Today was another good day for Elizabeth. Her cultures are still negative and we expect them to be since she's on such strong antibiotics. We're still on contact precautions, which means no trips to the roof-top garden or playroom, but we get to stay in our private room...technically, since her stool cultures have come back negative for anything infectious, we could be off precautions...but we're not going to bring that up to anyone just in case they decide they want our room. Personally, I think the nurses are in on it but because Elizabeth is such a doll, they're just turning a blind eye. My first clue was that even though she's on isolation, a half a dozen of them take turns coming in to ogle over her. She just charms their socks off like it's no big deal.
Sadly, Elizabeth lost her IV this morning. They typically don't last more than 3 - 5 days for her before clotting off, so to lose it on Day 4 is not surprising, but it did mean an extra poke today. The IV transport team (they're the ones that escort kids in ambulances and helicopters etc. and thus are really good at placing IVs) was available, so they came and got her set up with a new one in no time...on the first try!
We've also learned that once we're done with her current course of antibiotics, she'll go on Penicillin prophylaxis to keep her from getting Strep Pneumonia again. Apparently, this is a common treatment for kids with sickle cell anemia, who also have non-functioning spleens or their spleens have been removed, and it works really well!
On the family front, we're all holding up, but the reality of 8 more days here is a harsh one. We're tired already and Matt and I are a little like two ships passing in the night...Please pray for our stamina.and for Ruby's sense of well-being during all the shuffling this week! By way of encouragement, we had a fun afternoon surprise when two sets of friends came, one with coffee, thanks Amy! And one with dinner, thanks Bronners! For a while, the guys took the kids to the garden and the gals stayed in the room and chatted with Elizabeth...it felt normal and really, really, nice.
Finally here are a few pics from today. Ruby realized she could use some Bible Reading time today too...and then thought she could learn a thing or two about parenting from one of my favorite books. We found the cutest toy for Elizabeth...a little girl in a hospital bed, with an IV pole and removable slippers and lots of other fun things...She had a ball playing with her today and even took her to Dora's playground for a treat. I guess she wasn't on contact precautions.
Thanks for your prayers, they're our lifeline!
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