The new year will be better....

So today is the last day of the year, this year has been a roller coaster for sure for our family. We all hope that with the new year comes good things and that we can look at the past year as a memory.
So today Abby's blood count has creaped up a little bit. Her total white blood count is now up to 1700 and her neutrophils are around 150. They need to be 500 and her total count should be 4500. But they are headed up so that is good. They took Abby off of all the medication that was lowering her blood count. We just hope that she doesn't get sick from being off of the medication. But for now the risk of the medication was greater than the benefit. So we hope and pray that she doesn't get certain viruses that the medications were preventing. Also Abby's drains in her abdomen have putting out more fluid which is good because we need to get rid of that fluid. The biggest reason she is in the hospital right now is because the combo of her low white count and having fluid that has some bacteria in it. They are afraid that it could turn into something dangerous because she doesn't have an immune system to fight it so they need to keep a close eye on it.
Abby has been discouraged lately she has had more pain and of course having to go back to the hospital was no fun. She also hasn't had as many visitors so she is very lonely and bored. We all wish we could cheer her up but I think she is sick of us. So visitors are welcome! I know people are nervous to visit because of Abby's weak immune system. But if you are not sick than you can visit just make sure before going in her room you use the hand sanitizing solution outside her door, and there are boxes of masks on the counter outside of her room door. You need to wear a mask at all times when in her room. So as long as you do those things she would love to have visitors. And she needs them and to her friends who have her cell phone number she would even love a phone call or a text. She really has her phone on her at all times and is waiting for a call.
We hope that her numbers will continue to get better and that she will stay illness free so she can come home soon. Thank you for all of the love and support!

Still fighting...

So Abby's white blood cells came up a little bit today they are up to 700 from 500 but they should be a lot higher like at 5000. Plus the neutrophils which fight bacteria are only at .1 and they want them at .5. But for now we will take any improvement. She is in a lot of pain in one of her drain sites. They did a CT scan to see if they can see the problem we still haven't heard the results of that yet. Her Kidney and Liver numbers are still good so that is good. She is just very vulnerable right now. So she is scared and feeling very down. But she is still fighting and we are all very proud of her.
So we are hoping and praying for good labs tomorrow so she can come home again. Keep fighting Abby we love you and are fighting with you!

back in the hospital.....

So Yesterday Dec 26 Abby was readmitted to the hospital. Her lab work yesterday morning showed her white blood count going down even more so it is only 0.5 which means only 500 white blood cells. A normal blood count is 5000-10000 so she literally has no immune system at all. Which is so dangerous, so they wanted her back at the hospital so they could decide what to do. They are also worried about her stomach fluid as well. She will have another CT scan today to see what the fluid is doing.

So pray hard, we need her white blood cells to come back so she can fight any possible infection. This is very serious, thanks for all the love and support! I will keep you all posted!

Day 77 and She is HOME!!!!!

Yup folks that is right she is HOME we cried a lot of happy tears today. She still has a ways to go in her recovery but she is making her way there. The biggest issue right now for Abby is she has NO immune system. So on her lab work her white blood cells are only at 0.75 a normal persons would be much much higher. This is even low for an immune suppressed patient. So they are a little concerned. They don't want her around kids at all and everyone needs to wear a mask around her. But the doctors feel that the hospital is more dangerous for her right now with her low white blood cells. So they felt ok about sending her home but made sure my mom knew what to do to keep Abby well.

Abby is happy to be home but she is also a little nervous for a few reasons. She is nervous about getting around on her own especially because of the stairs. She is also nervous about her immune system and she is worried about catching something. She still feels pretty sick to her stomach and struggles with eating and taking pills. She is still pretty swollen in her legs and feet so that is uncomfortable for her.

But over all she is doing very well, she can walk on her own with out a walker, but still uses one for long distance. She is still a little weak but she is a lot stronger then she was even a week ago.

Abby will need to return to the hospital a lot to check labs especially these next few days. So we hope her white cell count will come up.

So on this Christmas eve we are all very thankful for our Abby and we are so glad she is home where she belongs. We love her so very much and we are thankful for the chance we have to have her in our family. Merry Christmas to all and thank you for keeping Abby in your thoughts and prayers.

She could be home soon.....

So we don't know what will happen with Abby yet. She may be home tomorrow evening or she may have to stay at the hospital for a few more days. Abby's immune system is non existent right now. Her white blood count is lower than 1 so they are worried she has a virus called CMV. She also had a big pocket of fluid in her abdomen that isn't draining well. So they are culturing her blood to see if she has CMV if she does she will have to have another line put in for IV antivirals. So that would mean she would have to stay at the hospital. They are also putting a new drain in to see if they can get rid of more of the fluid that is making her stomach hurt. They will also look at the fluid to make sure she doesn't have an infection. So if the drains work and the fluid doesn't have any infection in it and if her blood cultures come back ok, they will let her go home tomorrow.
Her primary Dr who is her liver doctor thinks it is best for her to get out of the hospital because of risk of infection is high because of her compromised immune system. So he is pushing to let her go home.
If Abby does come home everyone who comes in the house will need to wear a mask. She will also have to go get labs drawn very often to check her blood counts and her drug levels. So that is where we stand right now. So we won't know anything till tomorrow afternoon. So we pray that Abby will stay well and not get any infections and that she can go home where she will get better!

Feeling defeated....

So my last post was all happy. I wish I could say this one is too, but it is not! Abby won't be home for Christmas. She was doing really well in rehab and hit all of her goals so that is good. But she got a UTI and she isn't making enough urine again. Her drug levels in her blood were a little high. It is the drug that is the anti-rejection med which is hard on the kidney. So it worries them. So they discharged her from rehab and moved her back to the transplant floor. The reason for moving her back was to do a CT scan to make sure her kidney didn't have a blockage, and to give her IV antibiotics for the UTI but at first they were still optimistic that she could be discharged on Friday. Well tonight she spiked a fever after getting the antibiotics so the doctors are pretty concerned. So she won't be coming home on Friday. We are all very sad because Abby is sad. It will not feel like Christmas but we will make it work I guess.
We hope all will turn out ok but we are all discouraged right now. We really thought she would be home for Christmas. Abby is pretty sad right now so she could probably use some cheering up. We are all very grateful that she is alive and that she has some strength back. We just hope she will be home very soon. Please keep Abby and our family in your prayers they are very much needed tonight!

She'll be home for Christmas... (that is the plan anyways)

So Abby has been on the Rehab floor since Tuesday and she is doing really well. She doesn't spend much time in bed anymore. She has done stairs a few times and she gets dressed everyday and goes to a day room to just sit and hang out. She is really getting stronger and we can all see it. The Rehab doctors had a meeting yesterday to discuss what Abby needs to do to get home and when we can expect her home. They said the biggest thing for Abby is her endurance and strength and just a little help with balance. So she is coming along beautifully. They also said they are planning on discharging her on December 24th!! Now that is what we wanted to hear. So last night we all went to mom and dad's and decorated the house for Christmas. The only thing we didn't put out was the nativity and that is because that is always Abby's job. So it is waiting for her to do on Christmas eve.

This has been a long 10 weeks especially for my parents. They have been through so much and so has Abby of course. Luckily for Abby she doesn't remember the first 4 weeks, but we do. But Abby has had to endure so much pain and discouraging moments and I know she also worries about our parents. Every time a new Doctor reviews Abby's chart they always say "according to this she shouldn't be alive" Medically no she shouldn't be alive but She is special and she has something big to do in this life. It is hard to look at this as a miracle because a lot of the bad stuff that happened shouldn't have happened and we have all been through this before 20 years ago. So it seems we had a lot of bad luck, but luckily we have a lot of miracles too. I hope we are out of bad luck because we just might have exceeded our limit on miracles. But for now I am grateful for our miracles! They told us that awful night 10 weeks ago that Abby was gone, and now they tell us she will be home for Christmas. What a blessing!

So Abby will have a busy week a head of her, getting ready to come home. We know she can do it, she can do anything! So please keep the prayers coming they WORK! We hope and pray that everything goes well from here on out so she will be home for Christmas!

light at the end of the tunnel...(in a good way)

So we finally feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Abby is doing very well, her hematocrit dropped last week so they were a little bit concerned but they realized it was just a drug reaction. It is back up now not as high as it should be but high enough. She is eating more and has a little bit more energy. She now walks to the bathroom every time now, with her walker. She also has walked around the transplant unit floor as well the other day. It completely wore her out but she did good. She is off all of the antibiotics now and all IV's are gone. She still has the feeding tube but that is because she isn't eating enough on her own yet to have it out. So really she is just working on getting stronger. And her pancreas and incision need to heal a bit more as well. But as of tomorrow she will be on the rehab floor. We thought she would have been there last week, but one of her doctors wanted her off of all of the antibiotics before the signed her off to Rehab doctors.
We are all so proud of Abby and the progress she has made. It has been a long hard journey for her, but she never complains and is so pleasant to be around.
The Rehab nurses and Doctors will work on her strength she will work hard everyday and as soon as she can do basic life functions of her own i.e. dressing herself, getting out of bed, standing up and stairs, she will come home. So we hope it is a fast process but she needs to get strong and her muscles need to regain strength, so no real time line yet. We are just hoping for her to do the best she can.
She has had a lot of visitors and it has really helped in her recovery. So thank you to all who have visited her. And she will still want and need visitors while in rehab. She will still be at the U on the 2nd floor so as soon as they move her and we know more I will update everyone.
We love you Abby Jean you are an amazingly strong girl! Keep being strong you will be home before you know it!

