Memphis is doing about the same, or so it seems today. He has lost another 305 grams, which gets him down to 4790 grams. Dr. Anderson came in and talked to us this morning. He stated there really isn't any specific weight that we are trying to get him down to, rather we are trying to get as much weight off as possible. He definitely looks better than he did a few days ago. The dialysis has been going slow and testy. The more fluid that they remove the less efficiently his pump works. His blood pressure has been dropping, which is typical. The usual response to that is either to turn the pump up or give him fluids, both which are counter productive to what we are trying to do. He got some plasma last night, which seemed to help, but it is still running low. They also turned down one of his pain medicines today, which they hope will increase the pressures. With all of these problems, he is still running smoothly in the direction they would like him to.

The biggest issue we are dealing with now is the arterial canula. The tube that is going into the arterial side of the blood system. It is backing out. This very moment, it is ok, but it is an issue. The reason for this is just the amount of time that he has been on ECMO. The tissue around the canula has started eroding and deteriorating, and therefore letting go of the tubing. There is nothing they can do for this, so it makes this weaning even more important. This truly has turned into our last effort to get him off of ECMO.

We want to thank everybody for their support, and keep Memphis, Levi, and all the others in your thoughts.