Sorry for no post yesterday! I didn't really get any new information until later in the afternoon and then ran out of time to post - the couple of times I had a few minutes, there wasn't a free computer.

OK, let's see if I can remember everything - the afternoon got pretty busy!
1. He is off of all IV meds, and getting them all orally now. No more pumps at the bedside! His central line is still in, but capped. I presume they will leave it in until they are sure he won't need it anymore. He isn't getting the versed anymore, they switched it to adavan (sp?) which is essentially the same thing (anti-anxiety drug, I believe) and getting it every 8 hours. He is still getting the morphine every 4 hours, but orally. Dr. Duffy didn't want to change too much in one day, so hopefully if he tolerates the oral meds, he'll go to every 6 hours soon and we can get him off of that. So far, he is not really spitting up much anymore, so hopefully the oral stuff is working.

2. Neurology came by and talked to me about the "questionable seizures" and the posterior brain bleed when he was on ECMO. He got his CT scan this morning, so hopefully I will get more information for Neuro later today? They did a quick eval, checked reflexes and such, but that is about all. They are going to check his blood levels to see if he is getting the right dose of the phenobarb. I have been told that Gabe will likely go home on the phenobarb, at least as a precaution against seizures. Neuro is just one of many groups we will be following up with regularly after going home.

3. Speech Path also came by, but Gabe was completely zonked. She asked questions about how he was doing with the pacifier and non-nutritive nursing. I believe she is coming back today for the 1400 (sorry, 2PM) feeding to evaluate his suck on the pacifier and I think with a gloved finger. If all goes well and she feels comfortable trying it, they may let him take a few MLs from a bottle to see how he reacts to it. If it seems that he might be able to handle oral feeds but they still have doubts, he may get a barium swallow test before going home. Mainly to make sure he isn't aspirating and he can manage the whole "suck, swallow and breathe" pattern. Breathing is pretty important, after all!

4. He is supposed to be seen by a pulmonologist too, but that hasn't happened yet. One of the nurses mentioned that Gabe may need a sleep study before he goes home. We'll see what the docs say.

It seems like I am missing something - I'll think about it and post more later. I'm in a hurry and did not proofread, so forgive the typos and other errors!