Boomerangs or Rubber Balls?

I can't figure out which is a better way to describe us. Either a boomerang (they keep "throwing us out" of the hospital and we keep coming back) or a rubber ball (we just keep bouncing back).

Yes, it's true, we are back in the hospital. Mason's oxygen need started to go up as soon as he started weaning off of the steroids in preparation for his surgery, and he surpassed our "limit" yesterday. Unfortunately, he needs the steroids to keep his oxygen needs down, but steroids also make healing quite a bit harder after surgery. So, we're sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place and it's not a decision we can make alone. Thankfully, Mason's providers are all wonderfully informed about his situation and are working together and with us to make the best decisions. The attending pediatrician will be talking to the surgeon over the weekend and our surgeon and a new attending pediatrician (they switch every Monday) will be talking to the pulmonologist on Monday.

Last night they found that he again had a lot of fluid on his lungs and was needing about 4 liters of oxygen (earlier this month we thought our limit of 2.5 liters was high....). So, they gave him a dose of Lasix (a heavy diuretic that made him pee off 1/4 of a pound of fluid) and re-started him on the steroids. This morning, he's still needing 4 liters, but appears to be a little happier and more playful - when he's not sleeping that is. The doctor said his lungs sound a little clearer, too.

We think we'll be here at least until Monday when all the doctors can talk to each other and Mason can hopefully have a chance get stable. We are hoping that over the next several hours to day or so we can start to wean down on the oxygen. We are also praying that whether surgery happens on Dec. 9th or sooner or later, that the steroids will give his lungs the strength they need to get through it, but not have too big of an impact on his healing.

We'll keep you posted....