Last night was a slightly better night. Ashley was awake three times, but was thankfully able to fall back to sleep without much difficulty. I did give her some medicine at 3:00, and she was able to go until 9:00 without more medicine.
When she woke, her body hurt. She was exhausted. Her belly was a little more settled, and she wanted to eat. Of course, she is never able to eat much. But at least she tried. After she ate, she was so sleepy, she crashed for a short time, until Nancy came. My biggest concern right now is the shortness of breath. It gets worse and worse every day. I was concerned that we might need to max out all the doses of lasix. Nancy felt like instead of going up on the lasix, we need to use ativan and occasionally morphine to help her breathing feel easier. The fact is, Ashley's heart is functioning so poorly, she will lose her breath. Thus, even sitting up in bed, or taking three steps to the bedside commode, completely wear her out. Ativan does help her relax. I am so thankful there is something that might offer her even the slightest relief.
This afternoon was hard. When the boys came home from school, they were rowdy and loud. They did go outside for a little bit. Thank goodness for sunshine! (0: But then they came back in and Austin and Preston started fighting. I was outside, working in the back yard, and didn't realize they were as loud as what they were. Ashley got very upset and started sobbing. Jason was upstairs, and came down to help out. It took us a while to calm her down. She can't handle anything loud. All of her senses are in over-drive. It is awful for her! And she always feels so bad when she gets upset. She doesn't want to get anyone in trouble or be a burden in any way. Bless her heart!!
My darling Jason ended up taking the boys back to the school for a while. He even took them to the store so they could use some of their Christmas money to buy a little something special. They love their dad!! He was a lifesaver tonight. While they were gone, Ashley was able to rest and calm down. Her heart was pounding. Any time she is upset, her heart freaks out. It was such a relief to see her breathing slow and feel her heart stop beating so furiously.
I found out today that my dad is having problems with his heart. The doctor told him it is fluttering and that he needs to have his heart shocked to help it go back into a normal rhythm. My parents will need to go to a cardiologist in Pocatello for further consultation. We were laughing because my dad joked about he and Ashley having "twin" problems. She smiled at that. How she loves her grandpa!! It was kind of special to have a connection with him, although she wouldn't want him to be sick like she is. The smile was nice. I think that was one of the only smiles I saw today. She always looks so sad. We will all continue to pray for my wonderful father. I know Ashley was deeply concerned about him. We all were. I hope he will feel better soon.
I have to send out a few special thank you's once again. There are so many wonderful people who have blessed our family once again. I want to thank my Aunt Peg and Uncle Jim for the beautiful flowers that arrived today. The whole bouquet was so lovely and happy. It brightened Ashley's dreary day right up!! I wanted to thank the Moyes family, and especially Olivia, who made Ashley a very special pillow. It was darling gift, and Ashley was deeply touched you thought of her. Thank you!! And to my wonderful neighbors who left a note in our mailbox this morning. Ashley loves you. It was so thoughtful to let us know, your prayers are with us too. I am so grateful for every prayer!! Prayer is what gets us through each and every day. What a blessing to have such special friends and neighbors!!! Love you all!!
Well, I better go take care of my angel. I wish everyone a heart full of peace tonight!!
No comments:
Post a Comment