10-2-09 Ally having trouble again, still in hospital

OOOOOHHHHHH – this is not fun! But we will get through it!
I have to have faith and keep up my prayers.

I’ve made tiny updates on facebook, but then remembered not everyone is on there and I better update Ally’s blog too. I wish there was a way to coincide the two better, since I know so many of you are praying and wondering how my angel is coming along with this illness. I do updates since its the easiest way to communicate with so many people who care about us and it helps to sometimes put my feelings and experiences in writing.

So, Ally was holding her own doing breathing treatments every 4 hours and staying on her bi-pap breathing machine with no oxygen bled in for Wednesday and half of Thursday. Then around 5 pm Thursday, something turned nasty with this illness. I don’t think its something new caught at the hospital, I think its just setting in at its worst point. Fever started again, thicker yellow secretions, and BIG desats during breathing treatments (to 40-50 out of 100 for oxygen) but she comes back up quickly with cough machine and oxygen. X-rays at 10 pm and 5 am showed left lung much worse again and the right lung with some congestion too. We went up to treatment every 2 hours with quite a bit of coughing and deep suctioning in between. Unfortunately, we are also back on the hospital bi-pap breathing machine with oxygen bled in right now. We will continue with treatment every 2 hours with coughing in between. We also started tobi nebs and an antibiotic (she had to get stuck again, but they got it on the first try in her foot).

Good news — We switched to a different room (229) to make nursing go smoother while they care for two patients. With it so busy, our other nurses were mostly split between two rooms NOT next to each other -but thankfully the situation is fixed. They’ve also been overly busy with respiratory therapists and I don’t mind at all starting and assisting with her treatments, but I think today our therapist might have less other patients. That’s great since Ally is now 1 hour treatment, 1 hour break till she makes improvements.

BEST news — Since it is so busy at the hospital and they are short staff, they allowed Maribel (our home nurse who also works here) to come in on her days off and work 3-11 pm Thursday and now again Friday 7am -3 pm. For the first time since Tuesday, I left for an hour yesterday to get a bite to eat with Billy and today I plan to take a shower. Thanks a million Maribel!!!! Wooo hooo — the little things that make me a little more sane.

Special thanks to my sister Tammy who brought me some juice and treats, and my mom who made me meatloaf and a sub sandwich (and always helps with the older girls). Billy also helps a ton too (going to work each day, making Ally’s food/girls lunches, taking care of the girls, visiting every evening….). The hospital is now charging me $6 cash (no cc) for a patient tray of food to come to the room (even if I just want oatmeal) and I bring all of Ally’s food in from home. They have a new food service that actually makes things much harder for me when I am unable to leave the room. Thanks for the offers to help. So far, I’ve been able to work it out with Billy and my mom. With Maribel here today, I should also be okay stepping away during the day to get a quick meal (if Ally is okay).

Well – that’s about it.
I will keep praying and I appreciate everyone elses prayers and well wishes.

Thank you,
Tina