Jillian made it through surgery today, her surgeon said she was a perfect angel. I can't explain to you enough how much a miracle this was. She was an angel only by the grace of God a true answer to many prayers.
When Mark and I arrived this morning the nurses were trying to get her on her right side, this is the side that just collapsed a day in a half before. They had been leaving her off that side to help it heal as well as she could not breath as well on that side. The nurses were slowly moving her to that side because the surgeon had to enter her chest on the left side of her body to perform the surgery. So when Mark and I were in there her CO2 was climbing. The doctor came in and said that they were going to mess with the vent systems to trying and get her numbers to come down. They ran a blood gas on her and her CO2 level was 139, this was way too high to be able to do surgery. Then I sent out an prayer request to many prayer warriors and within the minute, I am not kidding her number came down and down and down. I asked what they wanted it at and was told 80. Her level came down and averaged 80. Thank you God!!! The surgery was on. Her surgery was rescheduled to 2 but our surgeon was in an emergency surgery and it did not get to start until 3:45. Right before surgery her numbers were starting to go crazy her CO2 came up just a little intothe high 80's and her oxygen satsuma were in the 70's. She was already on 100% oxygen and they can not got any higher. So the surgeon told us to give her a kiss and go and wait in the waiting room. Again my mom, my husband and myself sent out prayer requests and waited. Her surgeon came in after an hour and said she was a perfect angel. She also told us that this was the biggest artery she has ever seen on a baby this small. She also told us how nervous she was to do this surgery as was the rest of the staff. I told them before surgery that everything was going to be ok and that Jillian had many prayers being answered and the A team for surgery. I was having a really hard time with all of this yesterday before Mark made it out and when I spent sometime with God He gave me a new perspective. We have been praying for Jillian to heal and this was how He was going to do it. He also reminded me not to see the picture infront of me, the one that looks scary but to look up to Him and stay focused on Him. Boy did that just releave the stress. Then this morning God reminded me again that I was not to focus on the picture in front of me but on Him, Him who shut the lions mouth and kept the fire from burning those who love and trust Him along with all of these other things that God has done. Faith. I rested in faith. With my God all things are possible. May God receive all the glory!!!
So Jillian is doing ok since surgery. She is going up and down but they told us to expect that for the next few days. Please pray for her to recover quickly and for her lungs to work perfectly and for her not to be uncomfortable. Thank you all for the prayers.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
NICU day 36
Jillian's group of doctors decided that she does need to go in for a PDA ligation. This is a surgical procedure in which the surgeon will make an incision under her arm in the ribcage go in and find the artery and clamp it off. In her it is a large PDA so the surgeon said that this artery will be larger than her aorta. The surgeon will perform the surgery with Jillian on the jet vent, she said she has done this before it's not the route she would choose but she is comfortable with it. Luckily the surgeon doing the procedure is Jillian's surgeon that has seen her almost everyday since birth for her O so she knows Jillian well and Mark and I have developed a relationship with her and trust her very much. They are also going to do the surgery in the NICU, they feel because she is so touchy that if they move her down to the OR they will be starting the surgery with her not at her best (she desats quickly when you mess with her). This is a common procedure that preemies require, the doctors main concerns with Jillian is that postoperative they usually require a more support on the vent and we don't have much space because she is already on high settings. Also the night before last her jet vent malfunctioned and she lost all the pressures going to her lungs causing her right lung to collapse. This has make her oxygen needs go up. Luckily her vent setting did not have to. Please pray for the surgeons hands, Jillian to go through surgery easily and for her to heal quickly without additional vent support.
I know God can heal my daughter and I trust Him with her. I also know God works in mysterious ways and so I am not going to look at how scary the picture looks today I am going to choose to look up to Jesus and pray with confidence that my daughter is going to be fine and this is God's way of healing her.
I know God can heal my daughter and I trust Him with her. I also know God works in mysterious ways and so I am not going to look at how scary the picture looks today I am going to choose to look up to Jesus and pray with confidence that my daughter is going to be fine and this is God's way of healing her.
Monday, May 23, 2011
NICU day 34
More prayers needed, the PDA (the valve in the heart that is open in the womb but is suppose to close after birth) they said closed either reopened or never closed. It is now a large PDA and causing the left side of Jillian's heart to become enlarged. They are considering surgery to close this valve. This is actually very common in a lot of preemies however they are not comfortable operating with her on the jet (her chest vibrates 420 per minute) and their other concern is that she is also requiring a lot of vent support already and the babies usually require more support postoperative. So they are repeating her echo tomorrow after giving her a diaretic for 24 hours to see if that helps. Please pray for my little girl.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
NICU day 33
I went home this week for three days, Jillian was nice and stable for me. It was so nice to be able to clean my own house (I was on bed rest since Dec. 1), I have a "sickness" and I really enjoy cleaning my house and having everything put away. I was very blessed during my bed rest and my house stayed very clean thanks to a lot of people who love me, but it was so fun to do it myself. My favorite things in this life are being a wife and a mother, and I love being able to take care of my gifts. I spent my first day home cleaning from top to bottom and doing laundry in my new washer and dryer (my old washer broke while I was in the hospital) that my parents bought for us while I was in the hospital. They are amazing and my clothes smell better than ever! The second day I was home and the main reason I came home was that my daughter was dancing in a parade and opening up for a local beauty pageant. That was so much fun to do with her, she is a spectacular daughter. The third day home I spent packing for the whole family to come back up to the hospital for the weekend and for my kids to spend the week at their adopted Grandparents house.
