New updates.

It has been a while since we last updated. Things are busy here as I (Andy) have returned to work--and our remaining free time seems to go by very quickly. Also, it didn't help that we managed to shatter the screen on our computer today, so we have been scrambling a bit to find a way to post.

Maggie has had a nice couple of days. Her x-rays have shown improvement, though they're still cloudy. Today we were told that the cloudiness on the x-ray is likely scar tissue which will take a long time to heal (estimated at 1 year). So, once Maggie gets out of the hospital she will be very vulnerable to respiratory issues for that long. We were told that at the first sign of a cough, we will want to take her to see a doctor immediately. That's a frightening thought for us. I guess even minor respiratory bugs can escalate quickly for Maggie.

However, they are starting to wean her more steadily from the ventilator. She tolerated a few changes yesterday, and a few more again today. At this pace (if she can maintain it and avoid complications) she could get extubated sometime next week. That would be a huge relief. Today is her 25th day on the ventilator, and that, in and of itself, causes damage to the lungs and airway. Also, her settings were so high for so long, which is harmful.

The medical staff is also starting to give each other strange looks when they talk about sedation. Maggie is maxed out on many of her drugs--and while she's on the ventilator, she needs to be well sedated. The withdrawal that she'll have from these drugs will be lengthy and intense.

If they cannot adequately sedate her, or if they feel her airway is being damaged, they have discussed the possibility of giving her a trachiotomy. They would then connect the ventilator to it (instead of the tube going in her mouth and down her throat). This would allow them to wean off of sedation, and she could be alert during the end of her intubation period. Needless to say, we don't want anything to do with this option. Maggie has been poked, stabbed, burned, pinched (I could go on if I could think of more appropriate terms). She has a black blood blister on the bottom of her big toe (the diameter of a dime, it is very swollen, and growing bigger every day). We think that this is a burn from the device that wraps around her fingers/toes to detect her level of oxygenation. She has numerous places where her skin is raw, rubbed off, worn, torn, etc. Her mouth, as we mentioned last time, is bleeding periodically. Thankfully the wound on her side from her abdomenal catheter is healing nicely. She is just thoroughly beat up, inside and out.

Her new GI doctor (they rotate duty in the ICU weekly) is more optimistic about the condition of her stomach, and doesn't expect her ulcers to bleed again. That would be most fantastic. They are still being very proactive--treating her stomach with 3-4 meds, making sure her platelet count stays high, and being careful what they put into her stomach.

She still spikes a fever every day or two, and nothing grows when they culture her. They will have to decide how long to cover her with the antibiotics, anti-virals, anti-fungals. Perhaps one or two of them are working, but how would they know which ones? She is on so many, and none of them have been validated by a positive blood test, gastric juice culture, urine culture, or lung secretion culture. This is another area where the smart docs here will get to show their skill.

It feels dangerous to post it, but it has been a good couple of days. We are grateful for Maggie's progress. I feel peace about the fact that God is with Maggie, has gotten her this far, and that he has the situation under control. However, we are still a long ways away from where we ultimately want to get--Maggie at home with us.

Thanks for your comments, your interest, and your prayers.