Monday, July 9, 2012

Hanging Out at Vandy

Friends,

Ava Gray is now up in the ICU (Room 5533, 5th Floor), and she is just relaxing, chewing on her fingers and starting to fall asleep after talking to me for a while (how she can sleep with all these beeps and alarms going off around her head is beyond me!☺). 

Soooo, early this morning around 3:45 am they tapped her shunt again (her blood pressure was up & she was vomiting d/t pain, so they knew something was up): her ICP (the pressure in her head) was even higher than it was yesterday in the ER: over 50. After the tap (where they take the extra fluid out while they're checking the pressure), Ava Gray feels wonderful again. It's sweet to hear her talking quietly to herself & opening up her eyes wide & wiggling her eyebrows at us when we talk to her... With the shunt not working, however, its just a matter of hours before the pressure goes back up & we're back to her being in pain again. 

They're pretty sure (99.9%) that this means surgery. The question they're asking now is: today or tomorrow? Dr. Tulipan (Ava Gray's neurosurgeon), doesn't do surgeries on Mondays. So the team may want us to wait until tomorrow. We can pray that if that is the case, that we (her friends, family & medical team), have the wisdom to know when she's in serious pain today/tonight & can figure out quickly how best to help her. 

These are the kinds of days I struggle with most. Knowing that she might have some suffering coming her way and wishing I could shield her from it.  Please pray for mercy; both for Ava Gray and for the rest of us who hover around her. That we would all collapse on Jesus. He loves her so much! And He understands suffering far better than even Ava Gray. And He is mighty to save. 

We'll definitely keep you posted. I'm sorry I can't always respond to the messages & emails & fb posts, but please know that it is so encouraging to hear from each on of you. Thank you so much for letting us know that you stand (& collapse!) with us.

Much love,
Jules & Co.

Oh, and I know many of you will ask about Havyn too: Kristina & Laura have been tag-teaming with both the girls (LD staying overnight with Ava Gray & KP driving us back & forth & taking Havyn home for naps). The Blanco's (Jonathan & his parents; Rafael & Mary) are coming whenever they can to be with Ava Gray & Ana is back in town today too, so we have lots of our sweet "home team" with us during this stay. Very (VERY) thankful for them! And somehow I got a full nights sleep last night. If that isn't mercy, I don't know what is!) : ) 




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