Elaine and I would like to thank all of you for your continued prayers for Isabelle and our family. Elaine has not been able to get to a computer so this is my attempt to convey our phone conversation this evening! (All of the husbands understand the danger in conveying messages from their wives!)
Isabelle is doing very well. Her color is so much better now that her oxygen levels are in the low 80's...up from 60-62. She is also much more animated and interactive with Elaine, Torie and the nurses. The one negative at this point is that her chest tube has not slowed down...draining...since the surgery. In fact, the drainage increased some today. So, our prayer request is that God would begin to heal her internally so that the chest tube can be removed. Once the tube is out, they can come home! We are all praying to that end.
Again, thank you for all of your prayers and the love expressed through all of the notes and comments on the blog.
Elaine and I have been reminded daily that God is sovereign in ALL things. It is simply our responsibility to be obedient to His call on our lives. Thank you for walking with us!
Phillip, Elaine, Torie, Michaela, AnnaGrace, SarahMei, & Isabelle
Monday, March 8, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Prayers Please
Isabelle is doing well. She had one blood pressure spike last night, which made me nervous, but with pain medicines it came back down. They plan on extubating her this morning which is great news.
The bad news...I had another seizure last night, while sitting next to Isabelle's bed in PCICU. Thankfully Phil was with me; it was short and all is well this morning. After having a seizure I feel pretty sick and weak for 24-36 hours. Please pray for strength for me today.
After returning to the Ronald McDonald House last night, and having a good cry about the events of the day, I had to smile. Why am I surprised when the trials come? This is our opportunity to bring glory to the Lord. He is NOT wringing His hands in heaven. His plans are NOT thwarted. He is sovereign and in control of even these details of our lives!! Pray that we will bring glory to Him and that those around us will see Christ reflected in our lives.
We woke up this morning to the news that AnnaGrace (9) now has the stomach virus that Sarah Mei had last week. Hers is upper (not lower like Sarah Mei's)...ugh!! So sorry Torie & Michaela!! Phil will be leaving the hospital in a few minutes to head back home while Torie hops in the car, in Charlotte, to head down here to Charleston. By this afternoon they will have switched posts. Pray for safety as they both travel today.
And of course...pray for our sweet Isabelle that she'll continue to progress, that her oxygen saturation levels will stay in the 80's and that her chest drainage will continue to slow.
Thanks prayer team!! What an encouragement it is to us to know that we have all of you joining us in prayer!
The bad news...I had another seizure last night, while sitting next to Isabelle's bed in PCICU. Thankfully Phil was with me; it was short and all is well this morning. After having a seizure I feel pretty sick and weak for 24-36 hours. Please pray for strength for me today.
After returning to the Ronald McDonald House last night, and having a good cry about the events of the day, I had to smile. Why am I surprised when the trials come? This is our opportunity to bring glory to the Lord. He is NOT wringing His hands in heaven. His plans are NOT thwarted. He is sovereign and in control of even these details of our lives!! Pray that we will bring glory to Him and that those around us will see Christ reflected in our lives.
We woke up this morning to the news that AnnaGrace (9) now has the stomach virus that Sarah Mei had last week. Hers is upper (not lower like Sarah Mei's)...ugh!! So sorry Torie & Michaela!! Phil will be leaving the hospital in a few minutes to head back home while Torie hops in the car, in Charlotte, to head down here to Charleston. By this afternoon they will have switched posts. Pray for safety as they both travel today.
And of course...pray for our sweet Isabelle that she'll continue to progress, that her oxygen saturation levels will stay in the 80's and that her chest drainage will continue to slow.
Thanks prayer team!! What an encouragement it is to us to know that we have all of you joining us in prayer!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
She's Done!!
Dr. Bradley just met with us and said the surgery went great. There were no surprises and the anatomy of her heart looks good for her next open-heart surgery, the Fontan.
We're praising God for carrying us through this so far. Continue to pray for Isabelle as she wakes up from anesthesia.
In China Isabelle was deemed "inoperable", but praise God, He had other plans for her! We're blessed to be chosen, by Him before the foundation of the earth, to be her parents.
We're praising God for carrying us through this so far. Continue to pray for Isabelle as she wakes up from anesthesia.
In China Isabelle was deemed "inoperable", but praise God, He had other plans for her! We're blessed to be chosen, by Him before the foundation of the earth, to be her parents.
