Healthy Heart Club, Update 4

SHE'S A GRUMPY GIRL DON'T TOUCH HER MOM AND DAD NEED SLEEP SEND HELP

Our little wiggle monster had an okay first night. She was very restless, trying to find that fine line of just the right amount of sedation.

She is on Fentanyl (among many others), a narcotic pain killer, which causes itchy skin, especially in the nose and face. Poor thing will stop at nothing to scratch her nose, which she literally rubbed raw last night with a sock-covered hand.

Should be an interesting sock puppet show today.

Healthy Heart Club, Update 3

Lucy resting peacefully (for now) in her temporary home in ICU. She doesn't plan on staying long so we will skip the decorations this time around.

Lucy is currently on a hefty dose of three sedation meds to keep her from tearing the ICU apart. She's basically one step away from a horse tranquilizer.

She kicked butt today and we couldn't be more proud of her. She's the toughest little soul we know.

Sleeping Beauty

Our gentle giant is asleep for now. We are not responsible for damaged property from this child once the sedation wears off.

Lucy Kate Update IV

Lucy didn't have any major setbacks last night, but she started to have an increase in the amount of fluid from her chest tube drainage. Over the past week, the fluid has been more serous, which is transparent in color. Late last night, the fluid turned more pink in color, which contained blood. Eventually it was red. There was concern where the excess fluid was originating from. Several chest X-Rays later, the fluid near her right lung inside the pleural cavity had completely disappeared.

Today, the plan is to completely wean her off nitric oxide, decrease her oxygen levels and respiration rate on the ventilator and continue to aggressively move forward.

We're finally getting closer to extubating her and weaning the paralyzing and sedation drugs.

We can't wait for her to be awake again.