Updates

Hey guys. I apologize for the lack of updates over the past few days, but I've just not had the energy or desire to post anything lately. I'm just going to highlight the facts we know, as of right now, and hopefully I'll be able to give more details later.

Heart: We're still not sure about Ethan's heart function. The second echo, compared to the first, showed that things had improved slightly. He had another one this morning, but we haven't heard the results of that yet. The hope is that the further out we get from his arrest, the better his function will be, so we'll see.

Lungs: X-rays are showing that his lungs are not yet clear, but getting there. Each x-ray looks a little better, so we're hopeful that they'll be back to normal fairly soon. He is on very minimal settings with the vent, and it's been mentioned that they may try to extubate tomorrow.

Brain: In trying to figure out what happened on Wednesday, one doctor mentioned possible seizure activity. An EEG was performed to monitor Ethan's brain and it showed no current seizures. However, it can't tell us if he had them in the past, or if he'll have them in the future. One thing the EEG did show is something called diffuse slowing, meaning activity was slowed over all of his brain. This could be because of the sedatives he was on during the test, or also because he was on the jet vent at that time. We've been told the only way we'll know if the results are accurate will be by watching his behavior over the next few days as he begins to wake up. The EEG will more than likely be repeated at a later date.

Stomach: A swallow study (upper GI test) was done today and the preliminary results show that Ethan has severe reflux. We'll talk with the doctors once they've had a chance to read over the results, and hopefully get more information/details then. It's possible Ethan may need to have another surgery that will basically wrap-up his esophagus with part of his stomach, literally keeping him from being able to throw-up.

Medications: Ethan has come off many of his medications since Wednesday. He's currently on Milrinone for his heart, and a course of anti-bacterial and anti-fungal medicines just in case an infection/fungus is to blame for all of this.

I think those are the "big rocks" right now. Things are moving at a very slow pace, so updates are not coming quite as frequently as we're used to, or as quickly as we would like. BUT, everyone does think that Ethan is "trending well" which is doctorese for moving in the right direction. I'll keep you posted as we learn more.

Please continue to pray for our little boy. We thought he had already jumped over his biggest hurdles, but it seems like he still has a few left to go.