Moving in the Right Direction

Since learning on Tuesday that Madeleine had an infection, we've seen steady progress in the right direction and we're fairly confident that Madeleine is overcoming this infection successfully. We've obviously pleased and we're simply chalking this episode up to a fact of life-- it seems like everyone we know in the DC area is fighting a cold right now. The doctors haven't gotten anything in the cultures-- that is not uncommon-- but they'll likely keep the antibiotics going for a few more days just to be safe.

In terms of impacting the date for Madeleine coming home, we're still not able to predict how long this will delay us. In a perfect world, Madeleine would be coming home today or Monday-- neither date is a possibility as Madeleine is still being weaned from the ventilator-- she's come down on her oxygen levels to 35% (very good) but still needs to come down on the breathing rate and amount of pressure support provided by the vent. Additionally, the doctors are going to closely monitor Madeleine to make sure that she's stable and able to be successful at the lower vent settings.

All in all, we're in a good state in the long-term and we're dealing with the frustrating short-term issues. On the bright side, this delay gives us time to resolve some lingering insurance questions, lets us get our house fully prepared for having nursing care in our home, and also allows us to get trained and more comfortable with the trach.

That's all for now-- we'll keep you posted as we learn more.

Brent and Kirsten