With some rough days behind us, we had a semi normal day today. It's been a rough road, feeling like a week had passed but really it's only been two days. That was an intimidating realization to have considering the extent of this ride. But, to hear that Penelope's numbers were good this morning, was a huge relief. Tonight's update is going to be short but sweet because truthfully, I'm mentally exhausted.
Lydia - 1370grams (2lbs 13oz)
- Her numbers have been good and have been holding steady but she has been having quite a few apnea sessions which, in turn, lead to brady's. So we don't want that anymore! They're giving her dose of caffeine a boost and doubling it.
- Her feedings have switched from continuous back to bolus pushes over an hour and then off three hours to help her get adjusted to regular feedings.
- She's still stubborn in the waste management area but we're hoping she convinces her "workers" to go off strike.
- Her renal ultrasound showed that her kidney's were working just fine and that there weren't any issues there. The concern about her kidneys was due to the presence of her ear tag (an extra growth of skin around the ear). We were told that the ear develops as the same time as kidneys so if there's a visible variant in the ears then there might be an issue inside.
- Our poor Penny has had a rough few days. Her hematocrit numbers were down so she got her 4th transfusion.
- Her CO2 levels have been bad but today it leveled out. Her last gas was a bit high but it was taken after she had been suctioned which can cause her to get upset which in turn raises her CO2.
- Her pH has leveled out to 7.2 meaning that she's just slightly acidotic but better than where she has been.
- Her fluid output has been good so they stopped her dopamine drip. She'll have to work the rest of her swelling out on her own.
- Her last x-ray showed that her pulmonary edema has either gotten to a level that the x-ray can't see or it's finally gone! Yay!
- Her head ultrasound showed no bleeding. They were worried that there might be something going on because her crit number was down. Bleeding in the head is a bad thing and they try and make sure that when there's a sudden low crit number that it's not caused by a bleed somewhere.
- Her echo showed that her heart was looking great and was confirmed by our cardiologist, Dr. Becker after she heard that Penny was having some struggles. It was really kind of her to come up and give us a bit of hope that nothing was going on because of her heart.
- She's still trying to be weaned off the oscillator but she's still not coming off of it as fast as they'd like.
- Her infection was confirmed to be MSSA (Methicillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus Aureus basically means that it is antibiotic sensitive) but she has another infection going on that is gram negative rods which they haven't identified yet. The antibiotics that she is being given are the two strongest and usually kill any gram positive or negative bugs. This can explain a lot of the other things that are going on because her body is hunkering down while fighting the infections. Her lethargic nature, sensitivity to sounds and touch, her chemistry all can go back to the infection.
We have so many things outside of these downs that are praises. God providing a place where amazing care is given through the nurses, practitioners, doctors, specialists, therapists, pharmacists, social workers, clergy, consultants, and alumni of this hospital. The support from our friends, family, church family, coworkers and those we don't know who read our story and help keep us afloat through this emotional hurricane. We wouldn't be able to continue with our sanity intact without all of you who are journeying with us. Thank you.
And... of course, some pictures.
A nurse friend, CJ, made the girls little bows today to put on.
Penny's bow.
Lydia's bow
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