M.O.T.S.

Dexter is still intubated. Dexter is still having frequent seizures. We still want him to come home soon. We're still waiting for Dexter to prove that he can handle breathing without the ventilator. They still don't know what's really wrong with Dexter.

If you still want more details, keep reading. From the time I got here at around 6:15 this morning, Dexter has been having seizures every five minutes or so. The PICU docs said in rounds that they would wait on neurology's decision about seizure-controlling meds before deciding on extubation. So the funny older neurologist guy came by and was examining Dexter. In the process, he had Dexter's diaper off and discovered it was messy. The Doc grabbed a wipe and started taking care of it; I tried to step in and change my own son's diaper, but he protested and accused me of thinking he couldn't handle a little diaper change because he was a man, at which point Dexter squirted a fountain of number one all over the place. As the doc groaned and grabbed a diaper to control the flow, Dexter let out a nice green number two before the doc could get a diaper under him. The nurse and I were cracking up. The good doctor was so confident in his diapering skills, and darling Dexter put him to shame. But still, it was good of a neurologist to be willing to do a little dirty work.

Sadly, the neurology consult was nearly as messy. As Doctor M said, so far, Dexter has "giggled" at all the medications they've given him. He's afraid that the only way to completely stop Dexter from seizing is to knock him out, which he of course sees as a non-option. So they can increase the dosage of the maintenance medication and see if that will reduce their frequency, but it's unlikely to completely stop them. And he said the seizures are definitely not helping Dexter's brain recover, and they're probably damaging his brain further. Basically, neurology is saying that they can't fix him. But the doc did agree with me that extubating him and getting him home ASAP is the best thing for him. Seizures can be managed on an outpatient basis.

So I was encouraged by his recommendatin to extubate ASAP, but when the PICU team put him on another pressure support trial to see if he's ready for extubation, they did a blood gas and his carbon dioxide levels came back way too high and they said it wouldn't be safe to extubate him today. But I just want to bring him back home! I haven't held Dexter since Monday. I can't even offer him the comfort of snuggling with mom through all of his suffering. Why isn't he breathing well enough on his own??

Please continue to pray for Dexter.