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Latest Update Date:
8/11/2008 Jackson had his first physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy today! It went really well. The speech therapist gave us the clear on giving him the bottle at every feed, Just to see what he will take. So far since the appointment he has taken about 46 out of the bottle!! The Physical and Occupational therapist said that Jackson is behind what a 4 month old would be developmentally! We will be going to rehab 1 or 2 times a week to hopefully bridge that gap. As far as how he tolerated the appointment! He loved the attention and just soaked it up! Brian and I were really happy with how he did and how tolerant he was with the therapists! Thanks again to everyone! Love, Brian, Michelle, & Jackson! Date:
8/8/2008 Jackson has been home for 3 weeks now! Brian and I
feel as though things are going smoothly! We are both
extremely tired but feel so blessed to finally have
Jackson home! Please keep Jackson in your prayers on
Monday because we start Rehab. We really aren't sure
what to expect but it is supposed to have the best
therapists for babies born prematurely in West Texas!
Thank you everyone for helping us and keeping us in your
prayers!
Date:
7/30/2008 Jackson has continued to do well. We had an appointment yesterday in Ft. Worth with his surgeon and he was pleased with how Jackson looked. He only said that he still needed to be working on taking a bottle and gaining weight. Other than that we don't need to see him for 6 months unless something doesn't look or act right. We start speech, physical therapy and occupational therapy on the 11th of August. Brian and I hope that will help with the bottle taking and bridge the other development delays. His heart rate has started going below 60bpm, they say its okay because of his age, however, it keeps Brian and I up all night because the heart monitor goes off if his heart rate goes below 70bpm. Jackson is still on 1/2 a liter of Oxygen. He also is still on several medications that he receives via the g-button daily. Brian and I are still working on a routine, with all of the meds,g-button cares, oxygen, and monitor requirements added to the "normal" baby requirements, it has been hard but slowly we are feeling more used to the schedule that Jackson's special needs demand. Thanks again to everyone for the love, prayers, and support. We couldn't have come this far without it. God Bless, Brian, Michelle, & Jackson!
Date:
7/25/2008 Jackson has done very well this week. We still are working on getting into a routine. He has an appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday to check on his g-button, so if everyone will keep him in your prayers that all will be well. Also, for the first time he rolled over on his side all by himself. Brian and I are really feeling like things are going well. Brian and I would also like to thank everyone for all of the prayers and support!. With Love, Brian, Michelle & Jackson!
Date:
7/22/2008 We had a pediatrician appointment this morning.
Everything was fine. She said that what we thought was
him having trouble breathing was actually his nose dried
out due to the dry oxygen he is getting. In the hospital
he always had a humidifier hooked to his oxygen to keep
his nose from getting dried out. He is 7 pounds 14.6
ounces today. We will be following up at West Texas
Rehab for speech (taking a bottle), physical therapy,
and occupational therapy. Brian and I are absolutely
thrilled to be home with Jackson! Jackson also seems
very content with being home. Date:
7/20/2008 Jackson is doing very well today. We went to the
Emergency room and spent about 4 hours there. Jackson
was breathing hard and with his heart condition we have
to be really careful about putting stress on it.
Everything checked out and after a breathing treatment
and some time on a higher level of oxygen he is doing
better. Now we are back on a 1/2 liter of oxygen and
home again. Date:
7/19/2008 We are at home, again!!! Yesterday evening Jackson
and I got to go home. We had a wonderful night. It is so
amazing to have the 3 of us together at home. We are on
a lot more medications than we anticipated but, that's
okay. So far everything has gone smoothly. Jackson is
still on oxygen and probably will be for sometime. We
also are on breathing treatments, which really seem to
be helping a whole lot. He is also on a heart/apnea
monitor. About every 3-6 hours he receives 4-6
medications. We will be following up with the
pediatrician, pulmologist, cardiologist, and rehab. So
he is going to keep us busy, but at least he will be
with us! Jackson is still receiving his feeds through
the g-button, he gets 66 an hour every 3 hours during
the day. At night, he receives 22 an hour continuous for
10 hours.
