Back in the PICU

Olivia is now in the PICU again. At about 6:00 this morning they decided that Olivia would benefit from being on high flow and closer attention. So she is back on the high flow and finally began resting this afternoon. My mom came up this morning so that Joe and I could go to the Ronald McDonald house and get some sleep. We each slept a few hours there, and will probably go back for the night tonght since we are both struggling to function on this extreme lack of sleep. While the other doctors have just blown me off when I have suggested looking further into what caused this same thing again, the pulmonologist came in and told me she agreed with me. She is going to contact Olivia's geneticist and see if he has any suggestions. She thinks there is something more causing the sudden extreme vomiting which then causes the pneumonia. One idea she had was increased pressure on her brain, which can sometimes go along with achondroplasia. She doesn't typically have this additional pressure, but there could be something that causes occasional increased pressure. The pressure could cause vomiting. Since both times she's had pneumonia have been preceded by large amounts of vomiting, she is fairly certain that both were caused by Olivia aspirating some of the vomit. The pulmonologist is hoping to have some ideas as to further testing when she returns to see Olivia tomorrow. This illness means that Olivia's surgery for tubes that was scheduled for April 1 will have to be rescheduled as they prefer that she is healthy for 4-6 weeks before. I will continue to keep you posted as we get more information.