Aiden and Evan - 8/16

It’s been a few days since our last update to the blog so Janel and I thought we better drop down a few lines before we headed back home from the NICU.

Evan’s overall condition has not improved much over the last several days. His oxygen needs have been up and down a lot but seem to be centered on 50%. Today we came in and found him up into the 70s which is the most we have seen him on yet so we are a bit discouraged that maybe he is not making the kind of progress we were hoping for.

The doctors all seem to agree that giving Evan steroids is the best course of action now as the risk of not taking them is probably greater than doing so. So, we have agreed to start Evan on steroids on Monday. He will be on dexamethasone for one week and we should see results in the first two or three days if they are going to do anything. As for the risks, we will just have to wait, pray and see what happens as Evan grows up.

There is little research on the impact of taking dexamethasone after the first week of life. The doctor pointed us to read about the DART study which attempted to compare a group of 35 infants that received dexamethasone versus a control group that didn’t. From what I got out of it, they did not detect an appreciable difference but the results were just about meaningless. The dosage and overall health of the participating children varied so much it is impossible to say how their outcomes would have differed had dexamethasone been delivered or withheld. It really just goes to show how much of our medical care is guess work and it is really by the mercy and grace of God that any of these children in the NICU go on to have normal lives. So, let’s just pray that God takes care of Evan and protects him from any of the possible harm that might be done.

Not much new to report on Aiden. The gas in the stomach issue that popped up earlier last week has not reappeared. They tried to take him off the CPAP on Friday but unfortunately he only made it about an hour before his blood saturation levels dropped too low. It’s encouraging to know that Aiden is doing well enough that they are trying to wean him.

Both boys have grown a bit. Aiden is up to 2 lbs 2 oz and Evan is 2 lbs 3 oz. Evan is now getting 14 mL every three hours, and Aiden is up to 13mL every three hours.
Janel and I made it to Sunday school this morning for the first time since the boys arrived and it was good to be back. We can not say enough how much we appreciate all of the loving support and concern they have showed us over the last three weeks. And the same also applies to so many people, many whom we don’t even know, who are praying for the health of our boys. Thank you and please continue to lift Evan and Aiden up in prayer.