Day 45

Alex has had a rocky weekend. He's been a bit unstable with his blood pressures. We have been told that they are walking a fine line with him, trying to get his heart to do the work it needs but trying to keep the fluid off him at the same time. He's really been struggling and needing extra help.

He seems to not like nighttime, apparently it just gets too quiet for him or something because he will be fairly stable all day and then at night drop his pressures time and time again.

Alex's head ultrasound showed no brain bleeding, they said the bruising is from some broken capillaries in his chest wall and since they had toseparate the layers in there it just seeped into the tissues and that's why he's bruised. It'll go away in time.

They were able to wean down his dopamine on Saturday but he is still needing his epinephrine, in fact last night they had to increase the dose to help his blood pressures. They really want him off the epi because although it makes his heart pump harder and faster, it constricts the blood vessels. He has been unable to tolerate any of the vasodilators they have tried to give him and he can't go back on the one he tolerated because his kidneys aren't working enough to excrete it. They are also trying to wean him off the steroids he needed a few weeks back, they think they are responsible for the broken blood vessels and also they inhibit healing and obviousely he doesn't need that to happen.

The little guy really needs our prayers. We really need him to stop walking that fine line and just take a good step in the right direction. His doctors are very worried about him right now.