I definitely got knocked down Saturday night. When mommy and daddy left me I had stage one necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). This means the condition is suspected based on symptoms but unconfirmed. Treatment is usually noninvasive and includes antibiotics and several days of IV based nutrition (no food orally).
As the night progressed so did my condition. Mommy and daddy got several phone calls throughout the night to authorize progressively invasive tests. This culminated with an exploratory laparoscopy on Sunday morning. By this point I had moved to stage three, confirmed NEC, and likely had holes in my intestine that would require intervention to avoid spreading bacteria throughout my body.
I had my entire large intestine removed and about 10% of my small intestine removed. The doctors said I did wonderfully throughout the surgery and was strong. They are hopeful that I will respond well to the treatment and can proceed on to the next steps.
I have a couple more surgeries in my future. If you look at the photo you can see a plastic bag hanging down into me. This is a ‘silo’. My abdomen is still open to allow my remaining intestine to heal, which sometimes requires a bit of swelling. Once the swelling goes down I will be closed back up.
I still have a few days of monitoring and recovery before I am no longer in critical condition but I am on my way to getting back up again. And there is no reason to think I can’t be as healthy and happy as Morgan.