Nathaniel's in the hospital...please pray

Yesterday afternoon, after the lab drew blood, the doctor's office called to let us know that the doctor wanted to see him ASAP because of a test result having to do with Potassium.

I was concerned by the urgency of the doctors office, in fact, we were about 10 minutes from home and they asked us to take the next exit, turn around and come back.

The doctor said that his Potassium level was low and she was concerned by his lethargy due to dehydration. This was enough of a concern that they decided to admit him into the hospital.

I have to tell you, I was in shock. It all happened so fast and I was absolutely scared to death.

They started him on an IV immediately and then switched to an IV with more Potassium. After drawing blood at 6PM, Midnight and 6AM, the level rose a little, but not significantly.

Surprisingly he slept pretty well last night except for the blood draws.

Today was pretty up and down. Probably the most frustrating part was when it was time for the blood draw this afternoon. The person who came in for the blood draw was lucky they didn't get a couple of hits in the head. He seemed very unsure of what he was doing and spent WAY too much time trying to find the vein once the needle was already inside my son's arm! I was so upset! Everyone before him who has done the same job has been amazing! After deciding to not try poking again, the guy decided to poke his heal and try to get it that way. The nurse was unhappy with this choice and decided to leave. Paul couldn't handle anymore either.

The guy pokes his heal and proceeded to squeeze the heck out of his foot for a good 5 minutes. It was a nightmare! The worst part: the blood sample wasn't accurate enough so it had to be redone anyway! Needless to say, this will NEVER happen again! My little Nathaniel is already having a tough time.

The redone blood draw showed the Potassium level on the low end of normal. A small miracle, but there is more...his Carbon Dioxide level/PH level/acidosis (please forgive me for not quite understanding all the medical lingo) has actually gone down. This is a concern, as it has been rising, like it should and then suddenly dropped.

At this point, the doctor said we *might* be able to go home tomorrow as long as everything turns out "normal" in the morning and he can maintain without the IV throughout the day. It looks more like we could be here longer...

I am so thankful for all the help people have given us! We haven't been home since Monday morning!

Thank you to Melisma for helping us so much for Chewy, packing us clothes, making sure we are eating and watering our flowers :-). Thank you to Paul's parents and sister, Brian, Vicki & Shelli for bringing us supplies, more clothes and caring for details at our house. We are so thankful for you all! Not having to worry about these things have given us the ability to truly care for Nathaniel the best we can.

Thank you also to my dear family who long so to be here, but are with us in prayer during this time.

It is wonderful to have such an amazing group of family, friends and acquaintances all over the world praying for our family. We are truly blessed.

Please continue to pray.

Love,

Holly