Day 10

Hailey is about the same today. She is still sedated and intubated (with a breathing tube). They haven't been able to wean her down on her ventilator settings (the ventilator is what makes her breathe right now) so it will probably still be a few days before we can get the breathing tube out.  They have still been working to get her sedation medications right. She is on medicines that paralyze her so that she won't pull the breathing tube out, but it is always a concern that someone could be awake underneath the paralyzing medicines, which would of course make them really upset and agitated because they can't move. They watch things like heart rate and blood pressure to see if they are sedating well enough and Hailey's have been high so they are going to make some changes that way. It stresses me out to think about her being awake under there and not able to move or let us know, so I am very glad they are addressing that.

I am really missing Abby and Katelyn today. It is hard to not be able to see all my little girls. We just love and miss them so much!

Ben and I have been trying to take advantage of this time we have together since we haven't seen much of each other in the past few months. Ben will have to leave for Idaho Falls tomorrow and then I will be staying here by myself. 

We are grateful for the good doctors, nurses, RTs, and other staff that have been so helpful and kind.

I just keep hoping that she will improve soon and get to come home.  We are also hoping that this trip will work out all the kinks so that we can be home for a while. This admission to St. Luke's was our 4th hospitalization since we returned from Stanford. It seems like one endless whirling merry-go-round and we just want to get off. 

We feel so sad for our dear sweet Hailey having to suffer so much.  It is probably the hardest thing about all of this that we really can't do anything except stand by and watch and pray that she gets better.

We appreciate all your prayers and kindness in our behalf. People ask us pretty often about how we keep going. Sometimes it catches me off guard and I say that I'm not sure, but the truth is that Heavenly Father has pulled us through, partly through the prayers of so many of our friends and family.  That is the ONLY way we are surviving. He is making us more able to handle things than we are on our own. We literally feel the prayers lifting our burden and making it bearable.  We can't tell you how much we depend on your prayers and faith in addition to our own. Love you all!