Showing posts with label Surgery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Surgery. Show all posts
Monday, January 30, 2012
"The Empress" Has Left The Building!!
A hospital stay that should have been a minimum of five days ended at noon today at the four day mark! Everyone agreed that our active toddler would do better at home than in the hospital... Her bladder appears to be working normally!!! We will continue to watch this for any signs of distress, but we are so thankful for this great news! And, that impressive scar on her lower back needs to be watched very closely.. Our little gymnast is going to make everyone nervous around here for a while until her stitches come out, (three weeks from now...) It's hard to explain to a three year old that we will have to go back to the hospital if she doesn't take it slow...
I am still in awe of the procedure Emme had, and that she is moving, let alone walking around.. Her first steps today were a little "drunken" but she had no problem picking up her pace.. I had to tell her not to run!! Amazing!
Thank you for your prayers for Emme Jade! God has been so faithful in answering each and everyone of them...
We will keep you posted on our patient! It may be a long three weeks.. But, thankfully we are home to heal!!!! As I type, she is snuggled up in her bed sleeping peacefully!
"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all of your wonderful deeds."
~Psalm 9:1
Emme's Last Day in the PICU!
It was pretty clear when Emme woke up yesterday that this would turn out to be our last day in the PICU. I have to admit, I was kind of sad to move floors.. While this was great news in Emme's recovery, I loved the care we had.. When you go through things like Benedryl Rages, you bond with your daughter's caregivers.. Jamie and Shelley, thank you for loving Emme.. Even when she wasn't so lovable!
She had a great day... Happy, busy, sweet.. A glimpse of the girl we left in the OR on Thursday.... She got her hair washed, changed her clothes, greeted the ICU from her wagon.. It was amazing to watch the change in 24 hours.. The IV lines came out, the Foley Catheter was removed.. The Sisters all came to visit.. All in all, it was a great day....
Jamie and Emme
Shelley & Emme
All of the Sisters together... The Middles were so excited to see Emme! So cute!
The fun began for me after everyone left.. Emme decided she would much rather jump on her bed, than go to sleep.. Did I mention she had major spinal surgery? Obviously, aerobics is not on her orders for getting us out of here... We even ordered a crib, because we were afraid she would launch herself out of her bed.. (Which she would have!) Around 11pm she got the "Roof" to her crib after she tried to climb out of it.. Did I mention she had major spinal surgery? At 2:13 am (yes you read that correctly) The Empress went to bed.. It is now 10:00 and she is still sleeping.. The good news is she is lying flat!!! So, as much as I was hoping they would let us go home today, I don't think it is going to happen. The Bladder is now the #1 concern.. We need to make sure it is truly working the way it was designed too.. They will be monitoring it closely.. We also need to get her out of bed to start walking... If all of that goes well, they may let us leave tonight.. Obviously, I would love to... But, we will do what is best for The Little Bean.
Did I mention she had major Spinal Surgery?
Blessings from the Step-Down Unit!
YIPPEE!!!!
72 Hours Later.... "The Agitated Epress" has left the building!!!
Emme has been having a party in her bed for the past three hours!!! She has eaten more than I have, smiled, said please and thank you, and brushed her teeth!!!! YIPPEE!!!!
The plan is one more day weaning her off of the hard stuff, and then they will be taking that Foley out tomorrow!! (Prayers for a perfect functioning bladder appreciated!)
I can honestly say, she looks better than I do!!! She even told me she would let us wash her hair today... So the bottom line is we are moving in the right direction!!! Praise God!
Blessings from the very relieved parents of the beautiful Empress in the PICU!
Looking Up!
14 Hours of Sleep for the "Content Empress!"
We have been up since 4:30 with a calm, sweet, and much kinder Emme Jade!
We are hopeful that today will bring more smiles, less drugs, and perhaps even a new room that gets us closer to home!!!!
"I will praise God's name in Song
and glorify Him with Thanksgiving."
~Psalm 69:30
Saturday, January 28, 2012
The Empress Update...
Life started out much better in the PICU this morning for "The Agitated Empress" because Jie Jie arrived early... We had a good night, which included a few hours of sleep for me which I would need later..
She was pretty calm all morning...
