Home...take three

This update is coming from our favorite place...

HOME.

 

After 11 days in the hospital,

Audra came home.

Again.

 

For the third time in just 3 months,

we packed up our things

hoping not to have to return too soon.

 

This admission seemed like a turning point though.

We made more progress in figuring our sweet girl out this admission

than we did in the previous two admissions.

 

She completed 5 days of IV immunoglobulin infusions

followed by 3 days of high dose steroids,

in hopes that it will calm any inflammation in her brain

that might be triggering all of these changes in her.

 

The single antibody test that was sent to the local university hospital came back negative.

 

The full antibody panel that was sent to the Mayo Clinic won't return until next week. 

That panel includes the antibody that was elevated in her blood sample.

 

So for now, we have done all that we can do

until we know for sure if Audra has autoimmune encephalitis.

 

Thursday Audra was full of smiles,

a hint of our sweet, sassy girl...

 

Thursday I had to go home for the night because Sean had plans for a little weekend road trip and he needed the minivan...which I had.
Thankfully Audra's godmother was working at the hospital that evening so she checked in on her for me and eased my heavy heart when she reported that she was sleeping soundly by 8:30pm.
 

On Friday Maura went back down to the hospital with me.

Audra sure was happy to see her :)

{I bet she is a bit sick of seeing only my face for so many days in a row!}

 

There were plenty of hugs and kisses...

 



 

And a few games of hospital bingo...

 

Quiet time with iPad videos and games...

 

And then I convinced them to let me take Audra home Friday night instead of Saturday.

They were concerned that I wouldn't have enough help without nursing for the weekend.

But I said it didn't make any sense for me to drive home Friday evening just to have to drive back the next day to pick her up.

 

So home we all went!

 

Saturday morning we jumped right back into the routine...

Maura had a soccer tournament.

I gave Audra all her morning meds right before we left

and by the time we got to the fields she was sound asleep!

It was a pretty rainy day but I was prepared with ponchos and umbrellas.

Audra slept like this in her stroller for over two hours!

 

And then she slept some more on my lap.

 

We had cousins Charlotte and Whitney over Saturday night for a slumber party.

All the sweet girls together again!





 

Audra had a really good day Saturday.  She was calm and happy, didn't have any accidents in her pull up and even managed to sit with her sister and cousins and watch them play.  That is something I haven't seen in a long, long time.  These are all little glimmers of the "old Audra".  We are praying so hard that the treatments she received while in the hospital were the start of helping Audra.  I don't want to get my hopes up yet.  I know there is no quick fix for this.

 

Maura had her final soccer game of the season today.

And she scored her first goal !!!

 

Aidan has been in Canada with his soccer team this weekend.

They are training and competing with a local youth soccer team in Canada from Friday-Monday.

Aidan is in the front row, 4th white shirt from the right.

#6 if you can read the numbers on the blue shorts

 

Sean wasn't a chaperone for the trip but he and a few other dads decided to make a weekend trip out of it.  They left Friday afternoon and will get back late tonight.