1:25 p.m. Update
We just received an update and Isabelle is off the heart/lung bypass machine. They are hoping to wrap up her surgery within the next hour. Continue to pray that she will remain stable through the balance of the surgery.
Also please pray that they will be able to take out the breathing tube late tonight or in the a.m. She will do better, with her Glenn, once she is extubated. Last week she had a hard time breathing on her own which led to a delay in taking out her breathing tube.
I wanted to post pictures of Torie (19) and Michaela (14) but unfortunately the hospital computer won't let me download photos. The girls are our unsung hero's right now. Due to the flu season and H1N1, MUSC won't allow children under 18 to go into the PCICU. Because of this, Phil and I traveled to Charleston and left Torie and Michaela to hold down the fort at home with AnnaGrace (9) and Sarah Mei (4).
Torie works full-time at Tractor Supply. She took this semester off of college. It wasn't by choice. Our China trip took her out of the 1st 3 weeks of classes this semester. She petitioned her professors to make up the work, but the majority of them said they'd fail her for missing so many classes (despite the fact that she was in China picking up her new little sister!). As disappointing as it was to miss those hours of classes, the Lord had a better plan. In April she will be traveling to Austria to attend a Torchbearers Bible School session. She'll return to the states at the end of June and resume her classes at UNCC. We're so thankful that she'll have this opportunity for intense Bible study and international travel! In the meantime she arranged her work schedule, while we're in Charleston, to work in the late afternoons/evenings and take care of the girls during the day.
Michaela is continuing her on-line homeschool classes while we are away. I'm amazed at her ability to juggle her school work, take care of the horses and 47 chickens, and still find energy to do crafts, baking and reading with the little girls in the evenings.
I know I'm bragging, but Phil and I are SO proud of how Torie and Michaela have stepped up to the plate in this time of "crisis." They are going to be amazing Keepers at Home one day! Please pray for their continued strength until Phil returns home tomorrow.
Also pray for AnnaGrace and Sarah Mei. They are used to being with me 24/7. First I was in China for 2 full weeks, then out of town last week and now again this week. It's beginning to take a toll on them both to be seperated from me and out of our daily routine.
Hopefully the next time I update, it will be to say Isabelle is in the PCICU.
(We just got word that one of my favorite nurses, Heather, is going to be Isabelle's nurse again today in PCICU!! Whoohoo!! God takes care of even the little details.)
Also please pray that they will be able to take out the breathing tube late tonight or in the a.m. She will do better, with her Glenn, once she is extubated. Last week she had a hard time breathing on her own which led to a delay in taking out her breathing tube.
I wanted to post pictures of Torie (19) and Michaela (14) but unfortunately the hospital computer won't let me download photos. The girls are our unsung hero's right now. Due to the flu season and H1N1, MUSC won't allow children under 18 to go into the PCICU. Because of this, Phil and I traveled to Charleston and left Torie and Michaela to hold down the fort at home with AnnaGrace (9) and Sarah Mei (4).
Torie works full-time at Tractor Supply. She took this semester off of college. It wasn't by choice. Our China trip took her out of the 1st 3 weeks of classes this semester. She petitioned her professors to make up the work, but the majority of them said they'd fail her for missing so many classes (despite the fact that she was in China picking up her new little sister!). As disappointing as it was to miss those hours of classes, the Lord had a better plan. In April she will be traveling to Austria to attend a Torchbearers Bible School session. She'll return to the states at the end of June and resume her classes at UNCC. We're so thankful that she'll have this opportunity for intense Bible study and international travel! In the meantime she arranged her work schedule, while we're in Charleston, to work in the late afternoons/evenings and take care of the girls during the day.
Michaela is continuing her on-line homeschool classes while we are away. I'm amazed at her ability to juggle her school work, take care of the horses and 47 chickens, and still find energy to do crafts, baking and reading with the little girls in the evenings.
I know I'm bragging, but Phil and I are SO proud of how Torie and Michaela have stepped up to the plate in this time of "crisis." They are going to be amazing Keepers at Home one day! Please pray for their continued strength until Phil returns home tomorrow.
Also pray for AnnaGrace and Sarah Mei. They are used to being with me 24/7. First I was in China for 2 full weeks, then out of town last week and now again this week. It's beginning to take a toll on them both to be seperated from me and out of our daily routine.
Hopefully the next time I update, it will be to say Isabelle is in the PCICU.
(We just got word that one of my favorite nurses, Heather, is going to be Isabelle's nurse again today in PCICU!! Whoohoo!! God takes care of even the little details.)
