Day 20: Roller coaster

Susanne called to check in on Paxton at 4:30 am this morning. She was informed that Paxton's preoperative bloodwork was showing an elevation in his white blood cell count and that he might not be going to surgery today. This elevation in the white blood cell count had previously been present when there was concern for an infection back when he was having bloody stool. It had since returned to normal after being started on antibiotics. Now that it was elevated again, the doctors were concerned about taking him to surgery if there was any potential that it could be related to another infection. When we called back around 7:30 am, the doctors had decided to postpone the surgery for sure. What a roller coaster ride! Scott and Susanne felt emotionally and physically drained at this point. They were mentally prepared for today to be the big day and now it was put on the back burner. They obviously understand that it is most important to do what is best for little Paxton, but they are ready for him to start feeling better.
Once we knew the surgery was postponed, Scott had to immediately get on the road back to PA for his internship so that he would not have to use up another vacation day. Saving up those days are critical at this point. It is so difficult for Scott and Susanne to be apart from one another. They each have their own set of challenges and it would be much easier to handle them if they were together. Two is always better than one.
Susanne went to visit with Paxton in the afternoon. He weighed 6 lbs 5 oz today. What a big boy! He has almost gained an entire pound since birth. Susanne got to hold Paxton in the kangaroo chair again today. She was so comfortable that she almost fell asleep while holding him. She spoke with the neonatologist to get an update on Paxton's status. He explained that Paxton's bloodwork would continue to be monitored over the next few days. If the white blood cell count continued to decrease, then Paxton may be put back on the surgery schedule for Wednesday or Thursday. They plan to repeat a couple of other tests to try to rule out an infection as the source of the recent changes in the bloodwork. For now, he will continue on the four different antibiotics that he has been on for the last week. Susanne's suspicion is that all of the recent changes in his demeanor and bloodwork are secondary to the PGE medication he is on. Susanne had a wonderful visit with her son today. The bonding process is critical in keeping both her and Paxton strong. Go team Paxton!