UPDATE on Jude

UPDATE:  As of midnight, central time, Jude is becoming more stable.  The last two hours have been more eventful than the last two weeks (well, almost two weeks.  He's only 12 days old).  To sum it up the best I can without writing one of my normal, lengthy blogs: Jude has an infection.  They don't know where but his blood drawing showed that he has an infection.  There was blood found at his trach site, in his stool, and in his stomach and lungs.  They may be all related and they may be a series of different things.  Most likely, the trach site is just some misplacement trauma and the rest is related.  They have given him antibiotics to treat the infection.  They take twelve to twenty-four hours to kick in.  The next twenty-four to seventy-two hours are crucial for Jude.  They have moved him back to the larger ventilator and he is running at a 100% meaning that he is doing mostly none of the work.  His oxygen levels were at fifty-four, which is terrible, and the doctor said that unless they climbed by twenty they needed a more aggressive plan.  They climbed by thirty, Amen.  He is currently stable at eighty which is OK but not where he needs to be at about ninety-five.  However, the doctor has said that if he can stay around eighty or above for twenty-four to forty-eight hours then that's ok.  There is probably other information that I am forgetting.  They have taken ultra-sounds on his head and chest as well as chest x-rays.  It's been quite an emotional ride sitting here watching it all happen.  It felt like being on trial in a foreign country without an interpreter; you know the information being passed around is important to the future but you have no clue what is being said.
     The Dude has a long long way to go before we are feeling all right about what's going on.  Like I said, the next twenty-four hours or so is crucial for Jude.  We are grateful he is becoming more stable but are still scared.  Thanks for the prayers and words of encouragement.

To God be the Glory in All,


-Chris