Gabriella was discharged from the Pediatric ICU today.
She is back home and resting comfortably in her own bed.
All for now.
Thank you for your prayers.
Tag: PICU
Tuesday, 05 Apr 2005
Today’s surgical procedure to inspect Gabriella’s airway was postponed due to the lack of bed space in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).
We are scheduled to try again tomorrow.
All for now.
Thank you for your prayers.
Wednesday, 23 Mar 2005:
Gabriella was discharged from the Pediatric ICU late today.
She is back home and resting comfortably in her own bed. All for now.
Thank you for your prayers.
Tuesday, 22 Mar 2005:
This morning’s inspection of Gabriella’s airway by Dr. Cable was completed without incident and she is resting comfortably in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).
Dr. Cable observed that the portion of Gabriella’s airway which he repaired on 09 Mar is healing nicely.
Ella will remain in the PICU overnight for observation and then be discharged sometime tomorrow.
All for now.
Thank you for your prayers.
Thursday, 17 Mar 2005:
Gabriella made her weekly visit to the ENT clinic today.
Dr. Cable once again gave her high marks and the go-ahead for her next procedure. During that procedure, Gabriella will be sedated in the operating room. Dr. Cable will then use a tiny fiber optic scope to inspect the area of Ella’s airway which he repaired.
Ella will then recover for about 24 hours in the Pediatric ICU.
This procedure is scheduled for Tuesday, March 22nd.
Thank you for your prayers.
Thursday, 10 Mar 2005 (10 pm):
Gabriella was discharged from the Pediatric ICU late today.
She is back home and resting comfortably in her own bed. All for now.
Thank you for your prayers.
Wednesday, 09 Mar 2005 (9 pm):
Gabriella’s surgery went well – she is resting comfortably in the Pediatric ICU.
She looks great and is eating very well. Details to follow…
Thank you for your prayers.
Friday, 04 Feb 2005 (5 pm):
Gabriella is doing well at home but misses all of the attention she received from the doctors, nurses, and staff at Tripler. Mum, Dad and Lucy all love having Ella home and are adjusting well to the associated demands. Yesterday we received outstanding news from Ella’s pediatric urologist.
The nuclear medicine renal scan showed NO SIGNS of damage to GG’s kidneys. We are so very thankful she is healthy in that department and have high hopes she will continue to make good progress on all other fronts.
Picture left is Dr. Anne Naclario, the Intensivist from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Anne has looked after Ella with tender loving care since they first met back in September.
Thank you for your prayers.
Wednesday, 26 Jan 2005 ( 5 am ):
Yesterday afternoon Gabriella transferred from the PICU to the General Pediatrics Ward. Once Gabriella was settled, the Doctors presided over another Trach tube change (cleanliness is next to Godliness). That procedure, which was thankfully uneventful, was performed by Ella’s Dad. Both Dad and Mum must master this skill, as well as several others, before Ella is allowed to go home. As for our quest to find a home-healthcare professional to help look after Ella: the search continues.
On a positive note, we believe Ella meets the qualification threshold required for that service. Qualification is “part one” of the home-healthcare issue, “part two” deals with the availability of trained personnel here on the island. We are hopeful that we will find a nurse locally, but if not, we are willing to try to “import” one from the mainland.
In other news, Lucy visited Ella yesterday after her Gymboree class with Grace Hausman. According to Mum, Grace was a proper young lady. Lucy on the other hand was doing her best to bring life to the maternal admonition “just wait until you children.”
Every bit the two-year old, she enjoys exploring boundaries and testing life’s (Mum’s) limits. Finally, we are so grateful for the support we receive from friends new and old, thank you. And as always,
thank you for your prayers.
Tuesday, 16 Nov 2004 (9 am):
Gabriella underwent surgery to open her airway on 10 November. The surgeon showed us some amazing photos of the work he performed to open Ella’s blocked airway. He was very pleased with the results, so we are all hoping and praying for the best.
Gabriella has remained in the PICU since the surgery due to some infection and oxygen saturation issues. Don’t worry though, as GG has shown once again that she is a strong little fighter. We anticipate being discharged sometime today.
God bless each of you and thank you for your prayers.
Tuesday, 09 Nov 2004 (5 pm):
The surgery to open Gabriella’s airway is scheduled for early tomorrow morning. Always the patient one, Gabriella tolerated the two-week pause in her treatment without complaining. However, the narrowness of GG’s airway and minimal treatment options available has had both Mum and Dad, on pins and needles for the duration of “the pause.”
On the bright side – the steroids Ella takes to reduce her airway swelling, has helped her “bulk up” – she has eaten like a wee horse over the past few weeks and she appears to be gaining weight. Ella will likely spend at least two-days intubated and on a respirator in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) following her surgery. We feel confident she will once again do well during her surgery and recovery period.
Thank you for your prayers.