Multiple people have started asking how Serenity is doing, so I figured that was my cue to write an update.
If my calculations are correct, today is "Day 102" for Serenity. Oh yes, and she is now considered the "Senior Resident" in the NICU. It's somewhat laughable that she is the oldest baby in the NICU, and nowhere near being the biggest baby.
Which brings me to my next point. Serenity is still small. She is over three months old and is still hanging out around the three pound mark. She has had a rough time with her gut and being able to have breast milk on a consistent basis. She had an upper GI this week to see what exactly is causing blockage in the upper part of her intestine and causing everything to back up into her stomach. The consensus is that she has "strictures". Basically, my understanding of strictures is that it means areas of the intestine that is smaller, on the inside, than the rest. When she is edematous (holding fluid/swollen), it makes the strictures worse. Therefore, not allowing very much (if anything) to pass through. Our hope is, to get her swelling down, and start feeds again. Then we will find her "sweet spot" in terms of the volume of milk per hour she is able to pass through her intestines without backing up, and keep her there so that she can grow. Unfortunately, this will mean keeping her on some amount of TPN, which has already done damage to her liver, and will continue to damage it for as long as she has to be on it.
The other issue at the moment is Serenity's lungs. Her right side has a lot of fluid right now, and they call it a "white out" on the x-ray. On the vent, she has gone up on her pressures and rate (amount of breaths per minute), but her oxygen requirement is pretty darn low most of the time, which is good. :)
Overall, our little girl is doing better than horrible, but not as good as great.
Thank you all for your love, support, and prayers.
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