July 2

 We were able to visit Brian this evening. His doctor came to the room and gave an update. Taking excess fluid off of Brian was more of a challenge today, but still, the primary goal while he rests. They plan to reinsert the Pulmonary Arterial catheter tomorrow to give them a better ability to evaluate Brian's heart in preparation for the heart test he is likely to have on Tuesday. He might also have his feeding tube reinserted to help better deliver nutrition. I noticed that Brian's resting heart rate is elevated to approx. 125 beats per minute. His nurse explained to me that this is an indication that his heart is weakening and working harder to do its job (even with the help of the VA ECMO machine). Hopefully, by Tuesday his heart will be stronger. His bilirubin count is 16 today.