Friday, December 18, 2009

A RECAP OF THE LAST 24 HOURS!

I want to try to recap what all has happened over the last 24 hours with Witt. Early yesterday Witt was doing really well. His potassium was down to 3.3 which was great. At that point they stopped the extra fluid he was getting and were just giving him his maintenance amount which is 730ml for the day. The previous days he was getting around 1400ml and no diuretics at all(at home he gets 4 doses a day). I was even thinking that he would probably go home in a handful of days. In the early hours of yesterday morning Mel and I were getting a little concerned that he was now beginning to be overloaded on fluids. Witt wasn't requiring oxygen at that time but his saturation was dropping overall a few points indicating that his lungs might be getting wet. Unfortunately, added into the mix was that he had a stomach ache that can affect his oxygen. Every step of this hospital visit Mel has told the doctors how sensitive to fluid he is and although he was dangerously dehydrated they needed to carefully hydrate him. Mel kept saying in the ER that she just remembered the last time this happened after his heart surgery that Witt ended up being rushed to the PICU and put on a ventilator because he swung too far on the fluids. I am not sure the doctors could have done anything different. Now we know that maybe his fluids need to be backed off when he is definitely headed in the right direction and not wait till his levels are exactly where they want them. His body obviously keeps absorbing the fluids and swings to far. Yesterday before noon Witt had to go on a little oxygen. Since his last labs had been so good the doctors assumed it was because of the way he was from his stomach issues. The decision was made to transfer Witt to a regular room on 15(the cardiac floor). The whole process of getting moved took a couple of hours or so. In that process Witt started requiring more oxygen...up to 3/4 liter. In just a few hours he had gone from no oxygen to 3/4 liter. I was actually away from the hospital with the other 2 most cutest grandbabies in the world(very biased opinion of course!). Mel called when Witt got into his room on 15 and said she just didn't like they way he looked. He was on oxygen and his breathing was becoming labored. The attending cardiologist on the floor came to look at Witt and wanted to keep a close eye on him. When I got to his room around 3pm he looked really bad. I have never seen him so pale. Even his hands were grayish white! His breathing was very labored. Doctors were there and the attending cardiologist came back in. He couldn't believe how much worse Witt had gotten in the hour since he had seen him. Witt was now on over 1 liter oxygen and having to work very hard to breathe. He was immediately given a diuretic through his gtube and several teams were called to try to get an IV in so he could get the diuretics by IV. Finally, the Kangaroo transport team were able to get an IV in his stomach using an ultra sound machine. During this time it was decided to send Witt back to PICU. Austan and Mel stayed back with Witt in PICU but they were getting very worried. Mel texted me she was getting really nervous that nothing had been done for him since he was brought down. He was getting worse. Finally she texted at 7:30 that she thought he had to be put on a vent because he was hardly breathing. Not that he was breathing hard and labored but now he just was barely breathing. His little body was probably wearing out. I hurried back to look at him and he was taking very few breaths. The doctors moved fast then and put him on the ventilator. He was then sedated and a central line was put in. All his labs came back really crazy. At one point his blood sugar dropped dangerously low to an 8 then a 4! Today its back at 119. His potassium had also become too low along with his heart rate. Today he is sedated and remains on the ventilator. All his "numbers" are getting back in the normal range. However, his little body is definitely overloaded with fluids. His lungs now have fluid in them. Melanie just asked the nurse to check with the cardiologist about the amount of diuretic Witt is getting. Right now he is getting just his normal home regimen through the gtube. In the past when Witt was on fluid overload he was given extra diuretic and through the IV which makes it even more potent. We have absolutely no idea how long this hospital stay will be. Since Christmas is a week away I am sure Witt will spend this Christmas here too. As I was walking in the hospital I heard some employees talking about their Christmas plans. I just started crying...I hurt for Witt, Mel and Austan. BUT my Faithful God would not let me stay in those thoughts. He reminded me that a little over year ago we thought Witt wouldn't be with us anywhere to celebrate even one Christmas and especially not two! I, my entire family, Mel and Austan have so much to be grateful for! Sure, there are legitimate things that we don't have but God clearly wants us to live in the light of the blessings and not in the darkness of what might be missing. I am standing in The Light rejoicing in the blessing we have in Witt!!!

