She is home...

Abby is home, she got discharged yesterday. We didn't really tell anyone yesterday because yesterday was our Grandma's 90th birthday and we wanted to surprise her. So Abby showed up at the party and surprised everybody.

She is doing pretty good, the antiviral she is on makes her feel sick but she is doing ok. It makes her skin very dry so that is a little painful. And she has a hard time regulating her temperature so she is always hot or cold. She will have to be on that med until her virus is gone so hopefully the virus goes away quickly. Abby is eating a little bit more which is good but she still gags sometimes. All in all Abby is improving she has a hard time seeing it but she really is improving. And she is still beautiful as ever and once she is off of that med she will improve even more.

Abby and my parents would still love visitors at the house. Visitors really break up the day for them so feel free to visit.

Our prayer is that Abby will stay home this time and that she will be able to heal quickly and get off of that medicine. We are so pleased that she is home again and that she was able to celebrate with us last night.

What a difference a week makes...

So last Thursday things were looking pretty grim and we were all very scared. But today things are looking up in a big way. I don't want to jinx it but Abby is on the mend. The doctors kind of freaked us all out last week when they started talking about all the possibilities with her CMV pneumonia. They wanted to move her to SICU and they were talking about an antibiotic that would take her kidney and having to intibate and all sorts of scary things. But my parents knew better they did not let them move her ti SICU. They did the immunoglobulin and it went well her last dose is today. She isn't needing as much oxygen anymore and her lungs sound really good. Her viral load is down that is the number that measures the virus in her blood it started at 6.8 it is now 4.5 so it is on the downward trend which is good. It means she is getting better which makes us happy.

She will have to stay on the antivirul until her viral load is down all the way. She is doing so good though she looks very good and she is eating a lot more then she has been. She still gags a lot and sometimes throws up but we have determined the cause is reflux so they are treating that.

Her drains are getting a lot of stuff out of her stomach which is very good. And on Sunday her stomach where her incision is opened up a little bit and more of that fluid leaked out everywhere. This was a little alarming for Abby she was on a walk when it started leaking. But the doctors are actually glad that the "stuff" in her abdomen was finding an out.

Abby has been walking a lot and is not as sick as she has been . So yet again we proved the doctors wrong. She is a fighter and she proved that once again. She isn't out of the woods yet but we can see the light through the trees. The doctors think she can go home by Monday we aren't holding are breath but are hoping for the best.

Abby has been through more than I any of us can imagine and she has stayed strong and doesn't complain much. I hope this journey will come to an end soon in a happy way. I feel like it is she has had so many complications but hopefully those are done.

She still would love visitors it helps break up the day she is in room 5206 at the U. It helps my parents too they need the distraction. And once she gets home they may need some help if anyone can sit with Abby for a few hours during the week let us know that would be a big help for my parents.

We are in awe of all the love and support we have received from our friends and family. We thank you for the prayers on our behalf. We have the best friends and family out there.

Please keep Abby in your prayers so she can continue to get well. Prayers work and she is the proof!

Another hurdle....

So yesterday the 17th We found out that Abby's CMV that she has has spread to her throat and her lungs. She has fluid in her lungs right now but her o2 saturation has been good. So yesterday was a bad day. The doctors came in and said she has CMV in her throat and lungs and then they said the antibiotic we might have to give will probably kill her kidney. Then the next doctor came in and said we want to move her back to SICU. So my mom said we are going for a walk and they left with Abby and had lunch. She was sick of bad news and who can blame her.

The Doctors decided to try an immunoglobulin to fight the CMV and any possible bacteria caused by the CMV. The fear with this medication is a severe allergic reaction with anaphylaxis because it is blood product and she has had similar ones before so her body could recognize it and be allergic to it. They started it last night and she did okay with it which was a huge relief. One of the reasons they wanted her in the ICU was in case she did react badly to the IG they could react. So I watched her till about 1 A.M. and she didn't have any adverse reactions so we were relieved. We are still waiting on the sputum sample to come back to see if she has bacterial pneumonia or if it is just the CMV. We are hoping it is just the CMV so they don't have to do that antibiotic that will ruin her Kidney.

