The first day of 2009 was really a low key day pverall in the PICU, which really isn't a bad thing considering some of the past few days/weeks we have been through.
There was no echo performed today because they have done it the previous two days (they didn't expect much change and decided to give Ava the day off).
On a positive note, Ava's blood cultures from 12/28 - 12/31 were all still negative. Since we hit the four-day milestone with the 12/28 cultures, this is a significant indicator that Ava is defeating MRSA with the aide of antibiotics. One of the PICU doctors informed us that if it wasn't for the holiday that they probably would have sent us to the step-down unit today (very exciting indeed!).
The primary concern today was Ava's feeds. The PICU staff decided to perform bolus tube feeds with the NG tube, which means staging specific amounts over a 30-minute time interval every three hours. What the staff was looking for was Ava's ability to tolerate the feeds. If Ava could successfully tolerate the bolus approach then Teresa could start feeding her via bottle (which would also rid Ava of the NG tube). There were a couple of episodes where Ava would spit up or vomit some of her feeds, but there are still talks of moving to the step-down unit tomorrow.
As far a personal milestones, Teresa was able to hold Ava for the first time in a week; not for long due to fear, but satisfying nevertheless. She also gave Ava a bath and I was able to snuggle with her.
Many different doctors and residents have stopped by to see/exam Ava. They all comment on how well she looks and they can't believe the progress that she is making with such an aggressive bug that has infected her body. I think it helps that Teresa and I stay as positive as we can and have the support and prayers of such wonderful family and friends. Although we
know that this is just the beginning of a very long journey to fight this infection we stand by Ava's bedside and help her anyway that we can mostly by keeping faith by praying for a speedy and safe recovery.
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