Date: 7/12/2008 Jackson is doing better. We got moved to a private
room a few days ago so we are very relieved to be out of
the ICU environment. Jackson is currently on a 1/2 liter
of oxygen. He is getting 22 m/l an hour of pregestimil
24 calorie formula. He is receiving all of this through
his g-button. He is on medicine for his heart because he
has pulmonary hypertension. He will continue to get this
medicine when we go home. He is also on a regiment of
steroids to hopefully build up his lungs. Also, he is
getting Viagra to open the capillaries of his lungs and
allow his heart to receive a better oxygen supply. Right
now is a little difficult because he is going through
withdrawals from the medicine he had to receive while he
was on the vent. Currently we have not been able to even
attempt a bottle but hopefully by Monday we will be able
to begin working on that aspect of things. We still are
unsure on how long our stay will be. He has to get off
of continuous feeds and finish the steroids and get on a
schedule as far as medicines and breathing treatments
are concerned before we will be able to start talking
about taking him home once again.
Date: 7/4/2008 Jackson is still struggling but he is
doing better. Yesterday they took him off the ventilator
and put him on the nasal canula. He is doing good with
it but he is on a flow of 6 liters and 30 percent. When
we took him home he was only on a flow of an 1/8 of a
liter. Last week he was having some troubles with his
heartbeat as it was anywhere from 60 to 300 bpm, but the
doctors believe it was because of his lungs and lately
it has been more regular. Today Jackson is more
responsive. Michelle said he was looking for me when she
put the phone on speaker. They are having trouble with
his veins as there have been many mishaps with his IVs.
Michelle is watching his stomach closely because of some
swelling a few days ago, but currently Jackson is
getting 3ml of formula hourly along with his iv fluids.
He should still be in PICU for a few more days before
getting moved to a room. Michelle had been in the
hospital last week with gall bladder attacks, but was
feeling okay today. I am still recovering from my burns,
my facial hair and arm hair have just started to grow
back, but I will probably have some permanent scarring
on my left hand and inside my right arm. A big thank you
to everyone who has prayed for us, without your prayers
we may not have got this far. Please continue the
prayers and support as we are not sure if this will take
weeks or months.
Date:
6/30/2008 Date:
6/27/2008 Brian ended up stranded in Abilene
Thursday and while working on the car had an accident
with fire. He was burned pretty bad over his face and
arms. He could use your encouragement and prayers.
Date:
6/26/2008 Brian's mom has called with an update that they flew Jackson from Abilene to Ft. Worth to put him back in the Cooks PICU. That is all that we really know right now. Please keep them all in your prayers.
Date: 6/26/2008 Brian as called with word that they took Jackson to Abilene yesterday but he has had some complications with oxygen levels. They took him to the Abilene hospital this morning and it sounds as if they will have to take him by Medi-flight back to Ft. Worth. Please pass the word to keep Jackson in your prayers.
Date:
6/24/2008 Hello All, Jackson is doing very well. He passed his car seat test last night. His blood sugars are better but, we will have to check them at home. We went to Abilene yesterday to pick up all of the supplies from the Home Health Supply Center. We got portable oxygen tanks, a feeding pump, an iv pole, heart monitor, and stationary oxygen converter for in home use. He is 7 pounds 14.4 oz. 21 inches long. Brian and I are going to room-in with Jackson tonight at the hospital, that means that tomorrow we may get to go home. If we don't go home tomorrow it should be soon as long as no problems arise. Next week would be 8 months, so we would like to thank everyone because we wouldn't have been able to go through this ordeal alone. When we go home we will continue to update the site since he will still be on oxygen and have many special needs. Thanks again to everyone for all of the Love, Prayers and Support! Brian, Michelle & Jackson Date:
6/19/2008 Thanks to everyone for all of the feedback! Jackson is doing very well. The doctors are talking about sending us home! After all this time we aren't quite sure what to think about it but we are so excited at the same time. Jackson is now getting 75m/l of formula through the g-tube and tolerating it fine. This is the most he has ever been able to tolerate. They converted his oxygen to the kind he will go home on and he is doing wonderfully with the change. He has lost a little bit of weight but this is due to some of the fluid he got during surgery, so its okay if he looses some. In the next couple of days he will get to do a car seat test, just to make sure he can handle the trip home. Brian and I will get to room-in on Monday and possibly Tuesday so on Wednesday there is a strong possibility that we will get to go home! Thanks for all of the prayers and support! Brian, Michelle & Jackson!
