Early Rounds

Rounds took place early this morning (maybe to make up for yesterday's late ones?), and the last words of our surgeon? "I'm encouraged". It doesn't get much better than that!

She is convinced Ashely came in suffering with rejection. Based on the slides from her biopsies and her symptoms she is positive about that. What they are not positive about is if it has just slowed and stalled waiting to flare up again or if it is over. They scheduled another biopsy on Friday afternoon and told me we need to be careful to make sure we don't miss anything. She continues to have a very high stool output since the bowel "came alive" and this is a classic symptom of rejection. The mystery rash remains a mystery, but she has not had an episode in two days. Her skin remain pink and healthy and intact. I am so thankful to be past that part. No more sluffing and oozing skin reduces her risk of infection.

Overall I feel very positive about where we are this morning. Ash is grumpy because her DVD player is on the brink and she can't watch Blue. I have shook it, hit it, talked to it and tried to get it to understand just how important it is that she get to watch Blue, but for some reason it decided to "die" last night and refuses to play. To see her frustrated and grumpy are actually good things. She is starting to feel better and become opinionated again. She is kicking off her blankets, pulling off her socks and turning her head away from anyone who comes in to examine her. To be honest she is being down right rude, but who can blame her. She still bares the marks of the multiple "sticks" she endured last week and I don't think she is over it yet.

I asked about the time line for starting feeds again. I know that in order to pack our bag and head home we must have her back on feeds. I think they wanted to laugh at me when I posed the question. "Not today, and when we do start we will start back at 5 mls per hour." Remember the thimble full posting of last fall? That's the position we will find ourselves in once again.

Can I just share with you how thankful I am for this team of doctors? They have been used by the Father more than once to pull our Ashley Kate out of a tough spot. I appreciate their commitment to her. I appreciate their thoroughness. They are careful and deliberate checking all possibilities and not taking any chances. For those reasons I will be content to sit here and wait this one out. I am sure there must be a reason we are here. Although I would love to be home for Blake's birthday they are just not going for it.

Her chest x-ray shows some collapse of her left lung, but her fluid status is better making it much easier for her to breathe. The cultures are not conclusive this morning so we still aren't sure what is growing in there, but I am making her sit up today to try and hold off that pneumonia that would like to set in. She doesn't like me very much, but sometimes I just have to make her do what she doesn't like even if it is uncomfortable.

I just want to thank you again for keeping up with the pickle. It amazes me how faithfully some of you follow along. I know you are busy dealing with your own day to day struggles but yet you still take the time to pray over mine. It does not go unnoticed and I thank God for you and your faithfulness. Take care today. Trish