Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Lauren Update. 12/16/09

What a day it's been. Things with Lauren continue to be a roller coaster ride - full of ups, downs, twists, and turns. Here's the latest:
  • La did good through the night, all vitals were relatively stable.
  • Her kidney function has been marginal and her electrolytes are out of whack, so the Drs. have decided to go ahead with dialysis. They weren't able to get her scheduled in Radiology because it's not emergent, but Dr. Y. does want to get the ball rolling. He will be placing the catheter this afternoon.
  • La's nurse did raise her vent settings today because she was retaining CO2 again. Her latest blood gas showed an improvement, so *hopefully* they will be able to adjust the numbers down again.
While I hate that we are having to resort to dialysis, I am hopeful that this should help with the fluid retention that La has been fighting. She's been given high doses of Lasix and it's still not pulling off the fluid. Just to give you an idea, Lauren is probably retaining close to 40 (yes, forty!) pounds of fluid on her pint size body.

IN OTHER NEWS --- [insert drum roll]

I am happy, happy, happy to report that we have a foster home for Lauren's dogs. My aunt's co-worker (and my former Delta Gamma little sister) talked with her boarder / trainer. The owner of Pike Road Kennel has agreed to house Lauren's dogs pro bono until Lauren is able to care for them herself. This is such a huge relief!

He has asked that we help with food expenses and, of course, any vetting expenses that might arise. So far, they have been very understanding of the predicament we're facing and have agreed to work with us on the financial aspect.

The plan right now is to transport the dogs (my aunt and I will be embarking on a field trip) from Huntsville to a small town outside of Montgomery, AL on December 26. It's going to be a long day on the road, but so worth it!

Pike Road Kennel is located on 80 acres of rolling hills and tall trees. Both Angela (at the GHHS) and I feel that this will be a good temporary home for the fur-babies.

I am hoping to iron out the last of the financial details next week. I've received many offers of help, which are greatly appreciated. I will contact everybody as soon as I have answers about where to direct donations, etc.

If you have any questions, please feel free to comment on my blog or leave me a message on Facebook.