Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!

They removed the traction off Jennifer's leg today. This will help make her a little more comfortable. For those who don't know what traction is, it's essentially pins put in each side of her leg then lifted to a bar above the bed, keeping the leg elevated & immobile.

Kacyn should be released to go home Monday!

Mom came home yesterday for Thanksgiving. She decided to have Thanksgiving as we normally do because she knows Jennifer would want us to celebrate Thanksgiving. It won't be the same without Jennifer, but we know she'll be there in our hearts. Even though it's been a rough end to 2008, we really have a lot to be thankful for. Mom will be going back to St. Louis on Friday. David is staying with Jennifer at the hospital, spending his Thanksgiving close to his beloved wife. Josiah will be spending Thanksgiving with David's mom & dad at David's aunt's house in Sullivan.

I think I'll take Sherry Palmer's suggestion & take a break from posting to the blog over the Thanksgiving holiday. I won't be posting anything unless something changes drastically. Otherwise, I will just be posting a catch-up message on Monday. I wanted to let everyone know this so no one will get worried if something's not posted for a couple of days.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! I want to thank you again for helping us get through this difficult time & also being a part of Jennifer's miracle. We are thankful for all of you! Please continue to pray for us, especially Jennifer.

Love,
Lynn

Monday, November 24, 2008

Day #38

Yesterday, Jennifer had a friend come visit her. Mom couldn't remember her name - she's not very good with names. This must be hereditary because I'm not either! :) Anyway this friend was just talking away to Jennifer & praying over her. While she was doing this, Jennifer's heart rate went up & she started moving around. This continued & the nurse came in & told mom & Jennifer's friend they needed to leave because they were getting Jennifer too worked up. Jennifer's friend felt bad about this because it wasn't her intention. After Jen's friend left, Mom went back in Jennifer's room & her heart rate was still high & she was still moving around in her bed, but she also had her eyes open & was moving her mouth. Mom was worried & scared so she got the nurse & the nurse gave Jennifer something to try to relax her. It didn't work. Jennifer's heart rate was still high & she was still doing the same things. Soon a dr came in & asked mom if she knew what was going on with Jennifer. Mom said "no", but that she wished someone would tell her because it was really scaring her. The dr said Jennifer's brain is healing! She said the movements were being caused by little "sparks" in Jennifer's brain as it heals itself & re-programs itself. (mom's interpretation) Mom also had 2 nurses tell her they've seen this happen before & it is a sign that the brain is healing!!

Jennifer's kidneys have been producing urine, but not filtering out toxins. This is why they've been continuing with the dialysis. Sometime overnight, her kidneys began functioning as they should & are now filtering out the toxins as well as producing urine!

Jennifer slept most of the day today. David thinks she may have her days & nights confused! When she wasn't sleeping today, she was moving her mouth & tongue like she was trying to talk to mom. She did the same when her friend, Allison (a resident in OB-GYN), came by to visit her. She tried talking to Allison. Of course with the trach in, she can't talk.

Jennifer had a BIG night last night & a BIG day today! Things are getting better. She's still got a long way to go. But she's getting there in baby steps. We'll take the baby steps & thank the Lord for each one of them! God is working in Jennifer. He is healing my beautiful baby sister!

Mom told me she's praying for God to smooth out the road ahead of us or at least help us miss the pot holes, because it seems we've hit every pot hole in the road to get to where we are today! I thought that was an interesting way to look at it!

The power of prayer cannot be disputed. It is working! We are all witnesses to the power of prayer & the miracles that the Lord can do! Please pray, pray, pray!

Love,
Lynn

Jennifer had a BIG night last night! But she still has a long ways to go!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Day #37

Some days it's extemely difficult for me to log on to this blog & post something. Sometimes seeing the pictures, escpecially the one of Jennifer lying in her bed looking at Kacyn in his bed, really get me down. It breaks my heart to think of the time Jennifer is missing with her precious new baby. But I know there are many people depending on these posts. And it at least makes me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile to help Jennifer. I think about Jennifer one day being able to read this, learn about her journey, & see all the love, generosity, prayers, etc. that have been poured out to her through this from all around the country & world. I want her to see the lives she has touched. I am doing this for her.

There has been no real change in Jennifer's condition. She is still very critical & is not very alert or showing much response. They think she may have some kind of infection because she's been running a fever & her blood count is high (I think it's high that indicates infection, but maybe it's low that means infection. I don't know. I get confused.) They are administering antibiotics again.

David had the IT dept at the hospital set up the webcam again. When Jennifer wakes up completely, he wants her to be able to see Kacyn. He doesn't want her to even begin to worry that Kacyn may not be ok. He wants her to be able to see he is. The webcam was on when she went to sleep & he wants it on when she comes out of this.

