Where's the snow??

I'm sitting at our hospital window looking out over a dusting of snow on the rooftops below me. So much for the 3-5 inches that were predicted! The ice, however, is definitely coating all of the treetops that are within my limited view. A couple of the doctors didn't feel that they could make it in this morning, but for the most part, it's business as usual here at the hospital. Minus the visitors, anyway. The lack of people downstairs when I went to get my breakfast was conspicuous! I had never really thought about how busy and bustling the downstairs lobby and atrium area is until it was abruptly silent. Wow. What a difference!

Miss Rebekah is blissfully unaware that she is missing her first snowstorm, however small it is. She slept through the night peacefully except for having to go up to 1/2 liter of oxygen again. Her oxygen sats were just not holding steady. I have to be honest, her sats are fairly low this morning, as well, especially for being on 1/2 liter. She is only at 81-82 right now, but her lungs sound clear, so I'm trying not to get too concerned about it. Surely we couldn't be going into another cold or respiratory illness when we aren't quite over this one, right? Right?

As for the testing on Rebekah's heart, she was finally attached to a Holter monitor last night around 9:30. She was supposed to have been on it by 5:00, but I guess someone in the EKG department had called in sick and they were really backed up. This monitor records all of Rebekah's heart rhythms for a 24 hour period for the doctors to review. The main reason for doing this is to determine if Rebekah's elevated heart rate (and corresponding fussiness) is caused by the medications she is taking (two of them can elevate the heart rate) or if she is having some abnormal heart rhythms. Once the doctors have determined what is going on, they will be able to make changes or adjustments to our medications as necessary. If her heart is having abnormal rhythms, Rebekah will most likely be given a beta blocker (medication) to stop the abnormal rhythm from occurring. The cardiologist and I don't really think that is the case, but they want to rule out any possibilities. As far as Rebekah is concerned, the Holter monitor just gives her another set of wires and leads to chew on! :)

So, that's about all from our arctic winter world. We're here until further notice. I think we're going to take advantage of the TV while we're here and find some figure skating to watch. Did I tell you that Rebekah likes to watch figure skating? Or, maybe I like to watch figure skating with Rebekah! :) Either way, it's a nice way to pass the time. Just as long as we're not still here to watch the Olympic figure skating. Yikes!!

Nancy