Katy has been alert, awake and responsive all day. Her physical therapist asked her what happened to her feeding tube and she smiled. She had managed to pull it out herself! It is wonderful to see some different emotions expressed on her face – especially a smile.

Yesterday afternoon she had a breathing test that did not go so well, she was breathing for an hour on her own, but her respiratory rate was too high, and oxygen levels were too low. Today however, she was breathing for 2 hours on her own, and the Respiratory therapist reported that the test went really well. Her doctors are still recommending a tracheotomy, which they think will be better for her continuing recovery by allowing her to start breathing on her own without getting exhausted from the effort – breathing for two hours on her own, is not breathing all the time.

Last night and this morning she made some urine. Not much and it is too soon to tell if her kidneys are working, but it is promising news. Today she is going to have dialysis again, but this time hemodialysis, not continuous (CVHV). She will have hemodialysis every couple of days. On friday her doctors plan to put in a permanent (6 months – 1 year) line for dialysis.