Wednesday Afternoon - A Josiah Update

Hello Folks

Josiah has been pretty good. He still needs a smidget of extra oxygen these days. I think a lot of it is due to the fact he's becoming more active (more wiggling, moving of limbs, more alert) because the 'medaz' (sedative) is coming down. Also, the ulceration at the bottom of the stoma is taped over (to hold the dressing in) - in the past (last week) he would have been using that extra-long hole as a secondary airway because he was passing air/secretions through it. But the ulceration is looking a lot better! The wound nurse came in on Monday and today to re-assess it and it seems that the new medicated dressing is doing its job.

We are still waiting from the results of the blood work and cultures test they did on Josiah yesterday. The doctors were concern that he might be at the beginning stages of an infection, but we may have to wait until tomorrow to find out what the tests say. Josiah really hasn't shown any major signs of a infection (ie. no fever) so that's really good. Yesterday the doctors began giving him pre-emptive antibiotics in case he does develop something.

Also, Josiah had a weird convulsion-like episode a couple of days ago, so the docs have requested a EGC scan (brain) to test for seizures. Seizures are a symptom of Pallister-Hall Syndrome and this would have been Josiah's first if it was a real one, but Marie and I both think it was a stress reflex because he had a difficult trach tie change that day.

Oh, and speaking of trach tie changes, Marie and I have both completed our first tie changes yesterday and today! Wow! So crazy! The ties are the string/tubing that go around the neck and secure the trach in place. It is pretty serious business because the trach must remain stable the entire time, but you also have to be careful to do a thorough job cleaning the neck so that Josiah doesn't develop any skin problems. But yeah, the trach trainers and nurses have been singing our praises so it's all good! ;) And most important, Josiah doesn't freak out when we change it for him, so his confidence builds our own.

Thanks to our visitors: my mom and dad who have been here for two days, Marie's dad who has also been back from Calgary the last couple of days, Rose E., and Trina and Timmy U. who came in today.

In God's Peace.
- Andrew, Marie & Josiah