(In case you are wondering, these adorable leggings are from Sophia Jane Boutique)
The #1 thing Emme has complained about has been her IV lines.. Well last night, she had good reason.. Her foot line gave out.. Her poor little foot looked like a puffer fish... She was happy to get that out.. Not so happy about getting the elbow board for the new line that was already in place... Unfortunately with Emme's activity that arm line did not last long.. So, mid-morning a new line had to be created... Thankfully, Emme did great for the nurse... Prayers were going up, and chocolate was promised if she stood still... She did great, and the perfect vein was found.. She is now sporting a new line, with a "Dog House" on the top so she can't get to this one! We were so proud of her....
I love this shot... The nurses gave Emme one of the NICU bottles for her baby...
"The Fancy Empress!" Miss Jen sent a special box of girli-ness today!
This was the first, and only smile we have seen from Emme since Thursday!!! It was a relief to see a glimpse of our happy girl.. Nurse Jamie gave The Little Bean a large syringe filled with water.. She let her point it at each one of us and squirt us with water... Emme thought that was really funny!
I won't go into all of the details.. But, Emme had an adverse reaction to Benadryl this afternoon.. It was very scary for me... I am thankful for our nurse Jamie who was here and knew just what to do.. And for my friends Robyn and Jenny who showed up just when I needed them.. And, for my sweet sister Barb who loves us so much...
Emme's rage ended at 2:00 and she has been sleeping since... I am guessing it will be a long night.. Tomorrow is a new day, and I look forward to it!
Thank you for your prayers for our sweet girl who has been through a lot in the last two days!
Lastly, Happy Birthday to my beautiful Mom who is 80 years old today!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Day 2 in The PICU...
I forget that the second day after surgery can sometimes be harder than the first.. Our's has started out that way... Emme is showing her spirited side... Even flat on her back she has found a way to stomp her feet, and show us how she really feels about this surgery... I felt like I was in a boxing match from 4:30-6am with the Little Bean! And, then again with Daddy here for two hours this morning.. She has verbalized that she is not happy with either of us today! She seems to be resisting the drugs that were knocking her out yesterday... So, a new "cocktail" has been started, with another one coming later today.. As much as I hate to have all of this in her system, it is better than having to restrain her or allow her to hurt herself. The good news is her vitals are holding steady.. She is retaining a lot of fluid, that we hope will be released today too... We have also gotten the green light to let her sit up a bit, just to calm her down and make her more comfortable. Bottom line, she is miserable and mad as a hornet!! We all agree it is a good thing, she is so cute!!!!
The funniest line of the morning in the heat of it all was when she screamed... "It's my birthday!" Well, actually that is July 24th... But, it was the comedic moment we needed during what seemed like a battle that would never end..
She is peaceful now, and we will continue to pray for God's healing hands on her little body and for his protection over her!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Update and Prayer Request!!!!
Thank you for lifting up our sweet Emme Jade!!!! We are relieved, thankful, and amazed by God's faithfulness!!! Even our nurses have commented on how great she looks considering all she has been through today.. So far, she is doing very well... We expected her to be asleep... But, she was awake, calm, and peaceful for quite a while.. Praise God for I-Touches and Pre-School Apps!!! The next 24-48 hours are going to tell us a lot.. We know the surgery was successful without complications.. But, she has a way to go for us to completely exhale...
We just met with one of the ICU doctors and from that we humbly ask you to pray for:
~No Spinal Fluid Leakage
~No Infection
~No loss of leg mobility
~No nerve damage to her bladder and bowels
Emme's "Foley Catheter" will be removed in the next few days... They will be monitoring her ability to go to the bathroom on her own very closely... Our ASK is that she will have normal functionality...
For now just know that our beautiful girl is sleeping peacefully!
Thank you!
~The Little Bean's Mama and Baba
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
In HIS Hands... Tomorrow Morning!
Tomorrow morning at 7:30am our sweet baby girl, our "little bean" our precious daughter will under-go major surgery, to repair her tethered cord, on her lower spine. Tomorrow morning, Jeff and I will let her go into THE hands of the One who created her.. And, we will do our best, by faith, to trust that He will guide the hands of her amazing surgeon. We have no reason to doubt this, other than by letting our human fears get in the way... By faith Emme Jade came into our family. By stepping out in obedience we have been blessed beyond the call to her.. In just five months we love this little girl more than words can express here... She is our daughter.. It is not complicated. We simply adore her! Only a loving God can produce that in the hearts of two parents, and three special sisters, in such a short period of time.
