Adventures at UC Davis

 Lots to report on in the last while..  The main event of the last few months was our crazy trip to the ICU in Sacramento.  It all started Christmas night when Abby came down with Croup.  Abby and I were in Cali visiting my family and Nate was flying around the US on one of his trips.  Abby was in and out of the Pediatricians office for a few days struggling to breathe through her croup when Sat Dec 29th almost instantly we could tell she was in a lot of distress.  We rushed her to the ER in Chico and she was given breathing treatments then ultimately put on a breathing machine and life flighted to the UC Davis Medical hospital in Sacramento. 

 

For awhile there she seemed to always fall under the "worst case scenario."  The doctor's diagnosed her with the perainfluenza virus and a staph infection in her throat on top of that.  They gave us a 3-5 day estimate on breathing tubes.  As we waited out those few days, Abby began having a reaction to all the drugs they had to use to sedate her.  Her heart rate normally should fall around 170 and each day her heart rate was dropping until on the 5th day it was down to the 50's.  The doctors came to remove the tube and decided there was no signs of reduction in swelling and they wanted to wait it out 5 more days.  We were worried about the heart rate and the doctor was also worried, but it still seemed like the best option to wait.

It was a long rollercoaster of a wait, but during that time we were touched by all those who reached out to us in prayers, fasting and other ways.  The night Abby went into the ER Nate jumped in his car and drove through crazy storms to make it in early the next morning.  My mom was there by Abby's side throughout and even Nate's mom Thayne flew in from Seattle to help. 

 We would take turns watching Abby while others went back to the McDonald house where we were staying to catch up on sleep and eating.  One of the most memorable moments was when my mom and I were on watch and it was New Years Eve.  Just a few minutes before midnight, the vital machine started ringing and Abby's vitals plummeted most likely due to the tube getting clogged.  Luckily we had some of the best doctors and nurses and they were able to fix things and get her vitals back up.  I guess Abby just wanted to make sure we never forgot 2012.  Through it all we were able to see many miracles and Heavenly Father's hand directing the whole process.  It really helped me realize how helpless we are in this life and yet merciful and giving our Heavenly Father can be. On Monday Jan 7th they removed the tube still without any signs that Abby's swelling had gone down.  Another tender mercy and Abby was able to breathe well enough that they didn't have to put the tube back in or rush her to the Operating room.  Just minutes after removing the tube we were able to hold her again.  One of the best moments of my life, hands down.

 Abby had to keep a breathing mask on for awhile after and we had to stay in the PICU for a few more days so that they could ween her off all the drugs she was on and they could monitor her progress.

 While she was coming off the drugs she would make the funniest faces and cry/laugh at the same time.  I'm sure she didn't know what was up or down, but it was pretty funny to watch at times. 

  She was given lots of love by her Grandma's and Nurses (and parents of course:) Which I know also helped in her recovery. 

  We were so impressed and grateful for the nurses and Doctors that worked on Abby, we were in good hands. 

 When it was all said and done, I think Abby was just as ready as all of us to head home and be free from all the tubes. 

 Now we can officially say we have a million dollar baby (or at least close:) and I will be eternally grateful for each individual prayer that was offered in Abby's behalf during that time.  I know it was those prayers and Heavenly Father's help that we have her here with us now!  Since that time, we've been working on getting back to normal life..well as normal as can be when you become germ phobic and decide to isolate your daughter until flu season is over;)  We've still had our fun though.

   Abby is back to her old smiling self and working on catching up to regular 6 month baby stuff.

She started eating solids and loves rice cereal!  Or at least playing and blowing bubbles in the cereal...

She's mastered sitting up on her own without falling over..

And since the flu/cold season is still in full bloom I make anyone (even my husband) wear protective gear when around Abby until we see some specialists and find out how her throat is and why the infection hit her so bad.

 

 

 

We're so grateful for all she adds to our family and cherish each moment with her!