Ups and downs - again

Yesterday, Friday, was a very special day.  Liam's breathing tube was pulled out.  During the rest of the day she came back to be her old self.  The Liam we know and love:  smiling, joking, loving.  With her voice still coarse due to the scar the tube left in her throat, she couldn't wait and started taking right away - joking with everybody.  She even sat in her wheelchair.  Just 10 days ago she almost left us. Wow, exciting. 

Liam is moving her head, even her body, her eyes, and she speaks.  All the things, that we take for granted and never think about, are signs of life for her.

But (and how I hate this word, "but"...it's so negative), she didn't have such a good night.  Gaging and vomiting every 20-30 minutes.  She didn't get any rest.  Interestingly, when dawn arrived, I flipped her on her back (to her request) and turned the TV on.  The minute she focused on it the moaning and gagging stopped.
Anyway, the vomiting is nothing new.  She's suffering from it now for over a year.  But the intensity of repeating all night long is sort of new for the last few months.  So the vomiting remain a question that needs addressing.  While it was always there, it was sort of put aside with more urgent things on the table: high blood pressure, seizures, the kidneys, the shunt, the breathing.

How did we - and especially Liam - made it through the last 2 weeks?  Several factors:

1.  Liam's fighting spirit.  She never gives up.  She should be an inspiration for the rest of us.
2.  Medical care and science:  Dr's paid attention to the right things at the right time; nurses provided excellent care. 
3.  A lot of patience by everybody - including Liam.
4.  Love.  The love that everybody poured on Liam and on us.  The positive atmosphere that was here even at the darkest moments.

While we're all happy to see her back, she's still not out of the woods.  The vomiting finally came to the top of the priority list.