Abbey's Back

It has been a few days since we've posted anything so I'm going to spend some time putting my thoughts in writing and let you all know what has been going on here.  I have been looking forward to a quiet house so I can write about Abbey's amazing progress along with a couple small bumps in the road.

Friday we posted our awesome results from Abbey's bone marrow biopsy.  We still are flying high with that wonderful news.  It took her body a few days to start showing some relief from the steroids.  Friday night she was up 9 times through the night going potty (but whose counting). She had so much swelling and water retention from being on the steroids that once we stopped them there was a lot of fluid coming out of her little body.  She was pretty miserable Saturday and Sunday and her body seemed to be having a hard time adjusting.  Sunday evening I took her temperature because she felt warm.  Her temp was 100.0 and it had never been that high so I got nervous.  If it reaches 100.4 we have to call the doctor.  To make a long story short her temp was hovering around 100.  She also started acting sicker and sicker as the night went on.  She couldn't pick her head off her pillow and every time she had to go potty she would cry the whole time because she wanted to lay back down.  I called the doctor to let him know what was going on.  He told us to watch her closely through the night and if it went up to 100.4 we would have to take her in.  The night was rough.  I laid by her, pretty much looking at her all night and taking her temp often.  Jim had to go back to work Monday so he slept upstairs for the first time and Abbey and I were in the living room.  We made it through the night and first thing Monday morning we went to the clinic.  We were scheduled to go in Monday for a blood check anyways, so we just went a little earlier to address her low grade fever.  

She woke up feeling better.  We had to leave for the clinic soon after she was up.  Our day at the clinic was long, but good.  Since Jim went back to work, my sister Stacey came with us and Jacob came today too.  He started to get upset today when we were leaving to go and he told me that all he wanted to do was sit on my lap on the couch all day, so I asked him if he wanted to come and he was very excited.  It was good for him and Abbey.  My mom stayed home with Micah.  We got there at 9:30 a.m. and didn't leave until after 5 p.m.  They checked her blood right when we got there (she has been so brave with her port accessing) and saw that she needed red blood cells.  She was in such good spirits.  She was smiling and wanting to go in the play closet on the floor to bring toys and games back to our room.  She even walked the hall a little. We were amazed and thrilled at how good she was feeling.  

They hooked her up for her blood transfusion and we spent hours playing Battleship, Chutes & Ladders, reading books, drawing and watching videos.  My sister and I were so happy.  We enjoyed seeing her like this and watching her and Jacob interact.  It was wonderful to see her smiling and playing.  It is amazing how resilient kids are.  She was so sick the night before and has been through so much this month, but she is recovering and looking good.  Words cannot describe the joy it brought me to watch her today.  At one point the nurse was doing an exam on her and Abbey was willingly doing each thing the nurse asked her while smiling.  My eyes filled with tears as I watched.  For the first time in a long time, I felt like she wasn't in pain, uncomfortable or miserable.  It is refreshing and encouraging to see.  She is a brave little fighter and even though she had to sit all day hooked up to an IV drip, she was happy and playful.  

Toward the end of her blood transfusion, her temperature was hovering around 100 again so they decided to give her an antibiotic and send her blood away for a culture. At one point they were talking about admitting us to the hospital, but it went down after the antibiotic was given so they sent us home.  They will call us tomorrow and let us know if they found any infection in her blood.  If so, they will admit us tomorrow to do more antibiotics and watch her for a couple days.  

Please pray that they would find no infection in her blood and that if this fever returns, that they would find the source of it quickly.  Although we have this little bump in the road (that's what our doctor calls anything that's not 'normal') we are so thankful that she is feeling better, smiling more and even laughing easily.  

We love this girl so much, it hurts sometimes.  We need to continually give her back to God.  Sometimes I see myself holding Abbey (actually all three of my kids) so tightly in my hands and I have to close my eyes and envision God prying my hands open and telling me "Trust me Shelley".  I then will picture my hands wide open with them all in my hands, holding them up to God.  God blessed us with these amazing little people, but He didn't intend for us to do this alone.  He is longing to guide us each step of the way.  He has taught us more this month then we've ever leaned in our Christian walk and we trust Him.  At times it's hard and scary, but we trust Him.