Saturday's Health Update

       Just wanted to post the health update that Dani sent to me last night...it's very medical/technical in its terminology, but we wanted you all to have a very specific things to pray for and, at the end of the day, that is where Cliff and Dani are right now, living in a land of lingo and lots of terminology not always translated easily into layman's terms. 

Here are Cliff and Cordelia checking out her very complicated medical equipment earlier today...

      Hopefully more to come tomorrow...Katie and I are in Cincinnati visiting this weekend and are enjoying our time with Cliff and Dani. We are also relishing in our chances to hold little Miss Cordelia.  Although we did sheepishly need to call the nurse to come help us lift her out of her crib to hold her this afternoon. We had sent Cliff and Dani off to eat dinner and get in a shower and short nap and while you'd think two moms with four kids between us could calm a fussy baby, it is a WHOLE new world when that baby has all sorts of wires hooked up to her!

      Because it's late I'm going to leave you with the note from Dani, and hopefully will have time to post something longer over the next day or two.  Big picture summary right now....Cordelia's need for a liver is becoming more urgent and evident everyday and we hope that it will be soon. 

The note from Dani...

• I have a health update. I'm sorry its lengthy
  
  
•  She had a fever again last night. There have been more blood draws (praying she doesn't need a transfusion with all the recent tests and blood drawing). Also,  her sodium levels are very low. They usually would give her saline but her ascitis (accumulation of fluid in the belly)  is getting bad too and that would make it worse. The lead doctor's are looking into a different medicine that is very aggressive (and not well documented on pediatric patients), but that may be necessary. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for the doctor's. 
  We saw her ct liver scan and the bile ducts are engorged (normally they are thin and stick like) they think that may be the infection causing the fever but don't have a way to test it. On a positive side she didn't need to be catheterized for a urine culture this.morning because they were able to get it with cotton balls. 
  
  
  Bottom line...she needs a liver.
  
  
  If anyone is looking for specifics to pray about....healing for her fever and any infections to clear up would be first. No bleeding issues and if she needs blood for it (the draws and the amounts they are taking) to be safe. Big prayers for a new liver soon... until she gets one the ascitis, sodium, and bile ducts will have to be constantly adjusted.