May 19, 2002

Today has been a great day! Ben was weaned off the ventilator and is breathing well on his own. The tube was taken out around noon today and he handled it well. An ear, nose, and throat specialist used a scope to view Benjamin's upper airway. He believes he has the diagnosis. Ben's jaw is set back more than usual and he has a large tongue. When he is very tired, or feeding, his tongue has the tendency to slide back and block his airway. The doctor believes this caused his first respiratory arrest. For now, they are watching Benjamin very closely to see if this will be a frequent occurrence. They hope to prevent it by keeping him off his back. If it continues to be a problem, they may still do a tracheostomy to keep the airway open. Ben would hopefully outgrow this need by his first birthday. Ben still needs to show that he can breathe and digest continuously before he goes home with us.
This is the best news we could have hoped for. Thank you for all the prayers. They have helped carry us through.