ABIGAIL NEWTON SMITH

Sunday, 2nd September 2001 - Day 17

I have been doing these updates for 17 whole days now and have tried to keep you all updated on my progress as much as possible. If you want to know anything else then just e-mail me using the link on the home page and I will try and answer you as soon as I can. It can take quite a while as my fingers are only small, however I am sure Daddy will help me out.

Today has unfortunately been fairly non eventful. I have been relatively stable after yesterdays ups and downs. However I still have to be knocked out so that I do not fight the ventilator and mess up all my gas levels  which the doctors and nurses so carefully establish. One of the side effects of this drug is that I seem to loose a lot of fluid into parts of my body "that other fluids don't reach" and as such I am quite puffy around my joints and head, especially my little fingers which are like very mini sausages. In addition to this the doctors have had problems with my electrolyte balances and have had to give additional fluids which don't help either. Mummy compared me to a little Michelin man.

This meant that I was not looking my Sunday best for my Auntie Cath who came to visit with Grandma. This is the first time she has seen me in real life as she has just arrived back from holiday, but she said I looked so cute so I cannot look as bad as I think.

I have made very little progress today on getting my ventilator pressures down. As soon as they drop it down something else changes and they have to put it back up again.

I must try harder to get the ventilator pressure down, so please tune in tomorrow for another thrilling instalment.

Last Updated : 07/09/01.