Today has been a tough day for Iain. Oxygen levels in his blood have been trending down, and the doctors have been aggressively attempting to remove fluid in his lungs that is contributing to those low oxygen levels. We had to re-sedate him as he was struggling against the ventilator and driving his O2 levels down even further. Right now he’s sleeping.

We are unfortunately approaching a point where, to save the lungs, we may have to sacrifice the kidneys. The lungs are too wet, and need to be dried out. This is done through the use of diuretics, which places a greater strain on the kidneys. His kidneys, already under the strain of antibiotics and more importantly immunosuppressants, are being pressed to their capacity. At the same time, we need to push the lungs harder to keep the oxygen levels up, which results in more injury. It’s a vicious cycle and and makes me realize that, in a healthy person, how beautifully balanced our systems are.

Thank you for your heartfelt comments. We are reading them to Iain.

-John (Iain’s dad)