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On Monday, January 30th 2017, Michaela messaged Mom around 8:30 am stating she didnt feel good, her pulse was high and that she could feel her heart beat in her head, that she was light headed and extremely warm. . Mom recommend her to make an appointment with her Primary. An appointment was made but shortly after Michaela "passed out". She was taken to the ER at Avera Marshall where they discovered that her Hemoglobin and Hematocrits were low. They put her on an IV to push fluids, shortly after that she began vomitting. She was admitted to Avera Marshall for a short time before being transfered to Avera McKennan in Sioux Falls. Michaela has built up antibodies on her blood cells so finding an exact donor match is a bit difficult. Monday evening Michaela was able to get some rest.
Tuesday, Michaela did receive 1 unit of blood in addition to a steriod, this was given in hopes that she would accept the blood transfusion without complications. The transfusion successfully brought her hemoglobin up some.
Wednesday was an ok day, with not many changes, They continued to administer the steriod and through out the day her hemoglobin began to drop. She did experience some chest pain and they did and EKG. Results were normal. We prayed for her at church and even got to FaceTime her during the prayer. She love it!!
Thursday, they once again treated with steroids but her hemoglobin still dropped. During the afternoon she experiences some shortness of breathe while resting, Doctors then decided it was time for another another transfustion.
Friday was an eventful day!! Mom (Lisa) was in an accident on her way to the hospital. SHE IS OK! I left work and came to Sioux Falls to be with them. Michaela was taken down for a CT Scan and the results were clear. The Hematologist ordered a medication called Rituxan. This was infused over a period of time. She was then moved to the to a different floor of the hospital.
Saturday lots of company!! Michaela was in good spirits and soaked up all the giggles from her neices!! Not many changes except for the Dr recommended that she utilize some breathing tool to prevent blood clots in her lungs. We ate supper as a family and enjoyed our time together.
This morning (like every morning this past week) Jaeda and Hadli wanted to FaceTime Auntie. As we were FaceTiming, the nurse was administering Micahaela's steriod. After it was given Michaela stated that "it burned" and then seemed to have "passed out" again. We quickly hung up and I contacted Mom (she was at the hotel). Drs. were in to see Michaela and ordered a EKG, Chest x-ray and a EEG. They are trying to rule out that her "episodes" are not seizures and to confirm that they are truly vasovagal syncope (which is what they have believes these episdoes have been prior).
We will update when we get results. What we know for sure is that she has an Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia.
We are thankful for all the love and support we have been given during this past week. It has been very scary due to not knowing exactly what is going on, but we all know that she is in good hands at Avera McKennan and that our God is good!
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