Eric Up-date

Oh my. So we just had a chat with the doc. The CT scan this morning showed air is leaking into his chest cavity. Strictly looking at that, the doc would do surgery right away. However, looking at Eric, he has improved since yesterday. He looks so much better - vitals are good. The doc was telling us that Eric's case is difficult. Usually either the patient is doing well and the scan comes out showing no problems, OR the patient is sick and the CT looks bad. With either case the option of what to do is clear. Eric is somewhere in the middle which makes it hard to know what to do. Now mind you, the surgery is very serious but if the hole doesn't heal he will die. A patient's chance of, well, a positive outcome (aka not dying) is better if the surgery is done within 24-48 hours. However, you will also know within that time if surgery is necessary. As for now he will remain in critical care so that his vitals can be constantly monitored and he basically has a personal nurse keeping an eye on him. IF a problem arises - temp increases, urine output decreases, heart rate drops - the doc can be informed immediately and he can be sent to the OR right away. If by Monday he is still doing well, they will repeat the barium swallow test that would show how well the hole is healing. If it is healing well, he can have liquids and sent to regular care for two more days. That is pretty much what we're hoping for. End of it, he will for surely be in the hospital until Wednesday. From there, it just depends.

I can't say talking to the doctor made me feel better. Actually, I'm pretty sure it made it worse for me. On the one hand, he's looking so good you'd like to think he's doing well and will continue to heal. However, the possibility of a fatal outcome increases with time. Talk about stress. On the one hand, if he heals he could be home by the end of the week with no further problems. If we do surgery, he will be in the hospital for 7 days and will be then have recovery time of ??? at home.

AND at some point Jackson is going to come. We have pretty much come to the conclusion that there is a high chance he will watch the birth via Skype. Unless he heals and comes home and Jackson holds out until the end of the week.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers.