Hello again. It's hard to believe that we've been at this for 50 days. We're really grateful that each of you have chosen to walk this difficult road with us, holding us up when we're too tired to do it ourselves. Today, our nurse told us that Elizabeth was really lucky to have us as parents because we've stayed involved and present. Apparently, many parents, faced with repeated complications and prolonged hospital stays, become weary and stop spending as much time at the hospital. Our ability to stay engaged and present for Elizabeth is only because of God's mercies and your prayerful support.
Elizabeth had a pretty good day today, punctuated by two reminders of how quickly things can change. While I was holding her, she vomited, and for the first time, was unable to clear it from her throat. In the time it took to get her throat cleared with suctioning, she turned blue and gave me quite a scare. In the afternoon, she suddenly turned bright red from head to toe (except for her tummy) and became slightly swollen. It lasted about thirty minutes and then went away, leaving everyone to puzzle about the cause. Each of these events reminded us of how little separates Elizabeth from further complication. And it reminded us to be grateful for even the slowest progress.
Elizabeth also continued to have unexplained fevers today. Of course, fevers mean sending large blood samples to the lab for culture, worsening her anemia. When someone is anemic, their heart rate increases to circulate their remaining blood faster. When her blood count is normal, Elizabeth's heart rate is in the 130's. Today, it got as high as 215! We suspect they may want to give her a blood transfusion tomorrow or Monday.
Please pray for:
-These fevers...that they'd end or the culprit found and successfully treated.
-Her feeding issues to resolve.
-Protection from the usual complications that plague long hospital stays
Love you folks,
Matt and Sara
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