Seeing Improvement

Rachel seems to be improving. The medical staff now has her pain under control. We have been able to get acclimated to the G-Tube in her stomach. She still will not take a bottle, though. Please pray that she learns that the bottle is no longer her enemy! I have to praise God for all His faithfulness and all of His blessings. We have been through the fire but Jesus has been that unfailing "fourth Man in the fiery furnace" once again. I kept telling Rachel over and over before they whisked her away that even though I could not follow her to the operating room Jesus would never leave her side. How precious are His promises! Your continued prayer is so very valued. We appreciate it more than words can express. How could I ever explain how much it means to me to have someone intercede for my precious Rachel? Please keep her big sister Samantha in your prayers as well. She has been through so much without having her parents at her side. God has made her a strong little lady and for that we are so grateful. (I'm going to pay for it when she is a teenager, though!) God bless you and we love you!

Urgent Prayer Needed

Please be much in prayer for Rachel. She was in pain most of the night last night and cried uncontrollably most of the time. This has made her tummy quite sore as you can imagine. The surgery went well but the epidural they gave her for pain management came out some time during the night and no one knew it. She finally got some morphine at 7:30 this morning and went to sleep. After that wore off they gave her Tylenol with codeine. They both work, but not for the duration so she is still battling the pain. Please pray that God would intervene and she would have more manageable pain or even no pain...God can do either one!
Thanks and God bless!

Surgery Today

Rachel will be having her surgery at 1 pm today. It should last about 2 hours. Please be in prayer for her. Also, Rachel's Poppy is having some health issues that require immediate care. Please be in prayer for him as well.

Thanks and God Bless!!!

Upcoming Surgery

Baby Rachel has had many, many tests to find the cause of her eating issues. It has been determined that her Reflux is bad enough to require surgery. One of the tests (called a ph probe) measured how much acid is going back into her esophagus. In a 24 hour period little Rachel had 170 episodes of reflux. A surgery called the "Nissen" procedure should correct this problem. It is a procedure where the surgeon takes her stomach and wraps it around her esophagus. Then he attaches the stomach to her abdomen wall and puts a PEG tube into the stomach. She will be able to eat through this tube if needed. Please pray that the surgery is successful and without complication. Pray that God keep her safe and that she will have a speedy recovery. Please pray that she will not be in too much pain after the surgery and that she be protected while they administer morphine and Tylenol with codine. She will possibly have the surgery as soon as Monday. To God be the glory for all things. We praise Him for answered prayers!

Life at Richland

Rachel is now at Richand's Children's hospital undergoing various tests. Since her recent weight loss the doctors decided to try to find out why baby Rachel has so much trouble eating. Her weight has pretty much plateaued in the last couple of months. She has had a variety of blood tests and urine tests (praise God she didn't have to get a cath!). She is currently in the middle of a test called a ph probe. She has a tube (about the size of a feeding tube) run into her nose and down her esophagus. It is hooked to a little computer that measures the acid in her esophagus. This will determine how severe her reflux (or GERD) is. The test lasts 24 hours so we should know something tomorrow. The staff here at Richland is great. She has 7 different doctors checking her progress daily. They are all informative and helpful. The nursing staff is also a blessing. It is hard to be away from home and away from Rachel's big sister, but god has been faithful in keeping our spirits up! Baby Rachel has been such a trooper threw this entire process. God has given her a special touch to make it through. He has also been with both Daddy and I and for that we are eternally grateful! We want to thank everyone who has helped us during this week! Jen, thanks for taking Samantha at a moment's notice. Thanks to Dayna for keeping Samantha at home and taking her to school. Nanny and aunt Shellie, thanks for keeping Sam, cleaning and for everything else you have done. Thank you Mammaw and Pappaw for keeping Sam as well. Thank you Susanne for getting Sam from school and keeping her for us. Thanks to everyone who has called, came to Columbia to visit, sent flowers, and most importantly, thanks to everyone who has prayed!!!

A Bump in the Road

Baby Rachel was doing well, praise to Jesus! She has hit a bump in the road. She has lost more weight. Monday she has to go back to the doctor for another weight check. If she has lost weight again, she will be admitted to an out-of-town hospital for a few days for testing to see what is going on inside her little belly. The next resort is surgery or a feeding tube inserted into her naval. Please pray that she gains weight and gets better! To God be ALL glory, honor & praise!