Getting stronger...

So sorry it has been a bit since my last post. Abby is doing very well she is just now working on getting stronger. She has been getting up and walking with her walker more. She walked down the hall yesterday which is a good thing. She still has a lot of pain from her pancreas issues and she doesn't have much of an appetite either. Today should be her last day on antibiotics so that is good. Medically she is doing very well her pancreas is an on going issue and just needs time to heal. But her kidney and liver are doing well and her incision seams to be healing better too.

Monday Abby will be moving to the Rehab floor so she will do 3 hours of physical therapy a day. Well it breaks down to 1 hour of PT 1 hour of occupational therapy and 1 hour of some kind of outing or doing something out of her room. This is a major step for Abby and one that may be a little tough but she needs to get stronger so she can come home. They were going to move her to rehab last week but one of her doctors wanted to get her off of the antibiotics first. So Monday is the day. We are hoping that she will only be there 7-10 days then be able to come home. But things don't always happen they way we want them to. So we will hope for the best and pray that she will be home for Christmas. So keep Abby in your prayers that she will have the strength to get home soon. And that she will have less pain so she can work hard. We love you all and appreciate the love and support you have given to our family through this long 2 month journey.

The good news continues....

So really we have had so many good days since my last post on Tuesday. Abby is doing so well the doctors really think she will be able to be home by Christmas. She had a CT scan on Thursday to make sure she had no more leaks or signs of infection. It came back good, still some pockets of fluid but they are all smaller. And it looks like no new areas of fluid have formed. So she is healing yay! So she is finishing a course of antibiotics she will be done with them on Tuesday so then her line for IV meds will be taken out. She doesn't have to be on dialysis anymore she is making urine on her own so that is awesome! She does have a weird rash on her arms and legs that looks painful but she says it doesn't hurt. So we are just waiting for her pancreas to heal all the way and for her to regain her strength which is coming along. Today she walked to the bathroom with a little help from a walker and Physical therapist but she did all of the walking. It was amazing to watch, she was a little scared about falling but she did it. They will work with her a lot the next few days then she will move to the Rehab floor sometime next week. Where they will just work on her strength, and then she will be HOME!!! So we hope and pray that all continues to go well so Abby will be home for Christmas.

Thank you to those of you that have visited Abby these past few days it has made Abby work harder and keep her spirits up!!

Abby has the best friends and family!

Oh Happy Day!!!

So this is a happy happy day. Abby has moved to the 5th floor to the transplant floor. Wahoo no more ICU or IMCU. The best part of this is not as many monitors so less bugging Abby. It is a quiet room and a big room with a view of the valley. I saved the best for last... NO closing for shift change so visiting hours are open to whenever. That will be so nice. They also don't limit the number of visitors. So PLEASE visit Abby it really makes a big difference to her days. The days she has no visitors other than parents and siblings she is down and doesn't feel like doing much. But the days she has visitors she is the happy Abby we all know and love. The only thing we ask is NO SICK visitors Abby is immune suppressed so she can get sick very easily. Also they don't want kids in that unit either because of germs. So if you want to visit Abby please go ahead if you are healthy. She is at the U on the 5th floor I can't remember the room number. But just ask the nurses station on the 5th floor she is in the transplant unit part of that floor. Also some people have asked me if Abby can have flowers. They didn't allow them in the ICU or IMCU but they DO allow them in her new room so if you want to send flowers go ahead.

So Abby is doing a lot better she still has a lot of stomach pain from the pancreatitis but hopefully that is getting better. It is still leaking a bit but has slowed down. Her kidney numbers look great so that is a good sign and her liver numbers are perfect. She just needs to get stronger and heal up a little bit more. She also needs to eat more she doesn't have much of an appetite but she tries to eat. So today is a happy day and we hope for more happy days to come. We need her home! Thanks for all of the prayers and keep them coming her pancreas and kidney still need to get a bit better. And we need her to regain strength so she can come home.

Days 47 and 48

The last couple of days have been really good. Abby's numbers all have been great even her kidney numbers. We just need her to make a bit more urine and to get some of the fluid off of her body. That is what we are waiting for now. She is still not out of the woods, but she is much closer for sure. She still has quite a bit of pain but they are trying to manage that well for her. Courtney and I had a good visit with her last night we even laughed with her.

Today she is a little more down and quiet. So she could really use some visitors. She doesn't get many visitors these days and that would really help her spirits. She is out of the SICU and in the IMCU (Intermediate care unit) it is on the 2nd floor just follow the signs. You don't have to buzz into that unit but they still only allow 2 visitors at a time. She is directly across from the nurses station so just ask them what room. the only time visitors are not allowed is between 7 and 8:30 in the morning and at night for shift change. So any other time is fine. That would really help her a lot.

So where we stand now is we need her kidney to work a little better and we need for her to get stronger. She is still pretty weak and needs to get stronger so she can move up to the transplant floor. So keep the prayers coming, and lets hope and pray that she continues to make progress and doesn't have anymore complications.

Days 45 and 46

So emotions have been running high these last couple of days. We would be lying if we said we were all coping well. But none of us thought this journey would be this long. We have had more bumps in the road then we could have even imagined. The biggest of which has been the dang pancreas. The angry organ even the doctors say don't mess with the pancreas. Well it has been messed with and it hasn't been happy so it has caused some issues. Issues that are being dealt with, but have caused things to slow down a bit. The biggest worry lately has been the damage that the pancreas enzymes have caused. They have made her vessels week as well as her organs. She already had one bleed so they are watching her very closely just in case she has another. But she is doing well today.
So day 45 (Wednesday) not much happened Abby was just very weak and in a lot of pain. And we all felt a little defeated because we thought she would be moved to the transplant ward. But because of the recent bleed that was put off.
Day 46, today was a good day, not fun being in the hospital on a holiday but Abby had a pretty good day. She is now out of the ICU, not on the transplant floor yet but she is at least heading in the right direction. She is in the IMCU (intermediate care unit) So hopefully this means she will soon be on the transplant floor. Abby's labs were all good today. Her liver numbers are normal again and so is her pancreas numbers. Her Kidney numbers are better then they have been so that is good. She is still making urine as well so that is good. So as long as we can stay in this direction she will be 100% before we know it. I say this hoping not to jinx anything. We are starting to be afraid to be excited about progress because it seems like as soon as we are something bad happens. But I have faith that Abby is going to be okay. She seemed really good today she was teasing me and everything. Abby is such a strong girl and I know that she must be because she has been given this trial because she can handle it. Abby is a special spirit we have always known that, but know you can see it. We are so very thankful today for our Abby and we know everything is going to be alright.

Day 44.....

So today has been another scary day. Abby's drains that are draining the pancreatic fluid from her abdomen were filling with blood. Her blood pressure was bottoming out so they gave her blood but she was bleeding just as fast as they were giving her blood. So they took her in to the cath lab again to see what was going on in her vein's and arteries. They found a major leak in her splenic artery so they were able to fix it. I guess it was a pretty rare place to have an artery break like that. But luckily Abby had a great Dr who was able to get the job done. The worry is that the contrast they have to give her when they do that procedure can damage the kidney. And her kidney just started coming back so that is frustrating. But they can have her drink some very gross medicine that helps break down the contrast so it shouldn't damage her kidney. So for tonight Abby is just resting. Her heart rate is a little high and she is breathing very fast but she is in pain so that might be why.

We really hate all of these bumps in the road. We really thought she was getting much closer to coming home then this happened. It really feels like my heart is breaking every time something goes wrong. So I know it is killing my parents to watch Abby go through this. Our hope is that Abby and my parents can stay strong through this journey. It has been a tough one but I know Abby will be ok and we just need to get through this together as best as we can. So my prayer for tonight is that Abby and my parents will stay strong and hang in there. And that Abby will only have good news for the rest of this transplant journey. Thanks for all of the love, support and prayers on our family's behalf, we have great family and friends!

Another big bump in the road...

So Abby is now having internal bleeding today. They took her to angio to go in through her arteries to check all of her veins and arteries to see where she is bleeding. And to hopefully fix it. We need another miracle yet again. I hope and pray that the rest of my posts will be only positive. Please keep abby and my parent's in your prayers until she is home and healthy. We are all worried about my parent's right now they have been through the ringer and need angels on their side as well as Abby's.