Please pray for the miracles God is working in Jennifer & Kacyn to continue. Jennifer still needs head to toe healing as well as strength, comfort, peace, & encouragement. David's leg is healing well. Please pray for this healing to continue. Both families, including David, need prayers for strength, comfort, encouragement, peace, & help coping. We all have days when we are very down. I know I've had days where I don't even want to get out of bed. I cry all day & start to think "I can't do this anymore". I'm not the only one. Other family members have said the same. We are all physically, mentally, emotionally exhausted. Please continue to pray for all of us.

Love,
Lynn

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Day #36

Not much to report on today. Jennifer is still about the same as far as her responses & reactions. She does appear to be responding or reacting. It just isn't very frequent or as frequent as we'd like. But Mom says Jennifer kissed her today! Mom was very excited about this!

They did dialysis on Jennifer again today. This should help get more of those toxins out of her body!

I've talked about the great nurses Jennifer's had taking care of her. One of them told David we have really touched him because he's never seen a family like ours. We are always there with Jennifer & are always thanking the nurses & drs for everything. We do thank them for everything. Anytime they come into Jennifer's room to do anything we thank them whether they are re-positioning her in the bed, checking a beeping iv, bathing her, or even poking her with another needle. We always thank them for taking care of her. We want them to know it is appreciated. And if it makes them want to pay extra attention to Jennifer, that's just an added bonus!

I really don't have much to report on. There's not much change. But I know things are changing! I believe she is getting better. Even the dr who told mom & David a week ago that Jennifer may just stay the way she is forever now says he thinks she's getting better.

Please continue to pray for Jennifer, Kacyn, David & the entire family.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Day #35

WOW! How do I follow up a posting like that one?! What a touching story!

After Jennifer's struggles yesterday following the feeding tube surgery, she is back to breathing on her own & back to the way she was before they sedated her again yesterday. She is reacting to at least the same level she was yesterday if not a little more. The dr said again today she is getting better. She is doing well with her new feeding tube. If she continues to do well, they will be moving her to the step down ICU.

Mom said some friends of Jennifer's were visiting today & they read from a prayer book to Jennifer. She said while they were doing so, Jennifer's feet & she lifted her arms up slightly. Her eyes were closed, but mom said they were moving behind her eyelids. She was reacting to & feeling that prayer!

I have mentioned at least once the dreams some have had about Jennifer. I have one more that I would like to share. The father-in-law of a friend of Jennifer's had a dream or a vision of Jennifer. He's never seen or met Jennifer before, but he's been praying for her. He told his daughter-in-law that he saw Jennifer's internal organs & brain & they were healing! There have been so many instances of people having dreams or visions of Jennifer that we have to believe God is showing us he's healing her & all is going to be well with her.

David got a phone call from the NICU staff today. Each year, the NICU sponsors a family at Christmas & helps them with gifts, etc. They contacted David because they've chosen to help David & Jennifer's precious little family this Christmas! When David told me this, it brought tears to my eyes as I had already been thinking about how Christmas would be & how we had to make it a good Christmas for Josiah. This takes care of that worry! David hadn't mentioned Christmas, but I'm sure it had crossed his mind too as to what he was going to do. Prayers answered once again!

Kacyn continues to do very well. He weighs 7 lbs 2 oz now. He may get to go home later next week! He'll still have a heart monitor on so they can monitor his heart rate. He still has problems with acid reflux which is normal for preemies, but when he has reflux his heart rate drops so they want to monitor it.

God is working miracles! Keep praying!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

David's Comment

Hey everbody this is David I wanted to leave a post a share with everyone what God has spoke to me over the last 5 weeks.There is a couple of things im going to leave out but if anyone whants to hear the dreams that Jennifer had about our children and the promise God made to us ,you can call me at (479)644-8129 and I will tell you. If I dont answer leave a message and I will call Back. This is very long but I belive this will touch somebody God layed all of this on my heart to tell so here it is.

To start at the begining and I know by now everybody probaly knows what went on and I know Lynn has done a wonderful job updating this blog, but i cant read it. I am livinig this in real life, with that being said I may repeat somethings and others may end up being in my own words it was just easier for me to type this then past all the info to Lynn.

