September 1, 2009

Greetings from the Ellerbe-Rosenthal Family!

Thought you all might like to see the family photo taken (thanks Becky) taken on August 28, 2009 before Brooke-Lynn had to catch her plane back to New York. We miss you Brookie!

I have been contemplating for days about this final blog. We are all so very amazed and thankful that she and Audriara came through this and that we all have the opportunity to see them, talk to them and most of all love them. Crystal continues to get physically stronger each day and Audriara grows into her beauty.

Thank GOD, really, thank Him so much for his great blessings. I hope that we all take the time to look into our own lives and count our blessings. Never take for granted what you have, cause you could loose it in a blink of an eye. Mark, Crystal, Brooke-Lynn and Curtis' lives will never be the same. Fortunately they have a second chance to be a family with Audriara. I want them to know that there are so many who love and cherish each of them in every way. Continue to pray every day for this family. I know that they will be forever greatful for your thoughts, prayers and time that you have given on their behalves.

Please keep your faith and know that with God All Things Are Possible.

August 27, 2009

So sorry for the delay in updating this blog....the good news is that Crystal is getting stronger every day. If you didn't already know....she's able to get up on her own now and moves around with much more agility. Better each day in the right direction....

Audriara is just cute as ever....

They had a baby shower last Sunday and really Crystal was overwhelmed with the generousity and love from all of the people and their gifts. She can never thank you enough. Really, WOW! From those who love her, we thank you all for your love and support.

I hope to post a final blog with the family photo soon.

Please keep this family in your prayers. They continue to recover from this devastating illness and its effects on each of them.

Thank you and may God continue to bless you always!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Greetings!

Crystal is really at home now and its great to see her there. I commend her for her great attitude and ability to laugh at herself. I think she is coming into understanding her recent health situation. She has seen the pictures and has some idea of what she looked like but of course she'll never really know how it was for all of us to see her struggle for her life. Thank God for that! She actually stood up (with some assistance-its hard for her to stand up) and walked today without the walker. She said it felt great! She continues to improve a little each day!

Audriara is still in the hospital. They were going to running some tests for the "sleep apnea" and then hopefully she will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. Brooke was hoping she'd get to come home today...it would have been the best birthday present. HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY BROOKE-LYNN!

I'll let you know as soon as I can when Audi gets to come home!

Remember to keep praying and thanking God for His great blessings and continued grace and mercy for fast healing!

Take care and God Bless!

Friday, August 14, 2009

IT'S OFFICIAL....CRYSTAL IS BEING DISCHARGED TODAY AND SHOULD BE ON HER WAY HOME NOW!!!!!!

Audriara will stay for a few more days until her apnea has worked itself out...so to speak.

Please keep praying for Crystal and Audriara. Rehab is hard work and I guess remembering to breath all the time is too!

Praise God!

Thank you and God Bless!!!!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Greetings!

Sorry its been couple of days since the last post. I talked to Crystal for about an hour on the phone last night. Her voice is starting to sound like her old self again. Not as hoarse but she says she still has a sore throat. Hopefully that will pass soon.

Crystal has been told that she may be discharged from the hospital on Friday (yes that is tomorrow). She is opting to continue with physical therapy on her own at home. Perhaps joining a gym or having someone come to the house. Those decisions will be made by Crystal.

They were hoping to discharge Audriara as well but it seems that she had another episode of the apnea so they want to keep her in to observe her more. It was my understanding that they want her to remain episode free for atleast 5 days in a row. She had made it for 4 before it occured. They believe that she forgets to take a breath and it causes the alarms to go off....of course when they take her home there will be no alarms so they are a bit nervous. Otherwise Audriara is doing in great and is tolerating the formula well and growing bigger each day.

Please keep the prayers coming. God is not through with them yet and we continue to hope for the very best outcome in their recovery.

Thank you and God Bless!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Thank God for the small miracles in life and for the BIG ones too!

Crystal continues to get a little stronger each day. She is now tube (IV, Hep Block, Catheter) free!! All she has to do now is continue the physical therapy and regain her physical strength. She's well on her way, that is for sure. The goal now is to go home with Audriara at the end of the week! Sweet Audriara is up to 4 lbs 13 oz and feeding at 60 ml. They have started weaning her to formula now so she can go home with her Mommy.

Here's a photo I took at last night's visit. I have to say it was a whole lotta fun wheeling Crystal down to the NICU....its not easy pushing someone in a wheel chair when they keep you laughing the whole way.....

Here's a portion of the email I received from Danielle and Dewayne that I thought I should share with all of you:

In closing may we all continue to remember and never forget these words:

Thank God for this day and days that will follow; for all of us who read this email and for the many others that has prayed for this moment, May we enjoy long lives with family, friends and acquaintances and remember this time; for this time now, even though the worst is over... always remember this moment, this blink of time, and may it remind all of us how fortunate and truly blessed we all truly are.

Thank you and God Bless!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Happy one month birthday to Audriara Dawn Rosenthal!

I heard througth the grapevine a little while ago.....that it may be possible that Crystal and Audriara will get to go home at the end of the week. Crystal is due to have catheter and hep block removed hopefully later today or tomorrow. She's still progressing along with walking 50 ft or so.....

Please keep all your fingers crossed and pray like you've never prayed before that this will all come to fruition.

May God continue to bless this family with His Grace and Mercy!!!!

Request for Photos

We need photos of Crystal and Audriara for the days of August 6th and August 8th for Crystal's photo album. If any one has photos from those days, would you please email them to cimowens@yahoo.com.

Thanks!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Hello to all who check in on this blog. The good news keeps coming in....

Today Crystal took more steps and walked about 30 ft (50 steps)! Isn't that just a the greatest new? If she keeps up at this pace she may get to go home next week. I was told by Audriara's nurse today that they are working on trying to get both of them released at the same time. Crystal fears that Audriara will get to go home first and that just breaks her heart....perhaps that is the incentive she needed to get walking...Crystal has a long way to go to get back to her old self hopefully sooner rather than later. Now her patience is being tested like all of ours was when we had to wait for her to recover from her illness and wake up. It is wonderful just to be able to sit and talk to her. She's always been a bit of a comedian and it brings us great joy in realizing that she is still the same old Crystal that we know and love.

Audriara is growing and growing....she is now only being bottle fed and is doing great. I know that Crystal looks forward to that day (coming soon) when she will be able to hold her and feed her and love her and care for her all by herself. What a joyous day that will be!!!!!

You all take care and keep the prayers coming. The blessings continue to come in daily for this family and they need each and every one of them.

Thank you and God Bless!

Friday, August 7, 2009

Check out the photo of Crystal taken by Mark yesterday. She's looking great!


Greetings to all!

I just called and spoke briefly with Crystal (who was in physical therapy) to find out how she's doing today. She says that she and the baby are both doing good. Crystal has worked up to standing, lifting her arms up over her head and sitting now. Audriara is getting 3 bottles and weighs 4 lbs 8 oz.

On a special note....it has been brought to my attention that there are some very kind and generous folks and you know who you are....we just want to say thank you on behalf of Crystal and her family.

Please note Crystal has now been at St. Davids for 30 full days. Wow huh! Thank God she is so much better now than she was on the first day she entered the hospital!

Please keep up the prayers and thank God for his great blessings!

Have a great Friday!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

This is the 100th picture I've taken of Audriara. She sure has changed. She's up to 4 lbs 8 oz now and is being bottle fed at every other feeding. She's up to 80 milliliters (about 2.70 ounces). We believe she looks like her big brother, Curtis. She has a great smile that lights up her whole face and so does Curtis.

Crystal is getting stronger each day. Today she stood on her own 2 feet about 4 times throughout the day. It was only for a minute but she feels stronger and is moving her arms and legs more. She was even able to pull herself up in the chair with no hands. She was pretty happy about that. She's completely through with the breathing treatments and can now eat and drink anything she likes. Her spirits seem up and she's well aware of the work she has ahead to regain her full mobility back and is ready and willing as she becomes more able.

I hope you all realize the miracle we have been seeing right before our eyes. We are blessed to have Crystal back and to see her baby growing each day.

Thanks be to God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us.

