Sunday, May 17, 2009

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

I like this picture of Andrea - she is sticking her tongue out, pretty much echoing my feelings some time. We're worn out, and I imagine she is too. I can't believe she's NOT sick of being poked, prodded, stuck and x-rayed. She has been a trooper, and we are very proud of her fighting spirit.

I went to see Andrea today, and she is somewhat better as a result of her blood transfusion. She is more active and feisty (as she has been since the beginning), and her color is good. She is still eating like a champ, both on the bottle and the feeding tube. She has one more day of antibiotics, depending on what comes from the cultures they took on Friday. There is some mild edema in Andrea's pelvic region, so the doctor decided to give her one more dose of Lasix, the diuretic she had before the blood episode. Again, they'll observe, and see what happens.

On the down side, she is still requiring more oxygen than she needed previously. Early last week, she was on one liter flow rate, and about 25% oxygen. Today, she was at 2 liter flow rate and 35% oxygen. It's hard to know why that is the case. The doctor ordered a chest x-ray, which showed that her lungs are clear, and they are expanding. There were some results from the last blood test that the doctor didn't like, so those tests were being repeated tonight. (Blood gases, etc.) Fortunately, those are just a foot stick, so she won't lose much blood for the test.

Andrea has been doing well maintaining her body temperature, and was going to be given a trial in an open crib today. Basically, she'll be moved to a bassinet, like the hospital uses for newborns in the nursery. The nurse will monitor her temperature and vital signs for 12 hours and see how she does. The isolette will remain in her "room" with the warmer on, so she can be moved back in immediately if needed.

We are trying to see this oxygen as a blip in Andrea's otherwise smooth recovery. We have to have faith that the doctors will figure out what's going on, or that Andrea's lungs will grow and become better able to keep up with her needs. We were warned at the beginning to expect days like these, but we were lulled into a false sense of security. Please continue to pray for Andrea. She is fighting so hard to get big and strong, but there is little we can do to help her along besides pray.

“There is nothing in life so difficult that it cannot be overcome. This faith can move mountains. It can change people. It can change the world. You can survive all the great storms in your life."
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

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