We just got back from the hospital and Maddy's blood sugar levels have not improved. She seems to have blood sugar levels that are consistently in the 50's.... not quite good enough for them to decrease the glucose being pumped in to her. She is now receiving 10 ML's / hour, which means that they had to increase the glucose drip again.
We are encouraged that she is a fighter and seems to be a happy baby. She really enjoys eating (in case you can't see from the pictures) and seems to be really efficient when she is feeding. Actually, she usually takes down quite a bit of food in 5 minutes or less before falling asleep.
Ashlyn seems to be improving some, and we hope that Maddy can mirror same progress that her Mommy is making. She was able to take 2 steps today without the walker and is fighting hard to be able to take care of herself (although we have all told her to slow down and let us help her :).
We would not be able to get through this time without the outpouring of support and encouragement from our friends, family and coworkers. We appreciate all of your prayers, kind words and thoughtful actions. We are going to bed hoping to get caught up on some sleep (haha, right) and praying that tomorrow will be a better day for Madalyn and that her blood levels will improve.
Monday, August 2, 2010
August 2nd
I wanted to start this quick update by saying that 9 years ago, I was fortunate enough to have a first date with my wonderful wife. I could not imagine going through this time with anyone other than her. She is such a great person, an excellent wife, and a terrific mother. I don't have the words to express how much I love her and appreciate all that she does.
Here is a quick update on Maddy:
Ashlyn and her Mom went to Maddy's feeding at 8AM this morning. Maddy only had one blood sugar reading last night that exceed the 60 that she needed to reduce her glucose drip. She is currently at 9 ML/hour. The Doctor in charge of her care said that since she is not progressing as well as they would like her to, that they will no longer be reducing her drip each time she exceeds the 60 reading. Until she stabilizes and has some consistent higher readings, they are going to leave her glucose drip where it is. We continue to pray that she will be able to have her blood sugar levels stabilize, and that she will be able to come home to be with us soon.
We also lifting up prayers of thanksgiving at this time. We are thankful that she is healthy (other than the blood sugar thing) and that we are able to visit her as often as we can during the day. We are also praying for all of you at this time, and thank you again for your prayers and outreach to us.
I will try to update again later tonight. I am getting ready to go see our daughter for her 2pm feeding.
We love you all.
Here is a quick update on Maddy:
Ashlyn and her Mom went to Maddy's feeding at 8AM this morning. Maddy only had one blood sugar reading last night that exceed the 60 that she needed to reduce her glucose drip. She is currently at 9 ML/hour. The Doctor in charge of her care said that since she is not progressing as well as they would like her to, that they will no longer be reducing her drip each time she exceeds the 60 reading. Until she stabilizes and has some consistent higher readings, they are going to leave her glucose drip where it is. We continue to pray that she will be able to have her blood sugar levels stabilize, and that she will be able to come home to be with us soon.
We also lifting up prayers of thanksgiving at this time. We are thankful that she is healthy (other than the blood sugar thing) and that we are able to visit her as often as we can during the day. We are also praying for all of you at this time, and thank you again for your prayers and outreach to us.
I will try to update again later tonight. I am getting ready to go see our daughter for her 2pm feeding.
We love you all.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
August 1, PM update
Today was not as good of a day as yesterday for Madalyn's blood sugar levels but we remain optimistic that our little Madalyn will continue to get stronger and that her blood sugar levels will stabilize. She did not have a single reading above 60 today, although her latest feeding at 8 PM she had a 59. We are going to bed this evening praying that these numbers will go up with each feeding during the night. Our little Maddy loves being with her Mommy and we are so glad that the hospital is close by so we can make the trip to see her. The nursing staff has allowed us to hold her again, even though she has the IV through her belly button. It really warms our hearts to be able to hold her, even if it is only for a short period of time.
If you are praying for us, please pray for the following:
-that Maddy's pancreas will learn to regulate her insulin on its own
-that she will continue to feed as well as she has been
-that Ashlyn will heal and have the strength and stamina to continue the schedule that she is on
-that we can bring Maddy home soon, and that she will maintain her health.
Thanks again to all of you that are praying for our precious angel. We love each and every one of you.
We also posted a video somewhere on here so you can see a little more of Maddy.
If you are praying for us, please pray for the following:
-that Maddy's pancreas will learn to regulate her insulin on its own
-that she will continue to feed as well as she has been
-that Ashlyn will heal and have the strength and stamina to continue the schedule that she is on
-that we can bring Maddy home soon, and that she will maintain her health.
Thanks again to all of you that are praying for our precious angel. We love each and every one of you.
We also posted a video somewhere on here so you can see a little more of Maddy.
quick update
I just got back from Maddy's 2pm feeding and thought I would post a quick update. She was very alert when I was just there, and seemed happy. Her glucose levels had not improved and were actually pretty low (a 45) which required the nursing staff to raise her glucose drip back up to 10 ML/hour (an increase of 3ML/hr). Please pray that this increase causes her next reading to be high enough for them to start decreasing again. Grandma and Maddy's great grandma are visiting her now, and they just called to say that her level was at a 55. We will keep you updated. Thank you all for your prayers.
