PICU Day 17 ~ Full Update

Day 17 in the hospital showed more improvement and gave hope to coming home, but with the blood clot and the high CO2 issue hanging over our heads, we were not sure when it would truly happen.  Noelle tried to squeeze in some sleep amidst the breathing treatments, chest PT, regular feedings, assessments, and various other tests and procedures that seem to arise each day while here.  Her morning exam looked positive, but everyone seemed to be waiting on the blood gas results to be repeated that night as well as the ultrasound on her blood clot, scheduled for the next morning.  The CO2 issue was especially concerning to the medical team and had them puzzled, so we did not get our hopes too high at the prospect of leaving soon.  During the late afternoon, the ultrasound tech arrived to scan her leg, and we were pleasantly surprised to discover the time had been changed from the following morning, which meant we would have answers by early the next day.  At nearly the same time, we were informed that the blood gas had been rescheduled for the next morning and would be clustered with her 4:00a.m. labs.  We were very glad she would not be stuck an extra time and were thankful to finally have something clustered within her care plan but were slightly disappointed to wait for the blood gas results.

~Kim and little Kara~

Tom sweetly took full responsibility for Noelle's care through the evening as I met with a fellow NICU mom, Kim Huggins, for dinner (in the hospital...thankfully, they have Subway!!) and was able to visit one of her little daughters in the Baptist NICU.  We had met several weeks prior on a day when Tom and I had taken Noelle to see her Forsyth NICU family.  She recognized us from reading the blog, which the nurses had shared with her; and as we began to talk that day, a connection was made between two people who have shared some very similar and yet very different experiences through their NICU journies.  Kim and Kevin were expecting twin girls when Kim's water spontaneously broke at 25 weeks, and Kara and Kahlan were born.  Kahlan lived 18 precious, yet heart wrenching hours; and her identical twin, Kara, has bravely fought a difficult battle through the past several weeks in the NICU.  Since that initial meeting, I have followed Kara's progress through the Huggins' Caring Bridge page (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/karahuggins) and thus was aware when this little family made the transition to Baptist for ROP issues (same as Noelle) and connected again with them when we visited Baptist for an appointment for Noelle and then later the same day were admitted into the hospital through the ED.

~Sweet little Kara~

The last few weeks, Kara and Noelle were on the same floor but in separate, locked down areas; so Kim and I kept up on each other and met a couple of times during our stay and spent time visiting.  Please pray for this sweet little family who, like us, desired children from God and have now lost one and are fighting hard with the other one.  Kara has surprised the doctors on multiple occasions with her progress, especially considering everything she has gone through; and yet, they are a long way from determining what issues they will truly face with her down the road.  At this time, she weighs nearly 4lbs.; and they are waiting for her to gain a few more ounces to determine if she will need a shunt surgery, after which they would like to return to Forsyth (like we did) and allow Kara to continue to grow until she is able to go home.  As I looked at tiny Kara, it reminded me so much of the days that we spent with Noelle as she lived in that little isolette.  Those days sometimes seem like a lifetime ago; but most days, it seems as if we are still right in the middle of our NICU journey ~ it has simply changed form.  But as Kim and I discussed, God continues to give us grace for each issue which we encounter with our precious girls; and we "simply" leave it in His hands and take it one day at a time.  I know Kevin, Kim, and Kara would be extremely grateful to have others praying for them as they walk through these difficult days; and we continue to truly appreciate your constant prayers for Noelle.