Ok now to start at the begining, the very first thing that comes to my mind was the very moment we were hit I remiember Jennifer saying "oh Jesus help us." When i look back on the accident I reliazed that me and Jen both stayed very calm. The other thing that stood out to me was immediately when the car stopped moveing Jennifer started praying and I started finding out if Josiah and her were ok. Then we both began to pray. Sometimes you can see how close your walk with God is when you look back a see how you react in a very serious situation. How you would react is for you to decide. The very next miracle I then saw was that our two year old wasn't hurt at all and didnt even cry. I would like for anyone to try to convince me that God didnt place his angels around his fragile body. I then reliazed that not only had Jennifer and Kacyn and I had survived the accident but we had minimal injuries for that type of accident. Then my attention was then brought to the fact that I had two cups of coffee and all of the fluid out of the radiator in my lap. I had been driving down the highway for 15 miles so this fluid was very hot before the accident. When it was in my lap though it was very cold. Tell me that wasnt God!!! Another thing I am very thankful for is that the Palmers were there to take Josiah. I tell you what God knows every need in your life at every moment of every day. Had they not been there or if they had been hurt, JoJo probably would have went into foster care till his grandparents got there and then we probably would have had a tough time getting him back.

Im now gonna jump a little forward because i dont remeber a whole lot between the accident secene and when Jen went into the ICU. At 7 30 on the morning of the 29th, (for those of you that dont know that is my birthday) I got the phone call that Jennifer had to be put on the vent and that she coded. When I got the call i immediatealy began to pray. I prayed for about an hour but I never got a peace in my spirit about what I was praying. I then got quiet and I heard God say "give her to me." And I replied with I already have. God then sayed "live or die give her to me and promise you and your boys will praise me no matter what." I said ok Lord I trust you I give her to you no matter what and I will make sure me and my boys praise you forever. I went on to pray this for about 24 hours. Immediadtely when I began praying this I knew she would be ok. The next day I was spending time with God and He then told me to then begin praying and thanking for her healing. So that is what I did. I was then released from the hospital on Friday Oct 31st. That night my mom took me to the hotel and left me there while she went to the store. While I was praying God told me I had to be in service in Ohio on sunday morning. I said God I my wife is laying in a hospital bed and I just had surgery on tuesday, i said why do I need to be in that service. God said to have Tyson Wiggins pray for me. My reply was I have pastor Myers, Ryan Stafford, Terry Palmer, a whole list of former IMT's why do I need Tyson to pray for me. God then said "it is a young and imiture boy who questions his father." God then brought to my attention that JoJo has just started asking why when you tell him to do something. Our respones is always it doesnt matter why because i said so that is why. And if that wasnt enough convincing God then brough to my attention that when i proposed to Jennifer, she told me before I can say yes I have to know that if God calls you anywhere in the world you will be willing to go no matter what the cost or circumsatances. So I went. I am leaving a couple of pieces out because it will make this about ten pages long so when Jennifer GETS UP AND WALKS OUT OF THIS HOSPITAL you will just have to attend a service when we give our amazing testimony. While I was there and Ty was praying for me a guy who never attended Harbor of Hope, was sitting on the back row and God spoke to him and told him to come up and pray for me. He had been in an accident one year to the day of our accident. He suffered from severe back pain and could only sit in a straight back chair. He couldnt reach his toes because his back hurt so bad. Because he was obidient when he turn to walk back to his chair all his pain was gone and he started bending over and touching his toes. Try and tell me God isnt GREAT!!!!!!

Im now gonna skip to monday november 17. I was having a rough day, I was exhusted in every area of my life. I think that was the first time I had broke down at the hospital. That night we were on our way home and i was eating an icecream cone and I hit rock bottom. For those of you that know us well I love icecream and every time i eat it Jennifer tells me I remind her of a little boy and she finds it so cute. I could not eat it I had to through it away. I decided I couldnt go to the hospital on Tuesday I decided I wanted to go to the church and pray. Im skiping again to save on time and reading you will just have to hear the final testimony. While I was there praying I was laying on my face and God told my to get up and walk. I said God the doctor said I was nonwieght bearing for up to 16 week and if I walk on my leg before then I will snap My tibia. (spelling ? I dont know not my best area of life) He said Get Up And Walk. So i got up and started walking with both my crutches and slowly adding more wiehgt to my foot and leg. After walking around for about 15 minutes I dropped my one crutch and started using just my other one. After about 15 more minutes I then dropped my other crutch. When I took my first step with out a crutch I fell flat on my face. I layed there and cryed and told God you said get up and walk. God repyled with you right I said get up and walk. So I got up and walked four or five more steps and fell flat on my face. I layed there and cryed and me and God had the same conversation over again. By this time I was hurting pretty good but I then stood up and began walking again with no crutches. This time I stayed upright, Ikept walking and crying and thanking God. When I finally stoped walking I went to my phone to see what time it was and what felt like 20 minutes worth of walking and praying. Was acctully 3 hours worth of walking in circles with no pain and no crutches. God then showed me a lesson in puting my trust in him in ALL areas of my life. You see I was beliving and praying for Jennifer to be healed and walk away that I never even prayed for my own leg. Or even trusted him to heal me or protect me to walk in faith. So on wednesday I went to the hospital and I saw a huge improvement in Jennifer she was lot more awake and alert and moving her limbs. So prasie God we are now seeing results of our faith and prayers and beliving in what we cant see feel or hear.

