He is a Faithful God-an Isaac Update

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Blessings, Isaac Update

Whew, yesterday was rough!  Isaac was not feeling well, and was extremely agitated.  We couldn't really put our finger on the exact problem.

  • Was he having pain at the incisions sites – there are 2 on his belly and one on the back of his head (at least 3 inches long)
  • Was his system just "coming down" off all the meds and anesthesia from the surgery?
  • Was his new and improved shunt working too well, pulling too much fluid from his brain, resulting in a severe headache?
  • Was the acetaminophen taking its toll?  It does make him grumpy, and it had been alternated with Motrin since Friday.
  • Was he simply tired of being doctored and washed and bandaged and medicated?
  • Was he going through "Mommy-and-Daddy-in-my-room-ALL-THE-TIME" withdrawals?
  • Was he tired of the HAT?

We never did figure it out.  He was awake for 24 hours straight – kicking, vocalizing, slapping (not us, he habitually rubs/slaps his belly and thighs), whining, flicking his hands and arms – just generally not well and not happy.

It was frustrating and sad.

We talked to doctors and decided to wait the night out, and reevaluate this morning.

We did 3 things:  took off the hat, stopped the Tylenol and let him fuss without going to check on him.

At 11:30 last night, he was still miserable, so I asked friends on Facebook to pray especially for him.  And they did!  Shortly after midnight, he was asleep and slept until after 9 a.m. this morning!

He has been peaceful and happy and content all day.

I don't know which of those things helped, or if any of them made a difference.

The only thing that I truly know did a work in him was the prayer.  God's peacefulness settled in around us here in our home; and we all rested the night through.

I am so amazed – constantly – by the goodness of God.  I am always surprised when prayers are answered, and I don't know why that still is!  lol!  I have seen so many of them answered, you'd think I'd get used to it.  I'm glad, though, that I don't take it for granted; and that I am still in awe of the power of my God.

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For those of you who have asked:  my back is still pretty bad.  I was able to get to the chiro yesterday.  I am able to walk – very slowly; I really can't do much for Isaac, except to hand things to Doug and help with Isaac's surgery sites.  I can sit for short periods of time in my wheelchair.  Thank GOD for that chair!  So…better than Thursday and Friday, although still not able to do much.  Sigh…  :o)

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Thank you, again, for all your prayer and well wishes.  I don't know what we would do without family and friends who care enough to talk to the God of the universe about our small problems.  We are so grateful.

Blessings,

Alesha

Library Staircase

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Household, Links to Share

If you love books as much as I do, you will appreciate this architect's ingenuity.  I saw this picture and knew I needed to see more of it.

THIS is the story.

Here's the picture to pique your interest:

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Beautiful, isn't it?!

Enjoy!

Alesha

So This is What Happened (or Isaac’s Epic Tale)

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Blessings, How Great is Our God, Isaac Update, What's Happening

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This was Isaac about 10 days ago, after getting his haircut.  This past Tuesday evening he started vomiting.  After determining he did not have a stomach bug, we got in touch with his gastro doctor. 

We changed some medication dosages, gave carrot juice (rather than Pedialyte) and watched him for about 36 hours.  That was when the gastro doctor suggested a trip to the ER.  We called his neurosurgeon before he and Doug headed out.

Isaac has a VP Shunt (link here), and it was determined after many x-rays, and MRI and an ultrasound that the tubing that goes from the shunt to the abdomen needed to be replaced.

The surgery went well.  The tubing had become brittle and blocked, and had to be replaced in its entirety.  There were some difficulties and some concerns about future surgeries of this kind for Isaac.  But those are tomorrow's troubles and we won't borrow from them today!

Naturally, my mind was elsewhere before his surgery, and so I have no pictures.  We do however have plenty of pics from afterward.

Isaac giving me the "I-cant-believe-you're-taking-pictures-now" glare, as Mojo the monkey looks on.

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Telling Mommy it was time for a lemon swab.  His mouth was very dry after surgery.

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Sleeping in a hospital is never a great experience.  The first night, Doug had the fold out chair, but when I got there, he turned that over to me.  I took a walk through the halls for the linens we would need, and I spotted a recliner.  I asked if it was being used, was told no, but to give them time to wipe it down, then they would bring it to us.

