"We Love Andrea" was created to update Andrea's friends as she went through a difficult journey. After her second heart transplant when her pulse began to speed up she was given a pacemaker, then a Heart Mate II or LVAD. She was in the Stollery Children's Hospital, then the Mazankowski heart unit in Edmonton, Alberta for 7 months. However, she peacefully died on May 11, 2011 when the rest of her heart and other organs could handle the strain no longer. If you come to this blog, pray for her family and friends, remember to tell your friends you love them, then sign your organ donor card.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Transfusions and such


Good Evening (yesterday evening)

Today we have experienced a few small steps in the right direction.  Andrea had her breathing tube removed late this afternoon which is a big relief for her.  Her day nurse was very dubious whether she would actually be able to manage on her own without her oxygen saturation going down and needing to be ventilated again.  Every hour that she can manage without ventilation makes the likelihood of needing assistance more remote, unless some other crisis shows up.  Another thing we had been waiting anxiously for was that her gut would start working again, and today it looks like it began again, and without bleeding, which is a big relief.  She is still very weak and very shaky, hopefully tomorrow she can sit up on the edge of her bed.  The negative is that her hemoglobin is very low, she is getting another transfusion now.  The other issue is that her white cell count is up also, which indicates an infection somewhere, today the doctor said that she has had pneumonia, although mostly under control.  Every few days her tubes need to be replaced and even started in new locations.  We expect that to happen tomorrow.  She had a real good uninterrupted sleep last night and we hope that is the case again tonight.  Thanks again for all the support, cards, emails, phone calls, prayers,etc.

Till tomorrow night, Maynard

PS I hope none of you understood that Andrea had a wheelchair ride Saturday, she just asked for it.  She is also asking to drink, but that will need to wait till she has a swallow study.  Her bilirubin was also a little lower today.

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