Saturday, Day 25

Checked in with the NICU at 10:45pm...

Abigail
vent settings - O2 - up and down - currently 48%
Good gas at 10pm
Dopamine - at 3 mics - keeping to help with peeing output
Morophine at 20mics
weight - 906g (nurse says not to put too much stock in this weight - it is likely lower - it's hard to lift the hoses enough to get an accurate reading) But she is gaining something, so that's good.
Abby also received another dose of serphatan today. Her lungs x-rays continue to show improvement.

Natalie -
back on dopamine - 5 mics - blood pressure went down earlier in the day so they had to restart it - that also means the feeds must stop
weight 771g
O2 - currently at 28%


Well, I'm writing from the beach right now. We are here with Jo's family - lots of family - about 24 people - maybe more - I lost count. We will be back Monday night, then Jo may return on Wednesday. It will be hard not seeing our girls for 2 whole days!!! We did see them earlier today. I actually went twice - once with Nana, Mema, Uncle Wayne, and Aunt Joyce. Then again with Aunt Kimmy, Aunt Jessie and Ben. Grandpa stopped by as well. Poppy was down from VA again Friday night and early this morning. Nanny and Auntie Loren from CA also drove down on Friday. The weekend has been quite busy, so they are probably glad to have a break.

Today we spoke with the nurse practitioner about the possible ramifications of being on the vent too long. "Too long" is defined as 4-6 weeks. The main concern is chronic lung disease which can be anything from asthma to needing a trach to breathe. There is also the possibly of brain damage since the pressure of the vents increases the overall pressure in the body - including the brain. Abby has actually been off the vent more than Natalie, but on the vent straight for about 2 weeks. Natalie was on and off and on and off, but has probably been on it at least as long as Abby. So, the sooner they are off the vents the better. There is a possibility that they will try Nat off the vent in the next day or two.

It's very scary to hear all the things that can go wrong. I try to imagine one or both of my girls on oxygen or with a trach for the rest of their lives, and it breaks my heart. Of course, with chronic lung disease comes a severe sensitivity to colds which can turn into pnuenomia or worse. Those illnesses could be deadly for someone who can barely breathe in the first place.

It's awful to think about the may-be's, so honestly, we operate in a calming state of semi-denial. We assume everything will be okay - until someone tells us otherwise. Otherwise, we'll drive ourselves crazy with worry.

We continue to pray and are, as always, so thankful for your continued prayers.