Out of ICU to general ward

Kate left ICU at about 1130pm last night. They needed her room for some sicker kids. She was stepped down to the general ward here at UCSF. I guess she was the best candidate to leave ICU. If there had been room, she would not have moved. She's still being monitored.

Kate slept ok last night. She is still pretty sick and listless. She only opens her eyes every couple of hours for a few minutes (and only about half way). She is clearly not feeling well.

On a good note, she's holding down her food and hasn't thrown up since Friday. She is being fed continously via pump at a slow rate (which will deliver her normal total volume over 24 hours). We started at a slow rate yesterday afternoon and increased the rate to her current rate overnight. So far, she hasn't perked up (as we hoped she would once she got some nutrition). Hopefully we see some improvement today.

She is still on oxygen. She was taken off for a few seconds last night as they prepared to transfer her. Her SATs dropped to the mid 80s again and may have gone further had the O2 not been turned back on quickly. This may be indicative of a more serious problem, or it may just be that her body has gotten used to the pure oxygen and needs to be weaned slowly.

Her EEG has been on overnight and has not shown any seizure activity (awesome!). They should be removing the leads from her head this morning. It will be good to be able to feel her fontanel again (it's inaccessable under the EEG leads right now).

On a more sobering note, there is a possiblity that there could be lasting effects of the meningitis. Hearing loss, developmental delays (as if she needed more), and other issues are possible effects of this infection. This has been hard to swallow and a big source of angst for Kelly and I.

Kelly and I are trying to figure out how we are going to handle the next few weeks. Our room situation is EXTREMELY challenging (2 families in a room big enough for one). How the three of us will tolerate the duration of her treatment is currently a mystery.

PLEASE send us your prayers, thoughts, positive energy, etc. etc. etc. Thank you!!!