Category: 2005

Saturday, 30 Apr 2005

Gabriella’s had a quiet Saturday – her condition remains essentially unchanged. The burn to her lip and tongue continue cause her significant pain and discomfort. As such, she requires regular doses of morphine.

As can be seen in today’s photo, Ella’s lip appears to have improved slightly. However, the blister on her tongue appears to be about the same as it was yesterday. Ella’s ability to eat from a bottle remains but at a much lower level.

On a brighter note, the test results on Lisa’s hemorrhagic thyroid cyst came back negative – no cancer! About three weeks ago a goose egg size lump appeared on Lisa’s throat. The doctors believed it to be thyroid cyst which had filled with blood. Last Wednesday, at the same time as Ella was in surgery, the doctors used a needle and syringe to collect cells for testing.

Bottom line: Lisa’s neck is back to normal and we all breathed a huge sigh of relief. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Friday, 29 Apr 2005

Gabriella had a quiet night and rested comfortably – thanks in large part to the strong pain medications she receives every two to three hours.

When awake, Ella has been surprisingly lively. She seems determined to get her hands on the feeding tube in her nose. However, her endurance is extremely limited. After just a few goes at the feeding tube she runs out of steam and rests in a semi-sleeping state.

The large blister on Ella’s tongue remains 80 percent inflated, nevertheless, she managed to take several ounces of formula orally this morning. Encouraged by her ability to feed and overall condition, the doctors agreed to let us take Ella home rather than transferring her to the General Pediatrics Ward.

She arrived home shortly after noon and is resting comfortably in her own bed. Ella will continue to receive strong pain medications for the next few days. We are so very grateful for the outpouring of support we have received over the past few days.

Your prayers and encouraging words sustain us during these most difficult times. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Thursday, 28 Apr 2005

Gabriella spent three hours in surgery yesterday. During which, the doctors placed a plastic stent (hollow plastic tube) into the narrowing portion of her airway.

Unfortunately, Ella sustained a nasty burn on her lower lip (right side) and tongue (right front) – both her lip and tongue have large blisters. Although these injuries are clearly very painful to wee Ella, we are pleased the staff is working overtime to ensure she has ample pain medication available.

It appears the burn was caused by a piece of equipment which overheated. Thankfully, Dr. Cable discovered the problem before Ella sustained permanent damage.

A nasal feeding tube (NG tube) has been inserted so that food and oral medications can be introduced away from her mouth. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Friday, 15 Apr 2005

We had a truly frightening experience today when Gabriella’s trach tube blocked.

The Masimo Pulse Oximeter alarm alerted us to the possibility that something was amiss. Ella’s face was blue and she was not breathing when Mum and Dad arrived in her room moments later.

Everything happened very quickly but seconds felt like minutes. We removed the blocked trach tube from Ella’s neck and inserted the emergency trach tube which was close at hand. However, even with a clear airway Ella was not breathing.

Rescue Breathing: Although Ella’s chest inflated with each of the first two breaths blown into her trach tube, she still refused to breathe on her own. It wasn’t until the fourth rescue breath that Gabriella came sputtering back to life. She regained her normal pinkish color after just a few seconds of hard crying and coughing.

By the time the 9-1-1 Paramedics arrived (less than 5 minutes after we called), Ella was on oxygen and fairly stable. An hour later, Ella was almost back to normal – but still somewhat shaken.

We decided to keep Ella at home vice going to the Emergency Room, since the period of oxygen deprivation was so brief and since she seemed to be doing so well. The Paramedics supported our decision to remain at home since a trip to the ER would have undoubtedly resulted in her spending the night in the infectious environment of the pediatrics ward. Details to follow.

Thank you for your prayers.