Aubrey's Appetite Makes a Comeback

Hey everyone.  This is Andy.  I'm sure everyone saw from Joshua's earlier post that Aubrey and I stopped by our pastor's house this afternoon to pick up Lilly, who has been spending half days there with her friends. 

The doctors allowed us to take Aubrey out of the hospital for six hours today, and after picking up Lilly, we took the girls home.  Aubrey was very excited to be back. 

Lilly and Aubrey today

Aubrey was feeling a lot better today after the laxative began working.  We began seeing the positive effects soon afterward.  Keep in mind that Aubrey wouldn't even eat a cookie three days ago.  But when we got home today, she sat next to Lilly, watching a DVD, and ate some cheese, pears, and strawberries - her favorite.  This is a normal-sized meal for Aubrey.  Lilly was so happy to see Aubrey and spend some time with her, and she very sweetly shared her strawberries with Aubrey. 

Later in the day, Aubrey got more restless and uncomfortable as the laxative continued working.  Because her appetite still isn't where it needs to be, we're going to continue supplementing her diet through tube feeding.  Our prayer is that as she gets her bowels sorted out, she will continue to want to eat more and more.  

She is still needs assistance to walk, but today she walked more than she has since all this began.  With more encouraging things like this happening, we are going to ask for additional passes to come home over the weekend.  On Monday or Tuesday, the doctor will reevaluate her rehab needs based on how well she does over the weekend.  If she does well and is taking in enough food and fluids, we can take out the NG tube. 

Here are some things we're praying for:

1. that Aubrey will continue to have more of an appetite so that we can take out the NG tube
2. a good night's rest for her
3. that we will be able to take her home next week, even if she needs outpatient therapy for a while
4. continued progress towards full recovery in all areas

We are doing ecstatic back flips in our hearts.  My prayer all along has been, "Lord, I just want my daughter back."  As I see His miraculous answer to this prayer, my heart is overflowing with gratitude. 

Thank you for continuing to carry Aubrey in prayer.

Aubrey Goes for a Stroll

I just received this text from the pastor of Church of the Resurrection, where the Gallos go to church:

Andy and Aubrey just stopped by our house!  No, I'm not kidding!  Praise God!

Praise God, indeed!

Aubrey is Body-Slamming the Odds

Hey everyone, it's Andy again.  We said we wouldn't update you on Aubrey unless there was something to report - well, there's something to report.  And it's good news.

Today, it was like the light switch turned on overnight.  There was dramatic improvement from yesterday to today - and I mean, abnormally dramatic improvement.

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When Aubrey woke up this morning, Ashleigh was with her.  Aubrey immediately wanted to play with her toys.  This is the first time she has shown any interest in actually playing with something.  That was very encouraging.  It gets even better.

As you may know, she's only said four or five words up until this point, and she has only said those in broken English and when she's angry.  But this morning, as she was trying to press a button on one of the toys she was playing with, she suddenly asked, "Mommy, can you help me?"  Ashleigh did a double-take, and then it hit her - "My daughter just spoke in a full sentence." Aubrey has continued to speak in full sentences today.  We praise Jesus for this.

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Two days ago, Aubrey was upset at the sight of a spoon.  Today, she actually tried to eat.  That's major progress.  Unfortunately, after one bite, she said her tummy hurt.  We think that's a sign of constipation, and that's probably why she's been so resistant to eating.  The doctors are going to give her a laxative to help with that.  We are hoping that once this happens, she will no longer need the NG tube.

Aubrey is also starting to walk.  She needs help because she is off balance and somewhat uncoordinated, but her strength is good.  Ashleigh helped her walk around the pediatric ward today, and Aubrey was giving stickers to all the nurses.

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Aubrey, the miracle kid

The infectious disease doctors came back, and the final test from the CDC came back confirming that this is West Nile Encephalitis.  In Aubrey's age group, West Nile has only caused encephalitis in 70 children in the last ten years, so it is quite rare.

Despite the seriousness of the disease, all of the doctors are amazed at Aubrey's progress from day to day.  Even though neurology can see some signs of brain disfunction, Aubrey's speedy recovery makes them hopeful that these problems will resolve in the coming weeks.  Personally, in my work as a doctor, I treat adults with brain injuries, and the kind of progress Aubrey has already made often takes weeks or months - or it never happens at all.  

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The automatic, involuntary movements of Aubrey's mouth and extremities have nearly disappeared and are quite mild at this time.  She shows some mild incoordination with her hands and during walking.  Her agitation and behavior have improved at least 50% or more since lowering the Keppra dose.  They want to keep her on Keppra for some time to suppress seizures, and there is a chance that Aubrey could come off the Keppra in a couple months, if all goes well.

We were hoping that Aubrey could soon be admitted to a rehabilitation hospital, but if she keeps making this kind of speedy progress, she may be able to go home and just do outpatient therapy.  That would be so wonderful.

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Please keep praying for Aubrey's complete recovery.  Here are some things you can pray for:

1. pray for Aubrey to start having good bowel movements.  She is quite uncomfortable from being constipated
2. pray that she will never have another seizure
3. pray that the remaining brain dysfunction will continue to clear, as it has been over the last several days
4. pray that she will want to start eating so we can pull out the NG tube
5. pray that when we leave the hospital, she will be able to come home instead of going to the rehab hospital
6. pray that we will soon have our little girl back, completely made whole

I cannot tell you how deeply it touches our hearts to know that so many of you have visited this site repeatedly to know how you can pray for a little girl you don't know.  We see the love of Jesus in this, and we celebrate His continuing victory.  We truly are a family in Christ.