Days 42 and 43

Ok so things are better, Day 42 (Sunday) was scary because Abby's liver numbers were elevated and they were having a hard time seeing her Hepatic artery on ultrasound. So they were thinking the worst a clot or the artery collapsing. They took her to the cath lab and found that the artery was narrowed a little bit but there was plenty of blood flow. So that is a major relief, her liver numbers are still a little elevated. But we really think it is from the pancreatitis that was caused from putting the stint in the pancreatic duct. Abby has had some pain but they are trying to control that. They are also limiting her protein and fat intake so they can give her pancreas a break so maybe the inflammation will go down. They also think the liver numbers may be because of a virus that will go away with time. They may go in and dilate her artery in a few weeks if it is still narrowed. But we think the swelling is causing the narrowing so it might get better on its own.
Today day 43 has been a good day for Abby she has had pain and been warn out. But no bad news today and things are looking up. The pancreatic drains are not getting as much fluid out anymore so that is good. She is still making urine and her strength is better from day to day. Abby is such a strong girl it just amazes us all. All of the doctors and nurses are amazed by her grace through all of this. She is so polite and nice and doesn't complain much. Even through the scary moments she doesn't panic and tells us she knows she is going to be okay.
We are hoping that Abby will be moved to the transplant floor either tomorrow or the next day as long as nothing happens. They would have moved her today but there wasn't an open bed. So thank you to all who pray and fast for Abby. We are thankful for all who are helping Abby fight right now. Abby has angels helping her on this side and the other side. So thank you! Abby is loved!

Pray hard please....

So the scare we had yesterday with the hepatic artery is a reality today. They did another ultrasound because her liver numbers jumped again. They couldn't see any flow in her hepatic artery. This is very bad because it could mean another transplant. So they are taking her to the cath lab to see if it is a clot or just collapsed. Hopefully whatever it is can be repaired easily. If it is a clot and it is caught within 24 hours they can get it out without too much damage. We just hope whatever it is can be fixed without surgery. So please pray hard. We love you all!

Day 41

So today was a little bit scary, Abby had a good night but her labs this morning were elevated. The labs that were elevated were the ones that show liver damage. All the numbers were quite a bit higher than they were the day before. So this really concerned the doctors. They thought that it could be a few things that were causing the numbers to be higher. One of which was a blood clot in the hepatic artery, a clog or leak in the bial duct or an infection. We were all worried and frustrated. But the thing that we were wondering about was that procedure she had yesterday. One doctor told me that her liver could just be reacting to being bothered a bit during the procedure. This seemed the most logical because of the timing of everything. So they had ultrasound come up to check blood flow. Two radiology techs came in and tried to find the areas of worry. They found everything flowing normally except they couldn't seem to see the hepatic artery. So they went and got the resident radiologist. She found some areas of the artery but not the whole thing. So they called in the Head radiologist to try. They needed to figure things out fast because if it was a blood clot it needed to be treated with in 24 hours. So they were calling in the Calvary's to figure it out. The radiologist came in and was able to find the arterial flow just fine. It was a little restricted but nothing to suggest a clot. The most likely cause is swelling of the pancreas from the procedure was probably putting pressure on the artery. Plus some of the enzymes a liver puts out when it is injured are the same as the pancreas. So the elevated numbers could have been from the pancreas.
So for now they will just watch her closely. But she is doing well her pain is under control and she seems at ease with everything that went on today. She is a strong girl I don't know if I could handle everything she has had to go through.
The best part of the day was spending 6 hours with Abby talking to her and watching movies. I love the fact that all of us siblings are so close we love to just talk to each other. Even before this trial we were all very close, we couldn't ask for a better family.

Day 40....

So today has been a very busy day for our Abby. She had a bigger tube put in for her drain in her abdomen. They also adjusted it a bit as well. Then at 3 she went in for a procedure to put a stint in her Pancreatic duct. They were also checking to see what was leaking and if it was the duct they would put the stint in. And it was the duct it had a pretty big tear in it. So that is why all of the digestive enzymes from her pancreas were filling up her abdomen. The procedure went well, they had to intibate her and keep her heavily sedated for it. But they didn't have to cut, they just went through her mouth and to the duct and placed the stint. They were able to extibate her right after she was done so that is good. And she woke up and was ok. She is in a bit of pain because the procedure took close to 3 hours and she was on her stomach the whole time. But we all feel really good about it. There can be some adverse reactions to having the stint like pancreatitis so we will pray that she won't have any of that. They will keep the stint in for 6 weeks and let the duct heal then they will take it out and assess her then to see if she still needs the stint or not. We all hope that this will solve a lot of her issues she is having now. They are still draining fluid off of her but that will stop accumulating now that the stint is in. The pancreatic fluid that is. Her kidney is not completely back yet but it is trying. She is still making urine so that is good. But her kidney numbers still aren't great but they are improving. So hopefully fixing the pancreas will help her kidney as well.

Abby also had to have dialysis today so she is wiped out tonight. Even though this pancreas thing has been a bad hiccup my mom had a good point today. A few weeks ago Abby's liver (the new one) had some dead cells that were needing to slough off. They were somewhat nervous about them causing infection if the body didn't get rid of it fast enough. Well because of the digestive enzyme leaking into her abdominal cavity it probably helped get rid of that. So miracles come in many forms and we will take them as they come. We are just thankful that she is ok and that she is continuing to get better everyday. Hang in there Abby this train will stop soon we promise. Then a new journey will begin, a happier one than ever before. Also I posted some pictures at the bottom of the blog of Abby's field trip to the lobby last Saturday.

Abby can have visitors now even though she is still in the SICU just only 2 at a time and short visits are about all she can do. Afternoon is usually her best time of day and not a whole lot going on then. She is on the 2nd floor in the surgical ICU follow the signs and after the 1st double doors you have to push the intercom to tell them who you are there to visit and then they will have you go back as long as no procedures are going on. And just ask the desk which room is hers. Thank you for all the prayers they are being answered.

Days 37, 38 and 39...

So Abby has been improving still she has had more good things than bad the last 3 days. Tuesday (day 37) She had more urine which is great just under 200cc and she had a lot of visitors so that makes her happy. She has been doing great during physical therapy she is determined to get strong so that makes us happy.

Wednesday was the wedding day and it was a good day for everybody. We all missed Abby that day but she had great friends and family to keep her company. Even a cousin stayed all night on Tuesday so my parents could sleep. And later on we found out this cousin has had some health problems of her own. (Nothing contagious of course) But she forgot about herself to help us what an angel she is. So thank you so much Joey and we hope she is feeling better. Abby's good friends stayed with her most of Wednesday too so thank you to them. Abby also had 500cc of urine output that day too. So that was a nice wedding present to Caleb. We were also blessed to have a live video chat during the reception. Josh our (brother) cousin I say that because he is technically a cousin but more like a brother. He set up skype so we could have her at the reception. It was very nice to have her there in some form. And she was able to talk to people and I think that was nice for some of the wedding guests who know and love Abby.

Day 39 (Thursday) Abby did well in PT again. She stood and marched in place, she is getting stronger everyday. Her blood pressure was good enough for them to be able to take off 2 liters of fluid off during dialysis so that is good. Her legs and abdomen are a lot less swollen now. The doctors are concerned that her pancreas is still leaking and the drains aren't working as well as they would like. So they have scheduled her to have a stint put in her pancreatic duct tomorrow. We are all a little nervous about this. She will have to be put under and be intibated again for the procedure. They will go through her mouth and down to the duct and place the stint. The doctors are first going to try and readjust the drains with bigger tubing to see if that will pull the fluid off to avoid the stint. But for now it is scheduled for 3:00 Friday afternoon. So please keep Abby in your prayers all day we are really nervous about her being under and intibated again. So hopefully the new drain will work and they won't have to do anything invasive. And on a positive note Abby had 350cc of urine output tonight. So her kidney is trying to get rid of fluid. That is a GREAT sign, we don't want to jinx things by saying it is back. Her labs still shows signs that is still not working completely but it is trying and we have complete faith that it will come back and soon. So sleep tight Abby Jean you are in good hands. We all love you so much!

Day 36......

So it seems Mondays are our days lately. The good things happen on Mondays. Yesterday was a discouraging day. The doctors kept changing their minds and driving us all crazy. They said they were going to put Abby back on continuous dialysis. So they tried to put a catheter in her neck to start the dialysis. But it kept clotting so they weren't able to start the dialysis. So they decided to not do continuous and start her on the hemodialysis today. So that made my mom a little less upset. So at about 2:00 A.M. I get a text from my dad saying she had 350cc of urine. Now Abby has had urine the past week but this is the most she has had. So the prayers worked, we all feel that there was some Divine intervention with the catheter clotting. So she had the hemodialysis today and did well they were able to pull off 2 liters of fluid off of her. And she had more urine today as well. So her Kidney is working! It isn't 100% yet but it is trying. Abby has about 40lb of fluid on her that is excess right now so the dialysis will help pull that off. And that should help her kidney as well. Right now she has way too much fluid to get off on her own. So tonight we are thankful for urine. I know that sounds gross but it is not, to us it is the most wonderful thing right now. Abby had a pretty good night. My dad's cousin Jeff came and sang to her he is more like an uncle to us and has always been Uncle Jeff. But he sang a few songs to her and when she told me about it she cried and said she loved it. So thanks Uncle Jeff you really lifted her spirits tonight. So I asked Abby what she wanted everybody to know and here is what she said.... "Thank you for all the love and support and especially the prayers. I am sorry I haven't been able to respond to peoples texts and comments. But I love you all and I am getting better. See you soon." So that is from Abby she really feels the love.

