Back to ICU...

Lily had an off day today.  I knew that something was not right.  She slept almost the entire day, and her heart rate and respirations per minute kept creeping up slowly but surely.  The nurses were completely aware, even more so because I mentioned it every time they walked in the room...hey, after 7 weeks I think I am entitled to be a nudge now and again.

My sweet friend Jan brought me dinner tonight.  We were sitting at the table in Lily's room around 8pm when all of a sudden Lily started screaming and then grabbed her neck and said, "Mommy, I can't breathe, I can't breathe."  I hit the nurse call button, and our nurse and the charge nurse came rushing in the room.  By this time Lily was writhing in pain and now grabbing her belly.  Lily's heart rate was around 180, her respirations per minute were about 55, and her oxygen dipped into the low 70's.  Within minutes, a herd of specialists rushed into the room.  They got a stat chest and abdominal x-ray.  Every time one of the doctors put their stethescope on her chest and belly, Lily screamed and arched her back.  The pain she was experiencing was so intense and scary.  Over the past 7 weeks, the doctors and nurses have listened to her lungs and belly hundreds if not thousands of times.  Something was terribly wrong.

Before I could even grab a few things, Lily was whisked away to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit with me running (ok, maybe more like waddling) behind the bed trying to keep up.  Our favorite ICU Cardiologist is working tonight, and he started ordering tests and all sorts of fluids and antibiotics to be started on Lily.  Due to what appeared to be air in her abdomen from the stat x-ray, the Cardiologist called for another x-ray to get a better look.  The second x-ray did not show what he thought might be air, so he said at this point that is not an urgent concern, but it still worries him that she may have air in her abdomen where it should not be.  An echocardiogram was performed, and the fluid around Lily's heart is still present.  The main concern right now is that Lily may have sepsis from the C-diff infection that she is fighting.  They drew blood, and started her on a second antibiotic called Vancomycin just in case.   Sepsis can cause multiorgan failure and in many cases death.  Unfortunately, the lab results are not immediate, so we must be patient and pray like crazy that Lily does not have this complication.

So let us come bodly to the throne of our gracious God.

There we will find his mercy, and we will receive grace to help us

when we need it most.

Hebrews 4:16