Seven Great Things That Happened with Aubrey Today

Hey everyone, this is Andy.  I wanted to share seven encouraging things that happened with Aubrey today. 

1. For the first time since waking up from the coma, Aubrey slept all night.  Thank You, Jesus.
2. Aubrey said "mommy" several times last night when Ashleigh was there.  And you can imagine how my heart melted when she said "daddy" twice today.  Plus, while the nurse was flushing her IV line today, she got impatient and said, "All done!" to indicate it was time for the nurse to give her some space. 
3. We took Aubrey's baby doll from her today, and despite how weak she is, she got mad, stood up, and took a step (with help) to get her baby back.  Her strength continues to improve, and she is now able to sit unsupported.  She also is able to sit herself up in bed.
4. She's also starting to interact with her environment more.  This morning, she was was watching the portable DVD player and it fell over.  Rather than let it sit there, she reached out and pulled it back.  Later on, she reached over and picked up a book that was sitting next to her and held it in her lap.  These victories may sound small, but it's the first time she has shown any interest in anything around her, and it's a good sign.
5. When the doctors lowered the dosage of Keppra, she became more calm, though she still freaks out when nurses or therapists approacher her.  Despite some ongoing struggles, her pediatriac doctor said he was, quite frankly, taken aback by how much progress she was making in just two to three days (God is at work!).
6. Thank God tests showed she has no acid reflux.  Plus, the doctors are so encouraged by her progress, they don't think she will need the feeding tube for long, and therefore, they aren't going to place the tube into her abdomen.  This is great news, because it means she will probably go to the rehab hospital sooner rather than later. 
7. Aubrey allowed an NG tube (tube from her nose down into her stomach) today and has not tried to pull it out.  We are successfully feeding her through that tube for now.  The plan is to keep it in until her swallowing and aversion to food improves.  A promising sign of progress is that when Lilly was here this afternoon, she offered Aubrey a cookie.  Aubrey didn't eat it, but she didn't flip out either (she flips out anytime Ashleigh or I offer her something to eat).  She also held the cookie in her lap and held her sippy cup.  She didn't eat or drink anything, but this is a step in the right direction.

So, for the next couple days the plan is to feed her through the NG tube, continue to monitor her agitation, make adjustments to her seizure medication, work on feeding and swallowing to the point that she does not need an NG tube, and then get her to the rehabilitation hospital.

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Can you take a moment to pray for these areas:

• the agitation would continue to decline
• she will participate with her therapists
• she will tolerate the NG tube feedings
• she will start wanting to eat
• she will continue to get stronger and want to start walking

Despite the dark nightmare we've been through, we felt some more hope today, and we know that God is responding to all the prayers.  We praise Him and are grateful that He is being glorified as we come together in agreement to believe that He is our Healer.

A Positive Sign (or Two)

Hey, thank you all for continuing to pray for Aubrey.  She's still got a lot of challenges, but this email from Andy is encouraging. 

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Thank you for continuing to pray.  Our biggest challenge with Aubrey right now is that she is losing weight because she refuses to eat.  She is like an impossible, obstinate infant.  She kicks and screams any time we try to feed her.  Therefore, her doctors are considering a surgery to put a feeding tube in her stomach so she can get food in her body.  This will depend on whether the doctors discover she has acid reflux.  We don't want this to happen, because it would delay her starting physical therapy.

Here's a possible good sign though: her neurologist has noted her agitation and emotions, and he thinks it's a by-product of the anti-seizure medication she is taking.  Obstinance and agitation apparently are common side effects for kids taking the drug (Keppra), and this doctor has even seen a child go from walking to temporarily crippled as a result of taking Keppra.  So they are decreasing the drug tonight, which may make her less stubborn and more likely to eat.  Then maybe she won't have to have surgery to put in a feeding tube.

More good news: Aubrey is getting strong enough to roll over and move her body more naturally now.  She will eventually have to go to a physical therapy hospital nonetheless. 

We're encouraged by how well she's responding to Lilly, her sister, playing with her and helping her get healthier at the same time.  Lilly is able to get Aubrey to do things that nurses and doctors can't (because Aubrey can't bear to be around them; it freaks her out).  Therefore, Lilly will probably have to go to therapy with Aubrey for half of the day, once it starts.  It's a strange blessing that Lilly is part of the prescription for healing, and we pray that God will give her what she needs to help her sister.

Please also be in prayer for our family members who are up here helping us bear the load.  Ashleigh's family members have made long drives up here to come and help in so many ways, and my sister and parents are doing hospital duty and babysitting duty while trying to keep from melting under the weight of their frustrations and sadness as well.  We oftentimes forget these kinds of caretakers, and I would ask you to pray for them as well. 

Finally, for Aubrey, please pray that (1) they will be able to give Aubrey a feeding tube that does not require surgery; (2) her agitation will decrease with the decrease of Keppra; (3) she will have no acid reflux; and (4) she will have no more seizures. 

Thank you again for praying for Aubrey, our families, and us.  We are so grateful.

A Visit to Aubrey Today - Definitely Keep Praying

We visited Aubrey today, and it inspired - actually frightened - me into continuing to fervently pray.  The first thing we noticed is how much smaller she is, which is to be expected.

But what was most alarming as we got closer was the look of fear in her eyes, a fear that would sometimes turn to horror when a nurse would walk in the room.  The fear seems to be mixed with disorientation and confusion - a sense of terror.

Please understand that though this child may have left the ICU, she still needs your prayers badly.  I didn't realize that until I saw her in person.  Let's continue to have confidence in the God who made Aubrey, that He will restore her to complete health.

God, we know that with one word You can creatively heal Aubrey, just as you spoke this world into existence and have healed so many others.  Thank You, Lord.