Moving in the Right Direction

Last night was fairly uneventful.  They had to take away her high-tech air bed since it was needed in the PICU, but this morning they were able to get her a new one so she's comfy again.  Annie slept well, but woke up at 4:30am upset.  I thought she needed more pain meds, but after a position change and removing her CPAP she calmed right down and went back to sleep.  I'm still surprised that all she's on is valium and celebrex!  We'll probably start transitioning from the valium to hycet in a day or two.

It's been a busy morning this morning!  Annie's foley became disconnected somehow in the night, so while we were up, we also changed all her bedding that had become soaked.  Her hemoglobin is down to 8.6, but since she's not bleeding from her incision anymore, they suspect that to start coming up soon.

TMI warning: The priority this morning has been working for a BM, so she got a suppository since all the miralax doesn't seem to be moving things along, and she finally had a small BM.  We expect much more to be coming later today.  That also means that we can start feeding her again.  We're starting with pedialyte again and will slowly transition to her formula at a slow rate.

The most shocking thing today was having her weighed.  They brought in a hoyer to weigh her which was nice, and we learned that Annie is 75.5 lbs!! She was 66 lbs the day of surgery.  That just goes to show exactly how much extra fluids (and poop) she's retaining!  No wonder I've been having such a hard time just sliding her up in the bed!  I thought she seemed heavier than usual, but I never would have guessed she was THAT heavy!!

The orthopedist just came by to visit and he was NOT happy that they put the foley back in yesterday and ordered it to be removed immediately.  The longer it stays in, the higher the risk of an infection developing.  I agree with him, and now that bowels are moving, she ought to be able to start voiding on her own.  If not, they can always straight cath her.  Otherwise, he said she's looking good and we're just beginning to cross off items on the "worry" list!

The PT and medical supplier should be by any time now to help me get Annie up in her wheelchair for the first time and to make adjustments to her temporary seat back.  We'll also discuss long-term options so the order for her new seat back can get started. Overall, it's been a good morning.  Things are beginning to look up for now.  We really appreciate all the continued prayers!  I know Heavenly Father has been watching over her.