Please keep the prayers coming!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

It is my pleasure to tell you that Crystal is continuing to do better each day. She is regaining her strength (slowly but surely) and her memories are starting to return. She does have some short term memory loss that we have noticed when telling her some things again and again but its getting better. We had a great visit this evening. She was very alert and sassy to boot. We laughed a lot as she is such a comedian. She has the best smile ever!

Crystal is working on the return of mobility and being able to sit up, stand and hopefully walk soon. She is looking forward to taking a shower (undoubtedly the best shower ever after the past long weeks).

Audriara is still growing and growing and becoming more beautiful each day. I know you all look forward to seeing her in person if you have not already. She is a blessing!

Thank you all for checking in. Please keep Crystal, Audriara and their loved ones in your thoughts and prayers each day.

Thank you and God Bless!

Monday, August 3, 2009 update

HERE IS THE FIRST PHOTO OF CRYSTAL AND AUDRIARA TAKEN ON AUGUST 2, 2009, FOR OUR VIEWING PLEASURE!

Thanks so much to Tyson and Cynthia for providing this photo!

Please keep the good thoughts and prayers coming for Crystal. It is a real struggle for her to regain her strength just to be able to do the every day mundane things we all take for granted...ie: eating, brushing your teeth, sitting up in a chair, walking, etc. She will have to undergo physical therapy for a while to get back to where she was before her illness. She's only been awake for a week now and she has come a long way already. I keep trying to remind her of that little fact. We all are so proud of her and love her so much. Audriara continues to grow....up to 4 lbs 4 oz now. Woohoo!

Thank you and God bless!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Enjoy this great photo....it looks like Audriara is talking to her mommy's picture~you gotta love it!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK! And thanks so much to all of you to have prayed on behalf of this young family.

I'm glad to report that Crystal is getting better each day. She is trying to build up her strength and re-learn using her muscles. Just moving her arms and legs has been a bit of a struggle but she is coming along very well and getting stronger each day.

The best thing of today and the greatest birthday present that Mark could ever receive was the Crystal finally got to meet her daughter in person and hold her. She quickly noted "how beautiful she is" and that is a quote from the mommy's mouth. Thanks to Cynthia for being there to observe this great blessing. I want to make sure I can borrow a copy of one of the pictures to scan it and save it to Crystal's special photo/scrap book.

Audriara continues to grow bigger each day. She is now up to 4 lbs and 1 oz. She is also smiling quite a bit. We all join in smiling with the happiness we feel in seeing both Crystal and Audriara grow stronger each day....until they can leave that hospital and go on to live the life God intended.

Thanks be to God and my He bestow many great blessings on each of you.

HERE IS THE FIRST PHOTO OF CRYSTAL AND AUDRIARA TOGETHER....(THANKS SO MUCH CYNTHIA)

Friday, July 31, 2009

UPDATE:

They removed the ventilator tube at 8:30 this morning and all went excellent!

Although she has the feeding tube, they will not do the trachetomy because she can breate on her own just fine.

She is sitting up and even speaking to her nurse right now. Her voice is hoarse, but can be understood.

Her vitals are wonderful.

She is coughing well and getting rid of the remainder of fluid in her lungs. Physical therapy is in their right now working with her.

She will remain in ICU for 1-2 weeks and be able to go home if no further complications arise.

The baby is great!

PREVIOUSLY:

Last evening Crystal was still progressing forward. She seems to be doing a little better each day. Today may be the day she gets the respirator out....we are keeping our fingers tightly crossed. Her throat is very sore and irritated by the tube so getting it out would be a great things for many reasons....mostly because she can breath on her own now.

We showed her the many photos we have taken of Audriara. She can hardly wait to see her for herself up close and in person. That day is coming folks....soon.

Audriara has gained up to a healthy 3 lbs and 13 oz. She is amazing as you can imagine and growing quite nicely. I actually got to hear her cry...well sort of...for my first time anyway. She's a doll.

I know that Mark, Curtis and Brooke-Lynn are anxiously waiting for both, Crystal and Audriara to come home.

We must continue to pray and pray without ceasing for them both.

Thank you and God Bless!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

This has to be the best Wednesday in the history of the world.

