Today's update:

July 11, 2005 at 01:43 PM EDT
Well, we're still in ICU, but the latest word is that we'll move to rehab tomorrow. Sam continued to vomit over the weekend, but she's not vomiting food--only bile/secretions. She mainly vomits when coughing or having her trach suctioned; they think it's just due to a very sensitive gag reflex. They gave her a slightly different trach tube to see if that would help. They're also considering feeding her through a tube in the stomach, so she won't gag on the tube up her nose--now that she's more alert, she's trying to pull on it, and she's also moving around so much that her central line keeps coming out a little, so they will probably remove that as well, and do dialysis, when needed, through a belly catheter, if the plastics doc says the skin is healed enough. They thought the central line was infected (just the skin), but it appears that her frequent vomiting just made the area messy, and it's probably fine. One idea being tossed around is removing the trach in the near future, as the reasons for traching her no longer exist: she has no surgeries/procedures planned anytime soon, and she's off the vent. We're all for that, as she could talk again, and eating would be easier, so maybe that can happen once she's in rehab. She had dialysis today, as some of her numbers were elevated, but they may wait a while before doing it again; some tests are being done to see how much her kidneys are clearing, but no results are back yet. She starts a new formula today as well, w/less protein--a more "kidney-friendly" type, so her kidneys don't have to work as hard. They've taken away her special air mattress, and she now just has a regular big-girl bed, as her skin is no longer as vulnerable. (One of those metal crib-baby jail beds is sitting outside her room; I don't know if they're planning on using it or not.) She sat with both mom & dad over the weekend, and just a little while ago, she was sitting in her bouncy seat on the floor, playing w/mom, until she fell asleep. I also got a big smile from her earlier today, which always makes my day. Soooo....that's where we are at the moment. Plans are subject to change any minute, though, but we'll still cross our fingers for tomorrow.
Thanks,
Jessica
PS A big Happy 10th Birthday to my nephew Bud (aka Jordan)