October 4, 2008

I'm having a hard time figuring out how to start this email..

Leland and I are staying at the hospital around the clock.


Our family is TRULY learning what it means to "let go and let God".

Someone sent me the following forward..

I can't remember having read it before (although I certainly may have). I took the liberty of deleting the stuff on the bottom (chain email stuff). Forward it on or not is up to you. But DO think about what it says....


You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about.


Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house. The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely. As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband..


He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny. He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up? Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her.

Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value. A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see .She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?


'Look at it.' He said. 'Read what it says.'


She read the words ' United States of America '


'No, not that; read further.'


'One cent?'


'No, keep reading.


'In God we Trust?'


'Yes!'


'And?


'And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!



When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, 'In God We Trust,' and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.

It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient.



That's the whole gospel message simply stated.

October 3, 2008

As you know, yesterday, we decided to stop any further "life saving" measures on Seth. Basically, this means we don't want him to suffer anymore. His little body has already been through so much. Neurology is not optimistic for a recovery. We are keeping Seth as comfortable as possible with medications and our presence. The biggest issue is that the more we keep him comfortable (with sedation, etc) the more that compromises his respiratory system. We have put a DNR in place and the includes the fact that Seth will not be re-intubated should that become necessary.

At this point, its between God & Seth. We are spending as much time with him as we can and LOVING on him like crazy. The doctors can't say if we'll have a few more days or weeks. I KNOW that our Saviour can give us years.. And we would happily take them but not at the expense of Seth's suffering.

If you're reading this, I"m asking you to continue praying for a miracle of healing for Seth. I know many of you have never stopped but I wanted you to hear from me that WE are still praying for and believing for that as well. We've just changed the circumstances under which we will let interventional medicine help! Thank you for loving & supporting our family.

October 2, 2008

Please continue to pray for my friends Kathryn and Leland and their six-month old son, Seth. They got very bad news today that the neurologist doesn't feel Seth is going to be able to live on his own and the family has decided to let him go without extraordinary measures. His health is failing and know one knows for sure how long he will live. It's such a devastating situation for this family and all who know them. Please continue to pray for them as they go through this terribly painful process of giving their baby back to God.

(Posted on a friend's blog as a result of my phone call - I personally did not send out an update on this day)

October 1, 2008

Wednesday already?

I apologize for not sending out an update after yesterday's neuro consult.. I'm feeling rather drained today and so I"m doing tonight's update in bullet format just to get it done.

• Tuesday, the neurologist said that he's not seeing further signs of damage to Seth's brain. While he still states we're looking at moderate to severe, he believes that we can say Seth has "stabilized" neurologically.
• Tuesday Seth was taken off c-pap and put on a nasal cannula (little prongs in his nose, oxygen tubing around his little sweet face).
• Today, Seth's last chest tube was pulled.
• Because the chest tube was out, I GOT TO HOLD SETH!! YIPPEE, YAY!!
• Seth is still showing "clonus" (stiffening of and tremors in his limbs). The neurologists are starting him on a medication to try and control that.
• Seth continues to run a fever intermittently. No apparent sign of infection. May be "neurologically induced".
• Seth occasionally has a "bradycardia" (sp??) this means that periodically his heart rate dips very low. (should be 120 - 140, sometimes runs in the 90s with dips as low as the 70s). The cardiologist thinks this is "vegal nerve stimulation" and it is "self-limiting".
• Physical therapy & occupational therapy have been working with Seth. He's tolerating it well.
• Feeds are being re-introduced (on portagen due to a possible chyle thorax, AGAIN (leaking of the lymphatic system)). (through Seth's g-tube)
• Seth is coughing better (still weak but coughing) but still not showing gag reflex. Currently on an IV med to reduce oral and lung secretions.

We have another care conference on Thursday. I have no idea when we might be bringing him home.The big kids are all holding their own.. as are Leland and I. I know that's a lot of specifics..

Like I said earlier, these emails help me process info as well as share it and sometimes I just need to spew it all out there and look at it for a bit myself..

And, with those specifics, you can offer up specific prayers!

