Lasix Is Finally Working!

Hi Everyone,

The Lasix Lauren has been taking to reduce fluid and puffiness seems to finally have kicked in and is working. Lauren has lost 16 pounds since April 12th!! 6 pounds in the last few days. She is still very tired and not very hungry. Hopefully, her energy will slowly come back and so will her appetite.

We went to breakfast with a bunch of our friends yesterday and Wo seemed to have a good time. She ate a little of the dippy part of her eggs and a piece of toast. We went to a medical supply store after breakfast to get Lauren a binder for her stomach. It was called Yoder's and is in Hartville. The lady that helped us was very sweet and asked Lauren why she had surgery. Lauren told her the whole story and the lady wanted to give Lauren a big hug and said she would pray for her. Wo said her stomach feels better with the binder.

We have to head back to Michigan this weekend. Lauren has an MRI on Sunday. Yes, you better believe I checked and double checked to make sure the date was right. Sunday at 2:00. She has labs and a visit with Dr. Sonnenday on Monday. Pray that her liver has grown and is healthy. He should be telling us what day her next surgery will be.

I have been changing Wo's dressings every day because they are leaking so much fluid. The scar by her chest is where it has pulled apart and you can see below the skin. The doctors said this was ok and normal. The top part is healing, but the part at the bottom of her chest seems to be getting bigger and today when Lauren pulled her bandages off and looked at it, busted out crying. The poor kid is in such a fragile state that it breaks my heart. Yesterday, when we were in a store called Marcs, I looked at her and wanted to cry because she has been through way too much in her young life and she never complains. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and told her I loved her, but sometimes that doesn't seem like enough. I wish so much I was the one going through this and I know Mark wishes it were him. This should be the happiest time of her life planning her wedding, and instead she is worried about incisions, drains, losing water weight, surgeries, and just plain surviving. Hopefully, one day she will be able to plan things without worry.

I have two pictures for you today. The first one is of Peanut. He is so spoiled and loves to sleep. He crawls under blankets and gets quite cozy. The second is of Wo and her little buddy, Penny, who never leaves her side. She and Lauren have such a special bond. Peanut has always been my baby and Wo thinks he is a total brat, probably because he has bitten her a few times. He has bitten me too. I now understand why tiny dogs are sometimes feared more than big dogs. A big dog will growl and give a warning, but in Peanut's case, he will just bite. Only if you try and take something away from him or push him away. Penny would never hurt anyone. She is way better natured than the cranky little man.

That is about it for now. I will update after the MRI. Thanks for your prayers and support.

Love,
-Pam