I’ll start this post by mentioning that if you didn’t get a chance to see Sunday’s post, you’ll want to check it out. It is the best way to see how far Ella has come and how all those prayers are working =).
I just called to get an update on Ella. Praise God – – her fluid output was only 215 for all of yesterday! I know that Dr. Kays wanted to see it under 300, so this is really great progress. If you remember, she had as much as 892 last Tuesday. That is amazing.
Her blood gases have not been quite as good since they turned down the ventilator, but are still definitely in the “good” range. Her cO2 was 55 (they like to see it around 40) and her pO2 was 94 (they like to see that number as high as possible). She is scheduled for another blood gas at noon, so hopefully those numbers will sustain.
She had a chest xray this at 4am this morning and is scheduled for another xray tomorrow morning. I am sure these were ordered by Dr. Kays so he can monitor and see how the reduction in fluid is impacting her lungs.
We really hope to hear from Dr. Kays today. We want to know what the plan of action is for her next milestone!
P.S. Last night we had the opportunity of hanging out with Clay and Julie Brantley (Jordan’s parents). If you remember, Jordan was born on August 1st, was in the NICU III until August 20th right next to Ella, and then moved to the NICU II. She has progressed so well, that they are looking to take her home this week! Such an exciting time for them – – thanks for all the prayers lifting up Jordan.
UPDATE (12:15pm EST): Ella is being switched to a normal ventilator right now. This is another big milestone. She may not tolerate it too well, but it’s a necessary step. Please pray for success during this transition.
UPDATE (1:30pm EST): Ella is so far maintaining on the standard ventilator, but this could change at any time. Dr. Kays said to not worry if she has to go back to the other vent, but so far so good. Go Ella!