Day 3 Post Surgery

Hi to All from Holly's Mom, I'm trying to post a short update today to catch everyone up on Avery's condition. Holly was with her throughout the night until very early this AM when Jon relieved her and he has been with Avery since then. They are both getting very short bouts of sleep because they are trying to stay at her bedside most of the time because they are the only ones who can really tell if Avery is having seizures since some of it is very subtle and the nurses don't always recognize it when it does occur. Unfortunately, Avery has been having some seizure activity and the doctors are more concerned at this point about them. However, we do not know if some of the activity is due to the manipulation of the brain tissue during such a traumatic surgery. We are praying that is the case and that the seizures will settle down as the swelling subsides and the healing continues. She also has been having some difficulty at times with pain control and it is very hard to see her in pain. They performed another CT Scan very early this AM and everything looked OK with no changes from the previous one following surgery, so from a surgical standpoint they keep saying everything looks great. Just before they wheeled her down for the CT, Holly was finally able to hold Avery for a short time and I think it did them both a world of good. I would also think that Jon has been able to hold her today too. Also, Caiden was finally able to see her for a short visit last evening and I know that helped him because he kept saying "I want to see Avery". I have not been able to see Avery yet today because I am keeping Caiden entertained at the moment, but I will be heading over later this afternoon to see her. Papaw Ralph and Uncle Eric saw her this morning before they left to drive back to Tell City and they said she did appear to be more comfortable today and that they only saw one seizure while they were visiting. Also, Grandpa Doug, and Grandma Ruth saw her this morning before they left for the airport to head back to Florida. The doctor removed Avery's surgical drain yesterday and the nurses removed her catheter. I've been told they removed her Arterial line this morning and have just started her back on her formula. With all the lines and equipment out, and if she tolerates the feeding well, she will probably be moved out to a regular pediatric floor soon. At least theoretically, that should be a good thing because it means she no longer needs the specialized care that was necessary immediately after the surgery. Unfortunately, it is also a bit of a concern because she will not have the amount of nursing care that she has while in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. At any rate, we will need to try to take turns having one of us in with her as much as possible. That is about all I know at this point, I am trying to update everyone a little bit until Holly has more time update everyone. Please keep praying for Avery to have good pain control and for the seizures to just go away as soon as possible and never return. God Bless you everyone for your love for Avery and your prayers for a good recovery. Take Care..........Marilyn