Skin Graft and more

I finally was able to be at the hospital to see Grace's wound while the wound vac was being changed--it looked a lot better! It is now measuring about three fingers wide (at the widest part) and about a palm size in length--sorry that isn't exact measurements, I just am estimating.

I also got to talk to a doctor from Plastics and he said that the plan is to take Gracie into surgery some time mid-week and do the cadaver graft. After waiting a week or so they will know if her own skin is ready to be grafted in, if it is then she goes back to the OR to have the cadaver skin removed and her skin grafted in. The Dr. said that they would take it from her back or possibly her thigh (if he could get a big enough piece of skin). He assured me that the operation isn't too risky because they just lay the skin on top of the wound and then sew it into place, then they would put the wound vac back on.

From what I understand they don't intend on doing anything else until her chest is better--they don't want to compromise her oxygen levels and impede her healing. So other than letting her rest, they are trying to tweak her feeds or whatever is causing her to have diarrhea--she put out 163 cc of stool yesterday in 12 hours alone! So then we face the constant see saw affect of trying to get her fluid negative even though we are giving her replacement fluid for all the stool she is putting out so that she doesn't get dehydrated. Gracie was on 22 cc on hour feeds but the doctors brought it down to 20 cc (hesitantly) to try and manage her output.

I think that is all for now--we are blessed to be in the resting point right now, because who knows how rocky the road may be when they start asking Gracie to do more. But we will cross that road when it comes.