Timna Update Wednesday 11/18/2009 11:15-ish am Eastern TImna's color has vastly improved just since yesterday. A visible indication that her liver enzymes are improving and that her hemoglobin is staying up. They are doing blood tests more frequently since there are still small amounts of blood in her stomach fluid. This could be because her blood pressure has raised above where they want it (now at 171/59). The nurse said she was already getting something to lower it. Timna is raising her arms more and squeezing harder. Attentive and her face is expressive. There is still a communication lag where she seems to have to think about what muscles to move to nod or shake her head. After a less than a half hour of my attention and her responding she tired to a point I knew she had better rest which she is doing fitfully right now. The doctors have not finished their rounds yet but yesterday she never got dialysis and I found out that her schedule has been changed to every other day. Yesterday's dialysis canceled and today's dialysis scheduled for late morning. The emergency room has a patient that required immediate dialysis so Timna will get hers right after that. The respiratory specialist said she is triggering most of her own breathing but the machine is assisting her to take full breathes and a minimum of 16 breaths a minute. When the raising of arms and slight squeezing are garnishes of success to her condition it's easy to see that she is still a very very sick girl. I'm gladdened and saddened as I type while looking at her face. Out of immediate danger but oh so far to go. Timna Update Wednesday 11/18/2009 5:15-ish pm Eastern Timna and I just finished watching a movie together while she was getting dialysis. A silly romantic comedy called "Confessions of a Shopaholic" or something like that. She enjoyed it. Now she's sleeping as dialysis finishes. Timna is scheduled to go down to surgery in an hour or so to have her dialysis portal changed to something more permanent. Dr. Margolis (kidney guy) said that her creatinine levels had held at the same level between dialysis treatments which shows that her kidneys are functioning at a low level. Timna's face is much more animated today as I had mentioned earlier but she tires quickly which I understand completely. Her strength will come back. I'll do an update later after her surgery. Many thanks to my sister, Wanda for sending a picture taken in August that you see above left.
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