Dearest Friends and Family:
A stable day. Sage continues on the ventilating oscillator with the plan to continue to slowly wean her and then transfer to a conventional ventilator. She has made extremely slow progress in that direction. When Sage is moved or turned she regularly desaturates (drops her oxygen level), which has made the wean very slow and speaks to the amount of disease in her lungs as the result of her ARDS. We are encouraged as there have not been setbacks today. This could take many days. Once Sage is back on a conventional ventilator she will be able to taken to the CT scanner—provided that she can tolerate some movement and remains stable.
Sage's WBC remains elevated in spite of multiple antibiotics. Her cultures remain negative. The chest xray today shows no improvement in the level of disease in her lungs. The infectious disease consultants continue to consider multiple possibilities for the cause of the infection. Without a confirmed organism or a positive culture the recommendation has been to continue to treat for all possible organisms.
Sage's kidneys continue to function. They have experienced some stress as a result of Sage's blood pressure and the antibiotics she is on.
Sage remains on a blood thinner and is monitored closely for all the complications.
Sage's heart remains strong. She has an excellant blood pressure off of all "pressors" (medications that support her bp). She required these pressors until 48 hours ago.
The team continues to follow her liver function tests closely, as there have been some abnormalities since the time of Sage's transfer to DHMC.
Sage's abdomen remains an ongoing cause for concern. The surgical consultants continue to recommend watching and waiting, as the risks of surgery and its complications are so very high. The drain from her abdomen will most likely be removed within the next 24 hours and the hope is to image her abdomen with a CT scan in the coming days.
Sage remains heavily sedated and paralyzed. She does not feel pain. She most likely has a sense of the gentle and caring hands that surround her. We continue with gratitude for the fine care she has received at DHMC.
I look in on you all everyday, morning and evening, and continue to hope for improvement and a diagnosis of the infection. You continue in our thoughts. When we gather at dinner time I recap how Sage and you all are doing for Steve, Laura, and Ross. We're pulling for you. Glad that Mark and Nathan arrived safely and that you're all together.
ReplyDeleteWe continue to follow Sage's progress and to pray for her steady recovery. Love, Kim and Julio
ReplyDeleteI just heard about Sage's illness & read through the blog. We are friends from Guilford and I have a picture I'd like to share. Please email me & let me know where I can send it. Thinking of you all & sending lots of love & prayers! emmaocie@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteSage, Sophie, Nathan,and family,
ReplyDeleteOur love and thoughts are still with you also.
Carol, Nick and Kids
We have not stopped thinking about and praying for Sage and the rest of the family. We know what a true fighter she is and we are pulling for her. All our love, Alanna and Brendan
ReplyDeletei am praying for sage. i am a classmate from guilford college. She always made me laugh, whether it was during the weekends, at meals, or in class. She debated in one of our classes and was so loud and passionate about her argument; it was the talk of the class for the rest of the semester!
ReplyDeleteI am a classmate from Guilford college who has just heard of Sage's illness and I now count myself as one of many rooting for Sage. She would always make art and fye lab fun with her loudly voiced (and hilliarious opinions) and I now that she will pull through.
ReplyDeleteSending good vibes!
Sage: We're envisioning you being strong enough to have received a CT scan. You are weaned from the blood pressure meds. You are on a regular ventilator. Your lungs are showing signs of clearing. And, your test results and cultures have come back showing clear indications of the type and source of the infection. And, best of all, your color is greatly improved. We see your family enlivened with new hope. We see you held by the loving arms of your Mother, Father & Brother. We them being being encircled by a complex weave of arms and legs of your extended family. We see them swaying with the rhythmic whispers emanating from the hearts and minds of a world-wide network of prayers sung in your name.
ReplyDeleteSophie, Sage and all,
ReplyDeleteI'm continuing to check in and sending you much love and good thoughts from here in Belgium.
Dearest Sage,
ReplyDeleteWe are with you throughout. Fight on my dear. We are all rooting for you. We love you and we look forward to your return.
With love and zeal for you my friend, fight on. We know you can do it Sage. We know you can make it thru this.
Love,
Emily and Joe and Annabelle and Salli and the Bunnies, Abi and Ella
P.S. My work is cheering for you Sage. My friends and family are cheering for you Sage. Keep on…we are by your side.
Good to hear that there were no setbacks today. And slow progress is
ReplyDeletebetter than no progress! We are grateful that you send news
regularly, even if our times are so different. The doctors WILL
progress, if she will just hold on and her heart continue to be
strong. We send wishes and thoughts and hope. And love. Suzy and Sandro
Dear Sophie,
ReplyDeleteSending healing prayers for Sage and gentle light for all your family around her.
If there is any way that I can help, please call or email me. I live across the river from Dartmouth-Hitchcock in Norwich, VT.
Could I bring some food? Do you need laundry done? Please call me at 802 649-8818 if there is anything that I can help with.
Peace and blessings,
Mary
Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day I can hear her breathing.
~Arundhati Roy
Dear Sage,
ReplyDeleteI can't believe what has happened. It seems like just the other day we were chatting about me visiting when school starts up again and how different summer felt after the amazing time we had at Guilford. I know you can't read this right now, but when you are finally well again and back to your amazing self, I hope that this among the many other comments and letters you have and will continue to receive will show you how much everyone loves you. You are one of the greatest people I have ever had the pleasure of calling my friend, and the world needs you. You will always be in my thoughts, and I cannot wait to see you again.
Much love and many prayers,
Bachi
Hi,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Yarrow. I am an old friend of Sage's, been praying for all of you! i wanted to email you because i had another friend a few years ago who had a similar condition to what Sage is experiencing right now. They finally diagnosed her with Toxic Shock Syndrome after two weeks of being in the ICU. I know that the dr.'s have probably already tested for everything and anything they could think of, but the reason i decided to email you was because something she said really struck me, and when i read the blog on Sage's progression it came back to me. She said that it was the very last thing they tested for because it is so uncommon and only 1 in like 150 dr.s ever come across a case in they're entire careers. So i thought i would throw that out there.
i really hope that they find a lead so she can get on the road to recovery! sending my love and prayers to your entire family and the dr.s and especially Sage!
with loving thoughts,
Yarrow
Dear Sage and family,
ReplyDeleteThinking good thoughts and sending positive energy for Sage and you all after just hearing about her situation from a friend on facebook. I just graduated from Guilford College and knew Sage from when she came indoor rock climbing with us (outdoors club). I was impressed from day one with her agility and strength and she was great to climb with as she always had a smile on and a funny story to tell.
She seems like such a strong person based on the brief time I knew her, I know she'll get better soon!
-Mo