big scare... ...bigger relief... ...TBTG!

June 22, 8PM

The last 3-4 days have been quite a roller coaster ride. Both Chase & Charissa got sick around the same time...

Chase was having a really difficult time breathing about 4 days ago. After running some tests, he had tested positive for an infection. They immediately placed him on 3 antibiotics, stopped his feeding, placed IVs for nutrition, and began to withdraw blood for testing on a regular basis. We did not know what to think... We just prayed. The next day, seeing the familiar yet frightening tubes entering and exiting his body, we sighed a bit of a relief. Not that the infection had gone, but that Chase was no longer gasping for air. He was breathing well. The question for Dr. Maynar was, "what kind of infection did he have?" At first she suspected that the blood test was a false positive, meaning that Chase did not have an infection at all. She hypothesized that a contaminant of some kind had entered into his system. But being cautious, she continued our son on all 3 antibiotics. So what kind of infection had crept into our frail little boy? The number one suspect was a gastrointestianl disease called "Necrotizing Enterocolitis" (NEC). After Sepsis (infection in the bloodstream), NEC is the most frightening diagnosis. NEC occurs only in premature babies. Their unformed bowels often can not handle the bacteria that is growing. Sometimes this bacteria creates an infection which attacks the walls of the intestines. If not caught early, NEC can kill parts of the intestines. The only treatment would be surgery to remove the "necrotized" i.e. dead sections. While not fatal, the operation is high risk. But the truly frightening aspect of NEC occurs if the infection punctures the bowel walls and enters into other parts of the body. The infection could instantly take overtake the premature baby and prove to be fatal. No one knows why this happens, but NEC can come out of nowhere and quickly destroy the intestines and enter into the bloodstream. Dr. Maynar told us that NEC is the most feared disease in the NICU. So did Chase have NEC? He had some of the symptoms, "difficulty breathing & a hard distended stomach." How do we know if he has NEC? X-rays. As we waited for the results of the x-rays, we were nervous. We understood the consequences if we did not catch this disease early enough. By God's grace, the X-rays were negative. After running more tests and growing more cultures, Dr. Maynar concluded that it was either a weak infection that the antibiotics had already killed or a contaminant. Yesterday, Chase was put on 5.5 cc/hour of mother's milk and only one of his antibiotics remained. Today, Chase was sleeping soundly, without any appearance of stress and pain. Eating the full feed of 9.5cc/hour, he had the look of a healthy content baby. Praise God....


Charissa, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. She had cried in her mother's arms for about an hour. And in total she had cried for about 3-4 without the nurses doing much to alleviate her distress. Charissa was in real pain and it was difficult for us to watch. She had thrown up her feedings and her belly was getting hard & distended. After an X-ray, the diagnosis was confirmed on the following day... NEC. NEC was causing real pain to our daughter's bowels. She was immediately taken off her feeds, given an arterial line, IV lines, and placed on the ventilator. We had gone back in time 2 1/2 weeks. But we were glad to see her on the ventilator. For about 19 hours, she wasn't able to rest. Being in so much pain, she would just cry, which meant, she couldn't breathe. She had a choice, cry or breathe. This exhausted her. The ventilator gave her a chance to just sleep and rest. The machine would expand her lungs. All she needed to do was sleep.

But we praise God for Charissa's sensitive bowels!! : ) Dr. Maynar reassured us that they had caught NEC very, very early. They put her on 3 antibiotics and x-rayed her every 12 hours. For the past 2 1/2 days, we would eagerly called 1/2 hour after each x-ray hoping that the NEC had subsided. We were frightened that the NEC would actually get worse, a distinct possibility in a preemie. But by God's wonderful grace, the NEC was disappearing. All her lab work was also indicating that the infection was dying. NEC isn't all gone yet, but Dr. Maynar thinks that in a couple of more days the infection should be eradicated.

Those first 2 days Charissa was like a rag doll. She wouldn't move or open her eyes. She had no strength in her bones. I would move her arms and legs, but she would offer no resistance. Yesterday & today, she looked much better! Her stomach has reduced, she freely opens her eyes, and most importantly, strength has returned to her frail body. Another bit of good news, she has left the ventilator and is now back on the high-flow nasal cannula. She will be on the antibiotics for another 5 days. This will give her bowels a chance to heal and rest. Then, it's back to feeding!

Both Chase & Charissa are now breathing well. No bradycardias and very few desaturations. We're both waiting for the NEC to be completely wiped away from Charissa's body, and we are thankful that God has brought us through another trying moment... ....They are now 33 weeks gestation. Although NEC can reoccur, Dr. Maynar tells us that after 34 weeks gestation, NEC becomes very rare.

Whoa! We thank God for his mercies once again!

TGBG (To God Be The Glory)!
Choi Family