Oct
24
    
Posted (Tina) in All Posts on October-24-2007


Grandma West left us this morning to travel to Salt Lake City and see her other grandchildren, Sophia and Lucy. But she had a pleasant time in Gainesville visiting her newest grandchild.

Ella had a great night. She was awake for a short time this morning as shift change approached and the nurse read some fairy tales. She noted that Ella listened and was calmly looking around her room.

Her success in adjusting to CPAP was evident in her blood gas this morning. The respiratory therapist, Marla, was beside herself when she had to note the numbers on the flowsheet, ph=7.33, cO2=44, pO2=77. At this stage, these are excellent numbers for Ella.

If you remember, yesterday they were a bit concerned that she was breathing too hard and had too much carbon dioxide in her system. Part of it was likely because she was agitated, so they even gave her a small dose of versed to help calm her down and settle her into CPAP.

Apparently, that did the trick. She has not required any more sedative and has adjusted to the air blowing through her nose through the cannulas. She is at a rate of 6 on the CPAP machine (pressure for the lungs) and at 55% oxygen. They will look to ween these numbers over the coming days.

They did 5 blood gases in the past 24 hours to see how she adjusted to CPAP. Each time, Ella’s body took baby steps in the right direction. It is hard to believe that her lungs are properly exchanging gases with such little assistance. She is really working hard!

Because her blood gas this morning was so good, they have decided to remove the UAC line from her belly. This one monitored her blood pressure and gave them another line to draw blood and administer meds. Typically, UAC lines are in for a max of 1-2 weeks. One of the nurses admitted that she has never witnessed a UAC line staying in for so long. In Ella’s case, they needed it. But it is another area that can place her at risk for infection, so they want to remove it.

This means less blood gases to report. They will simply base their decisions on how she is behaving clinically (watching her saturations on the monitor, listening to her chest and breaths, watching her behavior, etc.). Also, this means there is one less cord attached to Ella. Slowly but surely, she is getting rid of all of them.

After dropping off Grandma at the airport early this morning, we stopped to peek in on Ella. Nurse Angie is taking care of her. As always, it was nice to see a familiar face.

Ella looked peaceful as she slept on her belly. Nurse Angie explained that wanted to let Ella have some belly time before they remove her UAC line. Once they remove it later today, Ella will need to stay on her back and sides so they can monitor the area.

The Lord is so good to Josh and me. As each day passes, we are amazed at how He has worked in all of our lives over the past weeks.

He continues to be faithful and let us know that He is there all the time, overseeing every detail of Ella’s care.

And each time an obstacle arrives along the path, we hear Him whispering to “trust Him”. Trust Him in everything, in every moment.

Psalm 28:7-8
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song.

8 The LORD is the strength of his people,
a fortress of salvation for his anointed one



Loren L. on October 24th, 2007 at 10:58 am #

WOW! I’m so proud of Ella. What progress she makes everyday, it looks so easy now. As the saga continues we will continue to pray for more tubes to be removed as much as our little Angel can handle.
God Bless
XOXO
LL

Joan and Steve Odell on October 24th, 2007 at 11:17 am #

What joy it is to see her precious face and know the Lord is with all of us – what a powerful journey for the three of you and each of us. I hope you will take all the posts and use them for others who may not know our Lord and/or be walking very hard journeys!! The two of you are a blessing to so many of us. Dear Ella rest easy as these tubes and other things are removed and you take other steps forward to complete healing. Our Lord is holding and guiding you. Lord Bless and hugs – Steve and Joan

Heidi Ham on October 24th, 2007 at 11:28 am #

Just curious what is the tube that is in her mouth? Is that her feeding tube? Ella you are doing an awesome job! We are all so excited for you and your parents. Praise be to God – He is Worthy.

Carl and Cathie Firestone on October 24th, 2007 at 1:10 pm #

What a HUGE step she has taken in the right direction! Praise God! Luke turns 7 today…7!! We just can’t believe it! Before you know it, you’ll be saying the same about your precious Ella! What amazing gifts God has given us through these children…all praise and glory and thanks to Him!

Dawn Franck on October 24th, 2007 at 1:43 pm #

Great news! One down, a few more big ones to go and hopefully she will be headed out of there by the holidays : ) Take care, Dawn

Avery Kronz on October 24th, 2007 at 4:13 pm #

Great news! Praise the Lord! we are still praying for you and Ella. love ya!

Williamsburg on October 24th, 2007 at 5:03 pm #

Here’s to one less equipment tether, Miss Ella, to your awesome progress, to healthy lungs and sweet sleep. May His presence touch your spirit with peace, little one. Love and hugs, XOXOXO

Joel Snyder on October 24th, 2007 at 5:26 pm #

Ella, You are such a fighter and I am so proud of you. Your adjustment to CPAP is fantistic. Keep taking those baby steps and you will be coming home soon. J&T hope the news from Calif. is positive. Thanks for the update have a good night. Love, Grandpa

Auntie Shannon on October 24th, 2007 at 5:44 pm #

Way to go Sweet Ella! Such great news.

Shannon

Laura Marold on October 24th, 2007 at 6:31 pm #

I’m so glad to hear that Ella is making such WONDERFUL progress. It’s so good to be hearing GREAT news right now when things are so tense here in Temecula (ashes are falling–they say it’s all contained). Lots of displaced people from North County(San Diego). We have many high schools, parks, and churches set up as shelters. Ella is my bright light today. When I hear positive updates on Ella like today’s report it really helps! And, of course, I am concerned about Mary and Jack. Thank You Ella for brightening up my day!!!

Chambers Family on October 24th, 2007 at 7:31 pm #

She is so cute sleeping with her little lips open… She is used to that darn ventilator. Glad to hear about all the good news. Are you going to get to hold her more often now?

Dana

Michelle L on October 24th, 2007 at 7:54 pm #

You guys left just a few minutes too early! I was doing my rounds and she was awake and a little fussy, so we put on her music. It had an immediate calming effect 🙂 Hopefully she’ll be awake for you tomorrow. Have a good night, I look forward to seeing the 3 of you tomorrow!

Tiffani on October 24th, 2007 at 9:04 pm #

Hi Josh and Tina,
We are so excited for you as this journey will soon be coming to an end. Ella will be coming home soon. How wonderful it will be for you. God is so good and faithful!! We really will have to get together so our girls can play and we can chat. Love & Prayers, Tiff

John & Estela Williams on October 25th, 2007 at 6:52 am #

Praise the Lord. What an awesome witnessing of God’s touch. We love you guys and we are excited to see such a great progress report for Ella.

Kelsey Rupert on October 25th, 2007 at 7:59 am #

This looks familiar! I’m so happy for you guys! Huge steps in the right direction!

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