Wednesday, September 2, 2009

What a Day!

If you want good news, keep reading.  We have plenty to share.

First and foremost, Michelle got to hold Karsie yesterday and today.  We thought the picture and Michelle's smile spoke way more than anything we could type.  Karsie went right to sleep and stayed calm when Michelle held her....both times.

Patch:  GONE!  We now need to find a new name for Karsie's lump.  Any ideas?  We'd love to hear them on the comment section.  Dr. Saenz came in today and took the rest of it off.  Her skin has done a Magellan and it covers all of the organs.  Now it's just time to toughen up.  The doctors are going to try and find a way to see if Michelle and Karsie can orchestrate skin to skin contact when Karsie is being held.

Feeding:  Still going strong.  TPN is slowly dying in Karsie's feeding.  It's down to 5.5, which means her breast milk feeding is at 10.5.  They did labs today and her bilirubin levels are down, which is fantastic seeing as they had been going up slightly.  The more she continues to feed the better she will do on that because the TPN will be decreased.  Also, even more exciting, is that tomorrow she will start to try to bottle feed.  They will do this for one hour a day and see how she handles it.  Moving on.....

Breathing:  Karsie is still doing well on her breathing.  She stays real close to 22% on her O2 levels, which is only 1% off of room air.  We think we're getting pretty close to having the breathing under control.

EEG:  Yup.  There was an EEG.  We didn't know about it.  Thank the Lord!  And, for all intents and purposes, it was normal!!  The doctor did say that there was some spiking happening, but she was also moving.  It's almost impossible for a baby to have a normal reading as they move, but all of the previous two issues that was seen is now gone.  She looks as normal as any baby would look at this point.  And moving on.....

Discharge:  So...the doctors are at least talking about that now.  Not that she will be discharged any time soon, but they seem to be getting their ducks in a row.  Michelle has been questioned on what kind of car seat she has and if we had found a pediatrician.  These are questions that are new and suggest a finish line at least on the horizon.  Again, it will still be a long time before she comes home, but the word "discharge" has been uttered.  

What a day indeed.....   

19 comments:

  1. Praise the Lord! What an amazing little miracle you have. Thanks for the bracelet. I love wearing it.

    Ginny

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  2. You don't know me, and I don't know you but I have tears in my eyes and my heart is filled with joy reading this. GOD is so good, mighty and powerful. He has done wonderful things in your daughter's life as well as yours. As a mother my heart has especially ached for Michelle over this time but now I am filled with joy and so glad her mommy can finally hold her. AMAZING!

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  3. All I can say is WOW!! This is so amazing!! I am so happy for you!!

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  4. i too have tears in my eyes reading this, though we've never met. praise GOD for His healing power! as for names for karsie's bump, the first one that came to my mind was Bloppy. not sure why, but that's all i've got! :)

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  5. Fantastic news! I can't believe she is starting on the bottle tomorrow. All the paci sucking has gotten her ready for that though. She seems to really go to town on the paci. Be ready for WORK on the bottle feeding. It may take a variety of nipples etc to get her going. Been there done that. And can't believe the EEG was NORMAL. Yay Karsie. She is a miracle. I can' wait to meet her when you guys get home. Frances

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  6. Oh. My. Goodness.
    I'm not sure what you mean by a "long" time before she comes home, but I strongly suspect it won't be as long as you (or any of us) were thinking.
    God is SO good.
    And thank y'all, too, for sharing this journey with us.

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  7. I propose calling the bump, formerly know as BOB/Pat, Whitney. Like Mt. Whitney. Whitney's the highest peak in the continental US and the highest peak on Karsie.
    My Dad suggests Newbie: It's new and it's her buddy. It's a Newbie! =)
    If you want to keep human names for it, how about Abbey, short for Abdomen?

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  8. I have been a long time follower of Baby Be Blessed. They are a fantastic group of women. That is how I came across your blog. I have spent several hours this evening reading every entry from the beginning. I also have tears in my eyes. You certainly have a little fighter on your hands. My daughter and I said a prayer for your family tonight and will continue to do so until she is home where you can hold her and love on her as much as you want. On a side note, thank you for both being teachers, teachers are definitely not appreciated or honored enough.

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  9. I'm thinking Morgan. Like "many organs" or "my organs" or "miracle organs!" :-)

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  10. p.s. my other thought was Skinny. As in skin and also a complete play on words, obviously. That one has a little more humor to it, which you guys seem to like! :-)

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  11. Oh I'm so excited for you! That's SOOO wonderful that Patch is gone - what about "Pinky" as her skin continues to get thicker and tougher into tummy skin :)

    What a blessing and how WONDERFUL that the exit from the hospital is on the brain of the staff!

    Praise the Lord!!

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  12. Praise God!

    Especially about the EEG!

    As for a name...I thought of Aggie. Short for aggregate. Definition: Forming a collection from separate parts. Since, you know, her organs are all separate entities collecting underneath the bump. Plus, I know how much Michelle likes that cheer they do at Texas A&M.

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  13. Your Uncle Harry and I have been following the blog and Karsie's progress. It has been simply amazing how far she has come already. How about naming her "bump" Lil' BIT (Belly In Transition)?

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  14. Michelle, Kevin, Reva and Carlos Praise God!! I am so excited for all of you What a blessing for me to be able to share along with you each and every exciting step.

    Sam McCoy

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  15. Oh my goodness! WOW! I'm so excited about all of that! You getting to hold Karsie is such good news. And the possibility of skin-to-skin contact is awesome... I hope they figure out a way to make that work as soon as possible! And bottle-feeding, yay!

    But the news that was a total surprise to me was about the EEG!! (Thank goodness we all didn't have to worry about it before it happened!) What an enormous relief to know that the last lingering questions about the previous results can be put to rest. I'm in tears just thinking about it. Yay!

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  16. What wonderful news and I am so happy for you. All of it is so amazing and I am in awe of the healing that has taken place. God has worked a miracle here. I have been reading your blog daily since Karsie was about 2 weeks old. I am a member at Olive Knolls too. I will continue to pray for full recovery and that Karsie will be home very soon. God bless your little angel.

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  17. Oh praise God for his kindness toward us! This is (almost) unbelievable news!

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  18. Had the opportunity to share in this wonderful news with daddy last night during care group. Only wish I could have shared with mommy too!! As we have often said along this journey, "there are no words." As far as a name, I'm with Maya on this one. I'm hoping for a fat and plump baby Karsie but Skinny is just too fitting. =) Love you!!

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