Avery UPDATES

 

Most of Avery's updates and entries are written by her mother, Marissa.

She's HOME!! November 18, 2005
Quick update, Avery got home Wednesday night.  We are so happy she is home and back to normal.  I'll write more updates as soon as I get some time.  God bless you all!!
Admitted in UTMB November 14, 2005

Unfortunately, Avery is back in the hospital.  On Saturday night she vomited a lot after getting her medication.  That was odd to me.  Then she woke up at least 4 times while she was "draining" her dialysis fluid.  She was having pain.  Of course, I was a little worried but she seemed okay after the drain was over.  On Sunday we went to church and she was happy and cheerful.  That afternoon I ran some errands and when I returned Raul said she was very fussy.  We took her temp but she didn't have a fever.  After Raul went to work the girls and I went to my sister's house.  Avery was smiling and again in a good mood.  We got home early and I put her on dialysis.  During her 3rd drain she was crying and screaming.  She was in so much pain.  I felt so bad for her.  I picked her up to try to soothe her, nothing worked.  All I could do is cry and pray.  She finally settled down after 45 minutes.  I called the dialysis nurse on call and she instructed me to draw a culture to see if her fluid was cloudy.  I thought it was a little cloudy.  I checked her temp and it was 99.9.  I was told to give her antibiotics in her fluid and bring her in.  By the time I got everything together, Raul got home and I took Alexa to Roxanne's we didn't get out to UTMB until 3:30 am.  Avery seemed to be feeling better from the antibiotics.  They drew her blood and tested her culture I had brought it.  She does have peritonitis again.  We will be here for a couple of days.  Please keep Avery and her care providers in your prayers today.  Thanks and God Bless you!

I'll keep updating the website.  The Pediatrics Education Department was kind enough to loan me a laptop.
13 pounds.. Our CHAMP November 12, 2005

Avery is doing really good. Dr. Kalia increased her stool softener and it has really worked, she’s not constipated now. I never thought I’d say that. She sleeps throughout the night and wakes up at 6:45 am to eat and then sleeps a little longer. She’s drinking a little over 4 oz every 2.5 to 3 hours. I know that doesn’t seem like a lot but she’s come a long way. She’s really worked up an appetite. Her surgery to repair her hernia is still scheduled for Nov. 30th.

I am pleased to announce that Miss Avery weighed in last night at 13.1 pounds. We are so excited!!! She is our little CHATTER BOX, it is so cute to hear her talk and it is non-stop. We love it! She is very strong, when we have her sitting on the couch she moves her entire body forward. She would roll right off if we didn't watch her carefully. She gets so excited and is a little wiggle worm when you talk to her. Her and Lexi adore each other, we really love to see them playing.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. God bless!!

Exciting News November 03, 2005

Avery's dialysis nurse, Jeanene, called me today at work to let me know that all of Avery's lab work turned out great (she had her blood work done on Tuesday). She also told me that they had a meeting today regarding all of their kidney patients. Avery weighs 12.12 pounds and the Kidney Transplant Surgeon told Jeanene that Raul and I need to start getting ready to be tested to see who the donor will be. Avery and I have the same blood type (O+) but Raul doesn't know what his blood type is. He needs to find out and if he is an "O" we will both need to get an ultrasound to see who has the smaller kidney. Whoever that is will be the most likely donor and continue on with more extensive testing.

Avery is only 7 pounds away from being eligible for having her transplant . I thought she had to be at least a year old BUT Jeanene told me that NO she doesn't have to be a year old, she just needs to be 20 pounds and 65-70 centimeters long (Avery is 60 centimeters). I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. I just hung the phone up and started crying with joy and happiness (and called Raul, Dad and Rema). It's getting so close, I wasn't expecting anything to happen until the summer. I pray that one of us will give her our kidney. Please keep Avery in your prayers for her to continue doing so good and to gain weight. Also keep Jeanene, the surgeon, her kidney specialists, pediatrician, dialysis nurses and everyone involved in your prayers. God bless you all.
Surgery Date November 03, 2005

Avery's surgery has been scheduled for November 30, 2005.

As you can imagine this is so hard for me. I know this is a common surgery and she will be fine and I know she will never remember any of this. Avery will be completely sedated and will have discomfort and some pain when she recovers and this breaks my heart. This is my baby, she has gone through so much in her six months of life. I wish that I could take all of her pain and issues away and give them to me so she doesn't have to go through this. I pray everyday for Avery's recovery and health. I pray that God continues to give me the strength and courage to be strong for my girls. I know He wouldn't deal me anything I couldn't handle. I'm not alone, He is by my side through all of this walking me through day by day. I'm very thankful of that.