Some answers...Finally

As Rachel's mom I can honestly say that I stand here today with the biggest lesson of patience that God has ever taught me. Two and half months ago sweet Rachel was born into this world to be whisked away by a wonderful team of doctors and nurses and to be subject to test after test after test over the course of her short life. Many of the tests confirmed what wasn't ailing Rachel but none could really confirm what was ailing her or why. Last week we were able to finally get some test results confirmed. The doctor looked at her EEG and said there was still some evidence of seizure activity, but no visible seizures were noticed. She will continue to take seizure medication. He read the CT report from the radiologist and it confirmed that Rachel does not have a calcium deposit in her brain (praise God!)...that little spot on her brain was a bleed. However, her pediatric neurologist did find some soft tissue or "dead spots" on her brain around the area that the bleed was. He sent my husband to the hospital to pick up the film of the CT scan. While my husband was gone the doctor had me wait in the waiting room. At that point he did not explain the extent of her injury or what it meant for her. I can remember being in the waiting room wondering what caused parts of baby Rachel's brain to die. What would happen now? Would it get any worse? Would the damage continue to spread until all of her brain was dead? That hour was one of the longest hour of my life. I remember telling my husband about the blind man that Jesus healed. The one the people questioned Jesus concerning the cause of his blindness. Was it his sin or his parents' sin that caused him to be blind? Jesus answered that it was neither, but that God might be glorified. That thought was what kept me sane that hour. My husband had to leave after giving the doctor the film so I was able to spend some "one on one" time with Jesus. Right when my husband called to get an update, the doctor came out to the waiting room to get me. My first thought was "Oh no...how often does the doctor himself retrieve a patient from the waiting room. This must be really bad." I quickly hung up on my husband (sorry, dear) and hastily followed the doctor to an exam room. That's when he told me the news. He believes the soft spots were caused by trauma during her delivery. When she was born she had meconium (stool) in her amniotic fluid and the cord was wrapped around her neck (though not tight). Either of these issues could have caused her to have a stroke at birth. It is scary to think of your little baby having a stroke but it is certainly better that the alternative! The dead tissue would not spread and she would not get any worse! Praise God for the news! We will not know how the injury will affect her until she is at least a year old. I guess God is not done teaching me patience! There is a 50/50 chance that she will live a "normal" life. No matter the outcome, we will continue to praise God for who He is and what He accomplished on the cross over two thousand years ago!

Keep on Truckin'

It has been a few weeks since our last post so I thought I'd give an update. It grieved me to my soul to make the decision to change doctors...for now. Rachel's primary care doctor has been through everything right along side of her and we love him dearly, but my husband and I felt that it was probably best for her to have a pediatrician since she has had so may bumps in the road since her birth. We hope that we can return her to our family doctor when she is a little older. Rachel's eating difficulties have caused her to loose a little weight. We have been going in circles with the weight thing. One dr said she weighed 8lbs, another said 8lbs 12 oz and her new dr says 7 lbs 14 oz. It is little less than a pound any way you look at it, but to a two month old it must mean a lot. The new doctor has a plan of action for putting weight on her so I pray all is well in that area. She was able to get some of her vaccines but not all of them because of her history of seizures. Her last EEG showed signed of seizure activity so she has been scheduled for a 48 hour VEEG which she will be admitted for. She will also have another CT scan. Hopefully we will be able to find out some answers with all of the testing. We are hoping to get a nurser practitioner to keep Rachel so I can return to work. Pray that that will turn out well. Even if not, God already knows the answers and what the future holds for baby Rachel and for us and that gives me the strength to keep on truckin'!

ER Visit

Baby Rachel had another seizure around midnight last night. At the doctor's earlier instructions, I took her to the emergency room. They checked her medication level and said it was normal. They thought it may have been the sedative she was given for her MRI yesterday. I spoke to her doctor today and they said the sedative would not have caused it but possibly the MRI itself. He has had me increase her dose. Be in prayer that God works it all out.

Possible Seizure

Baby Rachel had what looked like a seizure tonight. I am 90% sure it was one. Please pray that the doctor will see her tomorrow and check her medication level. Pray that God take care of Rachel.