Crystal continues to improve. She is still on the respirator but only for support. The PEEP is set at 5 and the oxygen is set at 30%. She is doing all of the work of breathing on her own now. She was very alert and sassy to boot this evening. She was making us laugh just like she always has. It was a great thing to behold. She basically has done a 180 in the past 3 days and is getting a little stronger as each day progresses. She still has a lot of gunk in her lungs and its breaking up and coming out. Keep all your fingers crossed that she will get the respirator removed in the next day or two. Everyone is amazed with her progress!

Audriara was sleeping peacefully tonight and continues to do well. I took pictures for Crystal today and showed them to her on the camera's small screen. She was mesmerized. I hope to put together a slide show for her of all the pictures I've taken so far and get it up to her in the next few days maybe by Saturday.

Crystal wanted to hear all about how Curtis and Brooke-Lynn and Mark was doing tonight. She cried and mouthed "I love them so much." She mouthed to us all "I love you." What a precious gift!

Thank you all for your support. For all the prayers and good thoughts and kind words of encouragement. Karma is a great thing to have around.

God Bless Each and Everyone!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Still coming with the good news...I'll let you know more today as I learn it....

This morning: Crystal made it through the night on her back with 40% oxygen and sats in the 90s. She's a trooper!

This afternoon: Crystal has been moved back into a regular hospital bed and is still doing better today. They have said once she can sit up on her own they'll let her see and hold Audriara.

Final edit to this blog today. I just got back from the hospital where our girls are both doing better.

Crystal had a couple bad moments while I was there but seemed to settle down after a short bit. Dr. Shapiro was there and ordered a chest xray....it showed improvement from this morning's xray. So he determined the compression therapy actually loosened up the gunk in her left lung and momentarily caused her a bit of problems. It seemed like she stabilized once they suctioned her out. She was alert and tried to talk to me the whole time I was there. And get this...Nurse Giselle turned the TV on to give her something to do or listen to....there was song playing and Crystal bobbed her head back and forth a bit as if dancing to the music. It was great to see her personality coming through. She still asked if she was getting better, asked about Audriara....I should say mouthed it because she still cannot speak around the respirator. Hopefully, and keep your fingers crossed, she'll get that removed in a couple of days. It depends on how well she does weaning down off the oxygen and the respirator breathing for her. Dr. Shapiro had both fingers crossed on each hand and hopes that she continues to do well. Everyone there is rooting for her too!

Audriara is still doing well. She has grown to a whopping 3 lbs and 11 oz. I watched her get a bath and she was totally alert. She's really starting to change each day. I told Crystal about the 60+ pictures I have taken for her. Her eyes widened.

All in all this was a pretty good day. I hope we keep having better ones here on out.

Keep praying and thanking God for the miracles we have received!

Thank you and God Bless!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Great news to share with you all today.

Crystal was on her back for most of the day since 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. this evening. She is still on the Roto-Prone bed for at least one more night. If she continues to do well they are planning to move her to a regular bed tomorrow. They were able to turn her oxygen level down to 40% and her sat levels maintained in the 90s most of the day.

Now are you ready for the best part, she opened her eyes and was able to communicate some with her visitors. She can't talk with the respirator in but she certainly tried mouthing things to us all. I love you too mouthed back was the best thing. I showed her pictures of Audriara and she wanted to hear about her. I told her she was tiny and perfect and breathing on her own since the day she was born. I saw the relief in her eyes as she closed them. She is definitely weak and tires fairly easily as you would expect. She wanted to assure us and mouthed that she was better and shook her head yes when we confirmed that to her. We asked her to stay relaxed and let the machine do the breathing and she nodded yes again.

Audriara is still holding her own and doing well. She is not fattening up quite fast enough for them but she is a strong little girl and moves around alot. I told her that her mommy woke up and that she was going to get to see her soon....Audi smiled....what a great coincidence....or was it?

Crystal and Audriara still have a ways to go so please keep the good thoughts and prayers coming. Don't forget to thank our GOD for this GREAT BLESSING TODAY.

Thanks and God Bless each of you.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Finally getting back to update you all. So sorry for the lack of attention.

