Day 8...Hop on Pop!

My dad, Pop, has joined us here in snowy Ann Arbor. He drove in today and we are so thankful he made it here ok. There was a terrible storm on his way up. He will be a much needed source of help.

Kyara is making small improvements everyday. This morning Dan came in to see Kyara and said he felt she was making more purposeful movements. Today the doctors removed her left chest tube (she still has a right chest tube) and the femoral IV in her leg. These were big moves in the right direction for getting tubes that could cause infection out of her body. Both of these tubes were placed during Kyara's cardiac arrest and were not sterile. Luckily she has not had infections from them, but the docs figure... why risk it. Her left lung was looking good and she now has the PICC line, so out the tubes went!

Tonight, after everyone else left, Kyara got very agitated. She began by having and increased heart rate and a slightly elevated blood pressure. I could feel her arms beginning to stiffen and her hand was gripping my finger tighter. She also began to sweat some and her temperature was rising. Kyara's eyes were open and it seemed like she was looking...there was an energy behind her eyes. Well, I read to her from some healing prayers that we got from the Deacon in the ICU, and she didn't seem to settle down. The nurse came in so I asked her about it. She suggested check Kyara's hospital pants to see if she was wet. After we changed her, Kyara was flat out MAD! Her heart rate and blood pressure skyrocketed and she had a terrified look on her face. Her body was a stiff as a board! The nurse quickly spoke with the Peds Surgery Fellow, who happened to be sitting at the nurses' station and they got her some medication to help her settle back down. The nurse explained to me that in her experience with kids waking up from coma-like states, this is a pretty typical response. I hung on her every word. WAKING UP?! I love hearing that...say it again, say it again! We have been noticing that Kyara is much more aware of her environment the past few days and we believed that she was waking, but to hear someone else say it too is just.... wonderful! Kyara settled down pretty quickly after getting the medicine and I hope she will sleep well tonight, she needs the rest. The air is very dry in the hospital room and everytime I cough, Kyara opens her eyes. She shuts them right back and goes back to sleep, but I love to see her respond. Do it again, do it again. Ok, I am going to let her sleep.

Tomorrow morning at 9:00 am the doctors are going to do a swallow study to see what the heck is going on in her body. If it looks like they can, they will try to place a nasogastric feeding tube in her stomach. This is the same tube she had last time we were here and will allow them to feed her food (liquid nutrition) instead of the nutrition through her IV. This would be a best case scenario, we will see tomorrow what they find. At this point, it is not my top concern. I know in time they will figure the esophagus/stomach issues out. My primary concern is Kyara's brain.

Thank you all for the love, support, and prayers you have sent our family. We are so thankful and blessed. One thing is for sure, Kyara has brought many people together and we are overwhelmed by the love that has been shown to us. Here is to a good today and a better tomorrow.


Oh, by the way....

I have been asked to put our address for the Ronald McDonald House on the blog, so here it is...

Kyara Dzenis - Room 29
Ronald McDonald House of Ann Arbor
1600 Washington Heights
Ann Arbor, MI 48104