his vision, heart, kidney, respiration, short stature, low tone, and difficulty fighting infection. We are obviously very interested in this new possibility, especially since all the genetics tests have come back normal. Unfortunately there is not a lot understood about mitochondrial diseases, but I'm going to do my best to not read up on them too much until we know anything for sure! We'll get preliminary results from blood work in two weeks, and full results in 6-8 weeks.
Joel's dad had flown to Medford to visit while Betsy was taking care of the girls, and we're so glad he could make a quick change of plans and join us for a day in Portland too.
We are doing well, Joel and I, but it is still difficult. I still cry as I hold his hand and soothe his forehead, but our foundation is firm. We are sleeping, eating, taking walks to the cafe, and even enjoying time to talk and sit together. God has blessed us with some very sweet moments as he carries us through this.
We thank you all so much for your prayers - we feel so supported and upheld, and oh, how desperately we need the upholding! We know we are on prayer lists all over the country, and we are so thankful.
Elsa and Nora know my favorite hymn well, and Oliver probably too for the many times I sing it to them in the nightlight glow as they fall asleep.
Elsa and Nora know my favorite hymn well, and Oliver probably too for the many times I sing it to them in the nightlight glow as they fall asleep.
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.
When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.
What about the hoary hairs verse? I went significantly gray after I had the twins- you need to learn the hoary hairs verse... :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for updating! Lots of people are praying for Oliver and your family.
ReplyDeleteHi, Dunham family, this is Rob Keehn's wife, Branda. I just recently started following your blog after being linked by Betsy. We've been praying, of course, but the news that this could be a metabolic disorder lead me to comment here. I've recently become very good friends with a home schooling mom who has a 3 year-old daughter with a metabolic disorder. It, too, is so rare that there isn't a name for it and little Greta has DNA stored all over the world as doctors try to figure out how it works and how to cure it. The mom, Laura, is very open about what they've all been through and I know she'd be happy to e-mail you guys with any info she might have or with advice, encouragement, etc. To see sprightly, active, slightly-crazy in a three-year-old way Greta these days, you'd never know that at 9 months she was right where Oliver is today. The Lord is so good to us, even in the face of the rarest of genetic anomalies. <3 You'll continue to be in our hearts and prayers as Oliver heals. Let me know if we can do anything else from up here in the frozen north and if you'd like Laura's contact information.
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