Back on the Oscillator

Ray and I received a call at 4:00 am from one of the doctors who said that they were moving Farrah back to the oscillator vent. The doctor quickly added that Farrah is stable and just needs the extra support right now and they do not want to keep going up on her oxygen on the regular vent. The change was for Farrah's safety. Even though the oscillator jiggles Farrah, when I saw her today, she seemed much more relaxed than she had looked the past two days on the regular vent. Upon my arrival in the NICU this morning, one of the neonatologist's, "Rusty", checked in with me and let me know that he would be overseeing Farrah's care today. He then showed me the last several x-rays of Farrah's lungs that led them to make the change to her oxygen support. They started seeing more of what they call a "white out", which led them to believe that Farrah's lungs aren't quite ready for the regular vent due to after effects of the infection in her lungs. He also told me that it will take some time for Farrah to get to where she needs to go, but he reminded me that she will get there. Ray and I just need to continue to be patient as Farrah gets the treatment that she needs, and she will meet all the NICU milestones that she needs to meet on her own timing. It was very easy to speak with Rusty about all that is going on with Farrah, and I feel confident that we can turn to Rusty in the future if we have any questions or concerns about Farrah's care. For those who have asked, there is currently no expected date when Farrah should be able to go home; we will have to wait and see.

Since Farrah is back on the oscillator, the lumbar puncture is on hold for now. In the mean time, they drew a bit more blood for another blood culture to ensure that there still is no growth in Farrah's blood. She currently has a PICC line in, and they also put in an ART line this morning. These are in addition to Farrah's regular IV. They did not need to give Farrah any anti-anxiety meds since they moved her to the oscillator. I'm taking this as a sign that she is relieved to not have to work as hard, and now she is able to sleep away without any signs of agitation.

Farrah received another transfusion this afternoon. She is up to 4 units of blood now. We are so very thankful for all of the blood donors who roll up their sleeves time and time again and give blood. We are particularly thankful for United Blood Services blood that Farrah is receiving. If today's transfusion is not her last, that is ok by us. They are drawing a lot of Farrah's blood to test for everything and her body is not replenishing the supply quickly enough. Farrah needs the blood, and the blood is there, thanks to blood donors. If you are eligible, please think about donating blood soon.

Farrah lost 100 grams, which is probably all fluid. We are happy to see that the diuretics are continuing to help get all the extra fluid off Farrah's body. I have posted some photos below that have already been on facebook.