Caden is overall about the same as when he was admitted. He is still having fever and he is still having trouble with his tube feedings. The big issue today was to investigate the type of pneumonia. As mentioned yesterday there was a concern by at least one doctor that the pneumonia might be outside the lung tissue (around the lungs). The pulmonary team came by to consult today and reiterated the same concern. If there was significant fluid around the lungs then we would need to either battle this until it went away which take months or we could have a drain tube placed in Caden’s chest to get the fluids off more immediately and directly. Neither is desirable, but the drain tube would be the most likely course since Caden needs to get well to be able to get other sork down like the back surgery. The pulmonologist ordered an ultrasound of the lungs to get a better look at the fluid pocket. The ultrasound resulted in nothing being found and the pulmonologist never came back so we are not sure what they are thinking now. It seems the x-rays are showing something that the ultrasound should have been able to detect and it was not able to. Here is what Sherry posted to Facebook during and right after the ultrasound:
“Caden is receiving an ultrasound of his chest because the pulmonologist says he has pockets of fluid trapped in his left lung. Hum. ultrasound done and the tech couldn’t find any fluid….wonder what’s next?!”
Regardless of what type of pneumonia Caden has, Sherry and I agree that the current course of treatment has not yet yielded any significant visible results. The fevers are actually a little more frequent and higher than before he was admitted so we expect to see a different approach tomorrow morning. If the doctors don’t bring up new ideas then you can be assured I will. 😉 The attending is a very nice lady that worked with Caden back in 2009 during one of his three hospitalizations for pneumonia as a result of H1N1.
Caden’s normal pulmonologist who we love  very much is not on rounds this week in the hospital. Here are a few lines from an email I got back from Caden’s pulmonologist regarding this pneumonia and plan for the back surgery:
Regardless of the kind of pneumonia or where it is, he should probably have his surgery delayed for several weeks. I’m glad this showed before the procedure rather than making him really sick afterwards.
Sherry and I both give a big AMEN to that last sentence. Having something like pneumoina crop up during a stay for orthopedic surgery is what makes a hospital visit even more crazy. Determining the cause of a high fever right after a big surgery can be very difficult to sort out sometimes.
Prayer Requests
– Caden’s rapid and complete recovery
– Caden’s protection from other illnesses and complications
– Caden’s comfort and continued self-control. He has been such a great sport with the nurses today.
– Understanding and compassion for Riley, JJ and Levi
-Â Decrement, humility, and thankfulness for Sherry and me as we deal with the staff at MUSC
– Doctors to have the information, knowledge and wisdom required to choose the correct treatment for Caden