Kaelyn in the ICU

First of all, Kaelyn's stent placement (internal drain) was a success. They were able to get through from the bile ducts to the intestine. Unfortunately, when she came back from recovery she had a fever of 104.5 and very low blood pressure. She was rushed into the ICU and started on blood pressure medications among other things. She also was intubated (breathing tube placed) to help alleviate her body of any unneccessary stress. The docs think that she has a blood infection called bacteremia and this caused her to go into septic shock. They also think the infection was caused by the stent placement. We think that there was some bacteria in her bile that was stirred up with the procedure and it entered the blood stream. She is currently on 3 antibiotics that will help her fight the infection. She also received two units of blood last night. She is currently stablized with the medication, but still having a fever of around 101. We have tried to start to wean her from the meds, but as we do this her blood pressure starts to drop. The ICU Docs seem to think that she will need to remain in the ICU for atleast 7 days.

It was a terrifying day yesterday, but today is better.

Love,

Angie