Cousin update.  After I wrote my blog post a couple days ago, things changed again.  Zach went into a seizure that lasted nearly four hours and seemed to undo all the progress, what little it was, he made.  He had to be put back on the ventilator and while he's not back in his coma, he's been sedated.  Since Facebook has been the easiest way to stay in touch and updated with my family, here's the latest, directly from his mother.  

Zach's doctors are trying something called a ketogenic diet now. This diet has been proven to reduce or stop seizures in some kids. However, they're not sure how well it will work for him because his ammonia levels keep fluctuating which leads them to believe that his liver is having a hard time breaking down protein- one of the main c

omponents of that diet. They continue to monitor those levels and if they keep elevating, they will be forced to stop it. He is being kept sedated while they try to figure out how to treat him since his body has not been tolerant of most of the seizure meds so far, and the ones he has tolerated have not been stong enough to be effective. They have not been able to find a cause for the seizures yet, so all they can do right now is try to prevent them from happening through diet or medication. 

The poor kid cannot seem to catch a break.  I've been thinking about him non-stop since he ended up back in the hospital and am hopeful the doctor's can get a handle on his condition and get him back on the road to recovery quickly.