So Wednesday is going to be a rough day for Abby, Caleb is getting married and she is sad about not being there. She told be it hurts really bad knowing she is missing it. So to all her close friends and family she might need some short visits through out the day. She still is in the ICU so she can't have more than 2 people in the room at a time. So if you could just stop by and cheer her up that would be great. Usually we aren't having a whole lot of visitors because it is hard in the ICU and Abby really isn't up for visiting a whole bunch because she gets tired. But on this day we will make an exception. Please email me at ls.jess@hotmail.com if you want to visit her for a few minutes and I will give you the details. And like I said she can't visit long because she gets warn out but a few minutes would mean the world to her.

Prayer works keep them coming!

Day 33, 34 and part of day 35, the roller coaster continues...

So Friday and Saturday were pretty good days. On Friday day 33 Abby had another drain put in to help drain her abdomen. She also had dialysis again and she had her wound cleaned out a little bit. So it was an exhausting day. But she did well and the doctor's were optimistic about her moving to the transplant floor on Monday.
On Saturday day 34 it was a very good day. Abby had all of her lines out and they put her in a special bed/chair and wheeled her into the lobby. She was able to visit with the kids a little bit. That was very good she has not seen them in 5 weeks it was good for everybody.
Then that brings us to today Sunday day 35. Well we are discouraged, they told us all week that she would be moved to the transplant floor on Monday because she was doing so well. Then today they decided that the dialysis that they were doing which is 3 times a week was not pulling enough fluid off of her. So they are switching her back to continuous dialysis so that means she has to stay in the ICU. This does not make us happy and we are having a hard time staying positive. We really need her kidney to start working. She has had a little bit of urine but not enough. She needs to get all of her excess fluid off. So please keep the prayers coming. We really want her kidney to start working we need it to. We do not want her to have another transplant. So our hope is that they can get some fluid off of her and that her kidney will kick in. We just wish that the dialysis that is only 3 times a week would work for her. So just another set back in this long journey. We know that Abby will fight and make a full recovery we just wish it was happening a little faster. So keep the prayers coming Abby really needs to be comforted right now and so do the rest of us.

Days 30, 31 and 32

Abby is getting better! She still has a ways to go but she has been through a lot and she is making progress so we are thrilled. Tuesday was a slow day (day 30) They wanted her to have a relaxing day so they didn't do any big procedure or tests that day.
On Wednesday day 31 Abby had a big day. She started the day with dialysis and had to have her wound dressing changed as well. So she was tired most of the day. The doctors decided to start Abby on a new medication to help with her pancreas issues. They are trying to avoid surgery because they don't like to mess with the pancreas if they don't have to. The doctors said that the pancreas is an angry organ. So we are hoping that the medicine will help. They are also thinking that they will have to do more wound care as well just to avoid infection. This is a little painful for Abby but they are medicating her for all of the wound care to keep her comfortable.
On Thursday day 32 Abby had to have a CT they are just making sure the drain they put in to drain the pancreatic fluid is working. And to see if she needs another drain in a different area. They said that the drain is working well but there is a pocket of fluid lower down, so tomorrow they will put another drain in lower down. So hopefully they can make her more comfortable with that. Abby had more urine as well, her kidney still isn't working fully, but it is trying. But some urine is better than none. And the big news for today is they think that they will be moving Abby out of ICU.... YIPEE! She will probably go to IMCU which is intermediate care unit, for a few days. Then she will go up to the transplant floor. This means progress, and we are very happy about that. We still need Abby's pancreas to heal and for her kidney to fully work but she is getting better. So please keep the prayers coming, tonight I pray that this medicine will work. Good job Abby you are doing great, keep up the good fight.

Day 29... It's about time....

So as you all know we have been waiting and waiting and waiting for Abby's Kidney to work. The biggest sign that it is starting to work is it makes urine. Well today Abby had 250cc of urine. Now that is not a ton but the most she has had until now is 10-15cc so 250 is awesome! We are very happy about it. So her kidney might not be 100% back yet but it is trying and seeing some progress makes this journey a little easier. We hope it continues to make more and we know it will. Abby is doing so good, she is getting stronger each day. She is doing all she can to get better so we know she will.
Now of course we need her Kidney to continue to make urine and get better. She has a lot of excess fluid still mostly in her legs. So her kidney working would help her get rid of that. Her Pancreas really needs to heal as well. It is still leaking lipase. She has a drain that helps get rid of that fluid but they are thinking she might need another drain. They are also wondering if she might need surgery to repair her pancreas. But they really aren't sure what part of the pancreas is injured. So we don't know what the right decision is. I know that it really scares Abby to think about having surgery again. It scares us all so we don't know what she should do. But the surgery is minor and wouldn't take long at all. Nothing like a liver transplant. But we don't know that it is necessary either. So we just want more answers.
So today has been a good day. Signs of her kidney working and she did really good during PT. Miracles happen and our prayers have been answered. Now we need to pray for her Kidney to continue to work and for her Pancreas to heal. Once her Kidney and Pancreas are healed and working properly she should be able to come home. That would be awesome. So keep the prayers coming they are working!

Day 28......

So it has been exactly 4 weeks since the transplant. This past week Abby has made so much progress! Last Sunday we were all very frustrated because Abby seemed so sick and was asleep all the time. She wasn't responsive at all. But this whole week she has been pretty responsive. And today Abby was doing so well she was able to go outside. Yup that is right she went outside in a wheelchair with her nurse, my mom and Courtney. This seems insignificant but it means progress. Abby is 100% herself again she stayed awake all day, she used her computer and phone. She even was sarcastic with my mom and me today as well. Of course she still has a few hurdles to get over but she is so strong and ready to beat this whole thing. Her blood pressure is more stable so they are hoping to start the hemodialysis tomorrow. That is the one I have mentioned before that is only 3 times per week. It is a little harder on her then the continuous but it also works better and she doesn't have to be hooked up all of the time. So if she does well on it she can leave the ICU. That would be very good and we would be happy about that. But what would be even better if her Kidney and her Pancreas got better. We still have faith that her kidney will come back and same with her pancreas.
Abby is getting so strong she is doing very well with physical therapy and she even does more than she has to. So she is determined to get better so we know she will. She already has done so well and has come so far so we know she will make a full recovery with time.
Today our family is thankful for Abby and to have her around to talk to again. We finally have our light at the end of the tunnel. So Abby keep up the fight you are doing awesome. We love you and couldn't imagine life without you! And just so all of you know Abby read the blog today and also all of the comments you all have left. She really appreciates the love and support from all of her friends and family.

Days 26 and 27.... Welcome back Abby

So days 26 and 27 which were Friday and Saturday. So Abby has been more and more alert everyday. On Friday she was Abby did well she started eating regular food for dinner she had lasanga and green beans. She didn't eat a whole lot but it was good to have her be hungry and ask for food. She has been doing very well with Physical Therapy she knows she needs it to get stronger so she does well. Friday they decided to tap her belly because it had so much fluid in it they wanted to get some of it off so she would be more comfortable. They were hoping to get 3-4 liters but only ended up with a half a liter. The fluid was a little cloudy so they tested it to see if there was infection or dead cells.
On Saturday morning the results were in from the stomach tap, it showed that there was lipase. Lipase is a digestive enzyme that your pancreas makes and sends to your stomach to digest food. So basically something happened that made her pancreas leak the lipase into her abdominal cavity. The problem with that is it is a digestive enzyme so it was causing some cell death. We all are a little frustrated that they didn't catch this before now. Abby has been in a lot of pain and her Kidney hasn't been working. Now they are thinking the cause for a lot of Abby's problem might be because of this issue with her pancreas. We don't know if her pancreas was knicked during surgery or was just inflamed so the duct was not working. For now they have put a drain in to take the fluid off. This way they can also see if there is more fluid still leaking. Abby made the decision herself to have the drain put in. Abby wants them to do everything possible to make her better. It is good to see that fight in her.
So like I said before we are all a little frustrated that they didn't find this earlier. But at the same time we are glad some progress has been made in Abby's recovery. Her blood pressure has been better so they think they will be able to start the dialysis again tomorrow. She was having a hard time with the more intense dialysis that they do 3 times a week. Because it takes more volume out of her body and her bp kept dropping drastically. But in order for her to be moved out of ICU she can't be on the continuous dialysis so they are hoping that this will work.
Abby was more herself Saturday night then she has been this whole 4 weeks. Coutney was with her Saturday night and called me to say Abby was are true Abby tonight. She has had some lucid moments but would fade in and out. But Courtney said she was really with it. She doesn't have many memories from the last 4 weeks but now remembers the day of the Transplant. She is worried that we are mad at her for the decision she made. The night she got the call she prayed and the week prior had fasted about this decision. She felt that she was making the right decision and we all supported the decision she made. We also felt okay about it of course we were scared but we knew it had to be her decision. And no we aren't mad at her for the decision she made. It has been a scary long process. But who is to say things wouldn't have been worse if she would have decided to not get the transplant. Abby made her decision and she needs to look forward. She is getting better and now she will have a chance to live a full and happy life. I am so proud of her and am amazed by her strength. She is our miracle and even though it has been a hard 4 weeks we are all just glad she is still here and still her beautiful wonderful self.
So for now we will just have to see what her pancreas is doing then they can decide if something needs to be done. If it is still leaking they may have to put a stint in until the duct heals. Hopefully it is already healed and hopefully getting that fluid out her her will cause her to get better even faster. We love you Abby and are so very proud of you. Keep up the fight you will be home before you know it.

