Recovering...

As many of you know Holly gave us quite a scare last week. On Monday she and I got sick with the flu. I was better in no time, but Holly would seem to get better, then later seem worse. Friday night the doctor took her to the ER where they found her right lung full of fluid, and the left starting to do the same. The prognosis was serious, pneumonia. Holly was then taken by ambulance to the Legacy Emmanuel Children's Hospital. The treatment plan included oxygen, two types of i.v. antibiotics, and surgery to insert a chest tube.

Saturday night the surgeon ordered an ultrasound of her lungs with plans to put in the tube the next morning. That night at bedtime she was on 3 liters of oxygen. By 3 am the nurse turned it down to 2 liters, and when I woke up at 6 am the nurse said she had been off oxygen for the past hour. All the while her oxygen saturation numbers stabilized. The best news came from her doctor that morning, "No surgery!! She'll be out by tomorrow!" A complete turn around in the matter of hours.

Holly is still tired and has lost a few pounds (due to the side effects of two antibiotics), but today her pediatrician said her lungs sound great. Tomorrow her lungs will be x-rayed, and we are hoping they will be clear. 

I know Heavenly Father heard and answered the prayers given on Holly's behalf. We feel blessed, and so thankful to Him for allowing us this small miracle of a recovering child. There is no feeling so helpless and hopeless as watching your child's health deteriorate before your eyes. On the other hand, watching a sick child gain their strength and health back is a great feeling!

Thank you again to all our family and friends for your prayers, fasting, love, concern, and help! We appreciate you more than you know!

Getting ready for a walk in the halls and children's garden. I was so impressed by the caring nurses and doctors at the hospital. In fact, a funny thing, when I got to the hospital and met Holly's nurse she looked really familiar. Then when she told me her name, I knew why. She was the same nurse Holly had when she had the flu at 2 months old and spent a week in the hospital. I knew Holly was in good hands, which was a great comfort. I told the nurse I was glad to see her, but I didn't want to see her again anytime soon. We laughed about that.

William came to visit on his birthday Sunday afternoon. Holly loved being with her siblings and singing happy birthday. Here you can see she barricaded herself in the stroller, hoping to go home with them. Poor little girl had to stay behind, but was able to walk us down to the hospital lobby.