Well I have went on long enough and I have left otu probably have of the miracles and thens that God has said and put in our lives over the last 4 and 1/2 weeks. But like I said i would never sllep tonight and this page would be full. So THANK YOU to everyone who has prayed for us! Thank You to Lynn for keeping up with this blog because I definatly couldnt do it! Thank You to John and Jenny for keeping JoJo and taking him trick or treating! And THANK YOU to Steve, Jean, Lynn, Darrell, John, Jenny, all the nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles for loving me, accepting me, and giving me Jennifer in marrage. I love her with all my heart and I take care of her to the best of my ability and will continue to take care of her forever. I love you guys very much and I am honored to be a part of your family. Also I hhave to Thank my Mom and Dad! For those of you that dont know my mom has stepped in to be our primary care taker and more importantly Kacyns primary care taker so Thank You mom we love and will never be able to repay you what you deserve.

Well this is what God layed on my heart to tell everyone Im sorry it is so long but God has done alot in the last 5 weeks Thank You and please keep praying for us. WE LOVE EVERYONE OF YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

David

Day #34

Today is mom's birthday. Spending your birthday in the hospital isn't the ideal way to do it, but I hope she has as happy a birthday as possible. The kids called her & sang "Happy Birthday" to her so I'm sure that made it better.

I was mistaken on my post from yesterday. It is not the fixator holding Jennifer's hip/pelvic bone in place that they may be removing, it is her traction on that leg, making it immobile that may be removed.

One of Jennifer's many drs told mom yesterday that he thinks Jennifer's brain is healing. She opened her eyes all the way yesterday & looked over at mom. She hadn't been opening them all the way & they had always been very red. They weren't red anymore. The dr said this was a good sign. The dr also told mom that it could be weeks before all the toxins are out of her system. Because of this they were planning to do dialysis again today even though her kidneys appear to be working now. The dialysis would just be to help her kidneys get rid of some of the toxins still in her system. But I haven't heard if they actually did do dialysis today or not.

They removed the feeding tube in Jennifer's nose today & replaced it with one in her stomach. To do this, they had to sedate her again. Afterwards, they had difficulty getting her breathing, heart rate, & blood pressure back under control, but they finally did so. I hope that's the last time they have to sedate her for awhile! It's difficult to get the stuff out of her system if they keep having to give her more!

Sherry, a lady at Jennifer & David's church in Sullivan, commented last night that a couple of people have told her they had dreams of Jennifer sitting up in bed & looking around. I, too, have such dreams virtually every night. Sometimes mine are about her talking to us. Sherry also says, "Maybe right now Jen is having a long visit with Jesus and learning lots of things. There is no time frame with God, so even though it's been 33 days, with God it is no time at all." We all know how much Jennifer likes to talk so if she is visiting with Jesus, it might be awhile before she's done visiting!

I have a very dear friend named Joey who got very ill in May. The drs were clueless as to what was wrong with her. She was transferred to St Louis from Rogers, AR. They weren't giving Joey very good odds of making it. She spent approximately 6 weeks in the hospital (most of that in ICU). It was several weeks before they even determined what was wrong. She truly believes prayer is why she's still with us today. She has a very moving story. I would love for her & Jennifer to meet someday & talk about their ordeals & how God & prayer saved their lives. Joey likes to talk too so this could be an all day event!! :) Luv ya, Joey!!

Please keep praying for Jennifer!!! And for David & the rest of the family also!

Love,
Lynn

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Day #33

The orthopedic surgeon has decided not to do surgery on Jennifer's hip/pelvic bone at this time. They are going to do x-rays to determine if they can remove the fixator. They said the hip/pelvic surgery can be put off a little longer.

This is just a little story I want to share with everyone...
Mom was in the small waiting room outside Jennifer's ICU this morning. This is a small room with a door. The door was closed & mom was the only one in the room. She said she was on the phone with dad, crying, & talking to him about Jennifer. She said after she was done with the call, she left the room, & was walking down the wall when a man walked up to her, pointed his finger at her, & said "Your daughter will get better. Do not give up hope." Mom was surprised by this because she had never seen this man before & she was alone in the room with the door closed. There was no way anyone could have overheard her. She wonders if this man could have been an angel. Maybe it was!

