Turning Downward Again

I believe we are starting to see the effects of the steroid wean today. Mason's saturations overall are lower today than yesterday which were a little bit lower than the day before. Unfortunately, when awake, Mason's saturations are generally in the 60's, lowering to the 50's when he's really active and rising to the 70's when he takes a break. We are once again faced with the very real possibility that he may not survive this admission -- a fact that is weighing very heavily on our hearts today.

I'm sure some are asking why we don't just keep him on the steroids, and believe me, I wish it were that simple. Unfortunately, his lungs don't grow while he's on high doses of steroids - they stunt growth. Additionally, Mason's immune system is significantly suppressed when he's on high doses of steroids, making him a prime target for any number of infections. The cost of staying on high dose steroids is too high, so our only hope is that given some time, he can adjust to the lower dose and stabilize a bit.

We will also be watching Mason's blood count over the coming days and weeks. It is possible that his low blood counts are contributing to his down turn, and if the Epo shots are not enough to get it back up as soon as we need to, we will hopefully be considering transfusion.

For now, please continue to pray for a miracle. Mason's body is fighting so hard and his spirit is still just as strong as always. Please pray that he not only wins this battle, but can win the war!