I'm so very glad to report that we are starting to see improvement in Crystal in the past few days. She is tolerating being on her back more and keeping her sat levels up pretty well but not enough to be out of the woods so to speak. Her oxygen intake level was set at 70% when I left this evening and her sats were staying up to the upper 80s to the high 90s. Her left lung was not keeping up as well as the right. So the goal is to get both lungs working equally well, getting the intake level down and keeping the sat levels up. She is still on the Roto-Prone bed but is now being rotated around (face down and face up every 3 hours) and rocked back and forth (very slowly every 3 minutes). It is an amazing thing to behold. You can actually see the benefits on the monitors. Her fever was down to to 99.4. When I'm there talking to her we (me and the staff) actually see her numbers improving with regard to the sat levels, etc. I encourage her in every way I know how and tell her I love her each day. She even responded to me by nodding her head yes on Friday when I told her that she was getting better. Also when I told her Audriara was doing very well. My heart nearly skipped a beat!

Audriara is doing fantastically. She still breathing on her own and her tiny little body is functioning quite well. (Everything works properly) They are just continuing to fatten her up. She's beautiful and all of her care givers agree. For those who visit you may notice that photos of her mommyand daddy are now in her isolete so that she can see them.

Thanks for all who follow this blog. Please keep the prayers coming... we still have a long way to go.

May God Bless Each of You!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Here's a new photo of Audriara for your viewing pleasure. Please keep in mind that Crystal has not even seen her beautiful daughter yet, so relish your priviledge in seeing these first. A picture of Audriara has been taken each day to be placed in a special book for Crystal so that she can see how she changed each day and hopefully make her feel better about missing out on seeing it for herself.

Crystal is holding her own and is a true champion in her own right. Vince Lombardi once said "Inches make Champions" and I think that applies in our situation here as she is fighting so hard. Crystal overall remains the same but there continues to be slight improvements each day. Her chest xrays are improving and show that the pneumonia is clearing out little by little. Her left lung was improved this evening as more air could be heard getting in. The past few days it has been her right lung that was clearer. It seems to be going back and forth. The goal is to get both of them working together. She is still comatose and on the respirator. Her O2 levels are set between 70-100% as needed. She's still on the Roto-Prone bed at least for a few more days. It rotates her back and forth very slowly every few minutes. The settings on the bed are changed as needed. All is all more of the same and its really testing our patience.

Also, please feel free to leave comments on the blogs. Someday Crystal will see this and know how much we love her.

Keep your faith and keep on praying for Crystal's healing and Audriara's growth.

Thank you and God Bless!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Today was bittersweet as usual.

Audriara continues to grow stronger each day. She got off the oxygen and her IV today. She's up to receiving 32 ccs (1 oz) of milk at each feeding every 3 hours. That will continue to increase as she fattens up. She's totally amazing as you all can imagine. What a great blessing!

Crystal was having a not so good day today. She couldn't tolerate being on her back in the bed so as you can imagine her face was really swollen. She's still responding some under the heavy sedation which she is not suppose to be able to do. It personally gives me hope that she is still in there and understands what is happening around her. As much as one could under the circumstances. Things change with her each day with regard to her treatment for the pneumonia and pulmonary embolism. Some are good, some are not so much. Trying to focus on the positive here. She has a long road ahead of her to recovery from this most serious life threatening illness. Keep praying for her expedient healing.

A special thank you to the nurses and medical staff who are caring for our dear girls. They are so great and take the time to explain things and even look in on both when they are off duty. You can't imagine how that helps us to know they are not just patients but people they have come to care for too.

Thank you and God Bless!

Monday, July 20, 2009

Crystal remains in stable but critical condition. Her condition is improving very slowly. The pneumonia is breaking up. She is still being treated for a PE. Her blood pressure was lower today. Her fever comes and goes. Still nothing bacterial growing in her cultures. Xrays show slight improvements. She is still on the Roto-Prone bed and can be for another week. It is our great hope that we will see more substantial improvement in the coming days. Please remember she can hear everything you say so please keep it positive when you are visiting. She is thinking of her children and husband and needs to know all are ok and waiting for her return.

Audriara continues to amaze us all. She is growing and gaining weight slowly. She is back up to 3 lbs and 6 oz. Tiny and Strong and Beautiful in every way!!!!

