I’ve been getting a lot of questions about what happened so I figured this account would make it more convenient for everyone to have access to his condition and know how it all started. At this time I would like to ask for this page to not be shared on any social media platform for privacy reasons. We only want to share information with family and friends right now while he is still critical.
Our sweet Henry had his tonsils and adenoids removed Tuesday June 19th. Surgery went well and we made it home to rest, recover, and eat lots of popsicles and jello. Unfortunately the next morning Henry woke up ill. We went to have him checked at his ENT. After leaving the doctors office with a prescription for nausea meds, I still felt like something wasn’t right. So I took him to Wake Med ER. I was immediately reassured that this was where he needed to be and they would start fluids and try and get him hydrated. After a series of blood tests and fluids Henry still wasn’t responding. A chest X-ray was ordered and upon returning to his room his vitals dropped quickly. The ER doctor, who’s name I wish I could remember, came in and said Henry had severe pneumonia on his left lung and called in a team to assist with breathing by putting him to sleep and on a ventilator. He was rushed to the ICU. Where Intensivist-Dr Hanson and her staff worked rapidly to help stabilize Henry. She did a Echocardiogram which showed a large amount of fluid surrounding his heart. They tried to remove the fluid in the icu but were unsuccessful at removing the fluid quickly and Henry was rushed into surgery where surgeons removed 600mL ‘s of fluid from the pericardial sac. Not including the 200mL that was removed in the icu. We were told the sac usually holds 25/30mL’s and the fluid removed was suspected to be bacterial. Once we returned to meet him back in the icu, doctors informed us that Henry was in septic shock and his Left ventricle wasn’t function properly due to the stress it had been under with the excess fluid. We were then told the best option would be to have Henry transferred to Dukes Pediatric cardiac intensive care unit. Hen was taken to Duke by Wake meds critical care transport team and intensivist Doctor Adams incase anything we’re to happen along the way. By the time he arrived it was early Thursday morning. Henry’s condition continued to be critical and chest x rays showed he had more fluid in both lungs now. Because Henry was still so unstable Pediatric surgeons came into the ICU and placed 4 drains and took samples of fluid to be cultured. One drain in each lung and two on his shoulders(where there was significant swelling). Once placing the drains Henrys vitals became a little more stable but he was still on multiple medications to stabilize his blood pressure. As the day progressed into night and into Friday morning they were able to wean down a lot of said medications for blood pressure as well as the paralytic drug used to keep him still. Although still some what sedated Henry came too and was able to mouth a few words, appropriately shake his head yes or no when asked questions, and love on his stuffed puppy. All the doctors and nurses were very pleased, as were his father and I. Later on repeat X-rays we’re taken showing improvement in his lungs. He had a few more episodes where he came to but he became increasingly agitated and had to be given more sedative to keep all his tubes in place. Mid morning Henry was repositioned and his vitals dropped again quickly. Another x Ray was ordered showing his left lung was back completely full and his right looked worse than earlier in the morning. They were able to stabilize him again enough to move him to another unit where his lungs would be the primary focus since his heart was no longer the main concern. Once moved to his new room he was also removed from his ventilator and placed on another one that would be less damaging to his lungs at the high pressure he needs. Which leads to where we are currently. Henrys vitals are all stable and his ventilator settings have continued to be lowered little by little. He’s still not breathing on his own but lowering the setting means less pressure is needed to maintain his oxygen level. Infectious disease doctors have monitored the cultures taken and have confirmed Group A Strep infection but thankfully haven’t seen any other growth. The best treatment for Group A Strep is Penicillin. He has a continuous drip along with a few other broad spectrum antibiotics for preventative measures. Chris and I cannot thank everyone enough for their generosity and support! Henry is being closely monitored and I will try and update everyone throughout the weekend. I will also let everyone know when he is allowed visitors, as they don’t want any secondary infections due to exposure.
We are so happy to share that Henry is home!! His doctors think he will do better at home during this phase of recovery! Hen still has his feeding tube and a few medications and we are one wean away from finishing his methadone. He will have follow up appointments this week and will continue to be followed closely to insure he stays on the right track. Chris unfortunately had to return to work today. So we are adjusting to our new normal, but we are so relieved to have him home. Thank you for all of your support through this difficult process!! We are hoping a little down the road we can get everyone together to celebrate him after we all settle into life back at home. ❤️
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