Friday, October 15, 2004
If you want to be added to my ever-growing email list then send your email address to zachary-cabell@utulsa.edu. If you do, you'll get video clips of Savannah in action! (in-action means you get to see her arm twitch...if I catch it.) Goodness I sound like I'm selling something. Get one month of Savannah FREE when you subscribe to a year of savannah! Just kidding.
It's a date!
Last night Angel and I went to the NICU and hung out with Savannah for a while. I actually studied there, and Angel wrote in her journal. I took pictures (of course!) and posted them above. Angel got to (nervously) take her temperature, and we watched as they changed her diaper and gave her a general checkup. She didn't like that at all! She was a squirmy worm. One of the pictures is a syringe of Angel's milk that they are feeding her. Also, her billy-reubins went down, praise the Lord.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Update Numero Tres - poop de la tummy
Today my wife went to the NICU while I stayed at home to study for class; she said that they are giving her steroids to stimulate her lungs, to try to make them develop. Also, they are giving her some of her milk to try to trigger her bowels. So, please pray for her lungs, that they develop enough for them to take her off the ventilator, and for her bowels, that she poops. That's right. Pray for poop. But her lungs are the big one right now.
Better explanation
For a better explanation of PDA, look here: http://www.heartpoint.com/congpda.html
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Getting to the heart of the matter
Well Savannah had heart surgery last night at 11pm or so, I think it was over by 11:20. What happened was she had PDA, Patent Ductus Arteriosis, which is common in preemies that are born this early. Basically what it means is this: you have this valve in your heart which, while in the womb, is open to allow blood to circumvent the lungs (because you aren't using those yet, you get your oxygen from your mom's blood) and when you are born this valve shuts naturally. However, because Savannah was born so early, and so unnaturally, this valve didn't shut, and her lungs weren't getting the oxygen she needed to be able to breathe on her own. SO, we had two options: either medicine which MIGHT work and would cause serious side effects (which I won't go into) or surgery, which has a 100% chance of success, with a 1% mortality rate. But, it is surgery. Men, cutting into the delicate skin of my daughter. It was a hard decision. Also, with the medicine option, if it didn't work, she might need surgery anyway, and by that time she would be at risk for congestive heart failure if it isn't fixed by this weekend. So we opted for the surgery. The surgery was a success, and they are going to proceed to try to ween her from the vent today and tommorrow. I will post her post-surgery pictures as soon as I can. It is really tough to balance school, my job at the DA's office, and trying to visit my daughter all the time. Not to mention that Angel can't really walk all that well. But God is good and we will be great! It is just hard right now.