Juice and water. Ohh yeah!

So her KUB (tummy x-ray) has improved and almost gone. Dr. E came in this morning to say we're going to hold off and wait for a day or two before we start drinking clears... then looked at her PICC line and changed her mind. Its looking bruised, and she just doesnt like how its looking. SO shes getting it pulled once we get her TPN *meal in a bag as we like to say* winged off. Sometime this afternoon that will happen. Then she'll get an IV for one of her heart meds. Things are movin now.

Thanks for all the prayers, =)

Run legs RUN.

Today has been filled with new information!  Started the morning with labs *love that PICC line in the mornings*. Echo was next, Misky got her first real blanket today. Love the simple joys. After echo we headed off to x-ray for her KUB *tummy x-ray* then back to the room for rounds.

Mariska and a different idea we came back then she wanted to go for a walk. Had to chase her down the hall with a mask. Silly girl was on the move. After about an hour, yes an hour of her walking around, its a miracle she has so much energy.

Came back for meds and rounds. The cards we're first. They reviewed her echo and x-ray. Said her x-ray looked BETTER!! Yippy! But is still not all the way gone yet. And also her Red blood cell count was low. 28. Should be around 35-45. 28 is the point where they go ahead with a transfusion.. yeah. She needs some more blood. She'll get it once it comes to the room. The cards are going to talk with the GI doctors again and see if she can at least start on a clear liquid diet!


Next was the transplant team. We are coming down on the steroids now. Shes at 4. This morning they went down to 3.7 and tonight it will be 3.0! seems like such a HUGE step forward. Once shes down to 2.8 she'll get the next heart biopsy onces shes been stable for 2 weeks on the level.   Shes going to need IVIG every month for 6 months. The next one is due before the 3rd of September *cant believe it will be almost September!*

Mariska has been a BALL of energy today. Hard to keep up with the kid and pull her IV poll. Phew. She is so excited she has the energy to RUN, shes running everywhere. My friend came after 10mins she was ready to walk. We walked the halls on the 3rd floor elevator to elevator 3 times, then walked down to the 2nd floor did the same thing. And again on the first floor and the kid still wants to walk! What am I going to do with all this new energy!!?? Its awesome. Cant get her to wait so we can put some pants on, Shes speedy.

Just before we went walking one of the card docs came and said we have the green light to start a liquid DIET!!!! There we're cheers for that news. So excited I was almost crying.

Still waiting..

Dr. E came in this morning after we had Mariska's x-ray and her ECHO done. Said the ECHO still looks good, And theres still no change with her pneumatosis.

The GI doctors also came in and talked to me. Said there has still been no change, We're going to keep her NPO for a few more days. 10-14 days. We're going to stop doing daily x-rays, so she doesn't get a ton of radiation.
At the 10th day we'll do an xray and again at 14. If its still there no change the GI docs will talk to the infectious diseases center and go from there.
 
Not the news we want to hear. Keep her in your prayers so she can heal and we can go back home.
 
Yesterday we changed Mariska's PICC line. Its been leaking and kinking for a while. I got to watch them shoot dye into her and watch the screen. Pretty cool. Weirded me out when her x-ray head moved. LOL didnt think it would be a moving x-ray. Guess I should have learned a bit more before going into the room.
Her Vain was to small for the cath. It would flush just fine but when you go to draw it collapses the vain plugging the cath.
Glad she has a new one with two ports makes giving meds so much nicer with out all the beeping if she bends her arm.
 
Mariska is picking up more energy every day. Wanting to walk a little more. She was pretty happy after she came back from sedation. I walked into the room shes joking and teasing the nurse, Nice to see her more like her old self, the drug must have taken the edge off.  Or maybe she just needed something for pain. Shes been off anything for pain for almost a week now. =)
 
 

Just another sunday..

Mariska is doing well. The chest tube site is healing up wonderfully, Her echo showed her valve working better, Just a little fluid to get rid off her heart.

She'll have a cath tomorrow, shes first case. for Biopsy # 2  Pray for Zero rejection

The 3k a pop IVIG drug look like it did its job. =) We'll really know if it did tomorrow.

Misky's PICC line is still having trouble. Had to flush it 6 times to get any blood return... The plan is to get it out while she's in the cath lab. Dr. E doesn't think the convenes of it is worth the risk of infection, no do we.

Her nurse is Matt again. He has nicked named her CoCo. so funny. he'll call her coco she'll say no I'm not coco yOUR coco. Sillies. =)

Wagon rides.

eating her 2nd dinner that night. Yummy pizza.

working out while playing bingo

Lunch time with daddy.

Crazy water free shampoo, that stuff is Awesome. ;) going into the camping bag. hehe

Playing with grandma and pa Anderson.

Chucky cheeks.

Going to her ECHO. Check out the tiny wheelchair, She wasnt sure about riding by her self.

Making a hospital buddy. Playing doctor, putting bandaids, giving meds, and doing an IV. Think it helped her a little =)

Cabby her dolly has bandiads on her face.

her food gets cut up to TEENY tiny Little pieces.

Washing her hair with water.

Playing in the kid zone. They opened it before anyone else could come, and cleaned it the night before so it was nice and clean. Fun to get out of the room.

borrowing toys from the play room.

Cuddling with daddy this morning.

Wagon ride with all her buddies.

Rejection

So here I was thinking oh today will be easy *no pokes or crappy news* This morning they went to pull blood from Mariska's PICC line *yeah the one in her arm to her heart* they flushed the line then went to draw the blood got the waste blood changed tubes and then nothing, couldnt get anything from her line, grr so we flushed it again the nurse said maybe they will be ok with just using the "waste blood" looks like its been ok so far. The nurse said it might just be a flap at the bottem opens when you push something in but closes when you go to pull.. kind of like a one way door?.. we waited a while she came back a while later and it works fine now. Phew!

During the while I talked about above, Misky went down for an echo. The nurse asked if she wanted to ride in a wheelchair or in the wagon, she picked the wheelchair. She found a peds one. That was SO stinking small and cute. Think Misk was sad she didnt get to ride with me like before. But soon got over it.

Her echo was pretty fast about 15mins. Then we came back up to the room. Childlife popped in and Asked if we still wanted some tips to get misky to take her meds better. She'll come back later today, and make a hospital buddy doll with Misky =).

Emily one of the transplant cords. Called and wanted to come up and go over some discharge training with me and to set up a time. Ended up having Misky's echo fall into the middle of it so pushed it back to 2.

Then She came up to drop some news... ready? cause I'm still not. Maybe its not to bad and its just the straw that crushed the camels back.

She said Dr. E and another Doctor looked at Mariska's echo dont think its better or really worst. Which means the nasty immunosppressive steroids arent taking care of her Miral valve.. And that they are going to start her on a a new antibodies rejection ivig drug. She also said they know the donors antibodies now and can treat with the IVIG drug.

The IVIG drug is a very slow iv med with a lot of allergic reactions so they have to give her Tylenol and benadryl to prevent it from flaring up. And that we're not going home tomorrow.... looks like after Monday or Tuesday.. They want to do another biopsy to see if this drug helps her heart or not.

If you still wanted to send a card might as well. We could use the good vibes our way. They can mail them to our house if she's home when they come. 

Thanks to all of you who have sent a card or comment =) nice to know others are following our story and for all the prayers.   I'll try and post some pictures later. The steroids have made misky's cheeks look huge. thought she was just putting food into her mouth keep it like a chipmunk. HAHA Love those cheeks. <3

Oxygen Stats, and picture heavy.

Lost track of the days after 4Happy Birthday Sam. He had his party in the rainbow cafe. Misky and I had cake later. haha they bought him a "I am Sam" bag. Just in case he forgets who hes is. ;)

Day 4First time Daddy got to hold our baby after surgery.bad pic, making her get up and walk. She wasnt to happy about it,Pfew the reward was to ride in the wagon around. Playing with puppies in her bed. After her last chest tube came out. She wanted to walk. Think she just wanted the rest of Sams donut, hehe.Feeling up to playing. Her with all her babies. =) Dr. K wishes he had that many toys as a kids. Misky was pretty excited to see her "Meko" Being spoiled Playing with HaileyAfter all the failed pokes. Warming up her hands and feet with hot packs. She didnt want to take the one off her hand cause it would get cold. Being silly taking pictures.

Last night we winged her all the way off of Oxygen.! She no longer has a leash. Might miss that thing, always came in handy when I went to see which room she ended up stopping to play. Her O2 stats stay around 99. Such a beautiful number.

After Mariska got the middle and last chest tube out not even 20mins later she said " I want to walk" That thing made it hard for her to do anything really normal like taking a deep breath.

Misky was pretty happy most of today, until she wanted to take a nap and it was time for vitals. She made me laugh all of yesterday and today. Everyone who'd come into the room and not hurt her she would say "Thank you"

This morning wasnt the best. Forgot to add I only want the IV team to pull her blood, so philbotimist came in to draw some labs... they have never ever! been able to get her vains or get lucky fishing around in her arms for them. So he thought he found a vain poke.. nothing, then starts the fishing.. nothing... goes to the other arm does the same thing, I had to tell him he has to stop or I'll loose it. good thing dinner was hours ago. blah. Then IV team came in and put a new IV in her foot.

Later the iv in her hand blew out and had to be removed, so we got lucky she had the one in her foot. =) yay.

The Surgeon's team is passing her to the cards. Which means shes stable enough to not need to be under Dr. Kaza's direct care. Awesome. He'll still check on her but shes not as high on the list =)

The new doctors that are following her now came by. Asked some questions for their records. Like did we know before she was born and all that good stuff. Dr. Laura said something that really peeked my interest. She said she was reading Mariska's charts and saw her donor heart said it is possibly has CMV but isnt for sure. She was going to check and make such which is it.  If the heart does test positive for cmv she'll stay on IV antibiotics for 2 weeks -so just one more to go- crazy now my mind keeps playing with the idea of going home sooner pfft. silly me. only time will tell.

They are talking about doing a PICC line (IV from the middle of her arm to the top of her heart) if we're planning to be here longer then 6 days she'll have it done. It will save her arm from needing pokes every morning and the about every other day new IV line.

Everyone here keeps saying shes a really smart two year old, and understands a lot of whats happening to her. Shes started eating pretty well, now we need to work on getting her to take her meds by mouth better. Some of them are just plan nasty. She'll learn she has to take them, Pray its sooner then later with us.

Its nice seeing her so colorful, and my heart is filled with gratitude towards the donor family. Because they gave their child's heart my daughter will live a healthier live. Words can not express how we feel. We keep them in our prayers daily.