Thursday, April 22, 2010

Current Stats Update

Blood gases:
  • CO2=84% (supposed to be in the 40's, but it's gone up to 200+ before...they check it every 30 minutes, and every time, there are big jumps and fluctuations; they're trying to figure out how to stabilize it and keep it lower)
  • O2=73 (we normally have 95-100, Chrissie's were in the upper 80's-90's yesterday, but her pre-surgery O2 was always in the 70's; she's being given 100% oxygen on the ventilator, but her oxygen sat is only 73%)
Heart Stats:
  • Heart Rate:  166 (would be good to be around 100ish, has gotten above 200, and pacemaker will kick in if it drops below 90...166 is higher than they want)
  • Blood Pressure:  77/44 (I think this one is OK)
  • Heart is beating at an abnormal rythm; some particular "beat" on the EKG disappears and then returns.  It's Chrissie's upper chambers that aren't in sync with her lower chambers, and blue blood is going where red blood should be...or something like that.
Urine Output:  6 cc's in the last hour (not good at all...are her kidneys failing?).

MRSA (Staph)=Positive (Yes, it's confirmed that Chrissie does have Staph, but we're not yet sure how serious that is.)

We really have no clue what all of this heart medical talk means...yet.  We're slowly learning, or pretending we understand when they so patiently explain to us what they're doing and why they're doing it!!!  So, if you're in the medical field, you're probably getting some good laughs at us as I try to "explain" things that I don't even understand myself!!!

We do know that Chrissie is very sick, and the doctors say that often, which I understand completely.  We also know that she's actually doing better than most any other child who has gone through what she is.  For instance...SHE'S ALIVE!!!  She really shouldn't have even been alive PRIOR to surgery, then she died for 20 minutes, and God brought her back.  Dr. Porisch tells us that with all of the medicines and life support machines that they're having to use, most children wouldn't have been able to hang in there this long.  Chrissie's blood pressure has remained stable, which is a miracle.  While everything has been fluctuating GREATLY today, her blood pressure has been "her rock" (in an earthly sense) while her real Rock is in her heart (the cross...one who holds Christ in her heart).  Praise God for that stable blood pressure miracle...something that they don't normally see with everything else Chrissie has going on!!!

Chrissie is on somewhere around 15 different types of medications/blood products/platelets/fluids/nutrition, etc..  She was down to around 5 meds yesterday.  She's on the ventilator at 100% oxygen, she was down to 50% being given yesterday.  Chrissie's heart was beating regularly yesterday, it's not today.  Chrissie was peeing a ton through the catheter yesterday (emptied the collection container twice, had to stop Lasix b/c she was outputting so much), but today she's only filled about 1/10th of the collection container for the entire day.  Chrissie's lungs had cleared in the night (a miracle), but they've filled back up a lot today.  Chrissie's had a TON of complications today, and it seems that one medicine causes another symptom which has to be treated with a different medicine which then causes something else to go wrong.

I am SOOOO glad I don't have to make ANY decisions!!!  The doctors and medical staff consult with one another, as well as other experts from other hospitals, in order to make decisions.  I am 100% confident in the doctors and staff.  They are fabulous; true God-sends. 

Matt and I haven't left the hospital.  The day shift nurse gave us a code to a private shower in the hospital, which felt WONDERFUL.  He set up two recliners in the PICU in Chrissie's room where we're allowed to stay 24/7.  We are watching our comatose daughter lay in a hospital bed with an open chest (covered by a sterile pad) and too many tubes and IV's to count.  We can hardly see her through all of the machines that engulf her bedside, keeping her alive, but we can see her face.  Her big, dark, sparkling eyes are closed, and her long eyelashes can be seen on her puffy cheeks from our recliners.

Normally while we're in the hospital, Chrissie continuously cries, "Mommy no leave me."

It's our turn.  We're continuously crying out to our precious daughter, "Chrissie no leave me."

Fight, honey, fight.  Heal, God, heal.  Pray, warriors, pray.

Thank you for lifting our sweet daughter and family up.  We are most grateful.  Praying for a better day tomorrow, one filled with miracles and lots of encourage.  May God receive all the glory!

It's really hard to look at this photo which was taken 4/18:

(The view from our living room at home.)

And then look at this:

(The view we have when standing in front of our recliners in PICU.)

But then God gives me this view:

My husband, Matt, sporting his Wal-Mart PJ pants (purchased 4/19 because he was freezing in the shorts he wore), but the main thing I see in this photo is the smiling face of a daddy who loves his princess more than anything as he lives out the answer to the question on his shirt.
"Got Faith?"
God is building Chrissie's testimony.  This smile from Matt is AFTER his daughter died for 20 minutes.  Do you know where that smile comes from?
The One who provides faith, hope and love.  The One who delivered us our miracle girl.  The One who loves us despite our shortcomings, doubts, anger and fear.  The Sovereign One who is growing our mustard seed of faith as we live out this journey He's called us to.
And He's called you, too, as our prayer warriors.

Keep praying, sweet friends!  God's got an awesome story to tell here.  He is the King of Kings, and our daughter is His princess.  Christyn Joy.  The one who holds Christ in her heart.  The one whose heart is in Christ's Hand.  I can't think of any place I'd rather be.  Thank you, Jesus, for the cross and Your gift of everlasting life.  Thank you, God, for giving us Your One and Only Son.  I don't know how you did it, but I am forever grateful and forever blessed by Your Precious Gift.



 

4 comments:

Terynn said...

I am praying with you for the healing of your precious Chrissie. May God whisper in her ear of His marvelous plan for her life, here on earth. May she joyfully submit. May we see His miracle and be confounded by the wisdom and mercy and compassion and power of our God.

In Jesus' name we pray...Amen.

Michelle Riggs said...

We love you guys. We are praying constantly and asking everyone we know to pray too.

Praying for Chrissie's miracle.

Anonymous said...

praying for Chrissie...as you say, Chrissie is part of HIS plan...a GRAND onE that we cna't see yet! PRAYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jenny Berg
www.caringbridge.org/visit/jennyaberg

Anonymous said...

El Roi - The God Who Sees - is watching over Chrissie. El Roi is watching over the medical staff.
El Roi is watching over you and El Roi is watching over your family at home.

Before Chrissie had her op you said that 19, 20 & 21 April would be critical days (from what I understood) and now it is 22 April, so I am praying that today will be a turning point for the GOOD!

Rachel xx

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