Days 24 and 25

So days 24 and 25 were pretty much good for Abby. She is still very awake and alert and she is following commands well. On day 24 which was Wednesday she really started to realize how long she has been at the hospital and how long she still has to be there. She asked her doctor how long until she was better and he said probably 4-6 weeks and her first response was "oh no I am going to miss Caleb's wedding." Then she was pretty sad the rest of the day this made us feel bad for her. She is starting to remember from day to day now which is a good sign. She is still a little confused but that is mostly from medications. She also is having nightmares so that is hard for us to watch.

Day 25 which was Thursday, she had an eventful day on Thursday. She got the big tube out of her nose it was the one they put down in case her stomach doesn't tolerate feedings. It would suck out anything that started to back up. She has tolerated feedings well so they took that out and now they have slowly started letting her eat. She still can't drink thin liquids they make her cough. So she is drinking thickened liquids and she has been eating crackers and pudding as well. She really just wants to drink water but they have to wait on that still. I was with her last night and she was a little confused but she was doing pretty well. She was really tired and fighting going to sleep. I think she doesn't like the nightmares so she tries not to fall asleep. now. They took her off of the continuous dialysis and are going to start the one that is a little more affective. It is harder on her though so they will try that today and hopefully she will tolerate it because it will take more excess fluid off of her. So we hope that goes well. We are still praying for her kidney to start working that would make us so HAPPY. So as today goes on I hope and pray that Abby is comfortable and that she will continue to make big steps towards getting better.

Day 23 post transplant....

So I am actually going to back track to day 22. First off my dad from the start of this roller coaster said day 22 she will turn around and be okay. His reason for that was that was the day things turned around drastically for Caleb when he was so sick. So Yesterday was day 22 it started out really rough so we were all a little discouraged. When I updated the blog yesterday about 7:30 not much had changed. She was waking up a little more but was still pretty much out of it and seemed like she wasn't feeling well at all. At about 9:45 last night I got a phone call from my mom. I heard commotion in the background and then my mom said hold on. All of a sudden I heard this really hoarse voice saying "Jessica can you bring my phone up, you don't have to bring it tonight, but maybe tomorrow" it was Abby. I was speechless I just said of course I will bring it up. Then she went on to say that she wanted to be able to get a hold of people and be able to let work know what was going on and she wanted to pay her bills. I was so happy to get that phone call. It showed my Abby's true personality. She wanted her phone and anyone who knows Abby knows she NEEDS her phone. After the weekend we had that was just the thing we needed to lift our spirits. So day 22 was our day after all.
So for day 23 we were very optimistic and the day did not disappoint. Abby was alert today she still is a little sleepy and out of it some of the time. But when she is awake she follows commands and talks to us and answers our questions. She is still very confused about what happened and right now that is a blessing because we didn't want her to remember the last 3 weeks. Her pain is being controlled now which is good. So she is a little loopy because of the pain meds but she is a lot more with it then she has been. We think the pain was making her shut down so she is better on the pain meds and we want her to be comfortable. Courtney and I were visiting her today and she talked to us quite a bit. She was pretty with it when she was awake, she asked me questions and she answered the questions I had for her. She still has a lot of questions about what happened to her. She asks a lot of questions about the transplant. When she starts getting really sleepy and falling asleep she says really funny things which is mostly from the pain meds. So we had a few good laughs. And we have seen Abby's sense of humor as well. The nurses were flipping her over to her other side and told Abby "you are doing so good" and Abby's response was "I guess that depends on where you are." She made the nurses laugh, it is so good to see her acting like Abby.
Her kidney still isn't working but now that she is more alert and doing much better the doctors are even more optimistic about it. She was tolerating feedings a lot better today which is a good sign as well. So today we are very happy and we hope things continue to get better. She isn't completely out of the woods yet but she is getting much much closer. We hope and pray that she continues to make progress and that she will stay alert and with us. We love talking to her again and want that to be possible for ever. Today we feel that we have our Abby back and just hope it stays that way.

Days 20 21 and 22

Sorry for the lack of posts since Saturday morning. Abby had a tough weekend and it was a little emotionally draining for all of us. My parents needed us up at the hospital a little more than usual more for moral support and to give them a little break.
So day 20 which was Saturday Abby had to have a tube put down her nose into her stomach just in case she couldn't tolerate feedings so it would suck up anything that started to come up. That made Abby very upset the tube is huge and hard and it hurt her. She cried the whole time they were doing it. Then she kind of checked out she zoned out and wasn't responsive and when she would wake up she would cry. This was very hard for my parents to watch. Abby is still very shaky she just shakes all the time it is very hard to watch.
Day 21 which was Sunday Abby wasn't very responsive most of the day she wouldn't wake up to pain or anything. This was a little worrisome for us but we decided that Abby didn't want to be awake so she wasn't. I could tell by my mom's voice on the phone that she was having a hard day. So we made sure to visit that night and I brought my kids up in their Halloween costumes. Courtney's kids were sick so she couldn't come. But Caleb came too and I could tell that my mom really needed her kids at that moment. Especially during shift change when they kick her out of Abby's room she really needs that distraction. So I am glad we could be there for her and I am glad we have such a close family that when someone needs us we are there. That is how we were raised and that is how we will continue to be. As siblings we are so close it is a bond that cannot be broken and we are all very close with my parents. Especially Caleb with my mom they are very close and right now my mom is using Caleb as her reason to look towards the future. Caleb was very sick 20 years ago and now he is ok. I can tell that it really helps my mom to have him around right now and I hope he knows how much that means to us all. And Abby knows he is there as well. We can't do much for her right now but we can be there.
Day 22 started out very rough in the early morning hours Abby was in a lot of pain and was screaming and saying things out of frustration. It was so hard for my dad to watch he could barely talk to me about it. I really hate when Abby is in pain and suffering. We all hate it, she really wanted my mom which puts a big burden on my mom. Once my mom got there my mom told her she loved her and Abby just kept saying "I love you, I love you." My mom told her that she would sleep there and Abby said " OK OK OK." We are all glad that she is starting to respond and talk but we hate that she is frustrated and uncomfortable. They finally gave her some pain meds and she seemed to rest a little better. She had a fever so they started antibiotics again and did a CT which we don't have the results for yet. They were also going to do a LP (spinal tap) some time tonight. We just want Abby to heal and be comfortable. Her kidney still isn't working and she isn't tolerating feedings very well. So we need those things to start working and we will be happy. So our prayer today is that Abby will be is less pain and less frustrated and that her kidney will work soon. Thanks for all the prayers for our Abby and keep them coming she needs those blessings.

Day 19 Post Transplant....

Abby had an eventful day she had PT (physical therapy) and because they gave her a line holiday on Thursday they had to start a new line. They decided to do the type of dialysis that is continuous. VS the type that is a every 3 days for 3-4 hours. That one is a lot harder on Abby and really wears her out. So they will keep her on this one till her Kidney kicks in. So Abby has been sleeping most of the day. She was responsive today though so that is good. She is just very worn out. We are hoping that this other dialysis will keep her more comfortable and eventually more alert.
Abby also had to have some fluid drained from her abdomen it was just a build up of fluid that was accumulating in the abdominal cavity. It happened because her Kidney isn't getting rid of excess fluid in her body. So I am sure she is much more comfortable now that it is gone. So like I said she has a lot going on today but right now she is sleeping and looks peaceful.
I am actually sitting by Abby's bedside right now. Abby is never alone she always has a family member by her side. Except for during shift change when they kick us out. I know that all of us feel the same way, right now we don't have anywhere else we would rather be. Even though right now it is 3:00 A.M. I am happy to be wither her. Abby still is very confused when she wakes up so we want to be here to ease her confusion and her panic. Abby sometimes looks really confused when she looks at us, but I have figured out that it is because she is trying to figure out the time line. She is really confused by the date on the wall. She also seems to be worried about us. Abby showed us her annoyed side today. They were fussing with her and they put a damp rag on her hand and she picked it up and threw it across the room. Way to go Abby we love to see that fighting side of you.

Day 18 post transplant....

