Some Improvement

An amazing thing happened this morning... Three teams of doctors all said the same thing! Krista is definitely not out of the woods yet, but the blood tests are showing motion in the right direction. This is welcome news, as it is getting more difficult to keep her mentally oriented.

The liver "has a wide range of functions, a few of which are detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion." So right now toxins are building up in her system. Though I had previously believed that the confusion, vivid dreams, and hallucinations were from residual morphine in her system, these are actually a result of a buildup of toxins, especially ammonia.

The dialysis got 3 liters of fluid out last night, and 2 liters this afternoon. This is more than they are putting into her. Her arm still feels like it is very swollen, but not as bad as last night when it felt like a taught water-balloon. They are continuing to try to reduce the amount of fluids put in to try to reduce the amount stored in her body.

Her digestive system is not working well right now, though fluids continue to be secreted into it. They had a tube inserted into her mouth to suck the fluid out of her stomach yesterday, and today they pushed it further down into her small intestine. This is uncomfortable for her and, with her mental state, it is confusing when she wakes up. She will often get panicky and try to pull the tube out of her mouth.

All of this is really difficult to watch her go through, especially when I'm not getting very good (or very much) sleep. Fortunately, my mother was here today and I had the opportunity to take a much needed shower and nap at our friend's parent's beautiful house nearby. What a treat, and they are so kind to make that available to me when I need it.

Keep me safe, O God,
for in you I take refuge.
I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing."
(Psalm 16:1-2)