Love For Ashley

First, let me wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year. I know I am late but please know that I was thinking of each and everyone of you Christmas Day. We made it to Mobile, Alabama for the Holiday's just in time for all the rain. There is nothing like Christmas in the deep south; in the Heart of Dixie. Spending Christmas in Alabama feels like we are in another part of the world. It just feels different here or maybe it's because I have not lived in Mobile for 20 years. Although, I love spending this time with my extended family, I think next year we will be staying home for Christmas. Both Brad and Ashley want to feel what it is like to wake up in their own beds Christmas morning. It's time we start our own family Christmas traditions. Ashley is doing well. History has shown that Ashley always gets sick during Christmas but not this time. Although she did give us quite a scare on our drive up to Mobile. She was coughing so hard and so much ...

Christmas is in 5 days and WE are going home to Mobile, Alabama to spend this wonderful and difficult time of year together. We have had enough of doctors, hospitals, CT scans, scopes, blood work, etc. Nothing is going to happen to change Ashley's health in the next few days, nothing is going to happen that will give us a final diagnosis if we decide to spend a week with family in Mobile. We need a break! The appointment with the new ENT was a waste of time in my opinion. He looked at her decided she sounded good, looked good..."yes she has swollen adenoids but I think the cough is more related to sinus infection." WHAT, are you kidding me, she doesn't have a stuffy nose or a runny nose. Oh and by the way he says, "Ashley's tonsils aren't swollen." The ENT wants Ashley to have a CT scan without contrast of her sinus cavity. Okay sure, we can do that...but it will not help! The ENT did say he would rather not perform adenoid/tonsil surgery on someone ...

Since we have decided to go with a professional company to produce and print Ashley's cookbook, we are able to accept more recipes. The recipe deadline is January 2, 2008. To submit your recipe, please click here and use the log in information provided below. Contributor: "Your Name" Group Log in: love4ashley Password: help4ashley Please remember that any recipes submitted before 12/11/2007 have been added to the cookbook and do not need to be submitted again. The cost of Ashley's cookbooks are still the same and we are still accepting preorders. To order your cookbook, you will need to fill out an order form, found here . Order your cookbook today and be a part of saving Ashley's life. Thank you for contributing to the success of Ashley's cookbook.

It's been one crazy week, but the whirlwind hasn't stopped yet. We have some answers regarding Ashley's heath but we still don't have a diagnosis. Ashley's pulmonologist and gastroenterologist are working together to come up with a game plan. Here is what we do know: Cystic Fibrosis 1. Ashley does not have Cystic Fibrosis. 2. Ashley does have a bacterial infection in her lungs, the new antibiotic she is on will hopefully fight the infection. 3. Ashley's platelet count is 80,000 (normal is 150,000 to 450,000). This is the lowest Ashley platelets have ever been. We are hoping it's because she has an infection and not because she has some internal bleeding. 4. Ashley will have her tonsils and adenoids removed soon. We will be meeting with the Ear Nose and Throat doc sometime next week. Hopefully, we can get the surgery scheduled before the New Year. 5. Despite the low platelets Ashley's liver appears to be happy, as all of her liver enzymes are normal or ne...

In great Ashley fashion, she did very well with her trip to the hospital and recovered well from the procedure. Right now, Ashley is off with her Grammie getting spoiled by shopping. With no one in the house but me and the pets, I am off to my own devices which usually means I have to much time to think, to research, to worry, to vent, to hope and to pray. Today Ashley had a broncioscope to find out why she has been coughing for six months. After getting up at 4:30 am and at the hospital at 6 am, the scope began at approximately 7:30 am. The procedure itself took less than 30 minutes. The outcome of the procedure left me with more questions than answers. We do know why Ashley is coughing, Ashley has a vocal cord dysfunction, enlarged adnenoids and tonsils. Finding out why Ashley is coughing is good news, however, we also learned that Ashley may have other issues involving her lungs. There was 60mL of fluid in her lungs. Some samples of her lungs were sent for a cell count, bacterial cu...

This is a guick update. Ashley will be admitted to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando on Tuesday, December 11; she will have a broncioscope. We hope that the scope will tell us why Ashley has had a cough for 6 months. The scope is a relatively simple procedure on a normal child but on a child with liver disease and low platelets, the scope can be complicated and have complications. The procedure starts at 6:15 am, if all goes well Ashley should be home by Noon. Cookbook sales are doing well, we have 50 cookbooks ordered so far. We hope to begin production on the cookbooks soon. However, if you ordered a cookbook, please keep in mind that with the volume of cookbooks ordered the shipment and delivery of your cookbook may be delayed. I can't wait to see the final product. As soon as I get a copy of the cookbook, I will scan the cover and share it with all of you here on Ashley's blog. Thanks to all who continue reading Ashley's blog, please leave Ash a message, she k...

If life is like a box of Chocolates than my life is like a box of melted chocolates. If my life was like a box of chocolates then it would be more enjoyable to wake up every morning. Instead, my life is more like a box of melted chocolates, I just exist but have no purpose. Today has been one of those days where I want to throw a pity party. Does someone want to bring the cheese to pair with my glass of "wine." Just when I thought things were improving in my life, my little bubble burst. Ashley's appointment with the pulmonologist yielded no real answers but a tentative diagnosis of bronciospasms. However, Ashley does not have Asthma nor does she have allergies. The doctor explained to me that he feels that Ashley's cough is possibly caused by her throat closing on her and she coughs to get air in. Now, Ashley is on three more meds; a nebulizer, a nostril inhaler and Zantac 75. Ashley will still have a broncioscope that is being scheduled for sometime before ...

Cookbooks First, if you haven't ordered your cookbook please do so soon. As of today, we have 19 cookbooks on order and all but 10 have them have been paid in full. We hope to have 50 cookbooks ready for shipment/delivery before Christmas. So if you are the first 50 people to order and pay for a cookbook, you pretty much guarantee a chance to receive your cookbook before Christmas. If you haven't ordered your cookbook yet, please fill out the order form found here . We have made paying for your cookbook easy through Paypal. Once we receive your completed order form, we will send you a confirmation email that will include the link to our PayPal account. If you have any questions about the cookbook, please send me an email at LoveAshley@LoveforAshley.com. Ashley In a past post I bragged about how normal things have been in the Johansen house. And for the most part things are pretty normal. If you call ultransounds, bronchio scopes, ear infections, blood work, etc. normal the...