Gage continues to have his ups and downs. It seems like every time they back off of the sedation meds and reduce the respirator support, Gage begins to show signs of failure within the first few hours. So much so that he requires more sedation and lung support. Yesterday they discovered that Gage has some kind of infection. This is something that seems to be partially responsible for the elevated body temperature and heart rate that Gage has been experiencing over the last several days that had me very concerned.
They had to cool him with cold cloths on his head and legs in order to try and break his fever. This evening just after we left, he had another weak moment that caused his temperature and heart rate to increase. The cooling blanket was used this time to help bring his temperature back down. We haven't heard exactly what kind of infection he has yet since the lab tests aren't complete. They had already given him one type of antibiotic less than 24 hours ago. Now they've switched antibiotics to something that will better target his infection. His cardiologist says that Gage's echo results and his rate of recovery are signs that Gage's will likely need a replacement valve next week. We continue to wait.
