BMT Day 12 VIDEO

It was another day of big changes. Watch the 7 minute video of the days progression. You won’t want to miss the ending. I promise. The day started at 7:30 a.m.. Ashtyn was borderline going back to the Intensive Care Unit. The ICU risk nurse was notified and all eyes were attentive and watchful. One struggle was her lungs. Ash was too weak to walk, stand, and sit up. She also didn’t have the strength to take deep breaths and cough strongly. With a lack of activity, it doesn’t take long for lungs to diminish and secretions to build up making breathing less and less effective. Another struggle was balancing pain control without sedating her too much. It seemed through the night she was either uncomfortable in pain or completely out of it. In addition, her muscles were acting real funky. Anytime she used any muscle against gravity, whether it was her legs, arms, wrist, back, neck... the muscle would briefly collapse. I went back to my previous post and made sure the prayers I asked for would cover her struggles. By 11:00 a.m. there was a noticeable difference. She was more alert, able to drink her medication pills, do lung exercises, and tolerated being put in a lift machine, raising her above the bed so an air mattress could be placed to help with several skin tears and breakdown. By the end of the day Ash was talking to nurses, pain was completely manageable, lungs were doing better, muscle strength improved, and there were signs of kidney improvement. Every specific prayer I asked for was answered. Her night nurse left at 7:30 a.m. and returned at 7:00 p.m. to a much stronger, alert, comfortable, stable patient. I didn’t even ask her to, but she told me she went home and had her family pray for Ashtyn! Everyone in Ashtyn’s Army has a part to play and it’s amazing to witness the blessings. Doctors, nurses, nurse practitioner, and CNA’s are amazed by Ashtyn every single day, as we all are. It’s no joke, remarkable things are happening and are noticeable even by those who work with BMT kids all the time. I’m grateful for the calm and joy felt in her room.

Please continue praying for 1. Increased alertness. 2. Manageable pain. 3. Healthy skin. 4. Strong body and lungs. 5 Improved kidneys.