A step in the right direction

I find myself reluctant to blog when I do not have good news to report, so I apologize for leaving you in the dark. Then I remind myself that this blog was intended to be an honest portrayal of the blessings and challenges of the chromosomally enhanced life and this situation is the challenge of all challenges.

 

On Friday afternoon, Doctor Perspicacity quickly became Dr. Doom and Gloom as he accosted Travis and I with a very bleak prognosis and told us to prepare ourselves for the worst.  Our hearts instantly shattered.  Saturday morning, Travis' parents arrived and Travis' brother rushed to the airport so he could be here to meet Josie.  It was an agonizing, tear-filled day. 

We did, however, encounter a couple of new doctors who demonstrated that they were nowhere near ready to give up on our sweet Josie.  We were also blessed with Nurse Krista, who embodies optimism and truly believes in Josie's ability to pull through. 

Thank God for Nurse Krista!

I woke up this morning with a good feeling about this day.  We arrived at the hospital to find that Josie's saturations were slightly higher on slightly less oxygen.  That was a step in the right direction; a much needed sign that we are turning a corner! 

This afternoon, Josie briefly woke up and was content.  Her saturations remained high and she smiled at us.  My father-in-law captured this picture with his cell phone:

The doctors still have not discovered the source of the problem.  Josie does have pulmonary hypertension.  Her CAT Scan showed "gunk" in her right lung.  We cannot identify the "gunk" without doing a dangerous biopsy and even that may not tell us anything.  She is currently on antibiotics, pain medications, sedatives, Nitric Oxide, Oxygen, and Lasix to try to drain some of the fluid that has accumulated around her lungs. 

We remain hopeful as we wait.  We pray that each day we are greeted with the subtle improvement Josie demonstrated today.  I anxiously await the day I can blog to tell you that she is off the ventilator...and that she's out of the PICU...and that she gets to go home...and comes back to punch Dr. Doom & Gloom in the face (Travis' idea, not mine).  With all the love, support, and prayers that surround our sweet baby, we know she will recover.  We've got BIG plans for this kiddo! 

On a lighter note, I'd like to congratulate Leanne for winning a silver medal in her Special Olympics Bowling tournament this weekend.  She bowled an impressive 101! 

You go girl!