It has been a very busy few days for both Isa & Celia. And in true twin fashion they continue to have the same episodes within hours of each other, keeping everyone on their toes. The Porras pods have definitely seen the most action in the NICU as of late but at least the girls will learn to deal with popularity nice and early ;)
Both experienced huge changes in their electrolytes which are essential for normal function of their organs. The one change that was the most worrisome was their high potassium level. This can lead to unhealthy changes in the heart, causing arrhythmia and peaks in their t-waves (an irregular heartbeat). Isa first started to have a bad night around 12:30am on Sunday and then Celia followed around 7-8am on Sunday morning (just after Isa had stabilized). She finally stabilized around 7:30pm.
A team of doctors and nurses had to sit bed-side and monitor the girls consistently, a slew of medications were given to help regulate their little systems, and blood gasses were taken every 30-60 minutes to monitor the electrolyte levels. The good news is within 12 hours or so, both Isa & Celia regulated. The frustrating part is that at this point, no one can pin point exactly what caused this. It could be their PDA (we find out today if they are considered stable enough at this point to have their surgeries this week) but it could also be an issue with their kidneys so they are bringing in a specialist to see if we can get any answers there. The doctors seem to think that it is a combination of everything:
- the girls are so premature (their organs are still pretty young and undeveloped)
- they are getting a lot of medicines which could be a little bit stressful on their kidneys
- the PDA is not allowing enough oxygenated blood to circulate through their entire bodies
The doctors were able to get all of their electrolytes back under control and that the twins are doing well today with their breathing & heartbeats. More to come soon ...
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