14 comments:

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

Amen Karen...standing with you all!

Anonymous said...

As I read this I am speechless but I know we serve an awesome GOD!!!! The one who answers all of our prayers. Lord I ask you to please watch over Witt, I ask you to please give strength to this family, give them peace and to remain ever so faithful to you. Guide the doctors and all that take care of you while you lead them to recover Witt. In Jesus name we pray.

love you guys,

Maggie

Kay Ostrom said...

My heart is hurting for all of you too. We will be praying for you knowing that God is faithful. Fight the good fight for the glory of God.

Angie said...

We're sending up lots and lots of prayers for Witt and the entire family!

Anonymous said...

The folks at Anchor of Hope Church in Belton,Texas are once again raising our prayers to God and asking Him to supply all of your needs, keeping the family close to God. We are praying for "our Little Witt" and asking God if it is His Will that He will heal this precious little one. We will keep asking the God we serve to throw His loving arms around you all.
Sent by Nella, Prayer Ministry Leader at Anchor of Hope.

annalee said...

loved reading your words just now. love that sweet boy even more! give him a kiss from us.

Raley Family Blog said...

I love you all so much. My heart aches for Witt and my sweet family. You are all a testimony to the love, grace, peace, comfort, joy and strength of our Wonderful and Mighty Savior! Love you all and praying for that sweet little Witt. We ask in Jesus name for the extra fluid to leave. We ask for healing for Witt. We ask for God to give Mel and Austan rest they need in order to care for Witt. Peace and Comfort for them as well. I will continue to pray.

Gayle said...

Amen, Karen!! He teaches us to be content in all circumstances. We set our eyes and heart on Him and not on our circumstances. Faith--Peace--JOY--Thank you, Father!!!
We know God has Witt and all of you in His healing hands. We continue to pray for strength, healing,comfort, and rest. We know God is with you.
We love each of you so much!
Bobby and Gayle

Penny said...

Sending prayers for the blessings you have and not what you don't. I am so glad to hear that Witt is getting back in line with his numbers and hope that soon he will be feeling better.

Our god is so awesome! He has given this little miracle to a family that is blessed everyday by his pressence.

I am sending prayers for Mel and Austin to fortify them and there relationship.

Anonymous said...

Prayers continue night and day for you all, especially Witt. My main prayer is focused on God's revelation of His power and His grace to be seen in a miraculous way to all who attend to him. I pray that God will amaze everyone with how He heals Witt.

Please, Father, God, heal this little boy and show the miracle of life that can only come from You. Please hold Mel and Austan close and continue to give them the discernment to provide the very best care for their son. In Jesus' powerful name I pray. Amen!

Debbie Mueller said...

Melanie, Austan, Karen & Family,
Just want to let you know that we are keeping all of you, especially precious Witt, in our prayers. We're so sorry that this has happened, but we know that our God is bigger and He is in control. Melanie, you are a wise mother, I'm so thankful you listen to your instincts. Praying for the doctors guidance in helping precious Witt get better.

Mindy Burr said...

Thank you for the detailed update on what is going on with sweet Witt! God will hold him while he is in the hospital. I will pray, pray, pray for your whole family. Mel, you are blessed to have your baby, your husband and your awesome family!! Hang on tight to God and them during this time.

megan said...

Praying for Witt and for strength for Mel and Austan! You guys are all amazing, and above all, God is amazing!

Nancy G said...

My constant prayer is that God provides Witt, Melanie and Austan with exactly what each needs in that precise moment. Praying for miraculous healing. Praying so hard for each your hearts to be filled with unfailing confidence in him and peace. Remembering that Christmas is a condition of the heart, not a place, so wherever you may be on Friday, it will be a celebration of His grace. Of Emanuel! Loving you, Cadou