wait, wait, wait

Waiting for test results to come back can really test your patience. Riley is still as stable as can be. His initial cultures did come back positive for an infection. They took a sample to test for pneumonia and did a spinal tap to rule out meningitis (the initial results of that didn't show an elevated white blood count so that's good news). He's still receiving both of the initial antibiotics. The doctor showed us his past few days of x-rays and explained all different types of things. We were able to see where his right lung had partially collapsed (and has since healed) and we were able to see that there are no intestinal problems. They're going to further test the culture to pinpoint the exact cause of infection. As we were getting ready to leave the nicu today, the lab did call to say they had identified a specific bacteria and I can't remember the name of it but it's some sort of minor staph infection and the doctor said that it's a common, weak infection that is easily cured all of the time in the nicu. So, we've got our fingers crossed and we're hoping for the best but prepared for things to get worse before they get better. His feedings are still on hold and although his belly is looking better today, it's still a bit distended.
Addison seems to be on a fantastic roll right now. He started getting the fortifier added to the breastmilk and is tolerating it well. They add the powder right into the breastmilk and it ups the calorie content to 22 (breastmilk has an average of 20 calories) which doesn't seem like a lot, but when you're barely 1lb., it makes a huge difference. They're also adding potassium and I believe vitamin E into the milk. The vitamin E is believed to help the eyes and lessen the chances of them having the retinopathy and the potassium is to make up for the potassium he loses because of the diuretics.