Colonization, not Infection

We got great news from the doctor last night: Roscoe does not have an infection. This confused us because they detected the common staph bacteria in his breathing tube and also on an IV insertion point in his hand. The doctor said that the blood test result came back and it showed that his blood did not have the staph bacteria! The doctor said that the bacteria they detected earlier was a colonization (on the surface of his lungs & skin), and not an infection (in his blood). This is good news because it means that the bacteria was ON Roscoe, not IN Roscoe. See the previous post about cheese for a detailed explanation on the difference.

The doctor said that they also did not detect heightened levels of white blood cells in Roscoe's lungs, which also indicates that his body is not fighting an infection. You might ask "What are the odds that Roscoe would have the same bacteria in a sore on his hand and in his breathing tube, but not in his blood stream?". Alisha and I both took this to be an answer to prayer. We assume that Roscoe did have an infection in his blood, and that God removed the infection as an answer to our prayer. We believe that he responds to our prayers, and this is yet another one of his responses to remind us that he's there supporting Roscoe through this process.

The lack of an infection means that Roscoe has chronic lung disease, which is caused by damage to his lungs from the ventilator tube. The high blood pressure in Roscoe's lungs was most likely caused by inflammation from the ventilator tube, not an infection. The doctors have halted his antibiotic treatments (since he doesn't have an infection) and today they start his steroid treatments. The steroids will be used to strengthen his lungs temporarily so that they can support his body's oxygen requirements without the breathing tube. The doctors are keeping him on a short duration and low dose of steroids so that the side-effects of steroid use will be kept to a minimum. Please pray that God will support Roscoe as he is gradually weaned from the breathing tube over these next few days.