A Better Day

Here's a pic of our stud this morning. She looks deceiving great, but she is doing well.

Ry had a wonderful night and a good day (relatively speaking).
I apologize for that rambling post yesterday. Things were so bad that I could not bring myself to sit down and put the words in writing. My heart was breaking and Gilly and I were scared. The staff here knew Ry's desperate situation and through their body language as well as the updates given, we knew that Ry had reached a really critical point.  We truly were unsure of what the next 24 hours would bring.
Her kidney's once again slowed way down, but her body was continuing to hold all her fluid in her tissues. And despite the fact that she was so swollen from fluid that she couldn't bend her arms, breathe well, or hold down any feeds, she was actually vascularly dehydrated. Her lungs could no longer expand and her blood gas levels were not good. All of this meant a trip to the OR. Our only hope was that we could place a drain in her abdomen so help alleviate some of the fluid. She needed to be intubated for the procedure. We already had started her on CPAP and surgery or not it was time that Ry be put on a ventilator. So yesterday upon returning to her room, they tapped the abdomen drain known as a PD Cath and thank God it began to drain fluid. Lots of fluid! Almost immediately after that she started producing lots of urine. These are the two things we were praying for, but were prepared for in the event they did not.
Ry dumped 800 mls from her PD Cath and nearly three times the amount of urine she produce in the three days prior in just the first few hours.
Yesterday, doctors also prepared us for the reality that Ry would most likely need to be on the ventilator for up to a couple of weeks. In the past, some kids just can't be weaned. This was also a harsh scenario for us. We know that based on Ry's situation it could be many months before or even if a donor heart is available. So the idea that Ry would be placed on the vent and not able to come off is not feasible. I am happy to report that throughout the day they have been able to wean Ry's settings so there is hope she will be able to come off with a little time.
Today has been a day filled with small, but important steps in the right direction. Please, please continue to pray for Rylynn. We appreciate each phone call, text, and email from friends and family, but most of all we appreciate your prayers.