So yesterday (day 18) started out very rough. Abby was not waking up and she was sweaty and shaky. The doctors said that she most likely has an infection either from one of her lines or maybe an abscess. They wanted to use a certain antibiotic that would be strong enough to get rid of most infections. The problem with that antibiotic is it could potentially wipe out her kidney. The doctors that are caring for Abby in the ICU and the Kidney doctors were discussing what they should do. They decided to start an antibiotic that is safe for the kidney, an anti-fungal and an antiviral medication for the next 4 days and see how she does.
They also did an abdominal and head MRI to check for signs of infection just to be on the safe side. We still don't know the results of that. I stayed with Abby till about 1:30 A.M. so my parents could get some sleep. She was a little out of it at first after her MRI which ended at 11:00 P.M. I just sat by her bed and held her hand. Every time I would stand up or move a little. Abby would squeeze my hand and not let me let go. That was a very good sign it let me know that she knew I was there.
They gave Abby a bath and changed her bedding. After they got her all tucked in and comfortable again she woke up. She looked at me with wide eyes and gave me a slight smile. She was a little confused but I think that is normal she had slept for 2 days and had been very sick. Abby has an oxygen mask on that more just goes around her mouth and it has humidified air to help moisten her nose and throat. So she was a little worried about that she kept pointing to it. So I would explain that it wasn't scary and it was just helping her a little. She then pointed to other things that were on her and I explained what they were and that they were all normal medical things and that she was ok. She seemed more calm at that point and less confused. She was holding my hand again and when I said I was going home she started to squeeze my hand and didn't want to let go. Also when my dad came in she looked worried I asked her if she was worried about dad getting sleep and she nodded. I told her that he had been sleeping and he was doing fine. That shows Abby's true personality she was worried about my dad even though she is the one who is sick. It was good to see Abby so alert she was a little confused but not too much. I really think she was just making sure she was okay.
So for today we are hoping she continues to get better. We would love for her kidney to start working but we will be patient. Thank you for all the prayers for our Abby.

Please Pray!!!

Abby is having a very bad day!! She has a very bad infection and they don't know where or what it is. She isn't waking up at all. She needs your prayers. They have an antibiotic they can try but it would wipe out her kidney. Please pray hard for our Abby we need her to be okay!!

Day 17 Post Transplant...

So the roller coaster continues, Abby had a good night last night and a good morning today. She responded well to PT and was following commands. She had to do another round of dialysis today so that is 8 hours of dialysis in 2 days. It really knocked her out she was non responsive and sleeping all afternoon and night. She was having a hard time coughing stuff up tonight so they had to suction her and it really just made Abby mad and gave her a bloody nose. She is just so sleepy so it is harder to make her do things. It is a normal response from dialysis to be sleepy especially when combined with all the toxins in her body from her kidney not working.
It is hard for us not to get discouraged sometimes. We just would really love for Abby's kidney to start working. That would help a lot of things. She really needs to be more alert but it is hard for her to be alert when her kidney isn't doing it's job. She started tolerating feedings again today so that is good news. Abby has made a lot of improvements in the past 2 weeks. We just want to see more of Abby we want to see her make big improvements and for her to be herself again. We know she will get there and we know we have to be patient. And we are very thankful for the progress she has made. So we will just pray that her kidney will start working. We know prayer works, last Sunday when everyone fasted for Abby that day she was off of the vent. So thank you for all of the prayers on Abby's behalf. Our friends and family are the best!

Day 16 post trasplant...

Today has been another sleeping beauty day for Abby. She had dialysis today and was able to do the whole treatment this time so that is good. But because it has been so long since she had dialysis well longer then the normal 3 days. She has a lot of toxins and things built up in her system that need to be filtered out. So she was really out of it all day because of that and dialysis wears her out as well. So she really slept all day long and wouldn't wake up for anyone. Even when she would open her eyes a few times she wasn't really awake.
So today was supposed to be a big day for Abby, she has been writing a missionary and was waiting for him. And he got home today. Abby has been counting down the days till he got home since he left. Him and his cute mom went to see Abby tonight at about 9 and like I said Abby had been asleep all day and didn't really respond to anyone. Well my mom told her that he was there and Abby looked over at him and smiled. She stayed awake for the 30 minutes that he was there. So Abby really is our sleeping beauty and her Prince Charming came tonight and woke her up. I really think this will help Abby's recovery just having people that really love her and want her to get better. It will make her fight even harder.
We are so grateful for everyone who loves Abby. Abby is a beautiful girl with a great spirit and everyone who really knows her loves her. Keep up the good work Abby. You will be home before you know it.

Day 15 post transplant...

Today Abby has just been our sleeping beauty. She had a big day yesterday so I am sure she is warn out. Her Kidney still isn't working so she is still very disoriented so even when she is awake she isn't really with it. But that is okay we all know that she is still our Abby we have seen very alert moments. She just has so many things trying to heal in her body that she is just tired and needing to rejuvenate.
So the positives for the past 2 weeks Her liver is doing great her numbers are normal so that is good. She is off of the vent and her lungs look good. She is still breathing fast but that is more because of her kidney not working. She has had some very with it moments and so we know our Abby is our Abby.
So we still have a ways to go with her Kidney but everyone seems to believe that it will come back with time. Her gut still isn't working like normal yet either but that will take time too. She is still very groggy and confused but that is because of her kidney not her brain. So for now we will hope and pray that her Kidney will kick in because that should solve her other problems. We all love Abby so much and hate that she has to go through this. I know we would all take her place if we could.

Oh Happy Day 14 post transplant....

So it has been 14 days since the transplant and today has been a happy day. The happiest day in 2 weeks. So today Abby was extibated and it went well she has been breathing on her own all day since about 1:00 this afternoon. She looked so much better when we saw her today. She was the most alert I have seen her in 2 weeks, she was watching a movie on TV and stayed awake the whole time I was with her. She was able to whisper to us, her throat is still very sore but she has had a tube down it for 2 weeks so I bet it is sore. She is still very weak and still a little foggy. She still has a hard time moving and it will take time for her muscles to get strong again. She is starting to realize that things went wrong and that is hard to watch. Before she didn't know what was going on, but now she is putting things together. And she is mad and it makes us feel so bad. We don't think she realizes that she has had a transplant because she is still so foggy from her Kidney not working. So she is confused and doesn't understand why this is happening to her so she is mad.
We are so glad to be able to see Abby's beautiful face again without all of the tubes. She seems to be able to tolerate feedings now so she can get stronger with some nourishment. She doesn't seem to be in too much pain but she is agitated. She is acting a little mad at us right now. She probably remembers seeing us standing there while she was hurting and restrained and we weren't doing anything to help her. But I think with time and once she has another round of dialysis or once her kidneys kick in she will be a little more with it and not be so upset. And we might be able to explain a little bit about what happened to her. But for now we just want her to get some rest. I hope she is sleeping well right now. I think our family is sleeping a bit better tonight. Thank you all for the fasting and the prayers. She still has a way to go but she made some big steps today so today we had a little miracle and we feel blessed.

Day 13 post transplant....

So right now everything just feels like a waiting game. We are waiting for things to happen. We are waiting for her Kidney to work, we are waiting for her to be extibated, we are waiting for her to tolerate feedings. I just wish I could wave a magic wand and make all of these things happen. But I can't so we pray and wait. Abby had an ok day today not much change. They did start TPN which is an IV nourishment. They keep trying to do NG feedings but she hasn't been tolerating them. She needed some form of nourishment to get better so they started the TPN. I really hope it helps her be more alert and start healing faster. She hasn't had much nourishment in the past 2 weeks so I am sure her body needs the nourishment.
The plan is to test Abby tomorrow to see if she can be extibated. If it doesn't go well they will have to decide what to do from there. They really don't want to keep her intibated much longer. We are hoping for a small miracle and that she will take a big deep breath tomorrow when they turn the machine off. She really has been doing most of the breathing on her own the machine just helps a really small amount. They are just worried because she is breathing really fast. They also need her to be able to cough and swallow. So please pray that all will go well when they do decide to extibate.
That is really all for today Abby was very tired today and a little agitated. But no significant changes that were negative or positive just stayed about the same.
Thanks again for all of the prayers and thoughts for Abby and our family. There are a lot of people and wards who are going to fast for Abby tomorrow, so if you want to join in on the fast for Abby we need all the blessings we can get.

Day 12 Post Transplant....

Today has been an exhausting day for Abby. She had Dialysis today, an EEG, a Neuro exam and is having to take a few antibiotics that are hard on her. She was pretty alert for her Neuro exam she followed the commands for the Neurologist. Abby has been pretty picky about who she will be responsive for. She usually won't follow the nurses commands, but she has been better for the OT and the Neurologist. She is a little more alert for her siblings versus her parents but we think that is because she expects our parents to be there. She is more surprised when we are there and she tries to be awake for us. We have really seen Abby's personality lately which makes us happy. We would love her personality to come out more.
The doctors are still going back and forth about the vent. The surgeons think she can come off of it but the Intensivest (ICU Dr) thinks she needs to stay on for a few more days. They just want to make sure she doesn't have an infection. That is why she is on the antibiotics more of a precaution. She did have a culture come back positive but it is for a bacteria that we all have on our skin. But because she is immune suppressed they are treating it before it can turn into anything. They still need her to tolerate feedings and for her Kidney to work.
Another concern for us is Abby's anxiety we just don't want her to give up or shut down. We are afraid that because every time she wakes up she is on the vent and tied down that she is going to not want to deal with it. Abby is a fighter so I know she will continue the fight. But I just want her to not be frustrated with how long it is taking.
So Abby still has a way to go on this long road to recovery. But she has made progress and we are happy about that. The biggest triumph of the day was her reacting more and showing more of her personality. She is worn out and a little anxious tonight but that is to be expected after the day she has had. My prayer tonight is that Abby will have a good day tomorrow. Because for now we have to take this one day at a time. Good night Abby we all love you and I know if you were up and alert you would tell everyone good night and that you love them.

