Small Update

Ben is doing OK. We spoke with the doctors today and were able to find out a few things. The lab work for the chromosome tests came back normal, so thus far they haven't been able to tie any of Ben's problems to genetics. With the help of a diuretic his breathing appears to be improving some, but it is still fast at times (more often than we want). His Jaundice is improving again as well and will probably be out from under the lights again tomorrow. The improvements in breathing and jaundice will both help with how tired he has been, so that is good. The cardiologist says he doesn't need heart surgery right now, but may at some point in the future. It is not life threatening at this point and they want to see how much can be repaired by his body on it's own or possibly with the help of drugs before they go to surgery. Their main goal at this point is to get him to gain some weight. Gaining weight may help the holes in the heart close up, and if he does need surgery they would prefer he gain some weight before that happens as well. Ben also got examined by the physical therapists today and they will be working with us on how we can help him gain some muscle and strength.

After our visit there today, Melissa feels better now about Ben being at Primary Children's. We both feel he is still in need of special care and he is getting it there. We will try to keep everyone posted on his progress and if necessary, but hopefully not, any setbacks.

Logan is doing well. Not quite sure how much all of this is affecting him yet. He has been spending a lot of time with his grandparents Kim & Kaylene, which he really seems to be enjoying. Unfortunately, because it's RSV season Logan can't come visit Ben. And we are hoping Ben comes home before RSV season ends (usually in April). Logan came to Ogden Regional with us last Sunday, so he could at least be a part of it. Him and I played in the Ronald McDonald Room while Melissa visited with Ben. Primary Children's has certian days when they do activities for siblings, so hopefully we can get him down there to be involved in that. Also, Grandpa Larry will be here later next week for a couple of days, so he should enjoy that as well.

Anyhow, I need to get back to work, so until later, bye, & thank you.

Hospital Transfer

Ben was transferred to Primary Children's Medical Center on Monday. He wasn't progressing in the ways he needed in order to come home, and Ogden Regional felt he needed to see the specialists sooner than later. We don't have anything new to report as they are running their own tests and evaluating him. So now he is even farther away from home which is adding to the stress of the whole situation. We will update when we know more and we appreciate all of the prayers & support.

Some Positives & Another Problem.

Yesterday Ben had the photo therapy lights removed & so far his level is holding about the same (it went up a little). He also was put in an open crib. But.... we just found out today that there is a new problem. Ben has been occasionally breathing fast. I guess this morning he was breathing fast for longer than normal and they decided to do a chest x-ray. The results showed he has some fluid in his lungs. They then tested to see if their was an infection and there was not. I was told that they usually will also have problems getting oxygen when there is fluid present, but he seems to be doing fine on that part. So they have hooked him up to some air to help him get more air and maybe help dry out his lungs.

We were hoping he would be able to come home this weekend, but probably not likely now. That's all I have for now. Until later.

More Pictures

I have been wanting to put these pictures up for a few days & just haven't had time or didn't have the camera with me to get the pictures off. So here they are. Hopefully Melissa doesn't change her mind about me posting the one with her in it. :)

Ben is doing good. He actually had a feeding yesterday where he was able to drink the whole bottle by himself and didn't have to have the remainder fed to him through the tube. It doesn't happen every time yet, but it is definitely a step forward.






In case you don't already know... you can click on any of the pictures to make them bigger.

Some Results...

Well, we spoke with the Neonatologist and he let us know that Ben has a couple of holes in his heart which they say are fairly normal and will probably close up. The problem to be more concerned about is he has an area of his aorta that is narrower than the rest. They said it isn't life threatening right now and he is getting the blood flow he needs, but they want to keep an eye on it and look into it further. So he is going to need to see two specialists down at Primary Children's Hospital now instead of one. Previously he was going to be seeing a Geneticist, and now he will also be seeing a Cardiologist.

But the doctor also confirmed that Ben can come home when his bilirubin levels (jaundice) come down & when he can eat on his own. His levels are lowering and he is eating more, but he isn't there yet. We'll try to post more pictures tonight.

Status Update...

Sorry, we haven't posted sooner. Ben is still in the NICU. Melissa came home Saturday. She is doing well, except that Ben isn't home. He is looking better and eating more. As we expected, he has jaundice so he has to be under the lights (phototherapy). He has also been getting more tests done. He had his second echocardiagram done yesterday. After his first echo Friday, I was told that he has a heart murmer, but it's not bad (Logan had one too). But I was told they found something else in the second echo, and we are supposed to be talking to the doctor today to find out what that is. Will let you know more later. Please pray for him.

1 day old update...

Well, Ben has been sleeping most of the time so far. He has been having a hard time eating, which is still affecting his blood sugars. He is also not regulating his temperature very well. So, we were just informed that he is going to have to go to the NICU. They are probably going to have to feed him through a tube. We have to wait till 5pm before we can go see him and hopefully find out more on how he is doing. We will post more info once we know more.

On a side note we heard Debbie had her baby this morning and wanted to congratulate her and Patrick on June's arrival. We hope everyone is doing well.