An Update From Iowa City

As I was listening to 96.1 FM last week broadcast live from this very hospital, supporting the Children's Miracle Network, I thought to myself that Iowa City must be a very special place. I listened to parents testimonials during the songs and heard many of them say how appreciative they were of the doctors and nurses and how they never imagined they would be using these services. It never dawned on me that we would be one of those parents sitting in the Children's Hospital just a few days later. Isn't it strange how things evolve and happen?

Alayna is doing a bit better this afternoon compared to yesterday and this morning. She is opening her eyes much more than yesterday and is getting just a bit easier to calm down. She is still fussy, but she hasn't had anything to eat for nearly 48 hours. The sugar-water, called "Tootsweet", dipped on her pacifier is just not cutting it all of the time. Pedialyte is okay to do, but only in small amounts. Right now I agree with the nurse that it would be like teasing her to give her some. She would want more and would probably be more aggravated. We have decided to hold off on it for now. She has an IV with potassium, so she is getting fluids. Hopefully after the swallow study tomorrow she will get to drink a bottle.

Her heart rate is really good and she still has oxygen in her nose and that number is holding great too. I imagine that they will try to wean her down in the next day or two and it will be interesting to see how that number reads. Her resting heart rate (RR) is a tad high for what it should be. She is still breathing pretty heavily and deeply. You can see her chest cavity go up and down. So, breathing is still tough for her, but that is the RSV.

Her nurse tracked down a portable swing and Alayna was in heaven. She loves the swing and took a long nap in it. That was really nice. Dana and Alexis are here now and I'm taking a break. A little nap is on the agenda soon.

Again, just to explain what the pulmonary doctors said this morning. She doesn't have pneumonia like Trinity thought. The x-ray can be read/interpreted a bit differently and they believe that it looks like one of two things. First, it could be the RSV in her lungs that is effecting the tissues and making them enlarged. Secondly, it could be that she aspirated something into her lungs. It is hard to determine what exactly happened and I'm not sure they will be able to say it with 100%. That is why they want to do the swallow study tomorrow just to cover the bases and make sure she isn't aspirating anything. I will feel better about this too. The doctors and leaning more toward the RSV instead of the aspiration. I don't want this to happen again. They can test her for anything they see fit!

So, all in all, this has been another adventurous path on this journey with Alayna. It adds another chapter to the book I'm going to write someday! She can say that she has ridden in an ambulance and a helicopter....all in the same weekend....I'll bet most of us couldn't say that!? :)