Jackson is still doing okay. He is a little more swollen but not to bad. He had a rough day with trying to keep an iv in. Around 5:45pm today the doctor put in a pic line, which stays in as long as they need it to unlike an iv it is more reliable. There is risk involved however with the pic line, such as, infection and displacement which could cause problems. However, the risk is small compared to what he would go through if they always were trying to get an iv. He was 8 pounds 3 ounces last night when they weighed him! He is also getting formula now through the g-tube. It is still a very small amount but he is tolerating it very well still. He is still in discomfort from the surgeries but he is hanging in there. It amazes me each and everyday what these little guys can go through. God Bless, Brian, Michelle & Jackson
Date: 6/13/2008 Jackson is still doing very well. He is getting a very small amount of pedialyte through the g-tube. I actually got to feed him myself twice today! We still wont try a bottle for several days. The swelling is minimal thus far however they expect him to swell a little more. He is still on 2 liters of flow and about 28% oxygen. The doctors are a little concerned that Jackson hasn't stooled after surgery. We just hope he does soon. With any surgery it just takes time to "wake-up" the bowels. The doctor did however, tell me that his goal for Jackson is to get to go home at the end of the month, as long as no complications arise. Thanks again to everyone for all your prayers!.. Brian & Michelle
Date: 6/12/2008 Jackson went into surgery around 11:45 this morning.
Everything went very well! The hernia was bigger than
they expected so the surgeries took a little longer than
expected and they were unable to do the right side of
his groin. They feared if they did that now that there
would be to much swelling and cause more damage than
good. However, the important thing is that everything
went well. He did not have to receive any blood. Also
the amazing thing is that he is already off of the
ventilator! He was only on it for about 3 hours. When he
woke up he was doing so well they could take him off. He
is back down to where he was before the surgeries on
oxygen. 2 liters of flow and about 40% oxygen. Thank
everyone so much for their continued prayers and
support. I know that we would not have made it this far
without the man up stairs and his precious angels here
on earth. Here is a little something that touches my
heart and I'm sure yours as well...
Date:
6/11/2008 Date:
6/9/2008
Date:
6/7/2008 Date:
6/6/2008 Jackson is doing okay. He is now getting 67 m/l of
formula over a course of 2 hours, then he gets to rest
for an hour. We still haven't got to try a bottle yet
since he got sick. However, we think that in the next
week or so we will get to see how he does with one. So
far he is tolerating the feeds well. We still don't know
what caused him to get sick a couple of weeks ago. His
oxygen is still on 2 liters of flow and on about 27%. He
is now 7 pounds 5.7 ounces. He still isn't gaining
weight like the doctors would like so they added extra
calories to the formula. We could have a problem for
most of his life gaining weight due to the intestines
that he lost and because of pre-maturity. The eye
surgeon said that his eyes looked fantastic and that he
won't have to be seen again for 3 months. He still will
have to have a hernia removed but so far it is doing
okay and can be postponed until right before he goes
home. We still are unsure of how much longer it will be
before we will get to take Jackson home but we pray it
will be soon. Please continue to pray for Jackson. He is
doing okay but he still has hurdles to overcome before
we can go home and will have medical needs even when we
do go home. If you have any questions about his
condition that we do not cover on an update please feel
free to ask via a message and we will try to respond as
quickly as our schedule will allow. Brian and I
appreciate all of the prayers and support. Also a couple
of people have asked about a baby shower. We haven't had
one yet. We thought that it would just be best to wait
until after he comes home so we will know exactly what
he needs and how big he will be.
