Sleeping Beauty

Hello everyone.  Rena is doing very well.  They are very very slowly dialing back the sedatives and the ventillator parameters and she is responding very well.  Today she has been responding to some of the things Nate and I say to her or to irritating things that nurses and doctors do (like giving her a bath etc). Mostly she makes facial expressions and she even squeezed Nate's hand.  She opened her eyes briefly, but it is not clear that she registered us.  These are all good signs.  It is very heartnening to see little bits of her personality coming through. 

Baby Steps

Hello everyone.  The doctors have begun taking baby steps toward removing the ventilator (extubation). This is a slow and careful process since Rena has been on the ventilator for so long.  Essentially they will slowly adjust the parameters on the ventilator so as to test Rena's ability to breath un-assisted and to give her breathing muscles some exercise. So far she is responding very well, but this process will take a few days at least.  We also expect that she will remain in the ICU for some period of time after she is extubated.  Her muscles are very weakened from dis-use and she will need some physical therapy which will start as soon as is  possible.  We thank you for your continued prayers, positive thoughts, and support as we begin these cautious steps toward recovery. We will keep you posted.

Gradual changes and patience....

Rena is gradually improving, but it is slow going.  Every day her X-rays look better, but there is still more improvement needed.  We are doing our best to be patient and stay positive. 

Making progress

Hello everyone.  Rena is making progress.  Her chest X-rays have shown improvement both yesterday and today.  We understand that with this particular pneumonia the recovery is gradual.  Rena is doing well and improving, but she will still receive respiratory support for a few more days at least.
Also, please refrain from sending anything to the hospital.  Although we appreciate the thought, her room in the ICU is very small. Please continue your prayers and positive thoughts.  They are very much appreciated.

Holding down the fort

Hello everyone,
There isn't any significant news to share this morning.  The important thing is that Rena is stable.  We are patiently waiting for a break through or improvement from the antibiotics etc.  However, there is no way to know in what time frame this will occur. She will remain intubated and sedated until there is significant improvement.  You should all expect that we may be in the ICU for a while.  We will be sure to post when anything noteworthy occurs. 

Again, Rena is receiving very excellent care here by teams of doctors and nurses.  It is nice to know that so many hard working and intelligent people are focused on Rena's recovery.  We are very fortunate to live near such an excellent hospital. 

Thank you for the prayers and positive thoughts.  It is important that we all continue to send positive energy Rena's way.  We talk to her as much as we can, Nate is reading to her, and we are playing her favorite music for her. Although she is sleeping, we understand that she will remember some things that were said to her etc. I will go in shortly to turn on Ellen, which is one of Rena's favorite televisions shows.

Finally, a Diagnosis

Rena has been receiving continuous care and has been treated with a cocktail of medications to carpet-bomb most of the possible culprits (bacterial and fungal).
Luckily, we finally got a positive result back from one of the cultures, so we know what type of pneumonia she's up against. That has allowed the team to target the specific bacterial infection responsible for her respiratory distress. This is good news, since without knowing specific details about the cause of her condition, they can really only treat her symptoms and also give her a wide spectrum of antibiotics.

So the prognosis is good for now, but there is probably going to be several more days in the ICU.

I've started reading the book, "I am Number 4" to Rena. We're up to chapter 7, and just learned about the mysterious "lumen" (not to be confused with the candela; the SI unit of luminous intensity).

ICU

Rena has had some respiratory issues since yesterday and a chest x-ray confirmed pneumonia. She has moved to the ICU and is receiving continuous care.

Since we've got a lot to deal with right now, we're not taking calls at the moment. We know that you will all keep Rena in your thoughts and prayers and will send her some healing thoughts.

Once again..in the hospital

It has been a tough couple of weeks.  We are back at the hospital today.  Rena has a fever and low white blood cell counts.  She is resting now and we are happy to be back in the care of our friends here on 7 Mott.  We will let you know when she is released.

Taking it easy at home

Rena was released sunday afternoon and has been taking it easy at home. 

Rena is in the Hospital

Hello everyone,
Just a quick note to let you know that Rena is in the hospital.  She had a low fever yesterday and with low white blood cell count it is a routine precaution to admit her.  She is doing very well and expect to go home tomorrow. 
thanks,
Ginger