Sunday, June 29, 2008

It's So Good to Be Home, Toto

SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2008 10:01 PM, CDT
Yea!! We're home!!! Three days of daily shots (one in each thigh at the same time) and Bri is healthy enough to come home. What a difference in her behavior. She has been talking and smiling up a storm all day. I guess when someone is gradually becoming sick, you don't notice the behavior as much. She was still smiling and pretty happy even when sick but now she is REALLY happy and smiling.
It is so nice for our family to be back under one roof again.
Happy Day

Friday, June 27, 2008

Not As Bad As We Thought

FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2008 01:01 PM, EDT
Ok, the doctor was just in and this is what they have come up with. After doing a CT scan last night they found fluid in Brianna's right ear and found her right sinus area to be full of fluid. With Brianna it's hard to determine if she has an ear infection because her ears are so tiny that the doctor can't see inside with his normal tools. We would have to take her to a specialist who has itty bitty tools to see in her itty bitty ear canals. So an ear infection combined with a cold, add some aspiration = what she has (I am so professional, yes?). So, now they are going to give her a shot to combat the ear and sinus problem and we should see a huge difference in the next 24 hours. She wasn't given any antibiotics earlier because when they took blood samples, her counts were normal.
So with that news hopefully we will be going home soon. Will let you know when we do.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Not so Good News

THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2008 10:18 AM, EDT
I tell you what. It takes me forever to update Brianna's website and after giving such wonderful news, it's time to update it again with not so good news.
In the previous posting, I mentioned that Brianna had some congestion, well, she was admitted to Florida Hospital last Monday to get it taken care of. Wish it was that easy. Here it is Thursday, and we are still here. Thank goodness though that it is not pneumonia. Right now the doctors are saying it is a bronchial virus and she is being treated with breathing treatments. Plus she is on oxygen because the virus is making it hard for her to get enough oxygen in her blood. We could do the breathing treatments at home but taking the oxygen home apparently is a big deal and they would rather we wait out the virus at the hospital. There is a possibility that it is not a virus at all but could have been caused by chronic aspiration. They will be running some tests to determine if that is the case after she recovers from this bronchial inflammation.
I will keep you posted.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Popping the G-Tube Out...Yikes!!

SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 2008 10:26 PM, CDT
Hello everyone. We have had a good last couple of months. Brianna is now 14 months old. Praise be to God. She is sitting upright all by herself and trying so hard to crawl on hands and knees. She is getting around though quite well on her knees and head down on the floor...pretty soon she is going to rub all the hair off the front of her head if we aren't careful. A couple of weeks ago she managed to scoot between the couch and ottoman, all of perhaps 12 inches. That was rather amusing. And talk about happy, Brianna is so happy, big goofy grins all of the time. She has started laughing out loud too. Oh, what sweet sounds to hear. She currently has a bit of a cold, the congestion is what we are concerned with. But in true Brianna form, she is fighting it just like the best of them.
We took a mini vacation a couple of weeks ago up to the panhandle of Florida. My niece was getting married so we went and stayed for a week. To say the least, my mother was in heaven to have us there with her. Brianna spent several hours at the beach (Destin) and even went swimming. She loves the water. Always has.
Of course the visit wasn't uneventful.....is our life ever? One evening I was putting her to bed and when I leaned over the playard to lay her down, I pressed the tube to her G-tube against the railing (of course unintentionally) and heard a loud "POP". Yes, you guessed it, I pulled up her pajama top and her G-tube was not there. Yelled "Oh my Goodness" so loud that my mother and eldest daughter (my husband had to leave on a business trip and wasn't there at the time) came running. But thank goodness for Bri's GI doctor, Dr. Borenstein, for showing me how to put it back in. Ashley retrieved the diaper bag with the proper "stuff". My mother and Ashley held Brianna still, and although I was shaking like a leaf, I was able to insert the G-Tube back into her tummy. Whew!!! How was Brianna while this was going on? Smiling (surprised?) and not a bit concerned. Of course I stayed up another hour and a half to make sure I did indeed put it back properly (and to calm my nerves!).
Something else new to Brianna is her group therapy class for the month of June. This is the first time Brianna has actually been engaged with other children her age. We have been invited to playgroups but I have been too nervous about GERMS. But anyway, at the first session, Brianna could not keep her eyes off another toddler by the name of Elise. Elise had just learned how to stomp her feet and Brianna didn't quite know what to make of it. We missed the second group since we were out of town but at the third one, there was a sweet girl with Downs Syndrome who just wanted to kiss Brianna, the entire time. I would like to find a playgroup for Brianna but the GERM thing scares me.
Oh one more thing before I go. Bri now has three teeth. Two bottom and one top. Her other top front tooth should be coming through any day.
Love hearing from everyone. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. They're working!!!