We were back in the hospital again, but we're home now...

And he looks like he's getting a little better every day. We were sent back to the hospital on Monday for a possible second round of his IVIG. The pediatric cardiologist sent us there because his CRP and SED rate (inflammation markers in the blood) were too high to do nothing about. The little boys went back to Joy's house and we headed to Tacoma. We were there until Tuesday night. They drew blood often from his IV and monitored all his levels, including aspirin levels. He's still on a med-high dose aspirin every day for inflammation. Because he looked better and was acting better, they decided that another round with IVIG wasn't necessary, since it does come with it's own risk. It's a blood product, so it comes with the same risks as a transfusion does. His SED rate continued to climb while in the hospital, but with some lengthy explanation from the attending doc, we understand it's not really a cause to worry.

On Tuesday morning he received another echocardiogram (heart ultrasound), and all of our prayers were answered when we heard that it was identical to his previous one, meaning there was no heart damage. There are so many ways this disease can effect the heart, and we are just so thankful to God that thus far, there is no visible damage. Another plus is that his platelets (blood clotting agents) are normal, and for this diesase, they are usually soaring at this stage. His high dose aspirin doesn't really act as an anti-coagulant in that dosage, it's low dose aspirin that does that....but we are grateful those levels are normal. I just want to thank all of you who are our friends who have been praying for him, and have helped us out. This has been a trying time for our family, but God has been there with us all through this, comforting us when we needed it. Josiah will have another more blood drawn on Monday, labor day, and we are anxious to see those results. Then on Tuesday he will have another echo to check out his heart again. I welcome all those echos...although this disease is looooong, the chance of it harming his heart lessens with each week. Today is day 21, and the disease is an average of 6 weeks. We are thankful that he is a little stronger every day, and looks a little better with each day too. The most recent thing is that he's pale. His iron is good, and all of the other levels in the blood that can cause "pallor" (paleness) are too...so it just must be part of the disease. At least his eyes look better. Again, thank you all for praying!!! Praise the Lord!