Memorial Day Update | Love For Linden

Yesterday was a long one...Biliary Atresia kids have a faster metabolism since their liver is working overtime to do it's job, and as a result Linden is constantly hungry. Not being able to eat is pretty much par for the course when it comes to being in the hospital with her, but I can confidently say that for Laura and I, it is probably the most unpleasant part.

The reasoning is that the infections she gets usually cause swelling in parts of the GI tract which means if she eats solid foods, there is a possibility it could get stuck or not digested, or contribute to the infection rather than helping her out. That being the case, she is almost always put on some sort of food restrictions when we arrive, and often times before tests or sonograms.

After a very long day of Linden not being able to eat, we were finally able to give her some clear liquids in the evening so she could have something in her belly before bedtime.

We all slept like champs and woke up this morning to the beautiful sunshine streaming in the windows. Happy Memorial Day!

Current Status

Today Linden has had her eating restrictions lifted for the time being and we are letting her stuff her face with everything she can get her hands on. Scrambled eggs, cheese-its, banannas (a big favorite), little pieces of chicken, EVERYTHING!

She has been much happier then she was yesterday but is still having a hard time sleeping. She took a few very short naps today and is having a hard time getting to bed tonight, so we are praying that will change as quickly as possible.

We also found out that Linden's total bilirubin (this is the stuff her liver won't drain normally) is at about an 8, which is up from when we first came into the hospital, and higher than it was before she had her surgery.

For comparison, the bilirubin of a normal person hovers between 1 and 1.2

The doctors didn't seem super concerned as it looks like her actual liver function numbers are coming down, and the bilirubin values usually lag a little behind those but trend with them overall. Still, with numbers that high, its hard not to be a little concerned.

A major blessing today was that we got moved to the 6^th floor and off of the PICU floor which means she doesn't have to constantly be hooked to tons of monitors. We can pick her up and carry her around, or let her play on the floor mat they brought in tonight. That makes life much easier as she gets tired of sitting in a hospital bed pretty quickly.

Prayers for Lindy

A few things to pray about for Linden:

A good nights sleep - As I said, she is having some difficulty getting to sleep tonight, and she could really use it!
Antibiotics to kick in and do their thing - If the antibioitcs don't clear things up, there could be bigger issues at stake.
Linden may have a sonogram tomorrow which means more eating restrictions - pray she would be happy and consolable.
Lastly, prayers for Laura as she will be staying with Linden in the hospital tomorrow as I work a half day. Pray for strength, patience, and endurance.

Thanks Everyone!

So thankful to have friend and family praying for us and for Linden! Wanted to close out with a quote my mom sent me today...

Sometimes life takes us places we never expected to go. And in those places God writes a story we never thought would be ours.

Can certainly say we never thought we would be in the hospital with a daughter that has a disease less than one in one million kids are affected with, but God has used Linden's life to change ours, and to teach us more about and reveal clearer the face of our Saviour, our loving Father, and our friend, Jesus!