No more vent!
Around 9:00 am, doctors took him off of the ventilator and there were no complications. I was in to see him at 11:00 am when the doctors came around on rounds. They are very pleased with how he looks and his response to coming off of the vent. It was great to see his face without this big tube obstructing the view and going down his throat. R was awake and responsive. He had been awake and free from medicine for quite some time, so he was pretty tired from the morning's activities. The nurse was going to give him some medication that would cause some sleepiness, so I did not stay long.
They hope to remove his ng tube tomorrow. It runs through his nose to his stomach. If they do, then his whole head and face would be tube free!
The next major milestone will be coming off of dialysis. This will happen only when he pees on a regular basis. As always, there remains a risk of infection.
We are so thankful for the great news today! We hope you are as encouraged as we are and will continue to pray through these other challenges he faces, altogether knowing God is in control and creating a magnificent testimony for His glory.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Day 56
Great news today! We were told that if R has a good night tonight, they are likely to extubate him in the morning. No more ventilator! If he is off the ventilator, it would also mean no more IV drips of versed and fentanyl - medications used for sedation and pain killers.
While we're optimistic, he still could have a setback, but as of this evening at 9:40 pm, all is well.
We'll be excited to update the blog tomorrow and let you know. As for prayer requests...
- that all goes well with coming off the ventilator
- that he will start to pee enough to come off of dialysis
- that his body will continue to get stronger even though there are some significant changes coming tomorrow
Thanks for praying! Blessings!
While we're optimistic, he still could have a setback, but as of this evening at 9:40 pm, all is well.
We'll be excited to update the blog tomorrow and let you know. As for prayer requests...
- that all goes well with coming off the ventilator
- that he will start to pee enough to come off of dialysis
- that his body will continue to get stronger even though there are some significant changes coming tomorrow
Thanks for praying! Blessings!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Day 55
R looks great! Rounds were brief today as the doctor said he looks great and hopes that the ventilator can be taken off on Wednesday. That was great news.
A wound nurse was working on R's wounds this morning. All of the bandaging was off and it was amazing to see the large incision (not closed all the way) with a portion of his intestine exposed; his ostomy site (pink as can be); his old ostomy site and the previous location of his g tube (waiting to heal). Each of these four sites has a bag attached to it that collects any stool or other fluids that manage to make their way out. If you recall, the portion of the exposed intestine is what was scheduled to be repaired in surgery a week ago last Saturday. The nurse explained that it is beginning to heal and will (hopefully) end up being another location for stool to be collected. The concern is if it does not heal (so far so good) or if stool leaks into his belly (has not happened yet).
A continued area of concern is his kidneys. R is peeing more, but not at the volume they would like to see. We are believing it will just take a little more time.
We are thankful for the progress he has made over the past 9 days. The rest has done him a great deal of good.
Join us and believe in faith that God will continue to do an amazing work in his little body - even to the amazement of the doctors and nurses that care for him. All a testimony to God's glory.
A wound nurse was working on R's wounds this morning. All of the bandaging was off and it was amazing to see the large incision (not closed all the way) with a portion of his intestine exposed; his ostomy site (pink as can be); his old ostomy site and the previous location of his g tube (waiting to heal). Each of these four sites has a bag attached to it that collects any stool or other fluids that manage to make their way out. If you recall, the portion of the exposed intestine is what was scheduled to be repaired in surgery a week ago last Saturday. The nurse explained that it is beginning to heal and will (hopefully) end up being another location for stool to be collected. The concern is if it does not heal (so far so good) or if stool leaks into his belly (has not happened yet).
A continued area of concern is his kidneys. R is peeing more, but not at the volume they would like to see. We are believing it will just take a little more time.
We are thankful for the progress he has made over the past 9 days. The rest has done him a great deal of good.
Join us and believe in faith that God will continue to do an amazing work in his little body - even to the amazement of the doctors and nurses that care for him. All a testimony to God's glory.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Day 52
I was able to be at rounds this morning for the first time all week. Our other 3 kids are taking swimming lessons in the mornings and having a great time! I was extremely pleased when I walked in and saw how beautiful R's blood pressure and heart rate were. The nurse on duty said he has been doing great all morning and he even had 20cc's of urine output! Not a lot, but enough to smile about.
