Resting, resting, resting...

The days events have been a little altered for us here in Omaha. We origianally had 3 procedures in the works for today, but we have decided to stop after the first one was completed. Ash had a "Bronchio something" done this morning to take samples of what they could find in there. I spoke to the doctor and I was told that Ashley has some very difficult anatomy. I already knew that, but did not know this included her lungs as well. My little one is full of surprises. Ashley's upper right lobe that has been collapsed since the transplant contains not only the 3 branches that it should but it also has a 4th that is very difficult to navigate. This tells us that this may be the reason for the continued collapse and we now do not expect it to ever reinflate. This morning Ash continues to have the lower right and now the lower left collapsed. The doctor was able to remove some very thick, cloudy mucus from those lower lobes to be sent to the lab for culture. We are praying for specific growth so we can fight it more effectively. They also did a "wash out" of both lungs so I am hoping this helps as well. We do not expect Ash to come off of the vent any time soon. She will spend the rest of the day sedated and resting. We are still waiting on the next blood gas to determine the level of sedation. If it is not good then they will paralyze Ash for the next 24 hours and flip her onto her tummy so the RT can "beat" on her back and lungs more effectively.

I am concerned about Blake's visit. I know how hard this will be on him to see Ash so sick, but I also know how badly he wants to come. We have not seen him for over 5 weeks now and I miss him terribly. If you think of it would you please pray for him to be strong during this visit. I am hoping to be able to get away to just hang out and catch up with my favorite baseball player. By the way I forget to tell everyone that the Tarheels won their second State Championship last weekend. We are so very proud of our guys. I am looking forward to seeing that new jacket Blake has been wearing. Thanks for checking on us and praying us through another day. I am going to go rest a while with my Ashley Kate. Take care.