Quick prayer request

Hey all,

I will update more tonight, but this will have to be brief as I don't have a computer by Jack's bed and I want to make it back for his 3 pm tube feeding- I like to hold him while he gets fed and talk to him. :)

E.N.T. saw Jack this morning (Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctor). It appears that Jack is extremely swollen down his throat and in his vocal cords. They think his right vocal cord has "paresis" (I'm not quite sure how to spell that and didn't think to ask them at the moment). :) Apparently his right vocal cord is showing signs of weakness, which they figured might happen as he was intubated for so long. Their main concern with this is that as it is not closing properly or completely, there is increased risk for aspiration as the vocal cords are one's last protection for things getting through and to the lungs. Because of this, they have decided to discontinue the oral feedings because of this increased risk.

I believe they have ordered a test to be done tomorrow called an OPM test. Basically this is a type of barium that they have the child swallow so that they can track the path of his swallow and see if he is swallowing properly. This will give us more of an indication as to whether or not we can continue oral feedings or how serious this is.

The E.N.T. said this can take from 2-3 months up to about 6 months typically to resolve. Until then, it would mean adding a thickener to his milk in his bottle in order to make the liquid go down slower and decrease the risk of aspiration down the road when we take him home. Also, he may have weaker vocal cords. If it doesn't resolve, there are surgical options in adulthood, but as a child, there isn't much that they can do as far as "fixing" the problem.

Again, we will know more after the test tomorrow, and also after I have talked with the nurse practitioner again- she wanted to see the order written from the E.N.T. before she felt comfortable answering more of my questions involving the problem (understandably so). We ask that you would please, please pray for Jack's vocal cords, for miraculous healing. We have seen the Lord do big things throughout this and we trust that if it is in His will, this would be no exception.

Some other news from the morning:

Praise: Jackson is getting his PICC line removed (the IV line from his head to his heart). Woohoo!! This is exciting for me as it is a major obstacle with holding him and also a concern for infection as it leads directly to the heart. They will continue his drips of morphine and versed (the sedative) through his midline in his arm. They are continuing to decrease his morphine today, as tolerated, and versed tomorrow, and hopefully by July 10th, he will only be taking morphine orally, which is exciting.

Also, they have increased his oxygen again as his sats have been dropping during his feedings. They're not sure exactly why at this point, but they have increased that. He is apparently working very hard during his feedings and they don't want him to labor too much. So please continue to pray for his oxygen saturation.

I think that's about it. I will update with some pics and more news this evening when Joe joins me at the hospital. Please pray for him and strength as he starts working more this week- this has been a long haul for us, but the Lord is faithful. =)

Love to all!
Joe, Miss, and Jackson :)