April 1st – No Foolin!

It’s another day in the books here at the hospital, and Dallas continues to give us reasons to smile, cheer, and just marvel at her resilience. Here’s the rundown from today—plenty of little wins and some steps forward to share, which were the best Happy Birthday to me 🙂

Overnight her O2 levels were hanging out around 90, so the team decided to pop a nasal cannula on her with a low flow of oxygen to give her a little boost. Nothing major, just a nudge to keep things steady. Her lungs, though? Sounding really good, according to nurse Dan. I’m hoping that chest PT from yesterday is doing its magic,  as it seems things are clearing out a bit.

Dallas has been showing off some moves, too. She lifted her head on her own before a cough—huge!—and even gave a little leg wiggle while the nurse was doing his checks. Speaking of coughs, she raised her head again before another one later in the day. These might sound like small things, but they’re big signs she’s waking up and responding more. The neuro team stopped by for an exam and said this is the most responsive they’ve seen her. Cue the happy tears! During their “flashlight pupil test“, she pulled her head and body away from the light. Yep, our girl is not a fan of the spotlight, and that reaction? Absolute gold!

She’s been flexing her strength in other ways, too. Heather went to change her diaper and let her know what she was doing, and she was not having it—pushed her arm down hard to resist Heather lifting it, not once, but three times. Her respiration jumped to 42 during that little showdown, and we couldn’t be prouder. That fight, that reaction to what’s going on around her—it’s a beautiful thing to see. She also raised her leg twice while the nurse was repositioning her head and listening to her chest. Every one of these moments feels like a high-five from Dallas.

On the medical front, she’s on Pepcid and something called “Petonix” (I think that’s what they said—might’ve heard it wrong!) to help with potential acid reflux. The NG tube got replaced overnight, and there were no morning labs today, which gave us a bit of a breather. This afternoon, she went off for an MRI—no sedation needed, which is awesome—and they’re focusing on her spinal/back area. With the inflammation at her brain stem, they just want to double-check there’s nothing sneaky going on in her spine. Better safe than sorry, right?

We had some fun visitors today, too. Recreational Therapy swung by and talked about coordinating music, stories, and other goodies for Dallas—can’t wait to see what they come up with. And then there was Della, the therapy dog, who stopped in for some pets and cuddles. Oh, and she wore one of her AFO “magic shoes” on her foot today to help keep her tone in check—starting small, but it’s a start.

Krista from PT stopped by and worked with Dallas a bit. She suggested getting her on her sides more, which will help clear out some of the junk that nay still be in her airway. We’re also making sure her heels aren’t always pressed against the bed—no skin irritation or sores on our watch! Krista had us moving her joints and doing some leg/foot stretches, just trying to keep everything loose and limber.

Friends have been sending the sweetest videos with well wishes, and they mean the world to us. Dallas might not be able to say it yet, but I know she feels the love. If you’ve got a spare minute to record one, we’d love to see more—keep ‘em coming!

That’s the scoop for today and we’re just taking it one step at a time. Thanks for sticking with us, cheering her on, and being part of this journey. Dallas is a fighter, and we’re so grateful to have you all in her corner.