Day 11 post transplant...

My cup runneth over, I am so full of emotions tonight. Abby has had a better day today. She had to have more tests and doctors are still trying to decide what to do with her ventilator. They keep changing their minds which is frustrating. But we feel that we want Abby to be 100% ready to come off of her ventilator. We don't want to have to reintibate that would not be good at all. So we are okay with her resting and getting strong for a little bit longer. And I stressthe words little bit, we are ready for her to make some big steps forward but only when she is ready. She still isn't as responsive as we would like her to be, but she is waking up a little bit more. I am actually at Abby's bedside right now she is a little confused when she opens her eyes and she looks so tired. But she has been fighting hard no wonder she is tired. We still need that dang kidney to kick in. We really feel that would solve a lot of Abbys problems. The stuff in her body that the kidney would normally get rid of is putting her in a fog. And it is making her not feel good so she just wants to sleep.
Abby is making progress, but it is slow. All we care about is the result as long as she gets better we will wait for her. Through this long journey one thing has stayed constant and that has been the love and support of everyone who knows or who has ever met Abby or anyone in our family. I am just amazed at how many people who have reached out to us. Of course our extended family has been wonderful. They have supported us through all of this. But so many people even unexpected people are reaching out and praying for Abby and for that we feel blessed. My mom said yesterday that her faith has been restored in humanity. I can't go 20 minutes without someone asking about how Abby is doing or telling me that they are praying for her. Even at work people who know have just been so loving and concerned for our family. The other day I ate lunch with my mom at the hospital and for those who don't know my mom works at the same hospital. So we ran into a lot of her coworkers and the firts thing they all said is do you need any of my sick hours. They were so willing to give my mom their hours so she could be with Abby. So many great people in this world and they are all pulling for Abby. We do feel so blessed to have the family, friends and ward members in our lives.
Please keep the prayers coming for Abby she still has a long road ahead of her. She really needs to be more alert and follow commands better. And of course we need her kidney to do it's job and get rid of all of the toxins. We have been told by many that they will be fasting for Abby on Sunday. We really appreciate that and are so happy to have so many wonderful people in our lives.
Be strong Abby, and breath deep we are all praying for you and we love you so much!

Day 10 post transplant...

So I am not going to lie today hasn't been the easiest of days. It has been a roller coaster, she had some very good moments today where she followed instructions. She gave the thumbs up when the OT asked her to and when they asked her to lift up 2 fingers with her right hand she did it right away. The doctors told my mom they were going to try and extibate her today. Then later they said she was still breathing too fast so they didn't feel comfortable extibating her yet. They also want her to be more awake. So they stopped the pain meds so she could be more alert.
As the day went on Abby became more anxious and non-responsive. Her heart rate is high and she is breathing very fast. This is not good, we are thinking she is in pain. But she won't tell us what is wrong she just gets very agitated. The doctors want her to be more awake but if she is upset or in pain she shuts down. We are all frustrated right now. We want Abby to be comfortable and to make progress, but today it seems like we don't have either of those things.
We really need her kidney to work and for her to calm down. We also need her to tolerate feedings better. On the plus side her lungs look good and so does her liver. She is still on the road to getting better. We were just hoping for a faster road.
It is hard today because if things went smoothly in the first place she would be going home today since it is day 10. But we still probably have weeks this is just not the way we wanted it to go. But we are grateful that Abby is still with us and that some things are getting better. We just really need prayers right now. I know everyone has continued praying for her, but we are asking that the praying continues. We are praying for her kidney to start working and for her breathing to get better. We are also praying that the doctors can figure out the best way to help Abby so she can be comfortable and make progress.
We love our Abby and want her to be healthy and happy and to be herself again soon.

Day 9 Post Transplant.....

Abby has had a tiring day, and will probably sleep well tonight. She had to have a CT scan today to make sure her bowels are ok. The doctors were a little concerened about her bowels because she hasn't been tolerating feedings very well. The CT scan came back just fine, she is just probably not used to the amount of protein that they are giving her through her G-Tube. She is still on the ventilator, we were really hoping to have her off of it today. Her lungs looked a lot better today not as much fluid around them so that is a good sign.
Abby had another round of Dialysis today which wipes her out. The Dialysis helps get off the extra fluid she has so that will help with her breathing issues as well. She was a little less alert today then she has been. But that is explained by her kidney not working. Some of the levels in her blood that are elevated because of her Kidney not working very well cause her to be a little out of it. So we are not too concerned about that. She would respond to us if we said something she wanted to hear. She really was only ignoring the medical personel today. But the nurse she had today was a cute guy who was still very sweet with her. He even joked around with her which probably helped.
When I walked into her room today I said "Abby I have your phone with me and there is an email from Jake on it that he sent last Tuesday, do you want me to read it" Her eyes flew open and she nodded her head and watched me the whole time as I read it. So right now she is tired and her body is working hard to heal itself. So her being sleepy and not responding is just because she wants to be left a lone. And who can blame her I would just want to sleep too.
Abby is a tough girl she has had a rough past 9 days but is showing improvement. Her liver is doing good still so we are happy about that. We all miss our Abby and can't wait to laugh with her. And we know that isn't far away. Abby has a really good attitude and once she is off the ventilator we know she will be laughing with us. After we all cry of course.
We love you Abby keep breathing deep and you will be free from those tubes soon enough!

Day 8 Post Transplant...

Today wasn't too eventful which I guess is a good thing. We would have liked for her to have had some huge step forward. But we are happy with her small improvements for now. She was really tired today so she wasn't as alert but did respond to people talking to her. Her ventilator is turned down very low so she is close to being extibated. She still has some fluid around her lungs from her kidney not working. So she will have dialysis again in the morning to help get rid of some of the fluid. And hopefully that will get her breathing even better and then maybe she can get off of the ventilator.
Her liver numbers have come way down so we are very happy about that. Most of her issues right now are linked to her kidney not working so we are anxious for it to start. With her just having one kidney it might take some time. When Caleb had his liver transplant 20 years ago his kidney stopped working too. It took 3 weeks for it to start working again so we will wait patiently.
Right now we are happy that Abby is making progress and that she is able to communicate a little bit more with us. She will shake or nod her head to answer our questions and she will mouth words. She is still a little uncomfortable but they are trying to stay on top of the pain management.
That is really it for today, thanks to all who have prayed for Abby and keep them coming we need that kidney to start working.

Day 7 Post Transplant....

So it has been a week since the transplant. Abby is still in SICU but things are looking up. She is still on the vent but it looks like she might be able to come off of it soon. She is taking a lot of breaths on her own and is a lot more alert. She had lots of smiles today so that felt so good to see her smile. Her kidney is still not working but the doctors are very optimistic that it will start with time. Her liver numbers are improving so we are happy about that.
Abby responded a lot today to people walking in the room, she smiled with every visitor. She reacted to names and to us showing her pictures. It was really good to have that interaction with her. It feels like forever since we have seen her smile even though it has only been one week. But after the week we have had it felt like forever.
We are all still a little sleep deprived and that is normal after this fight we are all fighting with Abby. But now that things are looking up I hope we all especially my parents will get some rest so we can be here for Abby. As her recovery continues she will need a lot of support. Especially when she is awake more and out of the ICU. But I know it is hard for us to leave her side right now.
That is really all for today not much changed today just small steps forward. But we will take any steps forward. Hopefully tomorrow we will have some big good news. We love our Abby Jean so much and we feel blessed to have her in our lives. This is a journey she does not have to take alone we are here for the long run.