Saturday 5/31/2008
Wednesday 5/28/2008
Saturday 5/24/2008 Friday 5/23/2008
Friday 5/23/2008 Thursday 5/22/2008 Jackson has continued
having problems eating enough food. They had lined him up
for some tests the week for intestinal blockage but were
unable to go through with it because of a high fever.
Thanks for your help! GREAT NEWS! Jackson has been moved to Room 1! This is
the room he will be going home out of. We have been
striving to get him to this room because it means we are
getting closer to home. Jackson still is trying to master
the art of taking his bottle. Every day (2 times a day
now) he gets to try a bottle. He is still currently taking
only about 20-25 of the 65 he is expected to take each
time. We pray and ask for prayers that this will start to
increase a little each time. That way he will be able to
start taking more bottle because we need to get up to 8 in
a 24 hour time frame. Jackson also was moved down to 3
liters of flow on his oxygen which is great because he was
on 4 liters last week. He is on 29% oxygen which is wonderful
because when the doctors decreased the flow to 3 we
thought that it might make the percentages go up but so
far they haven't. Thanks again for all of the continued
prayers and support. P.S. Sorry forgot to say that he is currently 7 lbs. 1.3 oz. Thanks so much for everything! Date:
5/10/2008 Jackson is now 7 pounds 0.6 ounces and doing very
well. He is back down on his oxygen which means that he
has been able to start bottle feeding again. He took 25
out of 65 today which is amazing. The Eye Doctor said
that his eyes were FANTASTIC! and he will return in
about 4 weeks. He is back on 4 liters on his oxygen and
at around 28%. He got a mobile for his 6 month birthday
and some clothes as well. He loves the mobile! He has
also been trying to sit up in a chair and has done
really well holding up his head. The Physical Therapist
said that she is really impressed with his mobility and
range of motion. Next week we will start to put him down
on a mat and build his muscles in his neck, back, arms
and legs. Brian and I got back into the Ronald McDonald
house today which we are both very thankful for. Thanks
again for all of your prayers and support. We couldn't
do it without everyone.
May 5th, 2008 Hello, Thank you all for your prayers and support. We really enjoy getting all of your messages. Jackson is now weighing 6 pounds 13.1 oz. He will be 6 months old on the 9th. Brian and I can't believe it. He got to try a bottle a week ago Sunday. He did okay and got to try one time a day up till Tuesday when he had some respiratory problems which is from having chronic lung syndrome. He is now getting breathing treatments which have been helping. Brian and I hope he will get to try a bottle again soon. He is currently on 30% oxygen and 5 liters of flow. He was on 4 of flow before his set back so we are going on the right road to recovery. Jackson has an eye exam this week, so please keep that in your prayers. Thanks so much!.. Brian and Michelle
Friday May 2, 2008 Jackson is holding his
own. They have reduced his oxygen back to 37%. They still
believe that his problems are from his underdeveloped
lungs.
Date: 4/29/2008 Jackson is
weighing in at a whopping 6lbs and 12.8oz but he is
having some serious problems today. Yesterday he began
taking on fluid around his heart and lungs and started
showing swelling in his groin area. So far they do not
know for sure what is happing. Jackson needs your
prayers today along with Michelle and Brian as they
stand by his side. Its especially import to send them
some support tonight.
Latest Update Jackson is 6 pounds 7.8 ounces today and doing very well. He is on 31%
oxygen and his stats are good. Jackson has had a great
few days except for a diaper rash that he is really not
enjoying:) He is now receiving 60 m/l of formula over a
course of 1& 1/2 hours so we are getting to our goal of
the above amount in an hour. Hopefully he will continue
to do good with his feeds so that we will be able to
give him a bottle. In about 2 weeks he will have another
eye exam and we pray that will go well so that Jackson
will not undergo anymore eye surgeries. We thank you for
all the continued prayer and support.
