Allyson Intestine Infection

So I have been FAR too lax in keeping up with letting everyone knowing how Allyson is doing, so here is a big update. They changed her to a different type of ventilator, one that allows her to do more of the breathing on her own, which is good. Also they removed all of her IV's (except the one they use to draw blood) and started feeding her breast milk. They moved her from the room she was in, which is a room designed for babies that need more equipment and stuff, to a regular room in the NICU, which is also good. This all happened over the last two weeks. Last night, however, we found out that there was some kind of problem and they had to take the feeding tube out and put some IV's back in. They didn't seem to concerned about what was going on, but failed to really explain it well. Today we talked to a more competent doctor and nurse and they explained what is going on. Allyson was tolerating her feedings very well, but last night something wasn't right. They took an X-ray and determined she has an infection in her intestines. This type of infection is VERY common amongst preemie babies because their intestines aren't quite up to par. What this means is they have her on an antibiotic to fight the infection. Once they get a clean X-ray she will continue to get antibiotics and IV feeding for 7 days. At that point they will put the feeding tube back in and start feeding her again. So everything is technically okay. We are still nervous though, because like with everything else until she is completely recovered from this infection some things still could go wrong, although that is not likely. She is still doing well in other areas. They have weaned her Nitric Oxide (a medicine that helps expand blood vessels in the lungs) down to 4 (the lower the number the better she is doing on her own). They also weaned her ventilation rate to 20 (again lower number is better) and they couldn't find any pulmonary hypertension in the test they did today which is really good. So we continue one day at a time and find the small victories wherever we can. Mel and I appreciate everyone's support and thank you all for the kind wishes and prayers. I will try to do better about letting everyone know what's up.

Thanks again

The Hensleys