Keep up the good thoughts and prayers. There has been an outpouring of generous love and support shown on Crystal and Audriara's behalves. You all are a great blessing to her and her family and friends who love her most. God Bless and God Speed for Healing!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Today, we received news that Audriara will be losing her nasal canula (oxygen) in the next day or so. Yea for her! She's up to 22 cc of milk every 3 hours. They are trying to fatten her up now. She's beautiful and growing each day. Here's a photo from Saturday, July 18, 2009.

Crystal is certainly holding her own. It seems that she may be finally turning the corner. The ARDS is better. They pneumonia is breaking up. She is being treated for a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs). She is still on the respirator helping her to breath to keep oxygen going to the rest of her body. She still has a long way to go. Please keep the good thoughts and prayers coming for her. We know she's tough as she proves that more so each day but she cannot do it alone. Please remember while visiting Crystal that they want to keep her calm. Also note that she responds best to positive encouragement.

Thanks to all of the medical staff who watch over Crystal and Audriara each day. Mostly thanks for caring so much about our girls.

Thanks and God Bless!

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Today there was a moment when Crystal was weened off of the sedative and she was able to nod her head yes and no when she was asked questions. This just means that while she is off of the medication she is responsive which is a good sign. It shows that her comprehension has not been effected by the state that she has been in. There is virtually no change in her condition but that doesn't mean that there won't be any. The nurse that is working with her today has told us that he has seen five different people in her condition be placed on the bed. Three of those five have responded well to the treatment. He also went on to tell us that normally the condition truly improves after two weeks, although this does give insight to what we may or may not be in for the fact remains that everyone will respond differently to any type of treatment. Therefore, we really don't know when we can expect to see true improvement for Crystal. Today they have her oxygen intake percentage at around 80 to 90. Her blood oxygen level is at around 97. It has been seen at 99 as well as 94. Regardless there is some improvement in her oxygen level. She has been the same all day and overall her condition has not really improved but it also has not worsened since two days ago. She's remaining stable. Keep praying hard and don't give up hope.

Because people have been so eager to help and have been looking for ways in which to do so we have set up The Crystal Ellerbe-Rosenthal Family Assist Fund that contributions can be made to. This money will remain in the account unless an extreme emergency occurs. It will then be used to pay for rent, electric, water, and grocery. If the money is not needed it will then be placed into a college savings account for Brooke-lynn Rosental, Curtis Dean Rosenthal, and Audriara Dawn Rosenthal. You can go into any Bank of America and make a contribution using the account number that will be provided below or if you have Bank of America you can go online and transfer funds into the account directly. Online bank to bank transfers will require a routing number as well as the account number, both of which are provided below. We appreciate everyones prayer and hope, every little bit helps. Thank you and God Bless.

