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Post op day 3

Abby's surgery went well today.  Ortho removed the small section of the rod that had come loose (the length of my pinky) and plastics did another wash out and was able to close.  He did a special kind of extra suture to help take the pressure of the main incision, which sounded like a good idea to me!  I really like him and have been really impressed.

She came back up to the PICU and it's been a crazy few hours.  Her blood pressure was very low and was making everyone rather nervous. They problem-solved and were able to eventually get it higher, although they did pull a dose of epi and have it at the bedside.  That was a little nerve wracking!  Thankfully, her hemoglobin is holding on after yesterday's transfusion.  

Abby decided to show off a little more in the OR today, confirming that she would be keeping the breathing tube in tonight.  It was a little scary to hear about her antics, but she has been much better since being back in the PICU.  I think she's just telling us she's done with anesthesia for a while. :)

She did pass the leak test that they needed to do, meaning that she is moving air and is able to breathe around the tube,  so we are hopeful that she will be able to get the tube out tomorrow.  My sister is bringing her family and Caleb up, so I sent them some pictures so that they would know what to expect.  

 
For those of you fortunate enough not to be familiar with medical stuff, this is the breathing tube.  It's connected to a long tube, 

 
Which is connected to a machine called a ventilator.  This one is a million times fancier than ours ever was!  I'm kind of sad that I'm using my vent knowledge again....I was kinda hoping those days were behind us for good.

Abby has 2 drains in to pull fluid away from the incisions. 

 
Don't mind the creepy floating head--that's just her pillow. :). This is her PICC line, which has quite a few meds running through, as you can see!  I've never seen the tubes split so many times!
 
And...the meds!  She hasn't had this many in a very long time.

She continues to have her own nurse, and we are thankful that we had both of the excellent nurses we had yesterday!  Abby has gotten excellent care.

We believe that the "worst" is over as far as the infection and surgeries go.  Now, we are hoping to focus on improving her respiratory status and getting her stronger to go home.  She has a long road ahead of her and we really have no timeline for going home.  The setback of intubation definitely increased her length of stay a bit.  I haven't even started the mental checklist I usually do of the things that need to happen before discharge.  However, I am fairly certain we are both done with school for the year!  

I say it every day, but we appreciate the love and concern from all of you!!  Thank you so much!

Comments

Anonymous said…
God Bless you Abby and the rest of your family with Peace. May all her caretakers use their gifts and skills to give Abby the very best of care.
Unknown said…
I am a paternal cousin of Kirsten Schenk's and have been following your posts for a while now; I wanted you to know my husband & I pray for Abby, well, for all of your family and all of the medical staffs involved in her care...regularly. She handles so much more than most adults could! I can only imagine how difficult this journey is for you all and how scary. Your faith and resilience shine through.

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