Hi everyone,

As you all know from my last post, Wyatt has been trying to fight something, it seemed, yet all the cultures etc are coming back negative over and over again, with the exception of the pseudonomis, which they feel is colonized due to the ventilator. 
They had started him on an antibiotic finally last week, at the direction of the infectious disease team to treat the pseudonomis, since nothing else was growing, yet he was obviously getting worse.    He continued to have high fevers, and be extremely irritable, beyond consolation.  His vent settings have continued to increase, as well as his oxygen requirements.                          Fast forward to the last couple of days, where, despite now being on day 6 of antibiotics for the pseudonomis, he is still spiking fevers of up to 40.7  He looks terrible, grey color, lips are blue, he is very mottled, and extremely irritable still.  Last night and today he is still having the fever of 40.7.  No one seems to be able to figure out what is wrong.  There only thought right now is that it may be meningitis.   They have put him on 3 heavy duty antibiotics, and are going to be doing a lumbar puncture tomorrow.  It would have been done today, but they need to stop his enox (blood thinner) ahead of time.   For now, they are giving him extra doses of chloral to try and keep him more still and calm, and hopefully this will help his temp to stay somewhat down, though he is getting these temps with ibuprofen, tylenol, and ice on him.   If he has bacterial meningitis, cells will show up in his spinal fluid.  If he has viral, they would not.  Meningitis is very nasty, especially when it is not treated immediately, and especially in a person that is immune comprimised.  It can cause many problems such as hearing loss, learning disabilities, and death.  It all will depend on how long he has it before it is treated.  The lumbar puncture will be done early tomorrow, and we are not exactly sure how long results will take, anywhere from a couple hours to 48 hours.    If it is not meningitis, then no one seems to have any other ideas as to what it could be.   We don't know what the next steps will be if that is the case.   For the lumbar puncture they will give him propophol to knock him out (short acting) and then give him a local anesthetic, and then draw spinal fluid from around his spine.    Lisa will be staying with him for this.  Tomorrow is also Lisa's birthday, so let's hope that this means it will be a good day, with some good news.  Wyatt really needs some right now, as does Lisa.  Please say many prayers for him, that his fever comes down at least to a more safe level.

I will update again when I know something new.

Laura