Many of you have journeyed this road with us.. Thank you for that! Many of you have reached out today to let us know you are praying.. We are so grateful! We do know the power in that! ( Remember China with Sienna in 2010?!) Even in Haiti, prayers are being lifted up for Emme Jade! What a blessing to know she is so covered, all over the world! God knows what tomorrow will bring.. We, trust it is going to be another beautiful chapter in Emme's testimony of the way God has protected her and loved her in such a personal way!
"Emme Jade ~ You are fearfully and wonderfully made... You are special! And, we are so thankful that it is us, that was chosen to be by your side... Our specific prayers are for no complications, no spinal fluid leakage, no bladder complications..."
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;
do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
~Joshua 1:9
Thank you for your prayers and support! It's a humbling place to be.... again...
I will do my best to post updates here and on Facebook when we know how she is doing!
Blessings,
Jeff & Diana
Thursday, January 5, 2012
What's Next For Our Little Bean?
Just an hour ago our Social Worker, Ava, was here to do our six-month post placement for China. It's truly hard to believe that February 8th, will mark the day six months ago that we met Emme Jade in Nanjing... A process that seems to take so long while you are waiting, goes by so quickly when you are home, living your life, as if she has always been here.
We did this visit early, because our precious girl is having surgery on January 26th to release her tethered cord.... There are no adequate words to describe how much I wish this was not the case for our baby girl... But, I am comforted in knowing that none of this is a surprise to our great big God! My sweet friend Sally reminded me today that God knew when He made Emme's sweet little body, that this day would come. He orchestrated it so she would be adopted before her system started to fail her... He gave us a sweet little dimple to map the way to an MRI that revealed she needed help.. He brought her to an area with a highly respected and award winning Neuro Surgeon locally that has the amazing skills to do what needs to be done to fix Emme's tether.... We are beyond grateful... Are we scared?.... The truth is, YES... But, like any of us who have to let our children go each day, we have to trust that God will protect her... After all, He is the Great Physician! Faithfully He has protected her from the day she was born!
So, when things seem quiet on the blog front, there is a lot going on over here behind the scenes....
Humbly, I ask for your prayers at 7:30am on January 26th for our Little Bean and Dr. Nagib.
And, if you feel led, for the Mom & Dad too, who will be pacing the halls until we hear the words, all is well with our baby girl!!!
~Proverbs 3:5
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding...."
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Emme Jade IS Home!!!!
After a good night of sleep, and a busy morning of probably doing more than she should, Emme was released from the hospital!!!! She woke up from a nap pretty happy when Nurse Linda told her the IV line could come out!!! We arrived home at 1:00 with our precious patient!... She took a long nap, and is now happily re-united with her big sisters! Keeping her quiet and relaxed is going to be the biggest challenge in the next few days.. She is ready to go! Amazing!
(The IV line being removed!)
We left the hospital with a deeper appreciation of God's plan for our little girl. She was a light on a hospital floor with a lot of sadness over the past 24 hours.. She brightened the day of a doctor who had a very sad morning, a few nurses offered to to take her home, and a surgeon who just received her referral from China, got to discharge Emme today! She was so excited to show us the referral photo of her new baby boy! It's a reminder that God always has us where He wants us to be at any given point and time. What a blessing it was to share some joy this week with some people we may never encounter again!
Tonight we give thanks for God's faithfulness, and for one sweet little girl who is safely home!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
A Simply Amazing Day!!
Do not ever under-estimate the power of prayer. Especially when it has to do with a three year old child! What I have witnessed today, only God can orchestrate... This child has three incisions in her body... They were not there this morning when she woke up.. One is on her thigh, one is on her lower back, and one is on her belly.. Not one "ouch" out of Emme Jade except for her IV board, which she has politely asked her nurses to remove every time she sees them! She has made new friends, walked the halls, and she has even cruised the floor on wheels... Simply amazing!
Yes, she is on pain meds.. She is tolerating them beautifully! (The hard stuff is on order should we need it over night.) She knows where her "owies" are, and she is happy to show them off to anyone who will listen! There will be a few dressing changes tomorrow when the surgeons are on call. I am thankful they will be doing the first round!
