12/6 Update

Emanuela is doing much better than yesterday. It turns out her labored breathing is likely not from infection; praise the Lord! It is due to a combination of a partially collapsed left lung and increased sub-diaphragmatic pressure from her tummy being filled with fluid from her dialysis. Her lung can be recruited with medical intervention, but the doctors will simply monitor her for now. If her cultures come back negative tomorrow, they will stop antibiotics. We are so thankful that she does not have sepsis, as that would have been a large set-back.

Emy’s breathing is still labored from time to time, so please pray that her left lung heals. Her other vital signs are very reassuring. In fact, her blood pressure is so stable that they decreased her blood pressure medicine. We are hoping she continues to maintain her blood pressure so they can continue to reduce her blood pressure medicine. Additionally, she was increased from 8 mL to 10 mL of dialysis in each pass. Hopefully this will draw more fluid off with each pass.

Right now, Emy is stable. The nurses and doctors seem a bit more relaxed, which makes me feel more relaxed. Please pray that Emy continues to make progress in the right direction and doesn’t have any significant steps backward. Lowering her BP meds is very helpful because this fluid can be substituted by increased nutrition, which will help her grow. Managing without kidneys is tough, but the doctors and nurses are doing a great job adjusting to her needs. We are very thankful for the experts that are working very hard to get her medicine, fluids, and nutrition just right.