The Last Hurdles of This Race

Caleb is officially off of all the medications and aids he was receiving intravenously. That is a huge step! He is now taking his medicines by mouth which are the same meds he will probably go home with. They are also considering taking out his arterial and venus lines. These are like IV lines inserted into a newborn's umbilical to access an artery and vein in the heart. The doctor also told us he will be going home soon. He then explained that "soon" means one or two weeks. Before we go home they need to make sure Caleb is feeding well, that he is stronger and moving more, and that his arithmias are resolved. Today he started speech, physical and occupational therapy to help him reach most of these goals. If we don't jump these hurdles within this week, they will refer him to a neurologist who will run a number of tests to make sure that nothing in his brain was damaged during surgery or recovery.