Annie is not coming home today. It was really hard to hear this news, but we know that it is for the best. But still.....
We have a big case of the Mondays. When they took Annie's blood for lab work this morning, they realized that she is very anemic and needed a blood transfusion before she is able to be discharged. Basically this means many different things:
1. She will not come home today.
2. She will have to stop her PO feedings (bottlefeedings) during the transfusions
3. She will have to be on IVs to give her the blood transfusion and TPN (fluids) in replacement for the nourishment she would get from her bottlefeeds.
Dr. DeGuzman said that her level was too low and she is going to be giving her 2 blood transfusions. Each transfusion will be given over a 2 hour period (they check her vital signs, blood pressure and temperature every 15 minutes during the transfusion) with a 4 hour break in between. She is definitely going to be given 2 transfusions that will be completed as of 1 a.m. tomorrow morning. After the 2nd transfusion, they will check her hematocrit levels (this is the proportion of blood volume that is occupied by red blood cells). If they are still low, then they will give her a 3rd transfusion.
When they told us Annie was anemic before her level was at 22% and was beginning to rise. The doctor said that this morning, Annie is at 21.4%. Normally they would just watch her for any problems in her vital signs, but the situation is different since she is coming home. She cannot come home with levels that low and if she had come home and we realized later at the pedi's office, then she would have been re-admitted to the hospital. Since Women's does not re-admit, she would have ended up at Texas Children's instead (in a new situation, new doctors, new nurses, new everything). We are upset, but thankful that they caught it before we went home.
She also will be off of her bottlefeedings during the blood tranfusions. After the 1 a.m. check of her levels, if all is wel,l they will slowly start her on her feeds again. This is not a situation where it was before when she had do to 1 bottle a day at a time and learn how to eat. Annie will just be given a smaller amount of milk during each one of her bottlefeedings as to not overload her little body to try and do too many things at once. When they start her bottlefeedings, they will continue to supplement her with the TPN (fluids) until she is able to get back up to her original amount.
Dr. DeGuzman cannot give us a day that she will for sure come home (this all depends on Annie and the orders from the new doctor on rounds). She did say we should be looking at sometime this week. We may still, in fact, have our Easter bunny. If not, at least the REAL Easter bunny will visit her next weekend at the hospital. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers.
Mommy & Daddy
P.S. Hope you enjoyed your science lesson for the day as well! :)
We have a big case of the Mondays. When they took Annie's blood for lab work this morning, they realized that she is very anemic and needed a blood transfusion before she is able to be discharged. Basically this means many different things:
1. She will not come home today.
2. She will have to stop her PO feedings (bottlefeedings) during the transfusions
3. She will have to be on IVs to give her the blood transfusion and TPN (fluids) in replacement for the nourishment she would get from her bottlefeeds.
Dr. DeGuzman said that her level was too low and she is going to be giving her 2 blood transfusions. Each transfusion will be given over a 2 hour period (they check her vital signs, blood pressure and temperature every 15 minutes during the transfusion) with a 4 hour break in between. She is definitely going to be given 2 transfusions that will be completed as of 1 a.m. tomorrow morning. After the 2nd transfusion, they will check her hematocrit levels (this is the proportion of blood volume that is occupied by red blood cells). If they are still low, then they will give her a 3rd transfusion.
When they told us Annie was anemic before her level was at 22% and was beginning to rise. The doctor said that this morning, Annie is at 21.4%. Normally they would just watch her for any problems in her vital signs, but the situation is different since she is coming home. She cannot come home with levels that low and if she had come home and we realized later at the pedi's office, then she would have been re-admitted to the hospital. Since Women's does not re-admit, she would have ended up at Texas Children's instead (in a new situation, new doctors, new nurses, new everything). We are upset, but thankful that they caught it before we went home.
She also will be off of her bottlefeedings during the blood tranfusions. After the 1 a.m. check of her levels, if all is wel,l they will slowly start her on her feeds again. This is not a situation where it was before when she had do to 1 bottle a day at a time and learn how to eat. Annie will just be given a smaller amount of milk during each one of her bottlefeedings as to not overload her little body to try and do too many things at once. When they start her bottlefeedings, they will continue to supplement her with the TPN (fluids) until she is able to get back up to her original amount.
Dr. DeGuzman cannot give us a day that she will for sure come home (this all depends on Annie and the orders from the new doctor on rounds). She did say we should be looking at sometime this week. We may still, in fact, have our Easter bunny. If not, at least the REAL Easter bunny will visit her next weekend at the hospital. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers.
Mommy & Daddy
P.S. Hope you enjoyed your science lesson for the day as well! :)
*hugs* I'm really sorry to hear that. I know how excited y'all were. Maybe she will literally be an Easter baby. She is a gorgeous little one and the new pictures are great.
ReplyDeleteLOOK at those chubby little cheeks!! Now that looks like your mommy when she was a baby!
ReplyDeleteAndrea and John
ReplyDeleteShe is sooo beautiful! I love these new pictures! You can really see her face now and how pretty she is. HOpe she comes home soon! Yall are you in my prayers!
Love,
Jeanne