Tim and I returned later in the afternoon and saw that he again was resting very comfortably and his vitals looked great. The nurse told us that this was probably his best day yet. I know that most of you cannot imagine what his belly looks like, but it is even crazier now. He has 4 ostomy bags on his gut. These are plastic appliances that adhere to the skin and collect stool. Well, remember when he kept pulling his g-tube out? It will not stay in now, so they have a bag covering the site. Then the new and old stoma's (part of the intestine) have a bag, and lastly there is an area on his incision that is leaking stool. And this area has a bag. The nurses work so hard to keep him clean and comfortable. They are the best.
The doctors are hoping that the area leaking stool will eventually heal on its own. They do not want to go in surgically, as it may cause more damage than good. The prognosis is that it may take months for it to heal on its own. We pray that our Healer will speed up the process and continue to keep his body free from infection as it heals.
We thank God for this day, as He is the only One who is in charge. It is so wonderful to watch His goodness. We have learned to give R to the Lord, and now the surgeons are leaving it to Him also by not operating again at this time. What an amazing testimony of God's hand. Sometimes life's circumstances cause us to have no control just so we can watch and witness the One who Truly IS.
God Bless you all. God is good...all the time.
Tim and I returned later in the afternoon and saw that he again was resting very comfortably and his vitals looked great. The nurse told us that this was probably his best day yet. I know that most of you cannot imagine what his belly looks like, but it is even crazier now. He has 4 ostomy bags on his gut. These are plastic appliances that adhere to the skin and collect stool. Well, remember when he kept pulling his g-tube out? It will not stay in now, so they have a bag covering the site. Then the new and old stoma's (part of the intestine) have a bag, and lastly there is an area on his incision that is leaking stool. And this area has a bag. The nurses work so hard to keep him clean and comfortable. They are the best.
The doctors are hoping that the area leaking stool will eventually heal on its own. They do not want to go in surgically, as it may cause more damage than good. The prognosis is that it may take months for it to heal on its own. We pray that our Healer will speed up the process and continue to keep his body free from infection as it heals.
We thank God for this day, as He is the only One who is in charge. It is so wonderful to watch His goodness. We have learned to give R to the Lord, and now the surgeons are leaving it to Him also by not operating again at this time. What an amazing testimony of God's hand. Sometimes life's circumstances cause us to have no control just so we can watch and witness the One who Truly IS.
God Bless you all. God is good...all the time.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Day 50
Jen & I cannot thank everyone enough for your prayers for Robert - and us. I know that God has sustained R and us over the past 50+ days of this journey. I'm sure you have noticed that the frequency of our updates has diminished the past week or so. I don't know that I ever imagined how much energy this would take out of us. We sometimes feel weak, but know that the Lord will show Himself faithful and strong in the midst of our weakness. Lastly, we plan to take a break from August 1 -7. We'll be taking some time as a family to get away and recharge.
On to the little man...
For the past few days, R has remained relatively stable. He has an occasional leap of heart rate or blood pressure, but a quick drink of something in his IV usually fixes it. Issues with his heart seem better - not nearly the irregularities that have been present in the past. His lungs seem to be doing very well. Even today during rounds, there was some discussion of taking him off of the ventilator, when the rest of his body is ready. His kidneys continue to be on vacation. Again, doctors say they will start when they are ready. We hope it is soon.
The biggest area of concern is his gut. He has a perforation in his bowel. The normal remedy would be surgery, however, because he is so fragile in there, the doctors fear that any surgery might do more damage than good. There is pressure in R's gut that is pushing the stool out of his intestine and through the incision that was made for his surgery. This sounds rather gross and looks even worse, but the doctor is pleased that the body is getting it out, one way or another. As long as he can stay stable and infection free, they will be pleased and see if the body can remedy the problem on it's own.
Thank you for continuing to pray with us. Each day that goes by, our anticipation grows for the days that are coming where he makes great strides toward a full recovery!
On to the little man...
