Henry has had a wonderful day so far today! Henry was extubated this morning, is being helped by BiPAP right now, and doing well Throughout last night his ventilation setting continued to be adjusted to allow Henry to do more and more work and he responded wonderfully. This morning around 9:00am they decided it was "go time" and Henry (in the comfort of momma's arms) was able to breath without that tube again! About an hour after he was extubated his CO2 levels were higher than normal, therefore requiring the BiPAP help. Henry's blood gases continue to be an area with room for improvement, but the providers plan to wean further his sedation in hopes this will allow him to breath more effectively. Apparently the more sleepy you are the less able you are to expel carbon dioxide. The first time Henry was extubated they had taken him off all the pain medication and sedation immediately beforehand and later felt that this abrupt change led to symptoms of withdraw soon after. This time they decided to continue the medication help during extubation and wean slowly afterwards for a more comfortable transition since Henry has been on these medications for an extended amount of time. Hence the sleepiness! It's all a balance unique to every child and regardless of the ups and downs, the gradual pace is on our side. They will continue to take frequent labs to make sure Henry's body is adjusting to this big change and support him as he progresses. Great plan and support in place to help Henry continue to get over this hump!
Henry had a restful night last night with the help of two wonderful Grandma's. His mommas did too (thanks so much GG and GoGo) and are ready for the week of comforting ahead. Thanks for checking in on our guy!
Much love,
Kate and Julie
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