Heading Back!

We've been doing pretty good here!  Working, sports, and other activities make it about impossible for me to update often.  Sorry for that.  Overall we having been doing pretty good.  I am still very thankful for the surgery, but will be extremely glad to be off of the Coumadin....hopefully soon. 

Macy started with a fever last Monday.  Due to the Coumadin, I am only able to give her Tylenol.  Well, Tylenol just isn't Ibuprofen, and it didn't help at all.  After hanging out in the 103* range for way too long, I broke down and took her to the doctor.  Her throat looked pretty crappy, and she also had some sinus issues going on.  Our doctor decided to start her on an antibiotic.  We were very thankful for it, and she ended up hovering around 99 the next day, and was back to school on Thursday.  It was a rough week considering I had parent teacher conferences, and wasn't home until 7:30-8:00 on Wednesday and Thursday night.  I am so thankful for my amazing husband that can handle so many things at home! 

We had to take Macy in for a lab check for her INR level on Thursday.  I was caught off guard when they called me on Friday to tell me that her INR was way too high.  Her range for therapeutic level should be between 2-3, and she was 4.79.  Scary!  We were told to hold the Coumadin that night, and restart at a lower dose after that.  We were also reminded about what to look for if she were to start having complications due to the high INR level.  Definitely not what we wanted to be dealing with.  Her INR probably became elevated due to multiple causes such as her high fever, antibiotics, and her diet being off due to being sick. 

We had a rough weekend that resulted in calling our pediatrician with concerns, as well as the Hematologist on call at Luries on Saturday night and Sunday morning.  We headed back to Riley first thing this morning for lab work.  Her INR is down to 1.5 which is too low.  I am just thankful that it's not too high.  That is too scary and stressful!  We are now on a close watch due to these issues and have to head back on Wednesday for another blood draw, and then head to Chicago on Friday.

At our Friday appointment, we will have labs, more imaging, and a check up with Dr. Superina.  We are praying specifically for a few things.  1.  We are praying for the imaging to show continued adequate blood flow through Macy's designated "portal vein" and into her liver.  2.  We are praying for Dr. Superina to allow us to stop taking the Coumadin.  I am hoping that maybe we can switch to a daily aspirin.  I honestly don't even know if that is an option, but I am praying for it!

The girls are doing great!  We are having great school years so far, and I am so proud of both girls.  They both have such positive behavior reports at school, and are very hard working students.  McKenna just finished up her soccer season, and was chosen to play in an All-Star Soccer Tournament in a couple of weeks.  She starts basketball next month, and will do that through March.  Macy is back in the swing of Girl Scouts, and we have been attending many outings.  It is such a perfect activity for her.  She is experiencing so many things.  She looks forward to starting back up gymnastics as soon as she gets to stop Coumadin.  We have also discussed starting something different for her such as horseback riding.  Golf will start back up in spring. 

Prayers are appreciated for our upcoming appointment in Chicago!  I will try to update as soon as I can about the outcome.  Thanks for checking up on us!