I was at the hospital this afternoon and got to talk to both this week's primary NICU physician, Dr. R, as well as the infectious disease specialist, Dr. I.
Dr. R reiterated what he told Melanie this morning. The petechiae are expected with Max' low platelet count. They will come and go depending upon a variety of factors. They are not a primary indicator of his overall health.
Dr. I gave me more information about the Gancyclovir (a powerful anti-viral drug) therapy that we have decided against at this time. Its benefits and risks are well understood for adults, but not newborns. Only one study has been done so far with Gancyclovir and Congenital CMV. It works like chemo-therapy in that it's toxic to both the virus and the host (i.e. Max). So you can imagine what the side effects are like. The only benefit that has been verified by the study was a 10-15% reduction in the probability of permanent hearing loss among Congenital CMV victims.
To ypk – thanks for your comment on my post "May 24 - Night". Perhaps nurse L. has a future as a suicide hotline counselor.
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