August 1 update
Yesterday, Maddy had a great day. She had a good streak of blood sugar levels that exceeded the minimum (at least 60) required to ween her off of the glucose drip. Each time she has a reading above the minimum requirement, they lower her glucose drip by 1 ML/hour. Currently she is at 7 ML per hour, and once she reaches zero, the 48 hour clock starts. If she is able to maintain her blood sugar levels consistently for 48 hours on her own, then she will most likely be able to go home. The doctor thinks this will be in 3-4 days, so please continue to pray that she is able to maintain her glucose levels on her own.
Last night, Maddy did not continue the streak of good glucose levels, and for 4 of the 5 times that they checked her, she did not exceed the 60 that she needed to reduce her glucose drip. This proves to cause quite a bit of anxiety for us, because we are constantly anxious to hear what her levels are, and it is hard to relax and sleep during the night.
On a positive note, Maddy does great feeding with Mom for the 2 trips a day that Ashlyn is able to make it to the hospital. This time is very special for Ashlyn and Maddy really needs it.
In case you were wondering why Ashlyn can only make it to the hospital two times a day, there are a few reasons. The first couple of reasons are that Ashlyn cannot walk without a walker and she is on ordered bed rest because she has severe swelling in her legs. During the labor process, Ashlyn damaged nerves in her legs, and she will have a long recovery learning to walk normally again. The second reason is that we are on such a furious schedule with Ash at home, that it is hard to try to find a good time to make the trip to the hospital. Between pumping, bathroom trips, eating and trying to get some sleep in between, there are not many minutes left each day.
We are really thankful that we have family willing to help us. Ashlyn's Mom (Cathy) is staying with us during this time, and there is no way that we could keep Ashlyn on this schedule without her. We are taking turns helping Ash out, and Cathy and me are actually able to get some sleep during the night with our shifts that we are doing. I can't say the same for Ash. She is having a really hard time getting any sleep, mainly due to her schedule, and her nerves as a new mother. Please pray that she will be able to find a way to get some sleep intermittently during the day. Things will be so much easier when Maddy is home.
My parents (Jesse's) are also in town helping with Maddy. They are going to a few of her feedings during the day, and running milk back and forth to the hospital. They are heading home today (Sunday) but it has been helpful having them around to help us out. We are so thankful for our families and the time that they are spending to help out with Maddy and Ash.
We continue to pray that God will heal our little Angel, and that she will be able to maintain her glucose levels, not only in the hospital so she can come home, but also when she is home (we are going to be super paranoid parents...). As I mentioned above, we are also continuing to pray that Ashlyn will be able to get some sleep during each day. She is running on fumes. We also pray that Ashlyn's legs will heal and that she will be able to walk on her own. If she was able to walk, things would be a bit easier.
We are staying positive and putting our trust in God during this time. Thank you all for keeping our family in our prayers and checking in on us.
Last night, Maddy did not continue the streak of good glucose levels, and for 4 of the 5 times that they checked her, she did not exceed the 60 that she needed to reduce her glucose drip. This proves to cause quite a bit of anxiety for us, because we are constantly anxious to hear what her levels are, and it is hard to relax and sleep during the night.
On a positive note, Maddy does great feeding with Mom for the 2 trips a day that Ashlyn is able to make it to the hospital. This time is very special for Ashlyn and Maddy really needs it.
In case you were wondering why Ashlyn can only make it to the hospital two times a day, there are a few reasons. The first couple of reasons are that Ashlyn cannot walk without a walker and she is on ordered bed rest because she has severe swelling in her legs. During the labor process, Ashlyn damaged nerves in her legs, and she will have a long recovery learning to walk normally again. The second reason is that we are on such a furious schedule with Ash at home, that it is hard to try to find a good time to make the trip to the hospital. Between pumping, bathroom trips, eating and trying to get some sleep in between, there are not many minutes left each day.
We are really thankful that we have family willing to help us. Ashlyn's Mom (Cathy) is staying with us during this time, and there is no way that we could keep Ashlyn on this schedule without her. We are taking turns helping Ash out, and Cathy and me are actually able to get some sleep during the night with our shifts that we are doing. I can't say the same for Ash. She is having a really hard time getting any sleep, mainly due to her schedule, and her nerves as a new mother. Please pray that she will be able to find a way to get some sleep intermittently during the day. Things will be so much easier when Maddy is home.
My parents (Jesse's) are also in town helping with Maddy. They are going to a few of her feedings during the day, and running milk back and forth to the hospital. They are heading home today (Sunday) but it has been helpful having them around to help us out. We are so thankful for our families and the time that they are spending to help out with Maddy and Ash.
We continue to pray that God will heal our little Angel, and that she will be able to maintain her glucose levels, not only in the hospital so she can come home, but also when she is home (we are going to be super paranoid parents...). As I mentioned above, we are also continuing to pray that Ashlyn will be able to get some sleep during each day. She is running on fumes. We also pray that Ashlyn's legs will heal and that she will be able to walk on her own. If she was able to walk, things would be a bit easier.
We are staying positive and putting our trust in God during this time. Thank you all for keeping our family in our prayers and checking in on us.
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