Day 11: Best News So Far!

This morning we got a big and wonderful surprise: one of Evie's doctors called while we were on the way to the hospital and said they had taken her off the ECMO machine completely! Just like that - no weaning or anything. They just turned it off and watched her, and she did just fine.

The doctor explained that they had not given her any heparin, so they could not wean her from the machine because that would involve slowing it down. And slowing it down would mean clots would form, so instead they just shut it off. At her bedside, they were able to perform the surgical procedure of removing the tubing that had connected her to the ECMO. This is what her room looked like when we arrived:



They actually had the hallway blocked off so that no one could even walk by until they were all done with her. Here she is without those large red tubes coming out of her chest:



I know it still looks like she's hooked up to a lot of machines, which she is. But getting off ECMO was a BIG step in the right direction. The doctors gave Evie medication to paralyze her for 24 hours, because they said it was important that she be very still in the first day without ECMO.

On Wednesday they will close up her breastbone (they left it unsutured in case of swelling). From there they will start weaning her off her ventilator and decreasing some of her heavy duty painkillers and sedatives so that she is alert enough to breathe on her own.



We feel like this is the point where she should have been when she came out of surgery 11 days ago. She will probably be in the hospital for at least another week. We are so grateful for everyone's thoughts and prayers! Please keep 'em coming, though, until she's well enough to come home. We miss her like crazy!



Today was also a great day because Sharon's cousin, Susan, welcomed her new baby Erin Kimberly Stank into the world at 10:03AM this morning, 8 lb, 1 oz, and 20.5". Congratulations to the whole family, Daddy Dennis and big brother Sean!