Day 3

I thought after some of the suspense we left you with we should update you and Judah's current state (and ours).

We woke to a ringing phone at 12:38 AM where we were told they were going to intubate him again. They would also give him some more Survanta, which is an artificial surfactant to lubricate his lungs until his body starts producing it. The full procedure took less than an hour and our nurse stayed more than an hour after her shift to see him and us through it. We were at home at the time. Such a helpless feeling. Our stomachs were in knots and we couldn't sleep for quite some time. I don't know how well we really slept at all. I know I watched 2 AM roll by and then had a nightmare that a tornado took Faith and I away and I came to in a space-aged machine that was keeping me alive and it was decades later. I had missed my life. I was glad to wake up and find out that it wasn't true.

Knowing that he was going to have a tube in his chest made us feel good and bad all at the same time. He has been "stable", but not really improving. His little lungs could just give out and this might give him the break he needs to keep fighting. They can give him another shot of medicine where he needs it most and he'll get some pain killers. They had him on a light sedative yesterday so he wouldn't move around and use up his energy or pull off his CPAP (breathing tube). BUT it means he isn't getting better, and doing this is some kind of admission that we're losing. It's like going back in time. They've got him on 50% oxygen when he was below 35% already. It feels like going back in time, and time seems to be moving so slowly...

Rationally, we wait. We rest, take our minds off of what is going on, and try to be calm and sleep. We don't know how to do that. Watch TV? Toss and turn? Pray again and again? Or could we just call someone to watch the kids here and let us drive back to RD? Or fly WestJet?

(next day...)

I phoned the SCN early in the morning to find out that Judah had extubated himself (again) and was really doing quite well. His breathing had improved and he was resting. They had him back at 40% oxygen, but have currently brought that down below 28%. We are very encouraged. Please keep praying for us. There's a lot more to write, but I don't have much time. There's a possibility of a trade with the Peter Lougheed Hospital in Calgary for Judah so he can be where we are. We can only hope!

Thanks to you all for your care and support!

- Mark