Day 6 Post Transplant

So today has been okay they removed Abby's chest tube, it was put in to take out fluid and air from her chest cavity. Since they took that out Abby has been breathing a little better. She is still on the ventilator but it is just helping her a little, she is doing most of the breathing. She has been a little agitated but not as bad as yesterday. An aunt of ours suggested music to help calm her so she can be less aggitated and be on less sedation. My dad used his iphone and turned on pandora radio and selected uplifting music. As soon as my dad put it on her pillow she made what looked just like a smile and I am sure it was. Abby loves music she loves to dance and sing more than anyone I know. So it makes sense that Music would calm her down.
Speaking of music some of you probably noticed that I put music on the blog. I wanted to explain why I chose the songs I did. So the song "Just the way you are" has always reminded me of Abby. Abby is beautiful not just on the outside even though she is gorgeous. But on the inside too she has unconditional love for her family. She also loves children and special needs people and would do anything to help them. But I don't think she realizes how beautiful and special she is. So that song has always reminded me of Abby.
The song "I hope you dance" well like I said before she loves music and she loves to dance. So I thought that song was perfect because I know she will dance again and I can't wait for that day.
The song "Somewhere over the rainbow/what a wonderful world" I mostly chose this song for the wonderful world part of it. My dad likes this song well our whole family does and it has special meaning to us. But my dad thought it fit because Abby chose to stay in this world so it IS a wonderful world.
The song "I'm yours" well for one I have always liked this song but right now I think we all will give ourselves 100% to Abby's recovery. Especially my parents who have not left her side. They will be there and so will all of us siblings untill Abby is well and home.
The song "I'll stand by you" well as you can see we love Abby and we love eachother so much. We have always stood up for eachother and helped eachother ever since we were little. So Abby knows we will all stand by her and support her for the rest of her long life.
So for now we are pleased with Abby's progress her liver continues to get stronger and same with her breathing. We still need that kidney of hers to kick in and for her to get off of the ventilator. So we will continue to pray for that.
Today I am thankful for my family and I am especially thankful for the way we were all raised. We all have faith and a relationship with our Father in Heaven. We also have unconditional love for eachother. And we were taught to appreciate music and have a love for music and the power it has. So these things have made us survive during this trial.
So that is it for today, but I need to mention some "angels" some certain family members of ours. They went to my parents house cleaned up the house and the yard. Even washed windows and left a lot of food for them. They know who they are and so do I. But I want them to know how much that ment to my parents. More than you could even know. And for that we are all grateful!

Day 5 Post Transplant....

Today not much has changed, Abby has continued to make small improvements. We still are working on getting her off of the ventilator. They have really been letting her wake up more so they can get her breathing. She has been pretty agitated today but that is to be expected. They have started a new kind of dialysis so they will only do it every 3 days or so instead of running it all of the time. So that is nice for her not to be hooked up to 1 more thing.
Her liver numbers are still improving so that is good. We are very optimistic and we try and reassure Abby every time she wakes up that everything is ok. That is important right now to keep Abby calm so she can continue to improve. That is really all for today, we were hoping for her to be off of the ventilator today but she isn't quite ready. But that is okay we want her to be ready before we take that big step. We wouldn't want her to have to be intibated again so we will be patient.
As for the family today was ok for us as well. Today was our dad's birthday. He was insistant that we didn't celebrate until Abby could join the party. So we just had pizza in the cafeteria during shift change. They kick us out of her room anyway for and hour and a half. That is the only time we can get our parents to leave her alone. She really has had a family member by her side this whole time. We might drive the nurses crazy, but we know it helps keep Abby calm. And we do stay out of the way and try not to ask too many questions. I have to say though that the nurses have been very nice and have been supportive of us. Once Abby is out of the ICU it will be easier for my parents to sleep at the hospital so that will be nice.

So today was a good day no steps backwards makes for a good day. So here is hoping for another good day and hopefully some really big good news tomorrow.

Day 4 post transplant....

Abby has made some progress today, but some of it has been hard to watch. Abby's liver numbers have been improving with every blood draw. They are still pretty high so we are hoping and praying that they will continue to drop rapidly. They are weaning Abby off of a lot of the sedation and anty-anxiety meds. So that is where the hard part comes in. Abby is a lot more agitated and isn't as calm as she was while sedated. But that is what needs to be done to get Abby breathing on her own. The doctors turned off the ventilator for a bit today to see if Abby would take breaths on her own, and she did. They have also been able to take a lot of her IV lines out and other monitors as well. So that is a very good sign. They have also decreased her blood draws to every 12 hours instead of every 6 hours. The doctors have been very optimistic and believe Abby will continue to recover.
Abby's kidney is still not working so that is another hurdle we have to get over. But again the doctors are optimistic that with time it will start to work. For now the dialysis is getting the toxins out of her body. But like I have said before she can't take the anti-rejection meds until it starts working. So right now we are praying for her kidney to start making urine.
So it has been a pretty good day for Abby she is continuing to make progress in her recovery and for that we feel blessed. Abby is a little more uncomfortable and anxious but it is a necessary evil to get her off of the vent and more responsive.
I have to take a minute now to express how thankful I am for family especially my family. A lot of people have made comments about how great they think it is that my family is so close. I have always thought that all families were as close as we are. But I think we are pretty special Courtney and Caleb have spent every extra minute at the hospital either by Abby's side or waiting with some other members of the family. We have been there for eachother through all of this nightmare. We have cried together and laughed together we have held eachother and helped eachother up when we have completely lost it. We all miss our Abby and long for her to be an active part of our lives again. We know she is going to be laughing with us soon and I can't wait for that. My parent's have always worried about all of the trials we have had to go through and feel guilty and I know they do. But none of us feel cheated at all we have a great family and if anything we are stronger because of the life we have had. We are very blessed to have eachother and especially blessed to have Abby still in our lives.

Day 3 Post Transplant

So here we are at the end of day 3 it has been a pretty good day. Abby has continued to make small steps forwards towards her recovery. Abby still has had some panic attacks when she wakes up which is understandable. They have decided to put her back on the sedation so that she can stay comfortable and not get so agitated. They had to turn her ventilator up a little bit tonight because she isn't breathing deap enough on her own yet. Her liver is doing much better with each blood draw her numbers are dropping quite a bit which is a good thing. It still has a way to go but we are hopeful that it will. Her kidney still isn't making urine so that means it isn't working. But the doctors seem hopeful that with time it will start working.
Abby has come a long way since Sunday but still has a way to go, so keep the prayers coming. For now they are only letting siblings grandparents and parents in the ICU to see her because they are trying to wake her up more so they can get her breathing on her own. She is on edge right now so they are trying to limit the number of people in her room. But as soon as she is out of the ICU she will need lots of visitors to fill the long boring days. So as soon as that happens we will let all of you know.
Now that I have filled you in on Abby I will let you know how her family is holding up. It has been very hard for mom and dad. For those of you who know our family well you know we have been through this before. Caleb our brother had a transplant 20 years ago and just about the exact same thing happened to him. We are starting to wonder if there is something that caused both of them to have the same problems during surgery. My mom describes it as being hit by lightning twice. So it is hard for us to understand why we have to go through this again. It has been the worst kind of deja vu. We are all a little tired and food is the last thing on our minds. As soon as Abby is out of the woods we will all be able to eat and sleep a lot better.
This will be a long journey for all of us but mostly for Abby she is going to need a lot of love, support and prayers. We are all longing to hear Abby's voice and laughter it seems like forever since we have.
So for today we are thankful that Abby is improving. We are also thankful for the Doctors who worked on Abby they really went above and beyond and were heart broken when things went south. Please continue to keep Abby and our family in your prayers we really can feel the love.

Here is hoping to another good report tomorrow.

Day 2 post transplant

The Journey continues, today is Tuesday October 12 Abby has made some progress today. The biggest concerns right now is her Kidney and Liver. The liver took a hit when her heart stopped so did the kidney. The liver has some dead cells and her numbers are high which is a bad thing, but they are coming down. The liver doctor said that livers are strong organs and they can regenerate and grow new cells so he is not too worried for now. She can't take the anti-rejection medication yet because of her Kidney issues. If her Kidney isn't working the medicine for anti-rejection would just collect in her Kidney. Abby only has 1 kidney so it might take a little longer than normal to start working again.
They are starting to wean Abby off of the sedation so they can start working on getting her off of the ventilator. When I was in her room today the respitory therapist was suctioning her mouth and the tube. Abby woke up and I mean really woke up and she was scared. I have never seen someone look so terrified and confused. She has to be restrained so she doesn't pull anything out. So she was wanting her hands to be free and she was so confused she didn't understand what was going on. The nurse was telling her that she was waking up from surgery and that she was okay. My mom held her face while I rubbed her legs we tried to calm her down the best we could. But at the time there was about 6 medical personel in the room. We think she thought something was really wrong. They were finally able to give her a medicine to calm her down and they adjusted her legs and other medical equipment that they think was bothering her. I hated seeing her so scared but the nurse assured us that it was a good sign.
My mom and I were talking today about Abby and we thought we needed to clarify something. Medicine was a factor in Abby's decision to have this transplant. But Abby wanted a chance for a normal life a chance to have a baby someday without worrying about getting too sick. She wants to be able to eat protein and to not have to worry about getting a minor flu. With her disorder a minor flu could really be dangerous. She just had to do what she could to have a life she deserved. Even though she is having a rough time right now she still can make a full recovery and have her chance for a mostly normal life. A chance to live the way she wants to live, and who would't want that.
So right now we are just praying that Abby's Kidney and Liver can heal and be in working order. She is moving in the right direction right now and that is amazing. Especially considering the staff who was on the night she was so unstable was surprised to see her the next day. Abby is a fighter and we all know that, so we know she can get through all of this.
We also want to say how great the nurses have been to Abby we have been really impressed with the care she has been recieving. So as of the end of today it has been a pretty good day in this journey we just hope that with each day things continue to get better.