Account Number: 586010601719
Routing Number: 111000025

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

Ultimately there has been very little change in Crystal's condition. Good blood oxygen levels give us hope and the lower that her oxygen intake percentage is the better. However, they are keeping her around 80 to 90% oxygen today, her blood oxygen level is around 92 for the majority of the day. Her fever was around 104 the previous day, but, today was sitting around 99.4 which is much better. They are not able to drain fluid from her lungs at this point. They ran another culture yesterday and we're waiting on the results to come in, that should take around 72 hours.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Mark talked to the doctors earlier this morning. They say that the x-rays of her lungs are showing some improvement for Crystal. We have been told that she will get worse before she gets better. Hopefully this is what they were talking about and she doesn't deteriorate anymore. They had her oxygen level at 70% for the majority of the afternoon today and her saturation level sits at around 92. The bed is swinging her from side to side and it's helping her saturation level stay up. Her stats are just her stats at this point. The doctors and nurses won't give up so don't lose hope either. We should see some progress within three days or so. Audriara is doing great, she does have jaundice but she's responding well to the lamp they have her under. She's the most gorgeous little human being ever. Keep praying. Crystal needs all the prayers she can't get. Don't give up hope, keep your faith.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Today has brought rather frightening news for us. They told us when she first arrived that the last resort would be a particular bed that they could bring in. The purpose of this bed is to keep her rotating so that we can hopefully prevent the fluid in her lungs from settling. This means that Crystal's stats dropped and was at this point not doing well. She had been maintained on about 70% oxygen for the majority of Sunday night well into Monday morning with her saturation level sitting at around 94. It is good that they were able to drop her oxygen level down to this, because that much oxygen over an extended period of time can be detrimental to her. She was not able to maintain this. When the first placed her on the bed we saw dramatic improvement in her saturation level, it reached 100 at one point. It seemed that one of her lungs was better off than the other. The bed basically has Crystal strapped down. She is on her back but the entire bed is rotated over and she is face down to the ground, suspended by the bed. They tell us sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't and at this point, well, we just don't know.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Crystal is able to stay on 80% oxygen most of the time. It fluctuates up and down at different points. Her saturation level sits around 93. It dropped down to 90 at one point but it went back up. The fact is that the doctors don't know what the cause of her pneumonia is but it is not bacterial. It is viral which is worse because it can cause bacterial infections in other organs but for the moment she is stable enough. She is not showing any progress, but we're keeping hope close to our hearts. Audriara is doing great, she has a slight touch of jaundice but that is to be expected with a preemie. She is still amazing and making progress, her Aunt Becky got to hold her today. They're letting one person a day hold her so she can be used to getting affection from the people that love her. Just keep your fingers crossed and pray your hardest for Crystal so she can make it through and watch her children grow up and grow old with the people that love her. Audriara should be great just keep hope.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Crystal was on 70% oxygen around 9:30 this morning which is much better than the 100% is has been at since she arrived here. Her oxygen saturation level was at a stable 94. It fluctuated during the day and at one point dropped to 91. They then increased her oxygen level to 80% and saw an improvement, her oxygen saturation level was at 95. She is now back to 70% oxygen and her level has stayed at 95. Which means that she is making progress. The doctor that delivered Audriara said that it was the first time they would be able to look at us and say that Crystal had actually improved. This DOES NOT mean that Crystal is on easy street. She is still in extremely critical condition, however, she is more stable now. There is a very long battle ahead so she needs a lot of prayers and a lot of hope.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Mark was able to speak with the doctors to find out exactly what was going on. Around 9 or so they told him that they were going to deliver the baby. Even though they knew it would be extremely difficult for Crystal to make it through surgery they believed that it was the best option they had to save both of them. Which meant that if they didn't Crystal wouldn't make it. With the baby delivered they could attack her illnesses more ferociously and would not have to be concerned with the effect that any medication would have on the baby. Sure enough Audriara Dawn Rosenthal was born at 10:39 AM via cesarean section. She was born breathing on her own which is quite miraculous considering that she was born 10 weeks prematurely. She weighs a whopping 3lbs 9oz. She is 16 1/4inches long. Delivering her was the last resort, they hoped very much that it would help her. Luckily the odds were very much in little Audriara's favor, she is extremely strong. At this point Crystal was not doing well, the surgery took a lot out of her but the doctors expected some decreased stability after the trauma of a c-section. However, circumstances began to look bleak.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

At this point no progress has been made. Her vitals are still the same and the blood work is telling the doctors nothing about the cause.

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

Crystal was not making progress at this point but she wasn't getting any worse. They were monitoring her closely. She was still at 100% oxygen and her blood saturation level was around 93 for the majority of the day. We thought that we would be getting the blood culture back that would tell us what exactly had caused the pneumonia that then turned into ARDS. She tested negative for the flu more than once, however, that is what the doctors believe is the cause.

Tuesday, July 7th 2009

Crystal was admitted into St.David's Hospital in Georgetown Texas around four a.m. She was at that time diagnosed with sever pneumonia. Once admitted she was started on an oxygen mask and the baby was monitored. At 6:00 pm they began to prep her for transfer to St.David's Main in Austin. When she arrived at the hospital they immediately intubated so that they could start her on 100% oxygen. We were then told that she had developed a disease known as Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. She was placed in the Intensive Care Unit, a nurse continued to watch them around the clock, monitoring everything that occurred. We were told at that time that the odds of her surviving this were 40%. Because she is a young woman her chances of recovering were increased but being pregnant decreased those chances. It was basically a waiting game at this point. The entire time Crystal was teetering on the brink her little body was preserving that baby perfectly. Her little heart beat stayed strong at around 150 most of the time.




To find out more about ARDS please visit
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/acute_respiratory_distress_syndrome/article_em.htm

it is full of information that should answer all of your questions.