Thusday Night, Friday Morning Update

Kerri continues to rally. News is all good. The ventilator is off, one of the abdominal drains is plugged (shut down on purpose). Occasional blood/blood products are administered as doctors muse over and adjust her numbers. She is alert and talking. Cody fed her some food – green jello, sherbet, broth, water. Although the amounts were small, it didn’t set too well, but still that is great progress. Lots of visitors came and visited her Thursday, which she tolerated well. We decided to leave her last night, as she is now resting much more comfortably, and needed the solid rest. Again the doctors and nurses are superb, and help us understand the best course of action. The kidneys began to pass a little liquid Friday morning. She may be able to leave the ICU soon, perhaps today! Thursday was a good day. Friday is starting good too.

Baby Ansel is doing as expected. There is a predictable path preemies follow. The first day or two is considered a ‘honeymoon’ as they look good. His is ending, but the kind nurses are helping us understand that this is normal. Ansel is back on the ventilator, and has been sedated as he doesn’t like his new home. Nurses try to make his surroundings as close as possible to a womb. He wears tiny ear muffs to muffle noises – just like a womb. The environment is warmed, he is gently bundled up, and his eyes are covered. He tolerates laying on his side and tummy. But the new surroundings and activities frighten him and take a toll on his energy. Sedation is part of the answer to protect him from expending unnecessary resources needed to grow and breathe. Tests and evaluations are being conducted daily, and hopefully some of the results will make its way to the blog.

Notes:

Schreiber partners donated a basket of food, magazines and misc items. Along with the basket from the Carthage Jr High, we had enough items to share with everyone the ICU Waiting unit. Water and juices were the most popular, but the crossword puzzles were gobbled up too. The fruit was great. Most visitors politely refused at first. As we sat with them and visited, they would soften, share why they were there, begin to smile and accept the gifts. The generosity of the Jr High teachers and Schreiber Partners brought comfort to many somber people.

Cody read to Kerri your comments from this blog. Your comments and love are really apreciated! Thanks for taking the time to write.

This link is an easy to understand article on toxemia, the disease that caused the placenta to separate. An important realization is that these events were unpreventable, and unpredictable. No one is to blame for what happened.

URL=http://ncnc.essortment.com/whatistoxemi_ruyd.htm

Kerri shared her recollections of the arrival to the ER. She heard them say the baby must come out now! We have to cut! Put her out now! She saw surgical instruments being frantically prepared while doctors worked over her belly. She was still awake! Yes, yes, ‘put me to sleep now!’

We chatted with one of the neonatal nurses who was on duty when Ansel arrived with poor vital signs. She has learned to not predict an outcome and shared an experience where parents were called in to say goodbye to a dying baby. The baby rallied, and she saw him years later being a normal busy boy! All the nurses we talked with speak of the special feeling that exists in the NICU. Jay is exactly right in his comments.

We still don’t have an internet hookup at the hospital, so these updates have to wait until we are home. Hopefully we can work something out. Pictures are coming sometime today.