Just a little more news

NB to all, Theo in Loughborough Echo again today, all down to his winning smile.

Yesterday mum and dad talked with a doctor about what the plans are for Theo...as you know it is a long complicated journey to get him home but briefly this is what needs to happen.

We need to undertake the training to look after his tracheostomy - suctioning, cleaning wound site, changing tapes, changing trachey tube, CPR for emergencies etc. initially mum and dad do this training but later on other friends and relatives will be encouraged to learn to give us support. hopefully there will be some willing relatives as me and colin will never ever get a moment off otherwise.
We must learn how to draw up medications and administer them, and his feeding through the tubes. We are quite overwhelmed by what parenthood is asking of us this time round.
Theo's progress on the ventilator must reach a baseline - he will come home with ventilator machine which is disappointing as it is going to make life very difficult in the most basic terms. However, he will be home one way or the other.
Other aspects of his health will be assessed and he must be deemed fit to be outside of hospital - he will retain open access to the High Dependency Unit or ICU as he will have the ventilator.
There will be an assessment of our home to ensure that the safety requirements are met and quite possibly some changes will need to be made.

Re the heart transplant - as we know there are minimum requirements for his eligibility, however, he will not automatically have this the moment he meets them IF his own heart is coping, no matter that it is not very strong. It is likely that his heart will become exhausted though.
thats all we know for now
willow