We went to see Massimo this afternoon. He seems to have become very bloated or puffy. It is assumed that this is just a side-effect of lying on a hospital bed for three days and the fact that they have given him lots of fluids. They have done a bunch of tests: blood, urine, lumbar puncture (!), secretions from his nose, secretions from his tracheostomy, swab from his stoma (the trachy hole) and these are just the ones I remember! So far nothing has shown up but as the head nurse (Debbie) said, he just isn’t right and they really want to find out what is causing the problems. His “not right” is a reflection of my initial feeling but now we can also say that his heart rate is too high (it is still in the 170s at rest), his breathing is arduous and needs assistance, his carbon dioxide levels were too high when left to breathe on his own, he is tired, too tired. Also, his dry skin over his eyes has recently got a lot worse. It is a form of cradle cap and recently it had become drier. Since we went to hospital it has started looking red and angry and very flaky and dry.
Although they think Massimo has a viral infection (eg a cough or cold) there is no actual evidence to support this however I do think they are right. I have had a bit of a sore throat but it didn’t materialise into anything and J is currently feeling a bit under the weather: headache, sore throat, run down.
They started Massimo on a course of antibiotics this evening just to help fight something bacterial if it is there.
Kate Farrer, the Neonatologist Consultant that was looking after Massimo in the NNU, came across to the PICU to see if she could add anything to what had already been done and looked at. It was lovely to see her and nice to have someone who knows Massimo so well give his current difficulties the once-over.
There is no way of knowing, at this stage, how long he will be in PICU nor whether this setback will cancel Wednesday’s gastrostomy and micro-laryngo-bronchoscopy. We (they) will have a better idea after the weekend.