Elizabeth Archives - July 2006

July 2006 Email Updates


Email Update Sent July 15, 2006:


Dear Friends and Family,



Elizabeth turned 9 months old yesterday, and today we'd hoped to send a chipper update on all the progress she's been making. Unfortunately, she started getting sick overnight, and this morning, required hospitalization for a probable pneumonia. Last night, she started with a new hacking cough and a low grade fever. This morning, she looked great initially, but about 11am began having lots of trouble breathing (her lips, fingers and toes started turning dusky blue), started shaking all over, and scarily, stopped crying or responding to us. Thankfully, this turn for the worse occurred while we were in the car, returning from some errands. We were just a mile from the UC ER and able to get her there safely.



The staff acted very quickly to get her the extra oxygen and antibiotics her body needed, especially since her fever was almost 104.5 F! That first dose of antibiotics and some fever-reducers have really helped and she is doing MUCH better now. Elizabeth's doctors think she'll need to be in the hospital 24-48 hours for observation, putting our trip to Memphis for a family reunion in jeopardy (we're supposed to fly out on Monday AM).



Please be praying that:



1) This is just a pneumonia and that the bacteria haven't spread to her blood stream (which would lengthen her antibiotic course to weeks!).


2) she recovers quickly and without any hospital complications this time around.


3) we'll have wisdom about whether and when to go to Memphis.


4) we'll get a kind airline service agent that will allow us to rebook our tickets without re-purchasing.



Thank you for interceding on our behalves. We'll send out that more upbeat report once Elizabeth is home again.



-Matt



Email Update Sent July 16, 2006:


Talk about miraculous turn-arounds! Yesterday at noon, Elizabeth was on the verge of being admitted to the ICU. Today at noon, she was in her stroller, going for a walk around the neighborhood! Your prayers truly made a difference in getting her well. The pediatrician who released us from the hospital is convinced that this was NOT a pneumonia, but rather the very high fever that caused her system to react so badly. Her blood work looked great and all her cultures have been negative, supporting his theory.



Even better, she hasn't had any fever since going to the hospital. If she stays that way through the night, she'll be fine to travel. So for the time being, the trip to Memphis is ON. Good thing, too- we had started researching ticket changes and American Airlines was being less than customer service oriented in the process ("I'm sorry, but we don't make exceptions, even for medical emergencies").



Unfortunately for you, the last minute return to leaving on time means I need to pack instead of updating the website with new photos. When we return next week, we'll definitely get that together.



Thank you for your prayers!


Matt, Sara and Elizabeth



Email Update Sent July 30, 2006:


Dear friends and family,



Thanks for your response to our urgent update two weeks ago. Elizabeth continued to improve and was an absolute rock star on the plane and all throughout our time in Memphis. We had a wonderful time with family and felt so grateful that we were able to be there for the entire time.



A few highlights:


*Elizabeth enjoyed some Memphis BBQ at the famous Rendezvous and made her first trip into a swimming pool.


*She ate butterbeans and black eyed peas and LOVED them, and kept opening her mouth so I could give her more. This was a first and warmed my heart. I guess she's a true southern girl at heart.



Unfortunately, part of that yummy southern meal got into her lungs and she developed an aspiration pneumonia on Sunday night and a high fever by Monday morning so we had to make a detour to the ER at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital before being discharged hours before our flight back to SF. To make a long and exhausting story very short, We feel like God prevented the very kind attending in Memphis from seeing the pneumonia on her chest x-ray, so that we could get home and deal with it all on our own turf. We've had to tinker with her medications but we've found one that doesn't make her puke and she's finally started acting like herself again.



Tomorrow is the last day of Matt's vacation. Elizabeth and I have loved having Matt around all the time....so in about 36 hours, we'll BOTH be going through withdrawals!



We hope you're all surviving the heat! I'm embarrassed to admit it, but we're wearing sweats and enjoying an overcast week here in SF. But we're turning off all our lights, trying to conserve energy for the rest of you!



Blessings,

Sara (for all three of us)