What now?

The line refuses to give any blood. It flushes just fine. For that I'm thankful. At least I can administer TPN and fluids. As far as her labs are concerned this morning? I'm not sure we can pull them off.

Its a new month and that means she has to be registered in advance before the hospital's lab will do anything with her blood. Dave usually stops in while taking the kids to school, gets the paper work going, then returns home to pick up her blood, then drops it off back at the lab before going in to the office. All this means that Ash stays home, comfortable in her bed, with no "owies" because I drew the blood from her line. Not happening today. As far her drug levels go, they can't be drawn today. Its very time specific and by the time we can get the paperwork done, even if they get blood drawn from one of her veins it will be too late to check drug levels. That has to wait for tomorrow or Wednesday. Her CBC, and CMP can be drawn at anytime so I imagine that she will be getting poked, perhaps many times today, at some point. Those lab results have to be turned in today no matter what so her TPN orders can be written and sent to the pharmacy. No choice on that matter. I need to have something called TPA sent into the line to try and get it to open enough to give back blood, but where is that going to be done? I'm not sure. Last time we did it here in our local ER, but trust me when I tell you it was almost impossible getting them to do it for us. The docors were more than willing, but honestly there was not EVEN one nurse on the pediatric floor,( and almost the entire hospital) that new how to do it or was willing to read the instructions and give it a try(there is really nothing to it. We've had it done to her multiple, multiple times). It was so frustrating. Dave and couldn't believe it. Finally,down in the ER, there was a male nurse who had just come back from a seminar on central lines and he had been taught how to administer it. Anyway, it worked and it saved us a surgery and we were so grateful. So, I guess we will attempt to have it done locally. If they can't then I will attempt to get her into Shreveport today. If none of this works, then she will have to have a new placed since she is still requiring 16 hours of TPN support a day.

Our day won't be playing out the way I had planned. Instead we will be in doctor's offices and hospitals. Nothing were not used to, just not really thrilled about. Sweet Ashley Kate just can't catch a break.