Sick Baby

Baby Rachel had her MRI today. She should know the results at her next appointment in a couple of weeks. Please be in prayer for good news. In the mean time, Rachel seems to have gotten sick. She is very horse and it appears that her throat is hurting. This has really impacted her eating in the last day or two. If she gets worse over the night I will take her to the doctor to see if he can find the source of her ailment. Pray that she feels better soon so she can eat. It is so difficult to see her in pain and know there is nothing you can do about it. She had a good day or two of eating and then regressed to fighting again. It breaks my heart to know that "Momma's arms" are no longer a place of comfort for her. Instead, you can see the torment in her eyes each time I pick her up to feed her. I cannot imagine the fear she has every two hours as her mind registers what is to come. I know feeding is supposed to be a comforting experience; a time of bonding between mother and child. Instead it is a battle for us both. Pray that God would intervene and make that time what it ought to be for both of us. I think I am beginning to understand what a nurse must go through...knowing what they are about to do will hurt but knowing it must be done. Pray that Baby Rachel and I won't have to "fight" through feedings and that we can enjoy one another's company. Pray that she get well from whatever is ailing her little throat at the moment. Pray for stamina and continued faith for Rachel's parents. Pray that God's will be done in her life.

More Tests

Baby Rachel seems to have hit a bump in the road with this eating thing. She started vomiting yesterday and today I decided to take her to the doctor early instead of waiting for her next appointment. The doctor thinks her troubles may be stemming from reflux and has ordered her to have an upper GI done. This is basically an x-ray to see what is going on. Please pray that God leads the doctors to discover the cause of her feeding issues. Things seem to get better for a day or so then get worse. I know God has a plan for all the things in Rachel's life. I pray that He keep her safe as he fulfills His will for her.

New Prayer Request

Rachel is doing well in so many areas, but she is struggling with her eating still. She finally got the suck and swallow coordinated (praise God) and the beginning of last week was great. After a few days of consistent eating, Rachel began taking just a tiny amount of milk and then screaming...for a long time. It was obvious that she was in pain. She would not finish her bottles and that worried us. She would only take about half of the milk she needed. We called the doctor and he said it sounded like she was developing colic. News no mother who values sleep and sanity wants to hear. My heart went out to her each time she tried to eat. It is so hard to see her in so much pain knowing I must press on with her feedings so she will get the nutrition she needs to survive. Friday and Saturday her diapers told us that she was needing to take more milk in a desperate way. I feared she would end up in the ER by the end of the weekend. We prayed and asked others to pray for God to intervene. Today I am so pleased to say that she is taking almost all of her bottle! She still has fits where she screams and it is difficult to get her to eat, but just knowing she is getting enough is such an answered prayer. My husband and I ask you to please pray that this colic stuff will vanish and she can enjoy eating. She has been through so much and I just pray for her to "have it easy for a while". Pray that God give my husband and I strength to continue to care for her. Praise God for His work in her already! Even one day has been an improvement. Our God can accomplish ANYTHING!

Many Thanks

I wanted to send many, many thanks to all those praying for Rachel's recovery. I thank my family, my husband's family, our church family, the NICU staff, her doctors, our friends and co-workers, and all those who pray for Rachel. We could not have done this without your support, your cards, flowers, phone calls, visits, meals, child care for Rachel's big sister, love offerings, and most of all your prayers. We love you all and pray God's richest, most abundant blessings for each and every one of you!

The Doctor Visit

Rachel had her long awaited doctor visit today. The CT scan results were inconclusive. They still are not sure whether it is a hemorrhage or a calcium deposit. The doctor said that if it were a hemorrhage it should have dissolved by now. He was rather confused, though. He said the spot appeared to have shrunk which is not characteristic of a calcium deposit. Rachel will have an MRI in a couple of weeks and an EEG (which measures her seizure activity) a couple of weeks after that. If she has not had any more seizure activity when they do the EEG, then they will likely take her off her seizure medication. We ask for prayer for Rachel to have no seizure activity now and when they take her off the medication. I am apprehensive about taking her off the meds. I fear her seizures will start back, but I have to trust God to continue to carry her through this. My husband and I will be praying that the spot continue to shrink. Rachel is in God's hands and He CAN be trusted. He has been so faithful through this whole process. I could not imagine going down this road without Him. I thank Him for my salvation and for His constant presence in my life. What a God! He is awesome, sweet, loving, caring, forgiving, generous, all powerful, all knowing, trustworthy, strong, faithful, mighty, amazing, my fortress and deliverer, He is just, He is holy, His love is abundant, He is righteous...He is GOD! WOW!