Leaks?

I honestly have no idea what is going on inside of Ashley Kate's chest wall. Obviously there is a leak. I have told them that if you go around poking holes in people and inserting tubes you should expect to have something come out. Problem being that she had over 300 out in the last shift. That is an unbelievable amount.

On rounds this morning we found out that her chest tube has been pulled at some point and has shifted positions. It is still in the general area and so we feel it is safe to leave it and not attempt to replace it. This shift in position leads us to a new theory that perhaps this is why she had such a large amount of fluid come out yesterday. Perhaps it hit a new pocket and decided to empty. It was also decided to remove the chamber (because she had just filled the 8th one and each change over is a risk for infection) and put the tube to drainage just by gravity. So now she has a little bag attached to the tube and we just empty it from the bottom without removing the bag. So far so good because in the last hour she hasn't put out one drop of fluid. Go figure?

The best possible scenario for us would be that her chest stop leaking, not fill back up with fluid, and she be discharged from here to go home early next week. That would be the absolute best! Since we have no idea if that will happen we have gotten everyone on the other ends on board for a transfer and I thought this mornings discussion about it wasn't that bad. They actually said they didn't think we were being unreasonable either. That was such a blessing to hear! I gave the names and numbers of the doctors and flight staff to our coordinator and she was going to call and talk to them about the possibilities. This does not mean they have agreed to let us go, it just means they are going to talk about it. Anyway, I'm going to consider the fact that phone calls are being made a positive thing. Thank you for your continued prayers. Our ultimate goal is to try and make the best possible decision for our baby gherkin. Outside of that nothing else really matters.

She has had a few more episodes of vomiting and that causes me great stress since we have decided it was an aspiration pnuemonia that caused her to become so ill. Her lungs were really damaged, especially the left one, due to the aspiration into them. She will still be healing for many, many weeks to come and the thought that she might do it again is so stressful.

Things on the floor are going really well. I'm not happy about moving her and the exposure she got to a new set of germs and virus', but the girls on this floor are amazing(like always). They have been so understanding of my concerns and I am so thankful for their good attitudes towards Ash and I. We are in a little room at the very end of the hall and no one really comes in or out. We don't even have the cleaning crew entering. I sweep the floors and the nurse takes out the trash for us. I told you they were great! The only person in the room each day is the nurse on shift and she only brings in our meds and listens to Ash a couple of times a day. I am still giving her breathing treatments and CPT for her lungs. Other than that she isn't touched by anyone other than me and it is working out nicely. Ashley is happier and I rest easier knowing the fewer people the better. So in a non ideal situation for us, God is working it out. The staff is great, the room is private, and Ash and I are spending time getting her stronger and stronger for her possible transfer or discharge.

There have been some very stressful moments and conversations the last couple of days. Heavy decisions weigh on our hearts, but I am still looking for the positives. I know that we are not alone here. I know that she is getting better and better each day. I know that the time I have to spend with her one on one is precious, and I know that this time in her life is serving some sort of purpose. I'm not sure what it is, but I believe it to be true. Thank you for your encouraging words. Thank you for your prayers. It has meant so very much to my heart.