Day 15

When Mommy and Granny got to the hospital, the nurse told them that Walker wasn't doing so good. His little belly was puffed up, tight, and slightly discolored. The doctors decided to run some test to check if Walker had some sort of infection and they X-rayed his belly. They didn't know what it was yet, but they started him on antibiotics. Because he's so small, they say that infections can take hold really quickly.They start antibiotics before the test results come in because by the time it takes to get results back, the infection could get worse.

Because Walker's belly was puffy, they stopped the feedings which means he will still have to keep the PICC line in for now. They put Walker on a vacuum that would keep the air from building up in his belly. Daddy left work and came on down to see Walker and tell him to quit misbehaving. Some of the test results came back and showed that his white blood cells were elevated - meaning he had an infection. The doctors had already drawn some blood to start growing cultures to determine what type of infection Walker has, but we're glad they went ahead and started those antibiotics. The test results also showed that Walker's hemoglobin was low, so they decided to give him a blood transfusion. 

On a good note, despite all that his been going on today, Walker's breathing has been really good. His oxygen concentration is down around the 20's throughout the day.  They were also able to turn his rate down from 25 reminder breaths a minute down to 20 reminder breaths a minute.

Please say a special prayer for Walker today that he can continue to grow into a strong, healthy little boy!