For the past few days, R has remained relatively stable. He has an occasional leap of heart rate or blood pressure, but a quick drink of something in his IV usually fixes it. Issues with his heart seem better - not nearly the irregularities that have been present in the past. His lungs seem to be doing very well. Even today during rounds, there was some discussion of taking him off of the ventilator, when the rest of his body is ready. His kidneys continue to be on vacation. Again, doctors say they will start when they are ready. We hope it is soon.
The biggest area of concern is his gut. He has a perforation in his bowel. The normal remedy would be surgery, however, because he is so fragile in there, the doctors fear that any surgery might do more damage than good. There is pressure in R's gut that is pushing the stool out of his intestine and through the incision that was made for his surgery. This sounds rather gross and looks even worse, but the doctor is pleased that the body is getting it out, one way or another. As long as he can stay stable and infection free, they will be pleased and see if the body can remedy the problem on it's own.
Thank you for continuing to pray with us. Each day that goes by, our anticipation grows for the days that are coming where he makes great strides toward a full recovery!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Day 48 - Part II
I arrived at the hospital about 10 minutes before they took R down for surgery. The nurse told me that she noticed stool coming from the middle of his incision around 3:00 in the morning - a clear sign of a perforation. Over the next few hours, staff prepared to take him down to fix the perforation. They eventually brought him down to the operating room around 6:45 am.
Around 8:00 this morning, the surgeon came out and told us that they had changed his central line, but did not go through with the surgery. She felt that there was a greater risk for causing more damage to his fragile bowel than the benefit of trying to fix the perforation. She said a surgical procedure could produce a lot more perforations in the bowel, causing it to almost crumble. She said at this point, we are going to let the body try to heal itself. We are told this could take weeks or months to happen. They will continue to watch him closely and, if necessary, have the surgery.
Keep in mind that the surgeon is one of the few in the world that performs these types of procedures. While R is in a very fragile state right now, I am reminded that now he really is in the hands of the Lord. My prayer focus for the next few days will be this...
Lord, let Your will be done in his life. He truly is in Your hands. Whether You take him home or heal him, it is my desire for You to get the glory in all of this. I am your vessel to be used as you see fit. Whatever the outcome, it will be well my soul.
Blessings!
Around 8:00 this morning, the surgeon came out and told us that they had changed his central line, but did not go through with the surgery. She felt that there was a greater risk for causing more damage to his fragile bowel than the benefit of trying to fix the perforation. She said a surgical procedure could produce a lot more perforations in the bowel, causing it to almost crumble. She said at this point, we are going to let the body try to heal itself. We are told this could take weeks or months to happen. They will continue to watch him closely and, if necessary, have the surgery.
Keep in mind that the surgeon is one of the few in the world that performs these types of procedures. While R is in a very fragile state right now, I am reminded that now he really is in the hands of the Lord. My prayer focus for the next few days will be this...
Lord, let Your will be done in his life. He truly is in Your hands. Whether You take him home or heal him, it is my desire for You to get the glory in all of this. I am your vessel to be used as you see fit. Whatever the outcome, it will be well my soul.
Blessings!
Day 48
We received a call around 5:00 am Monday morning that R had a perforation in his bowel and he is going in this morning for emergency surgery.
On Sunday, Jen & I spent a few hours with him and he did not seem to be his normal self. We had a feeling that something was not right. While I am anxious about another surgery, I am thankful that the problem has been found and hopefully can be corrected.
This has been a long journey - for R, for us and for you. Thank you for your faithfulness in checking the blog for updates on his progress. We heard a good word yesterday on prayer and perseverance. Are we going to pray everyday for R even though we don't know the outcome or how long the journey will last? Thank you for your faithful prayers. If you don't do so already, I would encourage you to take some time during your prayer time to listen to the Lord.
Blessings!
On Sunday, Jen & I spent a few hours with him and he did not seem to be his normal self. We had a feeling that something was not right. While I am anxious about another surgery, I am thankful that the problem has been found and hopefully can be corrected.
This has been a long journey - for R, for us and for you. Thank you for your faithfulness in checking the blog for updates on his progress. We heard a good word yesterday on prayer and perseverance. Are we going to pray everyday for R even though we don't know the outcome or how long the journey will last? Thank you for your faithful prayers. If you don't do so already, I would encourage you to take some time during your prayer time to listen to the Lord.
Blessings!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)