Breathing Better

Hello all! She’s doing her ever-so-popular breathing treatments. She does the Albuterol every four hours (even at night if needed.) Then she does a Pulmicort through the nebulizer as well, twice a day. She’s a pro! Oh and YES she is Princess Ariel today as you can see!

I took Ava to the Doctor this morning to make sure her lungs were healing. I always worry a bit more on Fridays because the weekends. She is doing so much better. Doctor says she can now hear her left lung! She still has a cough but it is much more productive. Her stats over night were better as well. She sleeps on a mattress right by our bed. My eyes stare at her monitor much of the night. Her color is coming back!

Last night I did some bonding with Lexis and Emeline. We went to the Midnight showing of “Breaking Dawn”. It was great focusing on just them. Brian took great care of Miss Ava. Her and Daddy had fun too!

Please continue to pray. I believe we are over the biggest hump. We now have to keep her away from others for a week or so. Her doctor thinks that she shouldn’t go back to Preschool until after Thanksgiving break. I thought that was very smart.

Thanks for dropping by and checking on little Ava! God Bless.

~Terri

Waiting it out…

Hello friends! These last few days have been very hard on Ava. Her lungs have really taken a hit from this cold. Monday night her oxygen levels were running 94-96. (Not horrible but also not Ava.) Her heart rate was also quite high. This made me very worried. She also coughed harder than I’ve ever heard her cough. It didn’t seem to let up. She complained of her lungs hurting. I took her back to the doctor yesterday and we debated putting her in the hospital. She could use a little oxygen to help her lungs heal. This is a hard decision. We know that with her being on steroids her immune system is down. We decided to give her a very strong antibiotic shot called Rocephin. It fights many bad bugs with the respiratory system. I strongly feel the need to stay on top of Ava’s natural body warnings to me. I then took her for an x ray. We learned that she did definitely have Bronchitis. Her left lung showed a few white areas but no pneumonia. Our decision so far has been to wait this out at home. Last night she seemed a bit better. We were finally able to get a few hours of sleep. Her oxygen levels were a tiny bit better and her heart rate had dropped as well. I’m keeping my eye on her and listening to my heart.

Please pray that Ava can kick this at home. We don’t want her to tire out. She is eating and drinking so this is a very positive thing. She has ‘false’ energy from the steroids, so she feels like doing things but we warn her it is not ‘real’ energy and her body MUST rest. We need healing prayers for her lungs. Her new dog is very concerned about her. He sleeps by and with her on the couch during the day. She loves him so much.

Thanks for your messages of support and your prayers. They really are very much appreciated.

Here is Ava and Frankie this morning…

~Terri

Bronchitis

Hello Ava friends! So you read the title? Yes Ava has bronchitis. We’ve been doing breathing treatments for six days now. Her cough was getting worse so I took her to the doctor this morning. I knew with colder weather comes sickness but wow did that creep up fast. She started her on a heavy dose of antibiotics and steroids along with what we were already doing, Albuterol and Pulmicort treatments. So now we wait and see. Any sickness with Ava puts me on edge as I know how quickly things can go from bad to a whole lot worse. I just have to put my trust in God and know that He’s brought her this far and He can heal her again.

Better news in our family… we rescued a small poodle dog and now he has made a great member of our family. The girls have been wanting a dog for awhile now. The opportunity was given and I decided that Frankie needed our help. We’ve had to retrain him but he is doing pretty good. Last week I took Ava and Frankie down to the train station for a little photo shoot. They both did so good.

And my all time favorite!

I just have to brief you on her Halloween costume. She was Daphne from Scooby Doo. She fit Daphne to a tee! Her second year of going trick or treating was even better than the first! She was overjoyed by her full sack of candy!

She’s still working on this candy!

She is doing great in preschool. I just wish the germs would stay away. I know I can’t protect her from everything, just wished I could! She got her pictures taken at preschool but I just had to take a few she left as she looked so grown up.

I think I’ve caught you all up on Ava’s progress the last month or so. She’s been doing great. She can write her first name. We are working on her last. Please join us in praying for healing with this latest cold. We need her to stay strong and healthy.

Thanks again for all your love and support. God still blesses us richly.

~Terri