Thank You Nurses at Methodist Children's SA!

Today is Nurse's Day, and there's been lots of celebrating the nursing staff here at Methodist Children's Hospital in San Antonio!  I have MUCH to be grateful for as I've been so very blessed by the wonderful care given at this hospital.  (I was born here, my mom has had several surgeries here (including open-heart surgery), both of my grandparents actually died in this hospital, my husband spent a week here when he broke his back and had internal bleeding, Chrissie has spent many days here (even prior to her surgery)...we go way back.)  Methodist Hospital has always been the very best hospital I've ever spent time in.  The nursing staff here makes a HUGE difference.  HUGE.  I didn't realize how big of a difference they make until we spent time at a different hospital in Austin when my husband first broke his back.  (That hospital was a HORRID experience.  Absolutely horrid.)  Anyway, I am so very grateful that God arranged for Chrissie's care to be given at Methodist Children's in SA.  It's THE BEST!  Happy Nurse's Day to all of the nurses who work so hard to save lives and give the best of care for their patients.  Please know that the patients and the parents appreciate your loving kindness and genuine compassion as you lovingly administer precise medication and wonderful care.  You are the ones who make the difference in a family's hospital experience because you're the ones dealing with the parents most of the time!  Thank you to all of the amazing nursing staff at Methodist Children's for saving Chrissie's life (especially you, Steven...the one who has just happened to be in Chrissie's room every time she's had a big episode/crash!).  We are so grateful for each of you!

This is Steven, who has been instrumental in saving Chrissie's life.  We're grateful for you and your compassionate heart, Steven!  Thank you!

In honor of Nurse's Day and with much appreciation for Chrissie's wonderful care here, some sweet moms from our church arranged to have a big lunch delivered to the nursing staff on the PICU floor today.  Papouli's Greek Grill donated and delivered a huge lunch of gyros and all the fixin's!  YUM!  Thank you so much Papouli's for your generous donation!!!  You blessed the nurses here today and let them know how much they're appreciated, and thank you to Karen, Brittany and Jennifer for arranging this blessing today, and thanks for the great outfits you blessed ME with today.  Fun!!!

Dr. Kupferschmid came back today (he's been gone for a week), so he stopped in to check on Chrissie.  It was a bit of a whirlwind visit, but he pulled out 2 of Chrissie's chest tubes (left 1 in on her right side because it is still draining too much fluid) and clipped her pacemaker lines while he was here.  (The pacemaker leads are still in her heart, but the external wires and unit were clipped and removed.)  Dr. Kupferscmid commented that  he'd be shocked if Chrissie were to be extubated within a week, and he had some concern about a rash that is on Chrissie's arm.  He ordered a culture to be done on the rash to see if it's shingles.  An echo (sonogram) was done of Chrissie's heart earlier, but I never heard the results.  (Dr. Porisch, I am counting the days until your return!!!)  I believe there was some concern that right sided pressures are higher than they would like or something like that.  Chrissie's chest x-rays are continuing to improve.  She's still on normal (conventional) ventilator settings using volume control (instead of pressure control) with oxygen levels set on the machine to 60% while Chrissie maintains oxygen sats in her blood of somewhere in the 90's most of the time.  Chrissie is resting comfortably as they begin to move toward oral pain medication and less IV meds.  She still gets really angry and frustrated here and there, but it's good to see our little warrior princess still fighting with all her might.  Chrissie got a new bed last night, one with air chambers that relieve pressure on her back and it keeps her skin dry.  The automatic rotating bed still isn't an option since she's still intubated and the tubes must be manually moved with each turn of Chrissie's body.  Chrissie hasn't had anymore fever, but she's still testing positive for MRSA.  They're thinking she'll have her MRI tomorrow.  All in all, she's doing remarkably well, and we're so grateful for the miraculous healing that God has graciously granted to our Chrissie.

God arranged for me to speak about the miracles in Chrissie's life on another radio show this morning, which will air tomorrow  (Friday) morning between 7-9AM.  You may listen online at KDRP radio station or if you're  in Dripping Springs, you may tune in to 99.9 FM. 

Thank you for continuing to lift Chrissie up in prayer.  We are grateful and oh so blessed!

This is a photo of Chrissie's rash that I took Tuesday, May 4.  It's much worse today (and only on her right arm), but I didn't take a picutre of it today, so I'm posting the old one because I'm too tired to get up and take a photo right now! :-)

Chrissie being transferred to her new hospital bed last night.

This is a list of the medications that Chrissie started out on!  She's down to about half of the original requirements!

Prayer changes things!  We have living proof!

Chrissie, Day 18 of her hospital stay.