10/29/08 Day 2

Ashlyn is still doing well. They are still trying to wean her off the ventilator. She is only on one medicine continuously, that helps her heart function better and beat stronger, similar to the one she came home on before. The drainage from her chest tube is minimal. She is on a diuretic to help remove excess fluid in her tissues, and reduce swelling, but she receives it occasionally. She also receives potassium and calcium to replenish what she loses from he diuretic. The respiratory therapist checked to see if she had an air leak around her air tube, and she does not. The are giving her a steroid to reduce the swelling in her throat so that when they do excavate the tube, she does not have trouble breathing. They are doing blood gases every two hours, so she may need some blood to replenish that. Thank you to everyone who donated in her honor. She definitely had more donated than she needed, but many other lives were saved as well. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers! Each day she gets better and once the ventilator is removed, she should improve even more quickly.