ROP

Well, Jacob has had a rough weekend and today has not been much better. Jacob is suffering from reflux which is common in preemies born as early as he was. This can be treated with medication, but they are currently in the documenting stage where they track his spells and feedings and once they see enough proof that it is, in fact, reflux they will start medicating him for this. I guess they overmedicated preemies back in the day for this and there was a research study done that showed half the kids on the medication didn't really need it so they are hesitant these days to medicate them hence the documenting period. I have witnessed his spells/feedings first hand and recognize the signs and know that eventually he will be put on the medicine. I will be happy when this happens because our poor little boy has not been a happy camper. He has been having trouble nursing (probably due to the soreness in his esophagus) and spitting up a lot after his feedings. These are common signs of reflux.

Now for the bad news, Jacob will not be going to Jordan...at least not this week. He had his follow-up eye exam this morning and although his right eye has shown improvement, his left eye is concerning and has now advanced to stage 3. Most likely this will require laser eye surgery. This is nothing major, just one more thing for Mom to stress about. They are going to take a look again on Thursday and then they will decide whether or not to move forward with the surgery.

In addition to all of this fabulous news, he has been spelling quite a bit lately (heartrate drops and oxygen de-saturation) and as a result they have bumped his oxygen from 75 cc's back up to 500 cc's just to give him a break while everything gets sorted out.

Most of this is expected and "normal course" for a preemie like Jacob and he will once again with God's guidance overcome these obstacles and come home and we are obviously in no rush. He will come home when it is time and considering everything that could have gone wrong we thank God every day for his continual guidance and care. Jacob truly is an example of how powerful prayer can be.

Thank you for all the comments and well wishes. Ian and I enjoy reading them and look forward to them each time we post. Hope everyone stays cool! It is hot out there!