8:30am – Phone Call
This morning started with a phone call from our doctor at the new hospital…
We’ve been dreading this call after the craziness we experienced yesterday. Although Asher was stable in his new location (Sunrise Children’s Hospital), we were still shaken up from the moment leading up to being here.
The doctor was pleased to tell us that Asher had a great night last night.
We didn’t have any updates on his brain ultrasound or his echo, but everything else went really well.
I can feel the cortisol & adrenaline coming down…
Off to make some coffee…
1:00pm – Visiting Our Little Firecracker
On our way to the hospital, I (Matt) almost died. Close to murdered…
The woman at the drive through said, and I quote “Have a good day sweetheart”…
I said “thanks, you too!”
She said “Thanks babe!”
While Monica was sitting in the front passenger seat…
The death gaze…
But I digress…
We get to the hospital and Asher is loving life laying on his tummy…
This position allows for his need for supplemented oxygen to decrease. At his highest, he’s floated between 80%-100% of oxygen (meaning the air going into his lungs is 80%-100% oxygen). Today, while on his belly, they were able to bring him down to 44% (you and I breathe 21%). This is GREAT for him…
The doctor came over and began to unpack her initial report to us this morning…
But then took a turn to explain to us the results of Asher’s brain ultrasound today…
According to Asher’s neurosurgeon, there is NO ACTIVE BLEEDING in his brain, nor was there any signs of active bleeding in his brain from the ultrasound taken by the previous hospital…
Because only a few hours before this moment Asher’s previous NICU team told us to the contrary, I began to rattle off what felt like a million versions of “are you sure?”
She was. And so was Asher’s neurosurgeon… PRAISE GOD!
But she did say that the old blood was there, and does come with it’s own potential complications (developmental delays, CP, etc).
We’ll TAKE IT! As long as the bleeding has stopped…
He does still have enlarging ventricles and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in his brain (hydrocephalus)…
The solutions:
A Spinal Tap (least invasive)
A Ventricular Reservoir (mid-line invasive)
A Shunt (invasive)
The Spinal Tap
Spinal tap is where they simply drain fluid from his spine to alleviate the pressure in his brain.
The Ventricular Reservoir
They place an intracranial reservoir under the skin, which would allow the excess cerebrospinal fluids to be drained directly from his head…
The Shunt
The shunt allows for CSF and blood to clear from the ventricles and be emptied out into the stomach.
We are continuing to pray for the best possible outcome with Asher’s brain. We know God is the ultimate physician, and believe that miracles can and do happen. Gods will be done…
Heart Work – The PDA Alternative
Asher currently has a PDA (patent ductus arteriosus). This is pretty common with preemies, especially with micro preemies his size…
Currently, his PDA isn’t causing his vitals to crash nor showing outside indicators of problems. The “echo” will tell us more tomorrow. We learned today that if the PDA remains without causing major problems while Asher grows bigger, they may be able to do a less invasive operation to close the PDA…
Essentially, they’ll run a catheter through a larger artery in the leg to the vessel that needs to be closed and run a small metal coil to the vessel to “plug” and block the flow of blood between the vessels. This is a permanent solution.
It has its risks, as does the more invasive surgery, but we’d prefer this option over him having any more surgeries than needed. We’re praying that the blood vessels close by themselves with the additional acetaminophen treatment.
The Wrap Up
In the end, we are thankful that Asher was safely transported to Sunrise Children’s Hospital. We are thankful that we’ve had him for another day. We are thankful that he is comfortable, stable and active. We’re thankful that as rough as yesterday was, God pulled us through to fight another day…
10 replies to "Day 17 (27)"
Love this site!!❤️
This is going to a beautiful way to follow Asher’s journey. 🙌😭❤️
That’s my grandson! He may be tiny but he’s a fighter!
Great website Matt! Asher has many people praying for him…family, friends, friends of friends… He is a tough little fighter. I love him so much and I know our loving Father has his holy hands over him, loving him, protecting him and healing him. I love your Wrap Up! Although it did cause many tears to flow. I look forward to reading more about Asher’s journey.
❤️Asher’s Grandma Rebecca 🥰🙏🏻💙
Hi. Oh Asher your GG is so proud of you. I love you all so much. Prayers are being answered. Thank you Lord.
Good job on the site I’ll be here daily checking up on the little champ. He’s in our prayers.
Hey Tanner!! Thank you so much!!
Praying for God’s healing hands over your baby boy 💙
Hey Little Asher, you got this. Keep moving forward & continue to be a strong fighter. You have a lot of people who love you & are praying for you & your parents. More importantly God loves you and is always with you. Love you little guy & keep fighting.
You are an amazing Father Matt. We have a group of warriors praying for God’s miracle for complete healing for Asher. No doubt he is a fighter. Praying for continued strength for both you and Monica. Love you Asher.