The Thinking So Far.....

This is Charlotte, Amy's mom writing on the hospital computer..... Anyway.....here's the scoop so far.  At rounds today, the GI specialists and cardiologists reported that the thinking thus far is that the ascites (inflammation in the fat around her organs) and the fluid in her abdomen are longstanding issues that are a result of a combination of things.....they think the problem actually began back when she had her blood clot and was without food for a prolonged amount of time.  They think the distention of the abdomen is like a "post traumatic" reaction and that it will eventually come down once they resolve some other issues.  The thought is that she is leaking protein from somewhere - possibly bowels or kidney.  They are going to do some more tests and change her feeds to include more protein-enhanced formula and just try and slowly bring her back to full feeds.  The consensus thus far seems to be that this is all "fixable" and that they just need to figure out how to fix it!!  The best news of all is that they do NOT think that her stomach issues indicate heart failure!!  Her echo yesterday showed very good heart function, for which we are elated!!  They are weaning her off the Milrinone and will first sort out her stomach issues before they proceed with her heart cath.  It was mentioned today that, if the heart cath shows everything is good to go, they will proceed with the Glenn while she is here!!!!  This would be awesome!!  So......please pray that the docs continue to figure out the stomach issues and that they will resolve quickly - pray that Hope's heart function remains good and the cath shows she is more than ready for her Glenn!!  Also, pray for Sadie that she will get better quick and that the rest of us would all remain healthy.  We are so aware of your prayers for Hope and all of us and we thank you with all our hearts for praying for sweet Hope!!