[atlantaprog] Re: OT - Re: Baby

Rowen will be in our thoughts and prayers Bill, as will you and Bridget also.  
I hope he does well enough to be let home soon!

PEACE
Beth
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Bill Kargel 
  To: atlantaprog@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Monday, April 12, 2004 10:02 AM
  Subject: [atlantaprog] OT - Re: Baby


  Just a quick update on his status:

  Rowen was doing very well...they took him of the
  respirator soon than we thought!  However, they still
  cannot get the blood sugar issue under control.

  It was decided to move him to Egleston Chidren's
  Hospital in Atlanta, so that they could focus on this
  problem.  He has been there for nearly a week now.

  He has now been eating on his own, guzzling down
  pumped breast milk from a bottle like nobody's
  business!

  Both Bridget and I have been able to hold him, feed
  him and even change his diapers!  He has been opening
  his eyes, and appears to be very alert!  He likes to
  be sung to...no prog as of yet...unless I can manage
  to scrounge up a 15 minute version of "Itsy-Bitsy
  Spider" in 9/8 time...!  ;-)

  As time goes by, it is appearing more and more likely
  that Rowen has also inherited the genetic condition
  that our first son Royce had, which is the familial
  variant of something that is modernly known as a form
  of Congenital Hyper-Insulinism (HI), also called PHHI
  (Persistent Hyper-Insulinic Hypo-Glycemia in Infancy),
  but more classically known as Nesidioblastosis.  We
  knew ahead of time that there was a 1 in 4 chance that
  he would have this condition, and a 1 in 2 chance he
  would be at least a carrier, so this was something we
  were prepared for...we just wish it wasn't happening,
  of course.  

  The last resort is surgery to remove a large portion
  (up to 95 percent) of his pancreas, since it cannot
  stop producing large quantities of insulin, therefore
  causing the blood sugar problems.  The doctors at
  Egleston have already scheduled surgery on Tuesday,
  but that may be moved back, as they want to give a
  little more time for the drugs they are giving him to
  take effect and then see if they are really making any
  difference (so far, a little bit).

  Regardless of the result, at some point in his life,
  the (remaining) cells in his pancreas that produce
  insulin will basically "burn out" from
  over-producing...and then he will have to live life as
  an insulin-dependent diabetic.  This is something that
  we were also prepared for, and we don't feel that this
  is something that would negatively affect his quality
  of life.  We know of plenty of little boys who are out
  there running around, doing what little boys always
  do, but also with an insulin pump.  Rowen could have a
  normal life...well, about as "normal" as it would get
  in the Kargel household...!  :-P

  I have uploaded more pics of baby Rowen to my Yahoo! 
  Photos page...  http://photos.yahoo.com/wkargel 

  You can finally see his beautiful little face without
  anything in the way!  He is also a rather pudgy baby
  (this is in part due to all the extra fluids he has
  been getting for the past 12 days...he has in fact
  GAINED a pound, while most babies will in fact lose
  between 10 and 20 percent of their weight after
  birth).

  Please keep Rowen in your prayers as we continue to
  deal with his issues.  If surgery happens, we are
  hopeful that he would be finally able to come home
  within a couple of weeks of that.  Keep your
  collective fingers crossed!

  Sincerely,

  Bill, Bridget and Baby Rowen Kargel




  =====
  **********************
  "The man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of 
sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils; The motions of his 
spirit are dull as night, And his affections dark as Erebus. Let no such man be 
trusted." --William Shakespeare 
  **********************

  Bill Kargel

  wkargel@xxxxxxxxx

  Visit my homepage at http://www.geocities.com/wkargel

  __________________________________
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