Landen looks and
seems much better this afternoon and evening! However that was not the case this morning. All seamed to be going very well after he was extubated at 3:30 AM on Thursday morning. He took his pacifier immediately and was looking great. He did have several moments that he seam a bit more fussy than normal, but lets face it....the kid is kinda getting beat up a little and it cant be easy. Around 8:15 Thursday morning I woke (yes, I slept till 8:15 because I was up most of the night...don't judge ;) ) to a room full of staff and all of his monitors going off. Apparently he went back into ventricular tachycardia (VT) but unlike last time his rate was much higher and something that could not be sustained for to long. The team assessed the situation and based on his color (and the fact that he was going to town on his pacifier) they decided that a chemical cardioversion was appropriate prior to doing so electrical. Basically what this meant was they would attempt to use a rapid delivery of lidocaine and Procainamide to help reset his irregular rhythm. If this didn't work, they would put him to sleep and use an electrical shock to reset his rhythm (just like you see in the movies...kinda). Thankfully the medications worked and he successfully regained a normal rhythm without shock!
Once he was stable the teams reconvened and decided that for now they will keep him on the Procainamide to help him regulate his heart. The hope is that we can eventually wean him off before we go home and he can maintain on his own. For now we still do not know what caused the VT in the first place. The general consensus is that it comes from one of two things. It could come from the infection he currently has (not sure where, but it is somewhere in his body), or it could be caused by a natural reaction of the heart undergoing this extreme transition. Either way we will narrow it down with time, but treatment is the same.
Later in the day he had an echo. The echo results looked great! Thankfully the fluid around his heart is significantly reduced, his pressures looked great, his band was exactly where they want it to be for now everything regarding the procedures is as expected. Thanks to a ton of prayer, an amazing God and supernatural guidance for the amazing staff here at Children's Hospital Boston!
Ashley came up and had some nice time with him (as I caught up on some sleep). He was awake, alert and looking like nothing had ever happened. He is back on feeds again via an NJ tube (feeding tube that goes past his stomach, directly into his intestines) and is receiving them with no issues. He was also placed on a cpap machine after he was extubated which will be kept there for a full 24 hours post extubation. I believe they will keep him on that just a little longer since they want an xray to review his lungs prior to pulling him off all breathing support/assistance. This xray will probably be done at 6 am Friday morning. All of his labs are looking great as well. His white blood count is back down, his rcp is as well (both signs of infection in the body). This means that the antibiotics are doing there job :)
All in all, Landen is making some pretty great strides...as slow as they seem! We will continue to love and support him, as all of you are as well. Thank you again for all the support. Most of all thank you for my amazing wife Ashley! She is constantly an inspiration to me, and I cant imagine doing this without her! We make a great team :) I will leave you with her thoughts from today's facebook post, as they are so perfectly stated.
There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say "It is well".
God doesn't ask us to silence our sorrow in favor of thanksgiving. Rather, He uses our sorrow to proclaim a type of thanksgiving we wouldn't be able to express otherwise.
Thanksgiving doesn’t devour your sorrow, but it acknowledges the Glory that will.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7 NIV)
Enjoying the journey...because our worries can be placed on the broad shoulders of Christ who made us, loves us and provides for us,
George, Ashley, Madison, Lyla and Landen
Once he was stable the teams reconvened and decided that for now they will keep him on the Procainamide to help him regulate his heart. The hope is that we can eventually wean him off before we go home and he can maintain on his own. For now we still do not know what caused the VT in the first place. The general consensus is that it comes from one of two things. It could come from the infection he currently has (not sure where, but it is somewhere in his body), or it could be caused by a natural reaction of the heart undergoing this extreme transition. Either way we will narrow it down with time, but treatment is the same.
Later in the day he had an echo. The echo results looked great! Thankfully the fluid around his heart is significantly reduced, his pressures looked great, his band was exactly where they want it to be for now everything regarding the procedures is as expected. Thanks to a ton of prayer, an amazing God and supernatural guidance for the amazing staff here at Children's Hospital Boston!
Ashley came up and had some nice time with him (as I caught up on some sleep). He was awake, alert and looking like nothing had ever happened. He is back on feeds again via an NJ tube (feeding tube that goes past his stomach, directly into his intestines) and is receiving them with no issues. He was also placed on a cpap machine after he was extubated which will be kept there for a full 24 hours post extubation. I believe they will keep him on that just a little longer since they want an xray to review his lungs prior to pulling him off all breathing support/assistance. This xray will probably be done at 6 am Friday morning. All of his labs are looking great as well. His white blood count is back down, his rcp is as well (both signs of infection in the body). This means that the antibiotics are doing there job :)
All in all, Landen is making some pretty great strides...as slow as they seem! We will continue to love and support him, as all of you are as well. Thank you again for all the support. Most of all thank you for my amazing wife Ashley! She is constantly an inspiration to me, and I cant imagine doing this without her! We make a great team :) I will leave you with her thoughts from today's facebook post, as they are so perfectly stated.
There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say "It is well".
God doesn't ask us to silence our sorrow in favor of thanksgiving. Rather, He uses our sorrow to proclaim a type of thanksgiving we wouldn't be able to express otherwise.
Thanksgiving doesn’t devour your sorrow, but it acknowledges the Glory that will.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7 NIV)
Enjoying the journey...because our worries can be placed on the broad shoulders of Christ who made us, loves us and provides for us,
George, Ashley, Madison, Lyla and Landen
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