Tests, procedures and tomorrow.

Yesterday, Ava was hooked up for another round of video EEG monitoring and it was confirmed that she is still having many "sub-clinical" (not visible to the watchful eye) seizures. So today, Ava was sedated to undergo an MRI to provide us with some answers about her epilepsy and guide our treatment decisions. She came through the procedure smoothly and the findings will be discussed tomorrow (Friday) morning at 8am during a meeting with all of Ava's neurologists and her neurosurgeon. The initial information we have is not good. But we will wait to communicate more until we have a grasp of the whole picture...at least the only picture the medical team can give us.

One thing was certainly confirmed during the process of sedating her for her MRI: Ava has run out of IV sites, and needs a Broviac catheter. This is a central line inserted into a large vein leading to her heart. It will be a permanent port in her chest which will give us constant access to blood for labs, and a stable place to deliver medications.

So tomorrow Ava will have another procedure to insert the port. She's an add-on case so we don't know what time she'll be taken back. Matt will keep vigil as he has day and night since last Friday. Meanwhile, the girls and I will spend our last day in California and prepare to fly back to St. Louis on Saturday.

Please pray for our little one. For wellness for each of our girls. For rest for all our children and their weary parents. For a smooth procedure. For wisdom and insight for Ava's doctors. For our hearts to be prepared for what is ahead.