Good News!!!!

We went to visit with Arianne yesterday and she looked GREAT!! She has now been off the vent for 2 days, she is just on a little bit of oxygen.  The tracheostomy tube remains and a little pneumonia has her coughing up a lot of secretions. It seems the doctors have found a medicine that seems to keep her comfortable but not too sleepy.  Physical therapy and occupational therapy have started working with her, today they stood her up on the side of the bed and started working with shapes, textures and colors.  My lip reading skills are not so good and I think she may have gotten a little frustrated trying to communicate. We tried writing but that didn't work, however she was able to hold the marker in her right hand! They have given us some other communication tools but those didn't seem to help yet either. I read her cards that had been sent, and she cried when I read one from cousin Catherine. So we cried together and I kissed her and told her how much you all love her. She still needs to have a permanent VP shunt placed and that will happen early this week, so I pray we don't have any set backs after the surgery and I pray that the shunt works properly this time. Also benefit promo's have been airing on KSTAR 99.7 FM! Many thanks to Christine Amato for making that happen. Please feel free to comment or offer words of encouragement and I will print them and share them with Arianne.