They also are running a test to see how far into the CMV she is. It tests the DNA so they can tell if it is in early stages or if it is starting to go away. So today we are hoping for some good news.

We did get a little good news yesterday, one of the doctors that was looking at her pancreas problem and her drain and stomach fluid. He said he thinks that they are getting rid of all of that fluid with the drain where it is placed now. It is getting a lot of fluid out now more than it ever has. He also thinks once they get rid of all of that fluid the pancreas will heal. And that means no surgery. We are hoping that is the case.

Abby is a fighter and we all know that so we know she can beat this. Her doctor said he might have to take her through hell again but he said he would bring her right back out of it. She has been through a lot already so we hope that she can beat this with ease and not to much pain and suffering. She was in pretty good spirits yesterday so she is ready for the fight.

We are all amazed by our Abby Jean she is the strongest person I know and we all can learn from her.

Keep fighting Abby Jean we are right here fighting along side you. We know you can beat this virus with all your facilities in tact. We have faith, so stay strong and know you have everybody who loves you on your side and that is a lot of people.

Wishing for a happy ending soon...

So things have been very up and down lately for miss Abby Jean. She is back in the hospital again she has been there for a week and a half. Her reason for being readmitted is she went to a clinic appointment and she was dehydrated and her fluid pockets in her stomach were bigger. She had also been spiking fevers. So the plan was to admit her for 48 hours and reposition her drains and do IV antibiotics. Well just like this whole last 5 months things didn't go according to plan. Abby was having fevers because she has CMV a virus they thought she had a month ago which they decided she didn't have. Well now she has it for sure. So we are a little frustrated because the lab tests she was doing a few times each week were supposed to be testing for CMV and they weren't. So she got more sick than she should have.

And since they repositioned her drains she has been in a lot of pain. She has been needing to take more pain meds so her blood pressure has been dropping a bit. So the doctors decided to give her a lot of fluids to increase her blood pressure. But like the other dozen times they have tried that she 3rd spaces all of the fluids which means it doesn't stay in her vessels it leaches out into her tissues and causes major edema. So again she has 30+ lbs of water on board again and so it makes it very hard for her to move.

Now on top of all of that she is having issues with her skin, she is peeling very badly. We have no idea why the doctors think it is a reaction to meds. But no one really knows why, but whatever it is she is in a lot of pain. Her skin just burns it is so sad. I was with her yesterday and it broke my heart. She just hurts everywhere and she is so frustrated. She is also having a hard time keeping food down and eating at all. Her pancreas issue is the reason for that. So we are all ready for her to feel like herself again. My dad made an appointment for Mayo Clinic in Arizona for some pancreas specialists. We are hoping for her to get a little better to make the trip her appointment is for March 28th.

So tonight I pray that Abby will feel better that she will eat and stop throwing up. I also pray for her to not be in pain anymore. So she can get stronger and get healthy again. We are all heartbroken for Abby right now. She has kept her chin up through all of this and her strength continues to amaze me!

For all of you friends and family she could really use visitors. Time moves so slowly during the days. And her and my mom are just there waiting for time to pass. So if you have a moment to pop in that would be great she is in room 5204 on the fifth floor.

Hopefully nothing...

So Abby has had a good week she has lost over 50lb in water and she is getting some strength back. She still has a hard time eating a whole lot but she is working on it.

Last night she had a bit of a fever it wasn't too high, but higher then they want it. So my parents are very worried. It isn't high enough to contact the doctors so hopefully it doesn't get that way. Abby feels fine she doesn't even feel feverish at all. We are hoping it is just high because she has been so cold lately she takes hot showers and bundles up and has a space heater on her. So maybe it is just that. We hope that is all it is.

So keep the prayers coming, we know they work!