Mom asked me to write a little about Stephanie. She was one of Jennifer's favorite nurses. Stephanie was on duty a few nights ago as Jennifer's nurse. She spent extra time with Jennifer, doing things to make Jennifer feel better. She washed, exfoliated, & moisturized her face. After she bathed her, she put a pretty smelling lotion all over her. She even shaved Jennifer's legs! She told mom she'd given Jennifer almost an entire spa session! This is one of the nurses who always comes to check on Jennifer & find mom to give her a hug. She found mom the day after Jennifer's cardiac arrest, hugged her, & just cried with her. She's cried & talked to mom about everything many times now.

I truly believe God is healing Jennifer as we speak even if it may not show on the outside. He's healing her on the inside. We will have our Jennifer back!

I forgot to mention that yesterday was Kacyn's birthday! He was 1 month old yesterday! Happy Birthday, Kacyn! Aunt Lynn loves you!

Please continue to pray for head to toe healing for Jennifer as well as strength. Also please continue to pray Kacyn. Prayers for strength & comfort are needed for David & the rest of the family to get through this very difficult time.

I can't even begin to put into words how much the outpouring of love & support has meant to the entire family. Thank you so very much!

Love,
Lynn

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Day #32

We must not give up hope. We must continue to hope & pray for Jennifer's full healing.

Jennifer is still showing no real response or reaction to anything. There have been times when David &/or mom will see what they believe is her reacting to something they say or do. Those times; unfortunately, have been few. The drs try to get responses from Jennifer, but get nothing. They are again saying she may stay this way. Once Jennifer's hip/pelvic surgery is done, the drs told David they will get him in touch with a social worker to try to figure out what to do with Jennifer, whether to send her to a rehab center or take her home.

This is extremely difficult & upsetting to all of us. We don't believe God is finished with Jennifer yet. She still has lots of work to do for him. We are still praying for a miracle to show everyone what God can do.

Please keep the prayers flowing like a river to heaven for Jennifer.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Day #31

Unfortunately, there appears to be no change in Jennifer's condition today. She is still breathing on her own & has no more iv bags. The only medication she is on is some pain & blood pressure medication. The orthopedic surgeon is now considering when to do the surgery on her hip/pelvic bone.

Because of there really being no change in Jennifer, it is difficult not to get discouraged. I know we can't get discouraged. This is the reason behind today's "thought for the day". We have to continue to be hopeful & pray for Jennifer's healing. Please continue to pray for miracles for Jennifer.

Kacyn moved to his new room. He's doing well & weighs almost 7 pounds now.

Please pray for David. He's having a difficult time dealing with everything. It's a lot for 1 person to have to handle. He needs prayers too.

Thanks for all the prayers. Please, please do not stop now!

Love,
Lynn

Sunday, November 16, 2008

4 Weeks

Yesterday was the 4 week anniversary of the accident that has changed a precious, young family & so many other lives forever. This has to be the longest 4 weeks ever! It is still so unreal to think that it went from essentially a few broken bones & Kacyn being our biggest concern & the only one in critical condition to Jennifer fighting for her life. The events of the last 4 weeks really make you stop & think how your life can change in an instant. It makes you realize you need to be thankful for & enjoy every minute.

It is very difficult not to ask "Why?" or "Why Jennifer?" or "How could God let something like this happen to someone as good as Jennifer?" I catch myself asking these types of questions, but I know we can drive ourselves crazy trying to figure it out & never find the answer. Instead of focusing on the "whys" we need to focus on the "nows" & put that energy into trying to get Jennifer better. We may never know the "why". But I do know that Jennifer's story has touched many, many people & brought them closer to their own families & to God.

Dad & I went up to St. Louis on Friday. We came back home last night & guess what! Mom came home with us! This is the 1st time she's been home since the accident! I think it will be good for her to spend a couple of nights at home & seeing her other 5 grandchildren will also be good for her. I was planning on convincing mom to come home with us & expecting a fight to get her to do it. But she actually mentioned it on her own yesterday morning! Of course, we weren't halfway home & she said "I wonder how my baby's doing." I'm know she'll be wondering about that the whole time she's home just like the rest of us do. I'm also sure Jennifer's nurses will probably get several phone calls from mom! But I still think mom getting away from the hospital & coming home is a good thing. She's going to drive herself back up on Monday & even see about getting a room at Haven House instead of staying at the hospital every night. Haven House is a place where people who have family in the hospital can stay. That is a big step for mom!

