Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Keeping us on our Toes


Finally, after three long days, I was able to hold Andrea again. No one told me not to over the weekend, but she was having so much trouble maintaining good oxygen saturation, I was reluctant to stares her out. She was much better today, so we got to spend an hour together. Normally I sing, but Mom and Dad are back from their cruise, and they came to see her today. We visited together while Andrea and I kangarooed.
The biggest change in Andrea's life today was a switch to a larger CPAP tube. Her nose has grown (any growth is a good thing for Andrea) and the old tube was too small. A respiratory therapist came this morning and measured Andrea's nose to determine if she needed a bigger size. He used a tool like a spark plug gapper, and Andrea was NOT happy to be disturbed. She kept trying to push his hands away, and was crying with all her might. (Which, granted, is not very much!) Once she got the new tube, Andrea had a better day with her saturation levels. She was at 26% oxygen for most of my visit, which is pretty good. She is a fickle child, and has now decided that she LIKES to be on her back, after several weeks of making sure the nurses NEVER put her on her back.
Tomorrow, Andrea is going to be examined again by an opthamologist. There are some eye problems that are common in preemies, and the sooner they are discovered, the more easily they are corrected. She had an initial exam two weeks ago, which was inconclusive. The doctor was not sure if the irregularities on Andrea's retnea was because there is a problem, or because she is so small. This exam tomorrow is a follow up to try to determine the state of her eyes. She will probably have additional eye exams between now and discharge.
Andrea is still on full feeds of 17 ml of milk, with all the previously noted additives. She lost 15 grams between yesterday and today, but the doctors are not overly concerned. A loss from day to day is not uncommon, as long as she is generally gaining. It seems to be Andrea's pattern that if she has a big weight gain one day, the next she will lose a little. I no longer get overly worried about that.
Thank you for the ongoing prayers and support. We would be lost without our families and friends. Please continue to pray for Andrea.
"Never, never, never, never give up."
Winston Churchill

1 comment:

  1. I had a dream that Andrea was home with the family. She had long legs just like Kenny and everyone was happy to be together. I look forward to this dream coming true, long legs or not!
    Adrienne

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