10:55 a.m. Update
Isabelle is now on the heart/lung bypass machine and remains stable. I'm amazed at medical technology and what is possible!!
During surgery, in addition to doing the bi-directional Glenn, Dr. Bradley will also be patching one of Isabelle's pulmonary arteries which is too small to allow enough blood flow to her right lung. He will use cadaver pericardium to make the patch. It won't grow with Isabelle but her own artery will continue to grow and the patch will have enough "play" (I have no idea what the correct medical term for that is???) to accommodate her growth.
In the bi-directional Glenn they will connect her Superior Vena Cava to her pulmonary arteries. Blood which is pumped into her head and shoulders will go, by gravity, into the SVC and into her lungs. The rest of her blood will be pumped through the lower chamber of her heart. There will be less red/blue blood mixing than there is currently. This will improve her oxygen saturation levels to the
80's and will allow time for her body to grow and develop to prepare for the final operation - the Fontan.
We'll keep updating throughout the day.
"My soul finds rest in You alone, Oh Lord."
During surgery, in addition to doing the bi-directional Glenn, Dr. Bradley will also be patching one of Isabelle's pulmonary arteries which is too small to allow enough blood flow to her right lung. He will use cadaver pericardium to make the patch. It won't grow with Isabelle but her own artery will continue to grow and the patch will have enough "play" (I have no idea what the correct medical term for that is???) to accommodate her growth.
In the bi-directional Glenn they will connect her Superior Vena Cava to her pulmonary arteries. Blood which is pumped into her head and shoulders will go, by gravity, into the SVC and into her lungs. The rest of her blood will be pumped through the lower chamber of her heart. There will be less red/blue blood mixing than there is currently. This will improve her oxygen saturation levels to the
80's and will allow time for her body to grow and develop to prepare for the final operation - the Fontan.
We'll keep updating throughout the day.
"My soul finds rest in You alone, Oh Lord."
1st Update
At MUSC they give the parents a pager and the PA texts updates during surgery. We just received an update from Jennifer, one of Dr. Bradley's PA's, and she said "Surgery is underway. They are just getting into the chest. Sweet little Isabelle is doing very well and remains stable."
We love Jennifer and are thrilled she's in with Isabelle during surgery. That's one of the many things I love about MUSC; you feel like family by the time you leave. Everyone is so attentive to the children here and truly take a personal interest in their care.
Thanks for your continued prayers. We are resting in His arms.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace." Romans 15:13...we can truly say, He has!!
We love Jennifer and are thrilled she's in with Isabelle during surgery. That's one of the many things I love about MUSC; you feel like family by the time you leave. Everyone is so attentive to the children here and truly take a personal interest in their care.
Thanks for your continued prayers. We are resting in His arms.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace." Romans 15:13...we can truly say, He has!!
Isabelle is in Surgery-
Phil, Isabelle and I arrived in Charleston Tuesday evening. Yesterday Izzy had the normal all day pre-op appointments...blood draw, x-rays, meeting with the anesthesiologist and cardio-throacic surgeon. We had a relaxing evening at the hotel and were back at the hospital this morning at 7 a.m.
The two hardest parts of the surgery for me are "handing off" our daughter to the OR team and then seeing her intubated (which will come this afternoon). They gave Isabelle some Versed,before taking her to the OR, which made her happy and sleepy. She was just fine when they wheeled her away.
Surgery start time is 9:00 a.m. Please pray for the anesthesia team, the nursing team and of course Dr. Bradley and his PA's Kathy and Jennifer. They are a wonderful team. We have full confidence in them and know the Lord is guiding the hands of the surgeon.
We are SO blessed to have such prayer support from all you!! We'll keep you updated throughout the day and let you know how the surgery is progressing. It will take about 4-5 hours.
The two hardest parts of the surgery for me are "handing off" our daughter to the OR team and then seeing her intubated (which will come this afternoon). They gave Isabelle some Versed,before taking her to the OR, which made her happy and sleepy. She was just fine when they wheeled her away.
Surgery start time is 9:00 a.m. Please pray for the anesthesia team, the nursing team and of course Dr. Bradley and his PA's Kathy and Jennifer. They are a wonderful team. We have full confidence in them and know the Lord is guiding the hands of the surgeon.
We are SO blessed to have such prayer support from all you!! We'll keep you updated throughout the day and let you know how the surgery is progressing. It will take about 4-5 hours.
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