| Amanda Update |
| (Last Updated: February 23rd, 2002) |
| We're another step closer to home!! Amanda's doctors have decided that she no longer needs the acute medical attention provided in the N.I.C.U., so she was GRADUATED to the special care nursery on Wednesday, February 20th. This is a giant leap for us. Although Kim and I are thrilled, the change is a little bittersweet. We've made so many friends the N.I.C.U. and are sad to leave them. To all of Mandy's Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, and Physicians Assistants: you have made the last three months more bearable. You've been her guardian angels and Kim and I can never thank you enough. It obviously more than a job considering the genuine love and care that you've given to Amanda. Pat, Anna, Anita & Kim, Maureen, Kim Oski, Terry, Liz, Brian, Joe & Wendy. You've helped us through the toughest challenge of our lives and we love you all. Amanda says "Thank You" and she will make it a point to keep you in her life. Special Care seems like it is going to be a little like boot camp. They plan to whip Mandy (and Mom & Dad) into shape! In this nursery, a tremendous focus is put on growing the baby and getting her ready to go home. The 1st goal will be to get her off of the feeding tube and onto 100% bottles. They also want to ween down the amount of Oxygen that is required. If possible, they'd like to send her home without oxygen. Kim and I used to rely very heavily on the monitors to gauge her vital signs when we were back in the N.I.C.U., but now they just turn them off when we get there. They expect us to be able to tell by looking at her if she's experiencing a problem like de-saturation, apnea, or bradicardia. In addition to teaching us these important skills, they provide a tremendous amount of training for us. Our girl is getting big! She's almost a whopping 4 pounds. She's been showing a pretty steady growth of about 5 - 6 ounces each week. She might pick up another pound or two before we can take her home. She's really picked up her growth rate over the last couple of weeks because they went up about 2 calories per feeding. Even thought it doesn't really seem like a lot, it has had a surprising effect. When you think about it, it's the equivalent of eating a tic tac every couple of hours. But, we'll take it. Kim and I are cautiously optimistic about the ROP surgery that was done earlier this month. As you recall from our last update, Mandy had developed serious ROP that was complicated by Plus Disease. This condition had put her on a crash course with blindness and she had to have laser surgery to try and stop it. We are happy to report that her first post-surgical exam showed that her ROP was regressing and that her plus disease was reversing. We pray that she can keep on this course so that her vision problems later in life will be treatable. Thanks for your prayers and support. We plan to update this site regularly so save it in your "favorite places" and come back often. Also, feel free to leave a message in Amanda's guest book on the main page. Kim and John |