Jillian had a good week over all. She is tolerating her feedings very well and will be at full feeds on Tuesday at which time they will add extra calories to my mommy milk to fatten her up. She is 2 whole pounds as of this morning! It's funny she looks so big to me, funny what 1/2 a pound does on such a small baby. If she was still in my belly she would be around 3 pounds now. Her O continues to do amazingly well, the doctors are so shocked, it's great. She had made some progress on her vent setting this week, she started out at 26/7 and got herself down to 23/7 and then her CO2's went sky high again so they had to increase it up to 27/7 before she stabilized again. That was yesterday, now she is back at 26/7. Everything looks good so the doctor thinks that she was being weaned down too fast. It's frustrating because this is the second time this has happened when her primary nurses don't have her and her primary doctor is not on. Lord, please give Jillian the perfect nurses she needs to complete a full round of primary nurses! Her doctor is writing strict orders on how her weaning down should go for the future, so I pray we don't keep doing this. I feel so blessed by her care here, everyone is amazing the only reason I would like to have around the clock primaries is not because all the nurses are not wonderful, it is because her primaries really know her and her little quirks so they know what to do and how fast to go. They pass that info on but there is a learning curve for each nurse. They also heard a murmur again on the day she had to go back up on her vent settings, so the doctor ordered another echo, he is thinking that her PDA may have opened up again. I will not have the results of this until tomorrow. Please pray for this to close and to stay closed.
Thank you all and God bless you!
Alexis as a pirate for the parade
Jillian getting a lift from her nurse
Her wee little foot
An upside down hi
Alexis after decorating Jillian isolette
Couldn't leave out the boys, just being silly at In and Out
Jillian had a good week over all. She is tolerating her feedings very well and will be at full feeds on Tuesday at which time they will add extra calories to my mommy milk to fatten her up. She is 2 whole pounds as of this morning! It's funny she looks so big to me, funny what 1/2 a pound does on such a small baby. If she was still in my belly she would be around 3 pounds now. Her O continues to do amazingly well, the doctors are so shocked, it's great. She had made some progress on her vent setting this week, she started out at 26/7 and got herself down to 23/7 and then her CO2's went sky high again so they had to increase it up to 27/7 before she stabilized again. That was yesterday, now she is back at 26/7. Everything looks good so the doctor thinks that she was being weaned down too fast. It's frustrating because this is the second time this has happened when her primary nurses don't have her and her primary doctor is not on. Lord, please give Jillian the perfect nurses she needs to complete a full round of primary nurses! Her doctor is writing strict orders on how her weaning down should go for the future, so I pray we don't keep doing this. I feel so blessed by her care here, everyone is amazing the only reason I would like to have around the clock primaries is not because all the nurses are not wonderful, it is because her primaries really know her and her little quirks so they know what to do and how fast to go. They pass that info on but there is a learning curve for each nurse. They also heard a murmur again on the day she had to go back up on her vent settings, so the doctor ordered another echo, he is thinking that her PDA may have opened up again. I will not have the results of this until tomorrow. Please pray for this to close and to stay closed.
Thank you all and God bless you!
Alexis as a pirate for the parade
During my morning devotion
I love God's promises and His perfect way. Lord, I surrender all to You.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.(2 Cor.12:10) Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:41-42) These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. (2 Thess. 3:16) The Lord bless you and keep you; make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace. (Num. 6:24-26)
For when I am weak, then I am strong.(2 Cor.12:10) Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:41-42) These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. (2 Thess. 3:16) The Lord bless you and keep you; make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace. (Num. 6:24-26)
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Kutless - What Faith Can Do
Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes and make a new beginning
Anyone can feel the ache
You think it’s more than you can take
But you are stronger, stronger than you know
Don’t you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining
I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It’ll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing
I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
Overcome the odds
You do have a chance
(That’s what faith can do)
When the world says you can’t
It’ll tell you that you can!
I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
That's what faith can do!
Even if you fall sometimes
You will have the strength to rise
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes and make a new beginning
Anyone can feel the ache
You think it’s more than you can take
But you are stronger, stronger than you know
Don’t you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining
I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It’ll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing
I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
Overcome the odds
You do have a chance
(That’s what faith can do)
When the world says you can’t
It’ll tell you that you can!
I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
That's what faith can do!
Even if you fall sometimes
You will have the strength to rise
Monday, May 16, 2011
NICU day 27
Not too much new to report. Still hanging out on the vent, but I was told that her X-ray looked better this morning! They are doing another one tomorrow, praying that one looks even better. She is still needing a lot of vent support please continue to pray.
Jillian had her repeat head ultrasound and it is showing the bleed on the right is resolved (an answer to prayer) and the one on the left is still a grade 1 (the doctors do not worry about a grade 1 as the outcome is the same as no bleed).
They have increased her feeding again today, she is now getting 4mls every 3 hours and she has gained 2 ounces of real weight! She is now 1.9 pounds! This is great news as the bigger and stronger she gets the more it will help her to heal.
I will update again soon!
Jillian had her repeat head ultrasound and it is showing the bleed on the right is resolved (an answer to prayer) and the one on the left is still a grade 1 (the doctors do not worry about a grade 1 as the outcome is the same as no bleed).
They have increased her feeding again today, she is now getting 4mls every 3 hours and she has gained 2 ounces of real weight! She is now 1.9 pounds! This is great news as the bigger and stronger she gets the more it will help her to heal.
I will update again soon!
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