Good morning all. Thank you again for your ongoing prayers and love...it is what sustains us and helps us persevere to NEGU.
As you may have gathered, yesterday was another rough day. Nearly any change, new med or procedure stresses Bella out. Last time I spoke with Mommy, Bella finally was getting some sound sleep which I'm hoping lasted through the night.
Tests for the flu came back negative. A CT Scan of the chest area was ordered based upon the x-rays taken a couple days ago. The CT Scan revealed some nodules of a fungus growing in Bella's lungs. The good news is that she's been on an anti-fungal medicine since Sunday.
Today, Bella will be moved up to PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) for a brief, 15 minute procedure. An anesthesiologist will put her under for the procedure. The fungus is a modestly serious situation as it can spread...uh, like a fungus (sorry, not trying to be funny but it just works there). While Bella's under, the surgeon will send tools via a tube down Bella's throat to extract a sample of one of the nodules for analysis. Based upon that analysis, they'll be able to more directly treat the fungus.
More good news: Bella's numbers are coming back up so she will be able to fight this infection (and others) more effectively with her body's natural immunities. Nurses have told us that this is the absolute best way and they say, based upon their observations of other kids, it looks like a miracle when it happens! We can't wait for that moment!
Daddy's taking work off this morning to be there through the procedure and for a family visit with CHOC's psych guy...Dr. DiPinto...we like him - he's funny, compassionate and skilled with his craft.
That's the update for today. We can't thank you enough for your ongoing support through prayers to our Lord and savior and for the vibes of love you're sending through Bella's blog and Facebook page.
I'm sorry to say that we're still saying no to visitors at this point and likely will through the weekend.
with many thanks and blessings to you,
~Sam (Dad)
all the best to Bella for a quick recovery from this fungus... love Vlok family...
ReplyDeleteWe're praying for more of Bella's amazing recovery from this nasty fungus. We're so pleased to hear about her counts. That's a true, pure sign of a turning point, going in the right direction. We *believe* in you Bella. We believe in your power, backed by your faith and the love of your family and supporters, to get this. We believe if you don't inhabit the diagnosis but you create your own space of empowerment, that space of your triumph, you will only keep building strength. That is NEGU. You are that strong. Dr. Loudon is incredible and he will be so present for you. Bella, ask him about his wooden box sometime. He keeps things in there with his lenses, things that SuperKids have given him because he truly cares, truly loves, all of you. This makes him so special -- the tumor Samurai! Of course, we're praying for dead tumor!! LOVE, Team SuperMax
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