September 29, 2008 - PM

Seth was extubated today. It was a bit of a "debate" as the "new" concern is: Can he protect his airway? Seth didn't seem to be gagging at all and had a "weak cough". Also, immediately prior to when we were going to extubate, his heart rate dipped (as low as 70, but mostly in the 90s) and that caused concern (ESPECIALLY for Seth's parents!). In spite of all this, the breathing tube was removed about 2:00 this afternoon. Seth was put on c-pap (a little mask over his nose). He's doing pretty good. As the day wore on, he did seem to cough a little. His heart rate was higher. Late this afternoon they started him on an IV med to dry up some of the oral secretions and that will help as well.

As of our last check in (via phone), Seth's heart rate was in the 120s (he was sleeping so that's where it should be) and he seemed comfortable. The neuro should be doing a clinical assessment again tomorrow so we'll see how things go from here.

We continue to put one foot in front of the other with the help of our Lord, often seen through the support of all of you!!

September 29, 2008 - AM

The big goal for today is to extubate Seth. All of yesterday, while on the vent, he was on "spontaneous" so he was doing all the work anyway. PLEASE pray that Seth does wonderfully off the vent! Getting him breathing all by himself is a huge step right now..

Thank you!

September 27, 2008

So Friday was "care conference" day. I think Leland and I were a teeny bit fearful of what we might here. It turned out fine. Some uncomfortable things were said regarding decisions that may (or may not) have to be faced in the future but the overwhelming consensus was that we're a ways from that point and currently, nobody is giving up on Seth. The first goal is to get him breathing on his own. Once the vent is removed, Seth can be weaned off some of his sedation and we can get a better idea of how he's doing clinically. The neurologist repeated that we may be looking at "moderate to severe" damage. The cardiologist voiced some concern about whether or not Seth would tolerate needed surgeries in the future. Those are not things that we have to worry about RIGHT this second however. We were again reminded that only time will show how much damage Seth's brain has or hasn't suffered and so we wait! (And pray. And pray some more!)

Today was, once again, a new day. And God's mercies are new every morning (and I dare say, afternoon, evening & night as well!). I was originally a little under the weather and so I didn't get up to the hospital until about 3pm. Leland got up sooner. He arrived bearing cupcakes to celebrate Seth's "half-birthday" (6 months old today!). The nurses sang Happy Birthday from the nurse's station.

Today Seth was running a low-grade fever (much lower than lately). His cultures have all come back negative so far. He's been weaned quite a bit on the ventilator. As of 9:30pm he was still intubated but doing most of the actual work of breathing on his own. He seems "calmer" today and has not been exhibiting the "posturing" (stiffening of limbs) that we were seeing earlier this week. Over the last couple of days we've seen him open & close his eyes although he rarely appears to focus. I couldn't be ABSOLUTELY sure but I"m fairly positive that he DID track my finger super-briefly today. All those things keep us hopeful. More than that of course, we find our hope in the Lord!

Please join us in offering prayers for some of our family in Christ. The Thomases and family, as they grieve the loss of Mitch, son, brother, wife. At the too young age of 28, he went home to the Lord this week and his life was celebrated in a service at our church today. Also, the family of my friend, Lily, especially her brother, Robyn. He was diagnosed with cancer earlier this summer and now has more tumors and signs of a different cancer. Please offer up prayers for comfort, peace & healing for these families. Thank you so much for your support!

September 26, 2008

I wasn't going to send an update tonight (think "no news is good news".. or at least no new bad news!) but I've had a couple of voice mails and phone calls and realized people will be concerned if we're too quiet.

Seth is still intubated and being kept fairly sedated. The nurses made it a priority to let me hold him today (around all his tubes, it was quite an adventure!). He's still fighting a fever that comes & goes (no known signs of infection otherwise). As a bright spot to our day, the neurologist did apparently say (I was out of the room) that he thought Seth was a bit more reactive today. (Not that his parents can tell!).

We have a "care conference" tomorrow which is basically ameeting just to make sure we're all the same page. I'll probably send out a "newsy" update after that even if it's just re-capping (honestly, these updates help ME process things as much as keeping all of you informed!). Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support.

"So we keep our eyes on God until He shows us his mercy" (from Psalm 123:2)

September 24, 2008

Seth's 2nd MRI

Okay, the suck-y part is I don't feel like we REALLY know anymore than we did earlier today (and I'll get to the details in a moment). The overwhelming POSITIVE part? Our God is SO big and he doesn't need "wiggle" room but really, the neurologists leave a GREAT BIG HOLE open for our Saviour to walk through with a miracle! That's what we're praying for and asking you to join us in.