Overall, day one has been a gift. She is sleeping now, and hopefully it will be a peaceful night. I know tomorrow is a new day, and the pain may increase overnight. But, I give thanks for the precious day we have had with Emme Jade... God has clearly trusted us with another one of his brave and strong little girls! (Oh, and spunky too!)
Thank you for lifting up Emme Jade! You have blessed her greatly with your prayers! Goodnight from Children in MSP!
Emme Jade Is Now.....
Sound asleep in her new room that she will be in for the day/night!
Dr. Steve reported after 45 minutes that she did beautifully... The "foreign object" in her left thigh was much longer than they thought.. We still do not know what it was, but the thought after today is that it was graphite. It has been sent to the lab... Poor thing.. She is going to have a tender thigh for a few days..
We witnessed the many prayers for Emme Jade today being answered.. As I have mentioned in the past, Emme gets very anxious in medical situations. But, today she did so great!! She played happily with Daddy until Dr. Steve came in.. She didn't cry when he marked the spots he would take care of.. (She even asked him to do a few more, which he happily did with a heart and a smiley face.) And then when Jeff and I took her to the OR with the Anesthesia Team she went to sleep easily sniffing the bubblegum lip smackers she had picked out, and put all over her special mask.. Not one whimper.. Thank you Lord!
The recovery nurse commented, "Wow she's pretty feisty and strong for such a little thing!"
Interpreted to mean that Emme was not one bit happy when she woke up... Communicating her needs IS one of Emme's gifts!!
However, when Jeff and I saw her she was pretty serious, and very sleepy! She is now sound asleep and resting comfortably in her private room. Hopefully, she will forgive us when she wakes up!
We are thankful that her surgery went as well as it could, and even more thankful that we are here by her side!! Have we mentioned how much we love our baby girl lately? More than words can say!!!!
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.."
~Ephesians 3:20
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Our Sweet Emme Jade is...
...scheduled for surgery at 9am.
Thank you for your prayers, texts, emails, comments, and encouragement about Emme's upcoming surgery tomorrow. We feel very blessed by all of your support. I will do my best to update about her progress once she is safely back in her room.. One thing is for sure, there will be two parents that love her very much that will be very relieved to see her when she wakes up...
"I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."
~Philipians 4:13
Thursday, July 21, 2011
"Tooth Fairy" at 12:15 Today!
**UPDATE! Sienna is home and doing great!!! She is not super excited about her tooth being gone, but the pain is manageable and the recovery room went well today!!!! She is happily eating some noodles as I type! Thank you for your prayers!!
It's hard to take a blog break when you have multiple birthdays, surgery, a move, and a trip to China all within a three week time span!! If I don't document it now, I never will....
Our new six year old is scheduled for her "tooth fairy" extraction at 12:15 today! Prayers for her protection and for the wonderful Dr. King would be so appreciated! She really had a tough time last June when she had dental surgery... So, we are praying that some of our learnings from her splenectomy will benefit her today! As you know Sienna is one brave little girl... But, it is no fun to have anything done in your mouth... ever! She had a great birthday yesterday, and she is excited to be six!!
Jeff and I have to divide and conquer today.. He will be at our new house closing, and I will be at the hospital watching the board until I can see my girl... Tomorrow the movers come and we will spend our first night "camping" in our new house!
Two weeks from today, we leave for China!!!!
Thank you for your prayers for our family!! And especially for Sienna Grace today!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Sienna is Home!!!!!!
Less than 3o hours after our precious girl had her spleen removed, she left Children's Hospital with her sisters and her very grateful parents!
She fell asleep last night holding her teddy bear from her best friend, Nadi while we were saying our prayers... She only woke up once. We had to use all our tricks to get her to take her pain meds. Finally she did after a promise to call Nadi today! Since Sienna has never been a big fan of oral meds, we may be calling Nadi a lot in the next week and months to come!
As I type she is on the couch sharing her "doctor stuff" with Sienna and Ruby! I can't think of a better place to recover. I have no doubt our tough little girl will be asking to ride her bike soon!
We praise God for the way He answered our prayers for Sienna. She is home!!
Blessings,
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