The Worst Day of Our Lives
The medicine that Nathan's doctor's have been using to address the clot are not working - the clot seems to have stopped growing since Friday, but at its size continues to consume all of the blood products that Nathan needs for his body to break it up. It is also infected, so they are unable to clear the staff infection from his blood. To continue with this approach means we would simple watch Nathan deteriorate over the next two weeks as the infection begins to impact each of his organs and body systems.
Surgery is not an option yet because the risks are too high. In Nathan's condition - so premature, all organs and body systems underdeveloped and having this infection - the mortality rate is 70%.
The "middle ground" also comes with high risk. It took discussion all day yesterday and a call to the top cardiologist for dealing with clots in the world to determine the best course of action and all the doctors involved admit we are in uncharted territory. They plan to give Nathan very low doses of TPA - a "clot busting" medication that will hopefully begin the work the body has been unable to do. This medication can cause a major bleed anywhere in the body. We already know that Nathan has a very small, perfectly normal for preemies, bleed in his brain. The biggest fear is that this bleed would be effected and by the TPA. A massive bleed in the brain is a possibility. Nathan's team will monitor his body with head scans and heart ultrasounds every few hours as they give the TPA. The hope is that as soon as the medication begins to decrease the size of the clot the antibiotics will begin to work and the infection will clear up in a few days. With the infection cleared all prospects look better and the body can hopefully take over the work of the TPA.
So today they do one last round of scans and then begin the new medication. For us it will be a lot of sitting with Nathan and praying.