January 9th, 2026

8:37pm

Ruth got her new tracheal tube installed today! For my own throat I’d prefer the smallest tube possible, but she likes it. It slipped in easily and it was immediately apparent that it was more effective than the last one. For the next day or so we’ll be figuring out what settings she likes.

Her swelling/adema seem to have stabilized. Far as I know we still don’t know where it’s coming from so we are grateful for your continued prayers.

This morning her blood test came back with very good platelet numbers. Huge answer to prayer! Platelets are blood clotting mechanisms, and the fact that they have been disappearing for the past week has led us to believe that she’s been bleeding internally somewhere (likely her gut, given the visible inflammation). We will keep an eye on them going forward but it is better than what it has been. The nurse was trying to manage my excitement when I heard that—she’s not out of the woods yet for sure. But I was encouraged.