Update 2022-12-11 6:25 PM

It is Sunday evening. Evangeline is resting comfortably. It looks like that is going to be our holding pattern for the next few days. It is impossible to look into a crystal ball and know how exactly this is going to go. God holds all of this in His hands. We trust Him.

I wish that I could report that Evangeline is now breathing on her own off of the machine, but that is not how it went. Evangeline had passed several test runs and was breathing on her own with the help of the machine. Unfortunately, when they removed the machine, inflammation in her upper airway made it impossible for her to clear anything from down in her lungs. It did not take very long for her oxygen numbers to begin to plummet because of the upper blockage. Her CO2 level started climbing, and her healthy lungs were actually beginning to weaken and fill with fluid. The doctor determined that it was in Evangeline’s best interest to put in another tube and get her back on the machine.

In speaking with the respiratory therapist this afternoon, it was not a setback to have to re-intubate Evangeline this morning. Her lungs were ready. They were not the problem. The problem was inflammation in her upper airway from the tube itself. There was not really a good way to know that was going to happen until we tried to extubate her. Now we know. They are giving her some meds to help with the inflammation. A smaller tube was placed during the re-intubation that already seems to be easier for her little body to handle. A few more days should help the inflammation to go down. She should be even stronger. My hope is that we may be able to give it another try off the machine by Wednesday. We should certainly be discussing it by that day assuming that Evangeline continues to progress nicely. Obviously, no assumption is safe. I am simply preparing my heart for a longer stay.

As I have reflected on all of this today, it would be real easy to feel discouraged by the day’s events. However, I bring it back to simply being grateful that the Lord has granted us more time with our precious little girl. She is His daughter, and He loves her even more than we do. None of us is guaranteed another day, and Evangeline provides a consistent object lesson for each of us of that truth.

Thank you all for your support!  It is so appreciated!  We welcome your continued prayers for Evangeline over the next few days.  Please pray that she would get stronger and her upper airway inflammation would decrease.