Thursday, March 6, 2008

Update On Erin from Her Dad Chris



Good morning to everyone! Erin had another good night! Thank the Lord. I spoke to her nurse this morning for an update and she said she had been a little too active this morning. The nurse said she told Erin she was going to do a procedure and she felt like Erin tried to tell her "no". She said Erin was looking at the doctor and the monitor that shows her vitals. Also she shook her head side to side as if to say no. When she did this her blood pressure dropped some so she will be sedated a little more. We're thankful for this report but we want her to be comfortable. It was hard to leave her last night with her being so responsive to our voices. Katie (Erin's nurse) said she felt her lungs looked better but not to take her word for it and she said through the stethoscope she sounds like a different person! Again, Thank the Lord! She did receive platelets last night but the ECMO Technician said the equipment tends to separate the platelets from the blood. Her abdominal wound vac is getting a little blood but could be due to a dressing change. Surgeons will partially close her abdomen wound today. Please pray that all goes well with that procedure. As I am typing this I have been talking to the infectious disease doctor. He is very concerned with the yeast fungus which is growing in Erin's system. The fungus will thrive in the ECMO circuit as long as she is on it and it will be hard to fight. Another problem is the fungus tends to settle in organs and can harm them. We're just praying for Erin's lungs to heal and that she can come off the Ecmo circuit as soon as possible. Dr. Krausse (infectious disease doctor) still doesn't understand exactly what happened to Erin. He hasn't isolated a specific bug that could cause all the problems. He assured me that the yeast fungus developed later in her system. First her lungs need to heal and come off the ECMO circuit then they can address the fungus problem. While her blood is flowing through all the plactic the fungus will thrive. Let's all pray for Erin's lungs to heal. I think everything else is secondary to that. I appreciate everyone who takes time every day to check this site and remember Erin in their prayers. I thank God for the strength He has given me to be able to cope with this terrible situation. We know God is using Erin to change lives. He deserves all the glory! Thanks everyone!
Chris (Erin's dad)
1:00 PM...Thursday
The dr. just came out and told us they were finished with the wound vac procedure. Things went well and they got the mesh inserted. Her oxygen levels and blood pressure are still doing well. They have gone up on the sedation due to the fact that she is being typical Erin. They are still working on her sedation Dr. A said she is still awake and won't close her eyes. She said their goal today is to get her asleep. It has been great seeing those big, blue, beautiful eyes! However, we do not want her in any discomfort or pain. We also don't want her to worry about what is going on around her. We continue to praise God for the small steps toward her recovery. The healing of her lungs and the fungal infection appear to be our biggest battles at this time. Please continue to pray for these specific things. We continue to be amazed at the outreach of God's hands and compassion through his wonderful people. You all will never know how much each and every thing that has been done has sustained us in our time of need! To God be the Glory for all HE has DONE...and will continue to do.
For those of who in the Tri-Cities- Erin is supposed to be on the WJHL News (Ch. 11) at 5:00p.m. Watch our precious baby and continue to lift us up!
God is good ALL the time! ALL the time God is good!
Kimberly (Erin's Mommy)

No comments: