Tuesday

The rest of the day yesterday continued to be troublesome but overnight last night was much better. Emily got settled down and was able to sleep well. This morning she has been unsettled again and Jason is just hoping it is not a repeat of yesterday. She really needs to have a couple of good days in a row before she can look at getting off the vent. Her oxygen is back up to 80% on the vent so in some ways it feels like she is heading in the opposite direction. It is such a delicate balance with all of the drugs, her vent settings, and her stats...trying to keep everything in the perfect balance is proving to be very challenging. But I know a God who holds her and this entire world in the palm of His hand. Please Lord, hold her up with your righteous right hand.

As I know many of you in the Birmingham area are wanting to help more practically, I asked Jason very specifically if there was anything anyone could do that would be a help and not a hindrance. And as I expected, there just is not much at this point. They don't want to leave Emily for too long, visiting Emily is not really a beneficial option and she does not have any needs that anyone can meet at this point. Jason and Tim are staying in the UAB Townhouse but it is a different set-up than what they had before. There is only a dorm size mini-fridge (no freezer or microwave) and an oven/stove and very, very little storage room. They have stocked it with their basic needs. Trying to coordinate meals or visits right now would probably be more of a hindrance just because it all depends on how Emily is at that very moment which changes constantly.

This all could change and I will let you know if it does. I believe their transplant fund is still active (bottom right of the page) and if you really want to do something now, I would suggest contributing to that. All the money goes towards Emily's medical expenses which as you can imagine, continues to increase. I know it is not a tangible, immediate need but right now the best thing to do is to just pray. I'll try to get an address to where you can send cards and I'm sure their loved ones in Lubbock would appreciate encouragement as well. Another idea for the future maybe some airline miles or rapid rewards that could either get family from Lubbock to Birmingham or reunite Faith with her parents at some point. Everything is a little bit at a standstill until Emily's status changes a little more.

Pray for her lungs to get stronger and continue to fight this infection. Pray that the delicate balance mentioned above can be reached and remain stable for at least two good days. Pray for Emily's future recovery as I know she felt beaten down before this and I can only imagine the battle she will have to fully recover from this. And continue to lift up the family to have strength, patience, endurance, and hope.

Very Difficult Day

This morning started off with some routine hygiene care for Emily that basically set the day in a downward spiral. She became agitated at being moved and began fighting the tube, so she was given some meds to help her relax; which sent her blood pressure plummeting, so she was given some meds to regulate that; which sent her heart rate skyrocketing to 170, so she was given some meds for that...not fun to watch I'm sure.

Things have calmed down some but the team is still working the kinks out of this very difficult day. Please pray for a better night and for there to be some light at the end of this dark tunnel.

Psalm 31

31:1 In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame;

in your righteousness deliver me!
2 Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily!
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me!

3 For you are my rock and my fortress;
and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me;
4 you take me out of the net they have hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

6 I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
7 I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have known the distress of my soul,
8 and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.

9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
my eye is wasted from grief;
my soul and my body also.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my iniquity,
and my bones waste away.

11 Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach,
especially to my neighbors,
and an object of dread to my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street flee from me.
12 I have been forgotten like one who is dead;
I have become like a broken vessel.
13 For I hear the whispering of many—
terror on every side!—
as they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
16 Make your face shine on your servant;
save me in your steadfast love!
17 O Lord, let me not be put to shame,
for I call upon you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
let them go silently to Sheol.
18 Let the lying lips be mute,
which speak insolently against the righteous
in pride and contempt.

19 Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of the children of mankind!
20 In the cover of your presence you hide them
from the plots of men;
you store them in your shelter
from the strife of tongues.

21 Blessed be the Lord,
for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
when I was in a besieged city.
22 I had said in my alarm,
“I am cut off from your sight.”
But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy
when I cried to you for help.

23 Love the Lord, all you his saints!
The Lord preserves the faithful
but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord!

Full Update

Hey everyone. Thanks for continuing to pray and care for this sweet family. Emily is holding steady in the HTICU @ UAB in Birmingham and there will probably not be a lot of changes in her status for the next 24-48hrs. The team or doctors and nurses are keeping her comfortable and sedated and feel that it is best right now to just let her rest.

As I expected, it was bittersweet to see Emily. Of course it is difficult to see someone you care about so much in circumstances like that, but at the same time, it was SO wonderful to get to see my precious friend, hold her hand, and tell her I love her face to face. She is basically non-responsive because of her meds but it is good to know and remember that it is drug induced and not reflective of how she is actually doing overall.

The results did come back positive for swine flu but she is almost complete with her rounds of antibiotics. Since the media has done a very good job of making us all very scared of the swine flu, just remember that it is a flu, just a different strand, and that Emily is getting the care that she needs. More than likely, the others in the family that had the flu also had swine flu but since she is more susceptible to respiratory illnesses, it has a different manifestation in her body. Dr. Young, who apparently is very careful with his words, did say that he believes that she will pull through this but that it is just going to take some time.

Emily's vent settings were better today and although her respirations per minute, heart rate, and PEEP numbers still need to come down, they are doing a good job of keeping her stable. She has still had a few "episodes" where she will get a little panicky and her heart rate goes up, her respirations go up, and her oxygen saturation goes down. It does seem to me that it is now not as difficult to get her to stabilize as it has been and I believe it still tends to happen when her sedation meds are running low. The doctor said this morning that it will be a very quiet day for her as they are purposefully just wanting her to sleep and rest and will continue to move her vent dependence down after another day or so.

We were able to get Jason out of the hospital for some BBQ last night and Emily's Dad, her sister Callie and brother-in-law Hayden should get there later tonight. Faith is missing her parents, of course, but is doing well overall. They moved Emily out of the acute level ICU so Jason can stay with her overnight now and he now has a place in the UAB Townhouses so he can switch out with Tim and get some sleep.

I think that is it for an update. For the next 24 hours, I think the best prayer would be for Emily to rest, stay calm, and for her body to be preparing itself to come off the vent.

Thanks~Emily T

Quick Update

I'm in Birmingham on my husbands blackberry so this is short and sweet. I'll update with more details tomorrow. Emily is stable, not much has changed for better or for worse, and it is swine flu. Keep praying.

Settled

Just talked to Jason and they are now settled in Birmingham. He mentioned several times at how amazing the staff was when she arrived. From the moment they wheeled her down the corridor, they were all over her doing just what she needed. The transition to getting her hooked up to everything could not have gone any smoother. Jason himself seems so much more relaxed and at peace as well. The staff at UAB just knows what they are doing and how best to care for her.

She is on 70% oxygen and holding steady at 98 for her O2 saturation. He doesn't know yet when they will start trying to wean her down again but it will probably be soon. She is still in the low pressure room and will be until they figure out the results from the H1N1 flu. Jason was not able to stay with her last night but is now in the townhouse next door and once Emily's dad gets there tomorrow, they will be able to switch out to have someone stay with her at all times.

This will probably be the last update until tomorrow night or Sunday as I am leaving to go see her as well and am unsure of my ability to update the blog or when I will be back. Let's keep praising God for what he has done and ask him to continue to work a miracle in her body. Pray that she makes significant improvements this weekend.

In Birmingham

Tim, Emily's Dad has called to say that the plane landed and that she is now at UAB and in a room in the most acute intensive care unit aka "Emily's home away from home" :-). She had one episode in Lubbock as they were loading her up but it sounds like the rest of the transport went smoothly. UAB sent their own transport team and transport plane, came in their special 'jumpsuits' looking very professional and competent but I can only imagine the gut wrenching feelings going through the family members that were watching her go.

If you know Emily personally, you know the profound impact that she has on people and I believe both hospitals have come to love and care for her deeply. Tim asked one of the doctors in Lubbock this morning as they were discussing the possible transport: "If this was your daughter, what would you do" and after thinking for a minute responded with "I would transport her to Birmingham." The concern is that since she has been in the hospital for 2 weeks now, the risk of secondary infections increases and if something else were to set in, it is best for her to be at UAB where they are used to treating a myriad of things for transplant patients.

My hope too is that Emily will relax at UAB more because it is familiar with her. She has been there so much that she knows the doctors and nurses and they know her. She also knows many of the patients that come in and out and there is this amazing sense of community there because of all that they have been through together. I know that there is a sense of trust that Emily feels by being there that she has not felt before with other doctors and hospitals. I'm praying God uses this in her favor.

THANK YOU for praying tonight! I know the family appreciates it as do I. God is so faithful and it encouraged me tonight to see each time slot covered and to know my very best friend was being prayed for by so many other friends.

A couple of other updates:
* I think the ultrasounds of the liver, kidneys, and gall bladder to not show any significant findings
* The biopsy of the lungs did not grow anything
* They know for sure she has the flu but have still not confirmed about the swine flu
* Faith is sleeping and eating well and after Jason explained to her about what was happening today, she said "Ok" and he left without a major crying episode.
* Please lift up the family in Lubbock tonight who are now so far away from her. God knows no boundaries but the physical boundaries of this earth are sure frustrating at times like this.
* Jason cannot stay with her in this section of the ICU so pray for rest and good sleep for both of them.

Emily, we love you and miss you and cannot wait for you to get better. Don't give up fighting. We are all pulling for you. God, protect her and be with her tonight as only you can.

~Emily T

LifeFlight

Emily is being life flighted from Lubbock to UAB in Birmingham today at 4:30 PM. The flight should take 4 hours. How about we try and cover her entire transport in prayer from start to finish? Let's start at 4 PM and end at 10 PM. Sign up in the comments with a 15 minute block of time to be on your knees for Emily. I'll take the first block from 4-4:15pm.

The meeting this morning included the 3 doctors that are overseeing Emily's case. Dr. Young at UAB and two doctors that are new to Emily's case in Lubbock. Jason and the family have made it known that they would prefer to stay in Lubbock if at all possible but if it is better for Emily to be at UAB they are more than willing to move her. The decision was made this morning they believe there is a slight advantage to her being at UAB that is worth the risks of transporting her.

As much as Emily made progress yesterday from where she had been, she really has not been getting any better. And with being on the vent for one solid week, she really needs to be improving in order for things to progress and the possibility of coming off the vent a reality. So far, she isn't moving that direction. Jason mentioned that he is looking forward to having a new set of eyes and a new perspective for Emily's case. You just never know what a fresh approach can do.

Jason will be able to be on the medical plane with her (huge praise!) and Faith will be staying in Lubbock. Depending on which room Emily is moved to, Jason may or may not be aloud to stay overnight with her.

Don't forget to sign up to pray for 15 min from 4-10 PM.

Progress

Things looked more positive today and Emily has medically made some progress. She is now at 40% oxygen on the vent which is back to where she was before all of the episodes. Yay! They have also identified that she does have a flu strand of some sort and should find out tomorrow what type and if it is swine flu. Because she has the flu, she has been isolated and doctors and nurses have to scrub up before they go in her room. Also, her PEEP number (I'm really not sure what this is...Katey might could comment and let us know) has been at a 10 which is not too good but today it dropped down to a 5 which is much better! If she can maintain these oxygen/peep numbers, they can do a CPAP test which basically means giving her a test run at breathing on her own to see about taking her off the vent.

There has been some more talk about her needing to make progress now that she has been on the vent for about a week. Apparently the time limit for being on the vent is 2 weeks and at that point she would be looking at a tracheotomy which is definitely not ideal. There is a meeting in the morning that will determine the next course of action from here. If she had not made the progress she made today, I believe the level of concern was going to be a lot greater and life-flighting her to Birmingham would probably have been next.

A few specific prayer requests....Jason to stay well (he started feeling 'something' earlier today), for her numbers to stabilize, for Emily to stay CALM, for her to continue to make progress.

A New Day

Although Emily has not made any drastic improvements, she is not getting any worse. Thankfully she had no episodes overnight, her vent dependence has been moved back to 45% and they are hoping she will stabilize there. She is not quite back to where she was prior to these episodes and it is still a very serious situation, but it sure feels like some good news for this new day. Keep praying for her to fight and for this infection to be overcome.

Faith slept through the night and although her world has been turned upside down, she seems to be doing ok this morning. Her cousins are keeping her entertained. What a blessing to live near them.

Sickness continues to be an issue for the family so keep praying for it to not spread any further and for everyone to recover quickly. Keep praying for Jason to stay well too and for strength for him.

For the Alabama crew...the plan is to keep Emily in Lubbock if at all possible. The UAB team is overseeing the Lubbock team and there is nothing different that UAB would be doing at this point. If that changes, Dr. Young at UAB will not hesitate to life-flight her to UAB. It sounds like the team that she now has in place in Lubbock is actually doing a very good job. Emily has always struggled with doctors and getting the right care that she needs so if it is going as well as it sounds, this is a big praise. She feels most comfortable at UAB but when given a choice before she was put on the vent, she did not designate a preference. I know it has to be so much easier on those caring for her to be in Lubbock.

Keep Praying

...for Emily to fight and for her body to keep fighting against this infection

...for her continued episodes today to stop as she is now heavily sedated to try and prevent them

...for Faith who misses her Momma, that she sleeps well tonight at her Aunt & Uncle's house and that her cousins do a good job of providing joy and distraction from what's going on

...for extended family who is sick to get well so that they can care for and support each other well and for those that are healthy to remain that way

...for Jason to have strength, patience, courage and hope as he provides continued care for Emily

...for there to be improvements tomorrow and encouraging news

...for God to continue to be glorified in Emily's life