4 Months exactly and She is home!

So on the 4 month mark Abby came home! She was really nervous to say the least. The last 2 attempts to come home were not good so I don't blame her for being nervous. She is most nervous about getting around the house especially the stairs. But she is doing great.

Her white count is normal her kidney and liver numbers are great. The only issue is her pancreas problem and pocket of tissue/fluid/bacteria in her gut. And she still has some swelling in her lower body. But the swelling goes down every time I see her so I am sure with in a few weeks she will look like the same old skinny Abby again.

She also is weak from lack of nutrition, because of her pancreas issue she has NO appetite at all and barely eats anything. My parents make sure she drinks 3 meal shakes a day but that isn't much. She worries about her skin and hair, but they are that way because of lack of nutrition. Once she starts being able to eat more her hair and skin will get better.

She still has a ways to go and she will have home healthcare and physical therapy at home. But she is on her way to recovery. We really need her stomach to heal and for her pancreas to heal. So we hope that will happen in the coming weeks. Abby will be a full time job for my parents she still needs a lot of help and care. My parents need to help her do a lot because she is so weak. They need to change her dressings and flush her stomach drains and she cannot be alone. But she really is the healthiest she has been since this all began. So I am sure the hard part won't last long.

So on the day of her homecoming I can say we were all completely happy. It was the best feeling in the world to have all of us in the front room laughing and teasing. It was normal again I cry just thinking about it. We have our family back! We have our smiling joking Abby back and we can all be together again. And my kids have a grandma and grandpa again. And they have their worry wart aunt Abby who gets nervous every time they are jumping around like the crazy kids they all are. It feels so good to be a family, a normal family again. We are all very close and even having Abby in the hospital and not around was so hard for us all.

Abby has been through so much these past 4 months, we are all so proud of her strength. She is such a beautiful person inside and out. We are all blessed for knowing her and even more blessed to have her around today. Abby we love you and we believe that the hard part of your journey is over. Just time to get stronger you will be going to spin class in no time.

Abby would LOVE visitors at home and I am sure it will help my parents as well. So as long as you are not currently sick please feel free to visit at the house anytime. Short visits are just fine because she still gets tired very easily.

I also want to thank everyone who has helped our family. So many people have done so much for us. Prayers, fasts, watching our kids, bringing things to Abby and my parents and just being there and visiting and raising spirits. One thing this has taught us is how good people are and how much love is still in the world . We are so blessed to have the friends and family we have. This was a very hard time for our family but would have been much harder without all of you.

My hope is that this will be my last major post. I will still update the blog from time to time to keep everyone posted. But hopefully it will all just be about the progress she is making.

Good News....not bad news this time.

I don't want to jinx things but things are looking good for miss Abby Jean. She still has some issues to overcome but things are moving in the right direction. Her kidney numbers are getting better so that means it is okay. She still isn't making a lot of urine but her body thinks she is dehydrated because all the fluid is not in her vessels but in her tissues. So that is probably why she isn't urinating very much. She is very swollen from the abdomen down. It is hard because she can't move very easily because of the swelling but she needs to move for the swelling to go away. So hopefully that will get better soon.
Her white count is completely normal actually high normal which is good. She has an immune system now so that makes us all a lot less nervous. She has no bone pain which is a miracle, last time she had the neupogen shots she was in so much pain she just cried all day long. So we are very thankful that it didn't happen this time.
All of Abby's other lab work looked good as well. She was moved to the 5th floor today so no more ICU or IMCU. And our hope is that she will never be back there again. The 5th floor is much nicer, big rooms with a nice view. The staff is wonderful and there is a nice pull out couch for my parent's or us sisters to sleep on.
The pancreas and the fluid in her abdomen is still an ongoing battle but time will hopefully resolve that. And of course the swelling but that should go away with time as well. We are all very thankful for the blessings we have received. Abby has had angels on her side and many prayers on her behalf. The prayers are still needed for Abby to get back to normal. It is nice to have more things to be thankful about in our prayers than to ask for. This is a first through this whole ordeal!
My hope tonight is that only good news from here on out! Thanks again for following this long journey!