Jennifer has essentially been breathing on her own the last couple of days. The vent is only giving her some extra pressure. The breaths are being initiated by Jennifer. The vent is not breathing for her. For several hours, the last couple of days, they have even turned off the pressure & just given Jennifer oxygen then all of the breathing is Jennifer. If she did ok with this yesterday afternoon, they were going to keep it that way all night. I'm not sure right now how that went. I do know all of the vitals regarding Jennifer's lungs looked good yesterday which is an indication that her lungs are healing.

She had dialysis again yesterday. I think they got another 3.5 liters of fluid. The dialysis tech told us that a liter of fluid was equivalent to about 2.2 pounds! Jennifer's kidneys still aren't working. But the drs still believe they will start working. The kidney dr told us that in a trauma the kidneys are the first thing to shutdown, but the last thing to start working again. He says that once Jennifer's lungs & other body functions are working again, her kidneys will start working.

Even though Jennifer is no longer sedated, she still appears to be. She's still on pain medication which puts her to sleep. Because of all of this, she's still not showing a lot of response or reaction. Mom & David have seen her respond to their words or actions. The dr said she was so heavily sedated & drugged up that it'll be DAYS before it's all out of her system. I didn't see as much reaction from Jennifer as I would have liked to when I was there, but I know God is healing her on the inside. We may not be able to see it on the outside, but just because we can't see it doesn't mean it isn't happening. This is the reason for today's thought for the day - "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1. I've used this before for the thought for the day, but felt it fit well with the current situation. Our hopes are to have Jennifer healed. We have faith in God to do this. But we have to know that even though we may not see it on the outside doesn't mean the healing isn't occurring on the inside. I am certain that she is being healed regardless of what we can see or what the drs may say. She's being healed from the inside out.

They are moving the NICU into a new wing of the hospital on Monday. Kacyn will have his own room! His nurse picked it out a few weeks ago. She found the room she thought was perfect for him & claimed it as his! She picked it out because she liked the colors & how it was decorated. She also chose this room because it was big enough for David to maneuver around in in his wheelchair & also big enough for all of us! His new room is located at #23 Butterfly Lane! I look forward to seeing it!

Prayer requests:
Jennifer - head to toe healing, strength to help her continue to fight & get through this, comfort to keep her from getting upset, scared, agitated, etc.
David - continued healing of his leg, strength & comfort to not only help him get through this, but also to cope, keep him strong physically, spiritually, & mentally
Kacyn - continued healing of his brain, continued improvement in his bottle feeding
Josiah - angels to watch over him & keep him safe
Rest of the family - strength & comfort, remove all questions about "why" from our minds

Love,
Lynn

Friday, November 14, 2008

Day #28

Dad & I are leaving for St. Louis this afternoon. It'll be late before we get there so I thought I'd go ahead & post to the blog now. I don't really have a lot to report on though.

Jennifer rested pretty well last night. They turned up her pain medication because of pain from the trach. So she's been pretty out of it today because of that. Her blood pressure has been a little high so they put her on blood pressure medication to help with that.

No dialysis today. They are doing it every other day so they should be doing it again tomorrow.

I'm going to try to convince mom to go to a hotel tonight with dad. If I stay at the hospital with Jennifer, mom will be more likely to leave. She really needs to get away & try to get a good night's sleep.

Both Kacyn & David continue to do well.

Well, that's really all I know today!

Have a great weekend! And send up lots of prayers!
Love,
Lynn

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Day #27

They did dialysis this morning on Jennifer & got about 2.5 liters of excess fluid.

They also put the trach in this afternoon. That surgery went well. This should be a good thing for Jennifer.

David & mom have had additional conversations with the dr regarding the MRI & Jennifer's reactions. David asked the dr more about the MRI. Here's what he found out: They don't know how any brain damage will affect Jennifer. They will need to watch her body functions to find out. The MRI can't distinguish between damage that heals & permanent damage. It could be very likely that the damage is something that's going to heal itself - like we've seen with Kacyn. Regarding the dr's comments about Jennifer not responding or reacting - The dr. apologized to mom for what he told her yesterday saying it's really too early to know. She has only been off sedation for 48 hours. There could still be lingering affects of this medication in her body as well as pain medicatino, slowing down her reactions. She is reacting, but it's not constant. She lifted her hand & her index finger slightly like she was trying to wave "bye" when David told her he was going to get something to eat. Her eyes will follow you as you move across the room. All of this is much more comforting than what we were told yesterday. I truly believe our Jennifer will be the same Jennifer once this is all over. She'll be the same baby sister driving me crazy she's always been! :) (For those who don't know, she's 11 years younger than me so growing up, yes, she drove me nuts sometimes!)

