A Long Road

Jimmie broke 1200 in grams today. He weighed in at 1206 which is 2lbs 10.54oz! Woohoo! Go Jimmie go!

He is doing really well. Mom said for some of the afternoon he was only on 26% oxygen. 21% is room air. And remember he is completely breathing on his own without positive air flow in his nose. This is so awesome! One of the Nurse Practitioners who hasn't been in for a while checked in. She said she was hoping to find Jimmie off the ventilator after his bad week, but she was so surprised to see him only in the oxygen hood. She was wowed!

For anyone who really cares about the specific medical details Rachael told me last night that they are using Xopenex in Jimmie's lung treatments- not Albuterol. I think I'm getting this right. I'd hate to get it wrong AGAIN. She mentioned Xopenex is supposedly less likely to cause the tachycardia. Or at least not as badly as Albuterol. She is saying these drug names to me over the phone and we have no idea how to spell them. I always look them up online. (-:

Yesterday the Nurse Practitioner was reiterating some things that Justin and Rachael are learning about Jimmie's road to health and normalcy. What the Doctors and Nurses are telling Rachael and Justin is that the first 2 years of Jimmie's life are critical for his health and prognosis. It is critical that Jimmie's immune system be given time and rest. What is *highly* recommended may seem paranoid or over the top, but they are being counseled that this is the best thing they can do for their son. And that is to keep him away from public places, especially indoors. Any place where there is a crowd of people is not appropriate for Jimmie. All of the common colds and virus' that float around can do great damage to Jimmie's lungs. I mentioned RSV yesterday. That is a very common bug that is very mild in older healthy children and healthy adults, but for Jimmie it could be at the very least extremely damaging if not deadly. The Doctor told Rachael yesterday that RSV kills these babies lung tissue. They have such little lung tissue as it is that in order to survive they end up being on the ventilator for a VERY long time.

It is recommended that visitors to the home call first and must have absolutely no symptoms. And there has to be strict sanitation in the home. After 2 years of age these extreme restrictions can be lifted some. Rachael mentioned she and Justin might write a letter to close family and friends when Jimmie gets out of the hospital detailing what she and Justin are thinking specifically along these lines. So anyway-- it'll be a long road, but well worth it in the end.

Jimmie is doing so well!! I'm so thrilled with how he's recovered from last week.

Love,
Amber

P.S. I'm going to post something very special I've been working on tomorrow in honor of Jimmie's 6 week birthday. You guys will LOVE IT! (-: