Destiny is HOME!!!!

I am terribly sorry that I wasn't able to update yesterday. It was such a busy day for me. We finally got in the results from the rest of Destiny's tests and were pleased with the results. She does not have chiari malformation. As it turns out, she is having horrible panic attacks. Her doctor said that it would make sense for a child as sensitive as Destiny to have panic attacks when something scary happens. In this case, what triggered her anxiety is having both sisters sick at the same time. She was so afraid that one or both of them are going to die that she just couldn't handle the fear of her thoughts. Our family has just been through so much in the last year or so. I guess I was wrong in assuming that the children were handling it all as well as I thought. I feel bad that she has all these fears and I didn't realize it. I am relieved that it's not something that will require surgery though. I was scared spitless. (Pardon the expression!)
Destiny came home late last night and is still worried about fainting, but we are all trying to help her rationalize her fears. She has always been a fragile child. I knew she was a worrier-just didn't know it went to that extent. Pray that we are able to help her deal with everything in a way that makes her more comfortable. Her father's brain surgery and heart surgery took such a toll on her. Delaney being born early was a trauma for her too, because we were at the hospital so much and for so long that I guess she was just afraid that meant Delaney was never coming home. Then when both sisters were sick, maybe it was just too much to pile on her little mind all at once? She and Paisley are so close. Best friends. I guess she was afraid of losing her best friend. The doctors are going to help us learn more about anxiety in children, so hopefully we will have our "old Destiny" back really soon.
Delaney is doing alot better this morning. We repeated her x-rays yesterday afternoon. Her chest is alot clearer than it was. She is actually coughing all the junk loose now. She's been a pretty happy baby girl for the last 24 hours or so. It's good to see her smiling again. I think we are finally out of the woods, as far Delaney goes. I'm positive that she will be OK. I know it's because of the power of prayer and positive thinking. Her skin color is even looking better. She's not as pale as she was. I am over the moon with her improvement!!!! I can't wait to bring her home. The doctor said that we will bring her home soon, as long as she continues to do as well as she has over the last 12-24 hours. YAY!!!!
Paisley is doing OK today, so far. It's going to take her some time to feel better again. The flu has really taken a toll on her. She's exhausted so we've been letting her sleep as much as possible. The nurses say she'll feel better when we can start getting her to eat. She hasn't eaten since last Thursday night. She won't even touch a happy meal!! However, she got up this morning and sat in a chair beside the bed with her coloring book. When the nurse came in to change her IV she asked for a grilled cheese sandwich and a salad! The nurse said she can have whatever she wants to eat as long as she at least makes an effort at eating. She's sent someone down to the cafeteria to fetch her sandwich and salad. What a strange breakfast! I'm not complaining though. Pray that she eats it!!!! I want all 3 of my girls home again. We need to get her strong again to make that possible.
I have been around the hospitals so much lately I worry that I may be catching a "bug" of some kind. I feel a little drained this morning and it's a bit hard to breathe. I hope I'm not trying to catch flu. That would be terrible. I don't have time to be sick right now!
On a final note (then I swear, I'll end this novel length post!) I want to thank everyone who has been praying for my family. We will never know how to adequately thank you for caring about us-perfect strangers. It really touches my heart to know that so many people are pulling for us. Bless you all!!! We love all of our new friends and I say a special prayer for you all each night before I try to sleep. The Lord has blessed us with great friendships. Thank you Jill. You will never know how much you are appreciated!
Also, I love reading the kind comments from various visitors. I will try to visit your blogs and leave return comments as soon as life slows down a little. I want to thank everyone personally. However (and please don't take this the wrong way), a few people have left comments wondering if maybe there was something wrong with our house (like mold) that might be causing all of our health issues. I really want to address this. I can assure you that there is not a thing wrong with my house. There is no way that any of these health issues could be our fault for living in a poorly upkept (is that a word?) home. Our home is fairly new and very well insulated. We have heat, air, and running water. We do not live in squalor. My husband's health problems were genetic. He had to be born with Chiari and atrial ventricular tachycardia. The symptoms just weren't present until he got a little older. Destiny has always been a sensitive child. Most people don't know this because I don't tell them, but, Destiny is a special child. She has developmental delays in speech and language. She is also in special education classes at school. She is labeled as a child with special needs and I attend yearly IEP meetings to help set goals for her in school. She does not think like other children her age, and often wears her heart on her sleeve. I guess it should be no surprise that she has anxiety problems. She doesn't deal with things like you or I do. Paisley has always had asthma and breathing problems. This is not her first hospitalization for pneumonia. It will most likely not be her last. She has a weak immune system. We hate it, but that's how it is. Delaney was preemie and things were not fully developed with her. She has had alot of problems with her lungs and stomach mainly. We have had her in the hospital numerous times for various reasons. She has a cardiologist, pulminologist, and a gastrointerologist. She is on an elemental formula for children with feeding tubes and milk protein allergies. She also has a weak immune system and is very susceptible to infection. We hate it-but we love her and we deal with it. Please do not assume that our living situation is the cause for any of our health issues because I promise you- if that was even a remote possibility-we would have moved a long time ago! Thank you for your prayers. We greatly appreciate them. God Bless you all!!!!