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Friday, June 1, 2007

Fridays are test days and we have a new one this morning. The Neurosurgeon, Dr. George, requested an MRI on Miller's head. We discussed this a couple of weeks ago and Dr. George agreed to hold off on the MRI until Miller got a little bigger. As of today, he weighs a whopping 3lbs, 7oz! At this point, everyone seems to agree that the risks associated with the scan are minimal. Miller's bleed was very unique and Dr. George wants to know why.

Our biggest concern is how well Miller will tolerate all of the ancillary procedures that accompany an MRI on such a small child. It's not just the scan. First, they'll have to move him to the MRI facility (fortunately, there's one in Seton). He'll be given a mild sedative and will hopefully stay on his nasal cannula. Sometimes, these little guys need to be reintubated (breathing tube). We don't want that because it increases his risk for a respiratory infection. In fact, in our negotiations (that's what it felt like), we agreed to call off the scan if Miller had any adverse reactions to the sedative.

The other issue was risk vs benefit. What exactly do we hope to accomplish with this scan? Will it change his immediate treatment?
Dr. George hopes to learn the following:

1. What caused the bleed in the first place? Was it just prematurity or is there some structural abnormality?
2. Is there a chance it could happen again?
3. Is there any cause for immediate intervention?

The regular Friday ultrasounds have not indicated a situation where Miller needs a procedure. The ultrasounds can tell us what is there, but they can't tell us how it got there. This is what Dr. George hopes to learn so we know if we need to fix something.

The MRI will take place this morning but the results probably won't be available until tomorrow or Monday. It should be noted that every baby in the NICU gets an MRI before he goes home, so this is a very normal procedure.

As for Miller, he's doing great. He's very alert and active. He loves his Kangaroo time and the pacifier game he plays with his daddy when he's in the isolette. This might sound a bit surprising, but last night Miller nursed. It's the truth. Just before we gave him his normal feeding through the tube, Mom whipped out and let him have a go at it. We've been practicing with him for a few days and trying to encourage his "rooting" instinct with the pacifier. Last night Miller latched on for an appetizer. It was very brief, maybe a total of 20 minutes. When he finished, the nurse used a syringe to extract the milk he consumed from his tummy and measure it. He got about 2 cc's. 'Atta boy!

Please keep the prayers coming, and thank you all for the continuous support.

Love,
Danny & Stephanie

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