CHAPTER ELEVEN  UPDATE: March 17, 2004 Dear All, Although all is well now, we had a rather terrifying day yesterday.  When I called the hospital at 5:00 AM yesterday morning, I was told that Ivy was having difficulty breathing (since 4:30 AM) and that her sats had dropped to about 88 on 100 percent oxygen.  The pulmonary doctor on call had told them to raise the pressure on the vent to try to overcome the issue while he drove into the hospital. We left home as soon as we had made arrangements to get Chris to school and home.  When we got to the hospital, the doctor was at Ivy's side and told us that he would have to perform a bronchoscopy to find out what was causing her distress.  This is basically a tube put down her throat that allows him to view the passages in her lungs.  He found that a mucous plug has shutdown the majority of her right lung and he took steps to vacuum it out of her bronchial passage. During the time the doctor was working on her, Ivy's heart stopped three times, requiring him to stop and perform CPR.  They were able to get her to recover, but Kathie and I were at the foot of Ivy's bed as this was taking place and I must share with you all that this is the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed.  Seeing CPR performed is scary enough...seeing it performed on your daughter is terrifying.  When the plug was removed Ivy stabilized, but it was soon realized that the pressure had caused another pnuemo on her left side and the seventeenth chest tube was put in by Ivy's trauma surgeon. As soon as the chest tube was put in, Ivy's condition improved.  About four hours later, the pressure was reduced.  She maintained her 100 percent saturation and the pressure was lowered a second time.  Because her blood pressure was low, they could not begin the CRRT (dialysis).  This was troubling as Ivy had so much fluid intake that we were afraid she would become so wet that her sats would drop again.  Her poor body had been through far too much as it was.  Even with all she had been through, Ivy was asking us to hold her and was giving Kathie and I kisses in return for the ones we gave her. She was started on the CRRT around 8:00 PM last night and we are told she had a very comfortable night.  Her surgeon came in this morning and reviewed her x-rays saying that if the pressure could be kept down and no more pnuemos, her lungs should continue to heal.  This is a very encouraging statement after the horrible day we faced yesterday.  I am going to leave work in a few moments and head for the hospital. I felt this needed to be shared with everyone because it was so serious.  I can't begin to thank you all for your prayers and good thoughts that I know were a help to Ivy during her very tough trials yesterday.  The cards and e-mails are read to her and they always bring a smile to her face.  God Bless you all.  For those new to the list, you can see all of the past e-mails at my friend Mike's site.  He was kind enough to set this page up and share it with his church.  IF you know of anyone who needs help with web page design, go to the home page and contact Mike, he is one of the best designers I've ever seen.  The link is  http://www.imagesculptor.com/ivy.html With My Best Wishes Always,