Two Weeks Old and Making Progress

Mid-afternoon today, Jordan's lung fluids started breaking up and moving around!  This is a good indicator of Jordan's progress.  We are waiting for Jordan's lungs to open up.  He is back down to his birth weight - meaning that he has lost the excess fluids gained during the inflammation process of ECMO.  CHOP believes the only reason that Jordan's lungs haven't opened already is because the fluids have hardened from being stationary for so long (the mucus is thick).

Jordan - 2 Weeks Old

Jordan began gagging today from a cough reflex - just like we would have an itch to cough.  The only thing is, he cannot cough or cry.  It looks very painful if you watch his face, but he has handled it very well so far.  This reflex means the fluids are breaking up and the lungs will continue to have a better chance to open up.  CHOP may put Jordan on a nebulizer tonight to administer a salt water solution to draw out the extra fluids.  It is very possible that Jordan's lungs may open up by tomorrow morning or Thursday morning!

This is Jordan's ninth day on ECMO already.  Things are moving forward for Jordan and some big decisions are coming up in regards to the timing of surgical repair.