July 19, 2012

Last week Thursday Travis started to come down with a cold, but he still feeling decent and drinking his usual amount. By Monday he was starting to become very congested and the fevers he had persisted. We went to Peds Emerg in London, where he was diagnosed with an ear infection. A chest x-ray was done on Travis, and the results came back clear, so his lungs looked fine. He was breathing heavier, but we thought that it was a result of his fever. By Tuesday morning his fever was gone, but his breathing was still labored so we went to Woodstock Emerg. When we arrived they could see that the oxygen level in his blood was low, so he was put on oxygen immediately. Another chest x-ray was done, and they could see that there was something wrong with the right side of his lungs. We were transported by ambulance to London.

Once we arrived in London, the doctors reviewed the chest x-rays again, and there were various opinions on what Travis had. The consultant doctor working this week is currently our Pediatrician, so that was very helpful as she is aware of his medical history. At the moment we are treating him for pneumonia, which may have been caused by aspiration (milk entering his lungs). They are also doing physiotherapy on Travis, where they cup their hand and pound on his chest, side and back and then suction down his throat to get mucous out. This is being done every 4 hours. The original doctor thought that there may have been a small piece of his lung that was plugged with mucous, resulting in a small collapse. If this is what Travis has, then it will just be a matter of time until the mucous comes loose, and his lungs recover.

Travis has been very exhausted as a result of his labored breathing. His feeds have been stopped and an IV put in, through which they also administer his fluids and antibiotics. He has not been improving since he was admitted, but the staff indicated that generally they get worse before they see improvement. Currently we are unsure of how long our stay in the hospital will be as it all depends on his oxygen needs. This is given to him through nasal cannula. Another chest x-ray will be done today, and the doctors have indicated that they will be changing the type of antibiotics he is on to one that will hopefully be more effective. It has been difficult for us to see him like this, and we ask that you please pray for Travis and us as a family.