We were able to successfully extubate Braeden today at 3pm. They had planned to go 'cold turkey' but he was struggling a bit so they did introduce the nose prongs. So he is getting a slow flow of oxygen through the nose and is otherwise breathing on his own! He did a quick flip into an SVT when the extubation was over, making my heart jump, but was able to rapidly pull himself out. We are certainly on a 'wait and see' basis right now.
Michael and I were at the hospital again this evening around 9pm and he was still stable off the vent but the nurse did comment that he is struggling a bit more. He is not breathing well when he is being handled and he unfortunately has to be handled quite often during the day to run all the tests and assessments that they need to do. She wasn't sure what the decision would be at this point, but she did warn us that the possibility to re-intubate would certainly be on the table. It is apparently not that uncommon to have to go through the process of extubating and re-intubating a few times. He looks like a different baby now without the tube though. He was peaceful tonight when Mike fed him and was smiling in his sleep with Michael tickling his palm slightly.
The Cardiologists have decided to up his dose of Sotolol (heart med) for now and give him to the end of the week on this drug before deciding to introduce an additional drug. The Neonatologist described this drug as 'firing with a bigger gun'. Okay, as long as you hit your mark! There are side effects to this drug though, it can actually cause or exacerbate and existing arrhythmia. Weighing the good with the bad here. They are still searching, searching, searching, and hopefully getting closer to a cause(s). They are watching the structural issues with the echo cardiograms and the daily ECG's and trying to decipher if there is an 'eletrical' issue as well.
All in all it was a veryyyyy stressful day in most regards waiting for them to do the extubation and me NOT freaking out during it but it was still a sweet end to it. I am at peace with it if they have to re-intubate, he is just showing us each day what a little fighter he is! It doesn't hurt that he's got most of the nursing staff wrapped around his little finger too...must be genetics!
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