Seth's 2nd MRI did show more "damage" then the first MRI. The neurologist seems to feel that at this point Seth would fall somewhere in the Moderate to Severe disability range (Severe being needing TOTAL assistance). He is seeing some clinical signs that could indicate brain stem damage but nothing definitive on MRI (although he states that the brain stem is a hard area to image). At this point we are in a "wait & see" mode (again.. some more.. still). Seth's brain could continue to deteriorate over the next week or so. Without a new incident, we would need 1- 2 weeks to know that he's stabilized as far as progression of possible brain damage. (The code was last Wed so we're a week out.. One more week).

We DO know that the brain is a miraculous amazing thing created by our Lord. HE can heal it even if the doctors don't believe that can happen. Please pray for no further progression and even for improvement, only the Lord can do THAT!

When Seth was dedicated at our church a few weeks ago, our lead pastor read a verse for him. From 1 Timothy 1:12, "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service." This side of Heaven, we can't know how many lives Seth has already touched but he's only 6 months old. I would imagine God has a lot more in mind for Seth's service to Him! I'm anxious to see that unfold.

September 23, 2008

Seth had to be re-intubated last night/this am (about 1am). The hospital called us at 1 am to let us know..

At this point the neurologist is very concerned about deep brain damage, possible brain stem involvement. Seth had a repeat MRI done but we haven't heard results yet.

PLEASE keep praying. I'll update later.. Also, if you attempt to call, please do not be offended if we don't answer. We're doing what we can here. Thank you!

September 22, 2008

We saw the neurologist this am. He said that Seth has some bilateral deep (some word I can't remember.. core?) damage per MRI results. It was his opinion that we would not see a rapid recovery to where Seth was before all this happened and that there would likely be some long term damage. Emphasized that it would take TIME to really know what long term effects were. He did say that the EEG showed abnormal slow brain wave activity but it was better today than yesterday. Sounds like they'll do a repeat EEG in a week or two.

All in all, *I* feel pretty optimistic! We were warned that neurology would paint a "bleak" picture and while, as I told Leland, it wasn't all "sunshine & rainbows" none of what the neurologist told us was much different than what we'd already been told by other drs. AND God is so much bigger than the neuro and these MRI results. It it TOTALLY in Seth's favor that' he's young as he is and we'll just pray him through this and do what we can to help!

He's still on Cpap and right now that's our biggest hurdle, getting him breathing on his own. And he's been fighting a fever over today with a bit of an accelerated heart rate.. Those things could be specifically prayed for as well. Thank you for holding us up!

Today was an "easier" day than yesterday and then I expected and I KNOW that's due to God's faithfulness and love, and His love as shown through all of you to us!!!!

September 21, 2008

I wish I had a good update for today but it's not. I mean that qualitatively AND quantitatively. We're at the point where good info is hard to come by!

The doctors are VERY concerned about Seth's neurological condition. The neurologist examined him this morning (Leland & I were not there because we were all at church). They ordered an EEG which they are letting run a LONG time (basically, until the leads start falling off his head).

It's all very confusing to Leland and I as Seth seems to be exhibiting withdrawal like symptoms but the nurses and doc think he might be having seizures, etc. One of the ped icu docs today was NOT very encouraging (at all).

Today is Leland's birthday. As we didn't go shopping, Cary cobbled together a present for his dad from stuff he owns. One of the items was a "prayer box" that he made several years ago at a VBS. Leland handed it to me and said "read the bottom".

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" (i think it's Romans 12:12). Our God is so faithful to encourage us with that now and we're clinging to that and praying for Seth.

Thank you for holding us up in this difficult time. (I"ll send an update tomorrow and hope to have better news.. or at least EEG results).

September 19, 2008 - 3:30ish

Seth is off the vent! Yay. He's on nasal cpap (big old mask like thing on his nose to make sure he's getting enough oxygen) but he's doing VERY well, satting mostly in the 80s. He had an echo today, haven't heard any results on that (assume it's fine).

He also had a brain MRI. That did show some damage from lack of oxygen, most likely occurred during the events of Wed. night. He also is not quite himself. Leland & I had assumed that was due to the sedation he's still on but the ped intensivist seems to think that's indicative of neurological function. We're told it will just take time to see what exactly is going on.. We KNOW that time & PRAYERS can take care of all of it.