David is doing well. He said he's getting around better all the time & the pain is getting to be less & less all the time for him. Please pray for David's continued healing, comfort, & the strength he needs to support Jennifer & take care of their family.

Jennifer's prayers need to include healing from head to toe as well as comfort & strength. She has a long road ahead of her, but that road is getting a little shorter with every passing day.

Josiah's been in OH with grammy. They should be back in St. Louis tomorrow. I know David & mom will be glad to see him & be chasing him around the hospital again! Sometimes they have to barricade him in the waiting room with tables/chairs! And he really likes the elevators! You have to watch him closely because if he sees an elevator door open, he will try to get on! He hasn't escaped yet though! He also likes all the vending machines near the cafeteria. He looks around & says "WOW! WOW!" He's such a little cutey!

I have posted a new picture of Kacyn. My brother took this today on his cell phone.

Please keep the prayers flowing! I truly believe God is going to heal all of our dear loved ones & everyone will be good as new!

Love,
lynn

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Day #26 - Prayers Needed!

Today has been a rough day. Not much good news to report on.

Jennifer had her MRI last night. It showed possible brain damage. They don't know the extent of it yet. They said the same about Kacyn & he's doing better than they expected. We are hoping & praying for the same for Jennifer.

They cut Jennifer's sedation medication in half. She's pretty much awake now. She's fighting the ventilator, trying to spit or cough it out. She's been pretty upset/scared - not sure what to call it exactly. Her heart rate & blood pressure have been high. Mom has been talking to her, holding her hand, & reading the bible to her to try to calm her. Jennifer will squeeze her hand & tears will roll down her cheeks.

They also cut Jennifer's pain medication back. The dr told mom they aren't getting the reaction they wanted or expected. He said Jennifer could possibly stay the way she is right now forever. I'm not sure what kind of reaction he's looking for. I don't understand. Jennifer IS reacting! When mom asks Jennifer a question, Jennifer will squeeze her hand. Mom was rubbing Jennifer's feet & she asked Jen if she could feel it & she nodded her head.

Please continue to pray for Jennifer. The prayers may be needed now more than ever. God is bigger than the drs. Drs have been wrong before. That is because God can heal or fix anything. We know & believe that he's going to do miracles with Jennifer & prove the drs wrong again. There is NOTHING wrong with Jennifer!

Mom is a wreck. She's spent every night for the last 3+ weeks in either a chair beside Jen's bed or in the waiting room. There have been maybe 4-5 nights total when we've convinced her to go to the hotel. Today's news devastated her. Please keep her in your prayers also as well as the rest of the family.

Little Kacyn continues to improve. He now weighs 6 lbs 4 oz! Mom said this is how much I weighed when I was born. We won't talk about how much I weigh now! :)

Please, please do not forget Jennifer & the entire family in your prayers. As I said earlier, they may be needed now more than ever!

Love,
Lynn

New Pictures!

I have posted some of the Halloween pictures of Josiah & his cousins! He made the cutest little football player! Can't wait for Jen to see them!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Day #25

They did dialysis again today. The kidney specialist told mom they are planning on doing dialysis every other day in order to prevent fluid from building up in Jennifer's body again. He also said it normally takes weeks (anywhere from 2 to 12 weeks) before the kidneys will begin working again, but he expects Jennifer's to begin sooner than that because she's young & healthy. We're praying for days instead of weeks!

They turned back Jennifer's sedation medication a little today. During her dialysis, she opened her eyes a couple of times, looked at mom, & tears would roll down her cheeks. This broke mom's heart. Mom would wipe the tears, hold her hand, & talk gently to her, trying to keep her calm.

They didn't wake her up completely today, just turned the sedation down some.

They were supposed to do an MRI today to check for possible brain damage due to having to be resuscitated, but as of 5:00pm tonight, they hadn't done the MRI yet. They expect all to be ok since they revived her quickly. They had been watching her stats that night & were anticipating the cardiac arrest. They had everything they needed ready & waiting so when it happened they were prepared for it.

They will be replacing her ventilator with a trachiotomy on Thu. I know this sounds scary, but everyone says this is a good thing. Patients tend to do better with a trach & having a ventilator in too long can cause permanent damage to the vocal cords. We all know how Jen likes to talk!

David is improving & continues to get around better & better everyday. Little Kacyn also continues to do well. Somehow he's managing to dirty about 3 outfits a day!

