you take cream and sugar with your coffee, Liam?

Coffee

On Tuesday (11/10) Liam was taken off the pain medication she was on (I forget the name....beer does it for me, though).  The pain medication made her sleepy and the assumption is that it also may suppress her brain from breathing.  Anyway, the Ritalin they gave her in hope it would stimulate the brain, didn't work.  So they moved to.....caffeine.  The amount of 4 cups, no less.  It is too early to know if this is indeed a good stimulating agent, but meanwhile Liam breathed all on her own today.  The ventilator was there ready to intervene if she's not breathing, but she did the job all by herself all day long.  More importantly, even when she took naps (which is usually when her brain slows down and forgets to breathe).  Unfortunately, when she's awake like this and without the pain medication, the tube in her throat gives her a strong gag reflex.  I guess she'll be suffering until the intubation is out.  Poor baby.


Heroes

My biggest heroes in this saga are my 3 girls.

Liam - for the way she keeps fighting, never giving up (which she learned from me, which I learned from Joe Montana).  My English is not good enough to find the words that describe her.  Laying there hooked to all the different machines; hoses and pipes are coming and going from every direction; the medical staff poks her, turns her, cleans her; she's in pain, she vomits, she's struggling to breathe; YET, SHE KEEPS ON GOING.  SHE REFUSES TO GIVE UP.

Rachel - here really I'm at a loss.  I have no words.  She lives in the hospital now for nearly 2 months - on and off.  Her pajama and toothbrush are there.  It's her home away from home.  She holds the whole thing together.

Meitav - might be the biggest hero here.  While the rest of us have the tools, she's just a young teen.  To her it's all new experience.  And minus a few minor breakdowns here and there, she takes it all very well.  She understands that Rachel and mine's first priority these days is Liam.  It must be really tough on her, but she's coping well.  I'm really proud of her and wonder what she'll take from this experience for life.