Update on Nolen

So, I just heard back from the doctor. The initial culture shows NO GROWTH!!!! Which is a great indicator that this is just Viral Meningitis....which is a 100 times better than Bacterial. We won't have a 100% diagnosis until after the 2nd culture has been evaluated. From what I've been told, the second culture (48hr) is more of a precautionary measure to insure that some crazy bacteria isn't the cause as well as to take into account that there could have been very small amounts of the bacteria present due to catching it so early.

We are breathing easier...that is for sure! My sister made it safely into town and will be watching Nolen for an hour while I shower and visit with the girls. Then, she will be taking over the babysitting duties for my girls while I spend the rest of the time in the hospital with Nolen.

Nolen has been in a lot of pain (as evidenced by his high heart rate and high blood pressure readings as well as his crying/whimpering during sleep), and is very restless. Currently, the only way we have been able to keep his heart rate down near normal is through keeping skin contact (kind of like Kangaroo care) and moving him as little as possible (which means Mama isn't doing much). He is nursing more like his old self (Praise God) but not as frequently as I would like.

Anna is still running a slight fever, but other than sleeping A LOT she is acting just like her old self!

Current Prayer Requests/needs:
-48 hour culture comes back CLEAN
-Nolen's pain lessens and he is able to rest and Nurse more frequently
-Nolen's fever starts to subside
-Strength for Ryan and I.
-Guidance for Dena, my sister, as she is in a strange state (with wonky driving laws...but that's another post altogether) and a strange house where she doesn't know where anything is.