June 9 – Alexandra made a lot of progress today! For the first time since before she was moved back to the CICU, she stood and took four steps on her own! She even stood up by herself on a sofa/bed in the room to look out the window which overlooks the lobby area of the hospital to see some toy cars. She also had a session with a physical therapist this afternoon. Her demeanor has become much more like normal with her flashing smiles at the nurses as we passed them during wagon rides, and she even flirted with her evening male nurse!
Clinically, she has also shown improvement. Her chest x-ray was the best it has been since right after surgery. The right side showed a lot less fluid while her left side has not changed much yet. The left side is still draining but is going at a slower pace now. Her sodium levels were up enough that they agreed to let us forego the sodium supplement, which Alexandra hated. She also took in enough fluids today so she did not need the IV fluids tonight. They also decreased her oxygen. She continues to cough a lot today, but everyone tells us this is a good thing, as it means she is able to expand her lungs more and will be able to get rid of the fluid better.
We continue to be reminded how fragile life is. Early yesterday a teenager was admitted into the room next to us for his heart to be monitored. He had taken an overdose of pills in an attempted suicide. We got to talk to his parents last night, and I was amazed at how much concern they showed for Alexandra and her recovery when they were going through such a traumatic challenge themselves. This morning when the doctors and nurses were right outside Alexandra’s room doing rounds, an alarm went off in our unit with instructions about a specific room. When I heard the alarm and saw the reaction from the doctors and nurses who all went running, my heart just stopped, as I knew that someone’s child was in a dire situation. We heard he had been taken back to the CICU and later found out that he is going to be okay, thank God!
While I would not wish our experiences on anyone, everything we have been going through has made me a stronger person, our marriage more solid and has given me a strong desire to help people in ways I never dreamed about before.
It is amazing, this journey that we are on…even with so much challenge, we recognize the value in each and every day and have the desire to help others get through their journeys as well.
You guys are doing a GREAT job! I think you’re in the home stretch of your hospital stay, so take some deep breathes and gather your second (or third or fourth) wind….you’ll be home soon…and I’m here to help you when you arrive!
Thinking of you all…Beckie