Week 9

My Valentine! :)

Once again, I am running behind on the updates but again I was waiting on some test results to come in and confirmation of surgery dates.

Overall the week for Harrison has been ok. There were some bumps but we have been hanging in there trying to determine what needs to be done.

Heart- Heart still doing well despite the defect, but he is scheduled for his open heart surgery this Friday, February 19th. This is the biggest surgery yet and is technically dangerous since Harrison's liver is not in the best state. Liver function plays a major role in blood clotting and during surgery they pump the body full of Heparin in order for the blood NOT to clot so he has to be able to help them out by clotting in order to survive the surgery. Please pray for his clotting factors to be at a good level for surgery.


Liver- His liver enzymes came back really elevated again. It is frustrating, but at this point they are focusing on the heart surgery and will revisit the liver after surgery. There are still many factors playing into these numbers since Harrison has had to be on and off the TPN mix for feedings due to his trouble with feeding, illness, etc. and this TPN can affect liver enzymes and bilirubin.

Feeding/Digesting/GI- After some battling with doctors about Harrison vomiting with his feeds, they finally decided to start from scratch to determine the cause. He had an abdominal ultrasound done and all came back normal so nothing there that would be contributing to his vomiting or diarrhea. They started him on another formula and moved slowly in progression and he made it to full volume without any vomiting. But the diarrhea continued. After some further testing, they feel that he has an overgrowth of bacteria in his intestines that could be contributing to this so they are treating it with an antibiotic. Hopefully this will improve his stools and digestion and he will be able to break down these nutrients.
Due to his dumping of feeds he was put back on TPN and may remain on it until surgery.

Therapy- It is baby steps but therapists are working on head control at this point. He is trying every day but it is baby steps. I definitely see overall improvement of movement, but we still have a long way to go. Heart surgery will create another setback in this journey, but his ability to heal and time of recovery will dictate how much. Please pray for him in this area.

Unexpected events- Harrison did show signs of another fever over the weekend and they immediately began treating him while testing and ruling out bacterial infections. All tests came back negative and he showed no further signs of illness..Praise God!

Prayer- Please pray for Harrison's upcoming heart surgery. Pray for the doctors' and surgeons' wisdom, knowledge, and skill as this procedure is completed. Pray for a complication free surgery and recovery. Pray for God's divine plan in it all and that it be revealed. Pray for our family as we prepare for this surgery. Pray for strength, courage, and peace.

Praise- For Harrison's overall good week. Praise for a disappearing illness. Praise for allowing us another week with our precious son. He has touched the hearts and lives of many and I am thankful for that.