When I laid down at midnight – no chair.  I prayed myself to sleep, asking the Lord for a chair for my tired hubby.

At 1 a.m., no chair.  At 2 a.m.  At 3 a.m., the nurse came in for check vitals, saw that Doug was sitting straight up in a chair, sound asleep, and decided he needed a recliner.  In about 10 minutes, he was ensconced in this little beauty.

Answers to prayer are sometimes delayed, but when they come at last, they are very sweet!

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If I had to title the following pic, it would be "The Princess and the Pea"!  Only with 7 blankets, a sheet and two pillows did I manage to catch a few winks on this medieval torture device!

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I know this pic is very grainy, but it was too cute to leave out.  Isaac woke up at 4 a.m. as bright as a new penny.  Here he is grinning with that little smirk, and seemed to be feeling so much better.

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When you have neurosurgery, you follow up with lots of hair washing.  It helps get rid of any germs that might hide there.  You can see he thoroughly enjoyed the process and the attention!

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Then it was time to go.  Daddy got Isaac dressed in his own clothes.

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Then he got him comfortably settled into his own personal chariot, and away we went! (After the valet parking finally found our car that they somehow misplaced!!!)

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I usually don't include pictures of Isaac drooling, because I like to maintain his dignity as much as I can.  But this picture just had to be included!!!  He was so delighted to be on his way home!

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And how's this one for some beautiful eye contact?!!!  It's such a delight to his eyes open and bright!

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This is Mommy taking a picture of Daddy taking a picture of Isaac. 

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I can't imagine why he seems a little more spoiled than usual when we get home from the hospital!!! 🙂

Today (Sunday) he seems to be feeling the aftereffects of the surgery.  He is not quite so perky, and had a total meltdown while we washed his hair and applied medications to his surgery sites.  That's to be expected, but it nearly kills both of us to upset him.  Cleanliness is vital, though, to avoid infection; so we will aggravate him only when necessary for that process.

We have been abundantly blessed.  This wonderful outcome was by no means guaranteed, and so we are counting our blessings to be home today.

Thank you for your prayers, your sweet notes of encouragement and blessing.  I was overwhelmed by the response here and on FaceBook.  We feel very loved and very blessed.

Our God has done exceedingly abundantly above all that we could have asked.  He is so good to us!

May He bless you richly,

Alesha

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Uncategorized

We are headed home! Ike is doing super well today…kicking hard enough to make the oxygen probe on his toe lose contact and DING, DING, DING the monitor- then he GRINS really BIG! Yep, my boy is feeling so much better!!! We should be headed home a little after noon. Thank you for your prayers, and thank you, Lord, for Your goodness!

Isaac’s Surgery Update

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Blessings, How Great is Our God, Isaac Update, Prayer Request

Isaac came through surgery really well. 

All of the tubing for his shunt had to be replaced, from head to belly.

He has a small incision on his belly, and one on the back of his head (about 3 inches), and a mean looking bruise on the side of his neck and over his collarbone where they "tunneled" the new tubing.

He is still quite drowsy, but is resting and is very peaceful when he wakes up.  The meds seem to be managing the pain quite well.

Thank you for praying.  Thank you for letting me know you were praying.  Reading those comments this morning was so reassuring to me.

I will try to get back regularly with updates.  It is possible that we might be let go tomorrow.  That would be good, but we do not rush things.  We'd rather stay a little longer just to be sure all is going well.

God bless you all,

Alesha

Pray for Isaac – Surgery on Friday

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Isaac Update, Prayer Request

Isaac was admitted to the hospital this evening. 

He will have surgery tomorrow. 

Apparently, the tubing that goes from his shunt (in his head) to his abdomen is blocked.  That will need to be repaired, replaced, or something. 

His neurosurgeons are awesome, and he will be in good hands, surgically speaking.

We also know that The Great Physician will be overseeing the surgery.  That is even more important, and that knowledge fills me with peace.

We would really appreciate your prayers.

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Thank you.

Alesha