September 19, 2008 - noonish

Seth is doing well. Still on the ventilator but much lower settings. They pulled one of his two chest tubes overnight and are watching a possible slight pneumothorax. The goal is still to extubate but prior to that we've just done an echo to check heart function and while he's still somewhat sedated, he's being sent for a brain MRI. This is just to insure that there was no neurological damage during the code. More a cautionary measure (do it now while he's still sedated and intubated) to prevent possible problems later.

We're feeling very blessed today as he really is doing MUCH better! (What a difference a mere 36 hrs can make.) We're praising God for keeping Seth in His care!

September 18, 2008 - PM

Praise God today was a WAY more peaceful day than yesterday.

Seth recovered quickly from last night's code... much quicker than his parents apparently! Today was spent weaning down his ventilator settings, the immediate goal is working towards extubation.

It was a calm day, as of 9:30pm, Seth was doing well with the decreased vent settings.

I want to say how appreciative I am of the prayers, words of support, etc that we've recieved over the last while but especially the last 24 hours. From church family to hospital staff, everyone has been extremely supportive and we are grateful!

September 18, 2008 - 1;30AM (ish)

I'll just begin this by saying that Seth is currently stable.

Today was a rough day in that there was some miscommunication regarding iv/pic lines, Seth had a line placed (in a spot that he should not have had one, due to his recent surgery, but no damage done) and it blew.

But all that was nothing compared to tonight when he coded. Apparently, he had a blockage in his breathing tube and it caused his sats to drop, heart rate plummeted, etc. The staff at PICU performed CPR, called Leland & I, etc. As I mentioned above, he's currently stable.

The next "hurdle" is gaining a decent line for iv access (he currently has a couple of small iv lines). He's a pretty sick boy right now.

We're praying for rapid improvement. Thank YOU to all of you who have been praying with us so faithfully.

September 17, 2008

Good morning all! Haven't we been blessed with beautiful weather lately? Hope most of you have had a chance to enjoy it!

So when we last left you.. they were trying to get a new PIC line in Seth so they could remove his central line in his neck (they do NOT want a clot in one of those upper extremity areas, that blood needs to be able to travel to his lungs). That was unsuccessful. The end decision was to put him on heparin to avoid a blood clot in that central line. They were hoping to avoid peripheral lines (regular ivs) due to the amount of meds, etc he's taking in and the shape of his veins.

So I called up this am to see how his night went. Overall, it went well. However, that central line they were trying to get out yesterday and ended up leaving in? Yeah, it started to leak. Now, according to his nurse Jake he's "an IV junkyard". Seth has an IV in both hands and feet. Please pray for those to hold up and do the job. For Seth's lungs & respiration to be well enough for him to get off the ventilator SOON (today would be good!). For his doctors & nurses and peace for our family.

Thanks again for all your support. We couldn't do it without God and those of you loving us in His name sure help us to feel His presence! Thanks SO much!

September 16, 2008 - AM

Well,technically it's pm since it's 12:30..

Everyone at our house seems to be feeling better (Praise, GOD!). Sean & Cary went to school today. Kayleigh informed me "I no spit up today mom". I feel better. So we're on the upswing there.

Seth is still taking things slowly. They worked on weaning a bit last night but didn't get very far. This am, they tried to pull chest tubes and put in bulb syringes. They couldn't get one to seal and in the process he developed some pleural effusions and one of his lungs collapsed a bit (the left I think).. they ended up putting the chest tubes back in. Currently, they want to pull the central line in his neck as it comes close to a suture line internally. They're trying to put in a pic line, we've been here since 11 am and have barely had a chance to even see Seth..

The cardiologist says he feels like Seth is doing well so we're just following Seths' lead on his getting better..

Thank you for your prayers and support!

September 15, 2008

Seth is doing that whole two steps forward one step back thing.

They got him on cpap today (on the vent but he was doing most of the work) and after a bit his blood gases were bad and they had to increase vent settings..

I didn't make it to the hospital today at all due to being sick but am hoping tomorrow is a better day all the way around.

Thank you for lifting up our family!

September 14, 2008 - PM

Well, today was more of the same. Seth's arterial line blew a couple of days ago (or maybe even just yesterday..) and was removed. Today they had to put in a new one so they could get more accurate blood gases (to aid in weaning off the vent). Currently he's still intubated and sedated. He looks good as far as color etc and hopefully we'll see some forward movement tomorrow.