Update (Saturday Night)

Rough morning, good evening. They determined that the cause of Dani Jo's sluggish, lethargic behavior was due to her carbon dioxide levels (etCO2) being elevated tremendously. Normal etCO2 levels are 35-55. This morning her levels were ranging from 115-130. Elevated CO2 levels essentially sedate the body. They cause the body to pretty much shut down respiratory functions. Her rate was increased on her vent, as well as her oxygen levels, but the CO2 wasn't coming down. About 10:30 this morning, she began having shaking spells. She had three episodes. The drs. feared she might be having some form of a seizure. They did an EEG to check her brain for seizure activity. They also changed her over the the hospital ventilator fearing there might be something wrong with her vent. They took Dani Jo down to get a CT scan on her brain. While coming back from the CT scan, Dani Jo appeared to wake up and start to recover. When she got back to the room, she was hooked back up to the CO2 monitor and her levels were in the 70's. After a couple of hours, her levels were back in the normal range (40s & 50s). The drs. don't really know what caused her levels to get so elevated this morning. Possibly the infection she had, possibly the medicine she had been taking. The preliminary results from the tests indicate that she did not have any seizures.

I know many of you have been praying for her today. Thank you so much. Most of all, we want to thank God for touching our little girl today and taking care of her.

In Christ,
The Hearls