Liver Failure
Liver Failure…….
To those who only follow Addi’s Journey from this blog, I am sorry for no update. It has been all I could do to write a 2 minute post on Facebook. I finally have the time and energy to post so I wanted to catch you up on what has happened over the past few days. Friday night Addi started going downhill and then Saturday morning she became unresponsive. Her little belly was very distended and she was vomiting dark blood. After checking her blood sugar they found it was less than 20. They gave her a bag of D-10 to bring up her sugar and she began to wake back up a little. Addi was moved to ICU and testing began to see what was going on. After further image testing and bloodwork it was determined that Addi was in Liver Failure and was transferred to another hospital that had a Hepatologist (liver doctor). Addi has been listed as critical condition and is currently fighting for her life! She is not very responsive at all and is only alert when stimulated by something that is causing her pain. Her little belly is full of fluid that is compressing against her lungs and has caused the lower lobe of both lungs to collapse so she is having some respiratory issues as well. She has a pleural effusion which means she has an abnormal collection of fluid between the layers of the pleura outside of the lungs. Her team of doctors do not know exactly what happened to put her in liver failure and what treatment plan to take or what her prognosis is just yet but hopefully we will know more over the next few days.
Today is Monday and Addi is about the same. She is still in critical condition and she is fighting hard for her life. She continues to have altered level of consciousness and does not awaken unless stimulated by moving her or something she doesn’t like. She just wants to lay still and sleep. They have mentioned brain swelling due to the liver failure but right now they are just monitoring her very closely and focusing on the liver. If her level of consciousness does not improve after the ammonia level decreases then they will start looking at the brain to see if there is anything going on there. Her belly is still very distended from fluid…that along with and all of the fluid that has built up around her lungs is very uncomfortable. It hurts to even try and sit up because she is so full of fluid. She is doing something called third spacing. That is where too much fluid moves from the intravascular space into the third space or non functional areas between cells. I know, too technical! All I know is that it is a serious problem for my sweet girl. She has been given lasix to try and get rid of the fluid but it is a slow process. She will begin TPN tonight which is IV nutrition because she is not eating and cannot keep even water down. We are awaiting results of another ultrasound that was done today and hope to have some more definitive answers.
I have been sent messages and asked if she has VOD (Veno Occlusive Disease). She does not have VOD per her doctors. They really don’t know why this occurred but more than likely just a complication from treatment. It could have been building up over time or it could have just happened suddenly. We just have no way of knowing. All I know is some of her liver levels are improving and that is good. Some of the liver levels are not and have actually increased again but I am praying hard that those start trending in the right direction. It is just a day to day thing that we just have to wait and see if her body responds to the medicine and all that her team of doctors are doing. She has an entire team of doctors that include ICU critical care doctors, Oncologists, Hepatologists, Hematologists along with respiratory therapists, physical and occupational therapists and nutritionists just to name a few. She is being treated by some of the best doctors in the nation and they are covering EVERY basis. We trust them completely but no worries I advocate for her and will not leave any stone uncovered. Those who know me, know that I am very thorough and will keep going until I get the answers that we need and will continue to advocate and get her the best treatment we can. We will NOT give up until Addi is better and headed home with us!!!
I am getting hundreds of private messages. I am so sorry that I am unable to answer them all right now. I am trying to read some and answer as I can but I just can’t answer them all and focus on Addi too. I promise I will give an update each day as I can. I know you all worry about Addi and love her and I thank you for that. I am a little overwhelmed with so much right now that it is hard to respond to everything but I will try as I can and my daughters are helping me as well. I am so thankful for all the thousands of people all over the world praying for Addi. I have gotten some of the sweetest messages about churches who gathered to pray specifically for Addi yesterday at church, children who prayed for her in Sunday school, a gentlemen that said a prayer for Addi at the Western Wall of Jerusalem and a lady praying in Africa…..just to name a few. It is amazing the lives that this sweet baby is touching all over the world. I know that God is going to heal her because she has so many interceding in prayer for her. We LOVE each of you even though we have never met many of you and we appreciate the outpouring of prayers, love and support from you all! Warren, myself and my entire family thank you!!! God has big plans for this little baby girl, I just know it. She is changing lives of many who don’t even know her and He can’t be finished with her yet!
Many of the messages I am receiving is asking for an address, how to order t-shirts and if there is a way to donate. Below is the links and address so maybe this will answer some of the many private messages I am getting.
Address:
Addi’s Journey c/o Leanne Masten
P. O. Box 99
Toccoa, GA 30577
Go Fund Me:
https://www.gofundme.com/prj5wqf8