Date: 4/21/2008 Jackson is doing very well. He is continuing to go up on his feeds. He is now getting 60 m/l over a course of 2 hours. Soon we hope that he will be getting that over a course of an hour. Then he will be able to start trying a bottle. He still has several obstacles to overcome but he is getting closer everyday. He is now 6 pounds and 8.7 ounces. He has another eye exam in about 3 weeks, we hope to have a good report from the surgeon. We thank you for all of your prayers and messages.
April 15, 2008 Jackson is now 5 lbs. 15 oz. He has been losing weight due to loose and frequent stools. We pray that that will soon get better so that he will be able to start gaining weight properly. He is now back on the nasal canula, which is regular oxygen going in his nose. He was on this before he had a set back a few weeks ago, when unfortunately, he had to go back on the
ventilator. He is doing well and Brian and I got to give him his first tub bath last night, which was an amazing experience. He even got to have bubbles. It was like a spa day for him that he enjoyed very much. His doctor informs us that we are now looking a weeks instead of months and for that we are very thankful. Jackson has come such a long way from the beginning of this long journey. We would like to thank everyone for all their prayers and support. We hope to have more recent pictures up shortly.!
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Update Feb. 29, 2008
Sorry for the delay on the site..... We've had website trouble. Thanks to all, Michelle and Brian Latest Update January 28, 2008 Jackson has started showing more signs of problems with his intestines. This is a scary problem like it is but while he is fighting this off he will not be strong enough to deal with the needed surgery on his eyes. Brian sent word asking for special prayers that Jackson can again begin to improve. Update January 23, 2008 Jackson has now weighed in at 3lbs and 15 ounces and stretched to 15 3/4 inches long. They need to do surgery on Jackson's eyes but he is just not strong enough. There is a certain problem that often happens with early babies where the blood vessels in the eyes grow too large and can cause blindness if not repaired with surgery. Brian and Michelle could really use some encouragement at this point. Please take some time and send them a card or a note to the address shown here on the website. And of course please keep them all in your prayers. --------------------------------------------------------------- Jackson is now 3 lbs and 10 ounces and has grown to a whopping 15 1/2 inches long. The doctors removed a blockage in Jackson's intestines December 28th. Since then he has had a portion of his intestine exposed on the outside of his belly while it all heals. Next they are looking at maybe having to do surgery on his eyes. They are not sure of the timeline. Meanwhile, they have been able to drop the amount of oxygen that Jackson needs which is a very important step. This shows his lungs are developing. Brian and Michelle seem to be holding out alright. Please keep them in your prayers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Update December 10th, 2007 Jackson has grown to a proud 14 1/2 inches long on his 1st month milestone. He weighs in at 2lbs and 4 ounces. He's still got a ways to go but every day is another blessing. Thanks for your continued prayers. Thanks for your continued prayers. We have added some pictures to the website. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Update December 4th Brian sent word that Jackson is now 2lbs and 4 ounces and he measures 14" long. They had some problems this past weekend but they are really glad to see some growth. Thanks for your continued prayers ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Update November 24, 2007 Brian called with some new information Friday. He reports that Jackson opened his eyes and looked at them Thursday. He was so excited he could barely speak the words. Also Wednesday they removed the IV from Jacksons belly and they lowered some of his blood pressure medicine. ............................................................................................................... Michelle and Brian delivered Mr. Jackson Alexander Calhoun on the 23rd week of pregnancy. As with most early babies he is starting with some very fragile and underdeveloped lungs. After a few days the staff noticed blood leakage around the heart. They ran tests and found that the PDA was not closed as it needed to be. Over the course of several days Jackson did well for his situation so on Sunday the 18th they did open heart surgery to correct the PDA problem. Three days later Jackson is showing a better heart rate and blood pressure and his body is beginning to operated a little more normally. |
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Thanks to everyone for your prayers and phone calls. |