Please pray for Jennifer's kidneys, for her MRI to be clean, for continued healing of her lungs, for strength to help her continue to fight & get through this. Also please pray for peace & comfort for her as she awakens to everything as it will probably be scary - she won't remember anything. Please continue to pray for the continued healing of sweet little Kacyn & David & of course for strength & comfort for the rest of the family.

I know I've said it before & I know I'll probably say it many more times...
I can't thank everyone enough for the thoughts, prayers, well wishes, acts of generosity, offers of assistance, & love that has been shown to all of us. I can't wait for Jennifer to read all the blog comments & the notes that have been posted to her My Space & Facebook pages as well as the autographed sheets, cards, etc! She will be as overwhelmed as the rest of us are! THANK YOU!

Love,
Lynn

Monday, November 10, 2008

Day #24

Jennifer had another good day. They gave her a day off from dialysis to let her rest. The dr said they are going to try to wake her up tomorrow. If she's calm & relaxed, they will keep her awake. Please pray that Jennifer isn't scared or gets too upset when they start trying to wake her up. Pray that she's able to remain calm & relaxed through it. Also please continue to pray for her kidneys. They're still not working.

Thank you!
Love,
Lynn

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Day #23

The drs told us last night they were going to give Jen the day off today from dialysis. This morning we arrived at the hospital to find them prepping for dialysis! The drs had changed their minds due to the progress that Jen made over the last couple of days. All of the things they monitor for progress (creatinine, potassium, ph, blood gas, red/white blood cells, lung xrays, lots of things I can't remember!) showed improvement today. This is the 1st day that all of these things showed considerable improvement. Her kidneys still aren't working, but the drs told us the kidneys will be the last thing to heal. Once her other organs (lungs) were healed then her kidneys would begin healing. Dialysis essentially functions as a fake kidney so the work its doing by getting rid of the toxins & excess fluids is helping her lungs to heal. Her oxygen level this morning was also the lowest it's ever been, 35%. All of the news today was good. This is the first time in a long time for all good news! Seems like it's always good news about one thing, but bad news about something else.

The congregations at Jennifer's churches in OH & MO signed bedsheets. Jennifer is covered with these. My cousin, Missy, & I spent quite a bit of time reading some of the writings & scriptures written on the sheets to Jen. I know Jen will read every one of them when she's able to! A 3rd grade class in OH made cards for Jennifer. We also read those to her. They were so cute! I know Jennifer will enjoy reading those too.

The dialysis takes 3-4 hours so I only got to see Jen for a short time this morning before the dialysis began. I did; however, get to hold & feed Kacyn before I began my 5 hour journey home. What a way to end my time in St. Louis this weekend! He's so precious!

David is still doing well & getting around better & better everyday.

It's never easy to leave Jennifer & I always cry when I have to leave, but it was a little easier today with how well things were going today.

It's evident the prayers are resulting in miracles. Jennifer & Kacyn continue to improve, but still have a long way to go so we can't stop praying now!

Love,
Lynn

Saturday, November 8, 2008

A Pretty Good Day

Jennifer's had a pretty good day. Her oxygen level has been down to 45% most of the day & she hasn't been distressed like she was the last couple of days. She was on 100% oxygen most of the time the last few days.

They are currently doing dialysis on her. They expect to get another 7 liters of excess fluid bringing the total to approximately 41.5 liters!

Kacyn is cuter than ever! Aunt Lynn can't wait to spoil him rotten!

Day #22

My apologies for not posting anything yesterday. I was traveling back to St. Louis & was too tired when I got back to the hotel.

Jennifer had dialysis again yesterday. They have now gotten approximately 34.5 liters of excess fluid out of Jennifer's body! She's beginning to look like my baby sister again! I was amazed at the difference in her appearance since I saw her last Sun. Yesterday morning her creatinine level was down to 3.8. It's 3.3 this morning. They are going to dialysis again today & again on Monday.

Kacyn has gained a whole pound! He now weighs 5 lbs 14 oz! He now weighs only 4 oz less than my daughter did when she was born & she was full term! It's hard to believe she was ever that tiny - she's almost 13 now! Kacyn's little cheeks are starting to fill out. I was also amazed at how much he's changed in a few days!

Kacyn had to take 2 tests this week - kind of like he was in school! The first was the swallowing test on Thu which he passed. Then he had a hearing test yesterday. He passed it too! We weren't surprised by this because we knew he could hear. Anytime we talk to him, he opens his eyes & turns his head toward us. Mom is right he IS beautiful! As soon as I have new pictures of him, I will post them! He's changed so much!

Our cousin, Missy, arrived yesterday evening from KY. We were happy to see her. She's an RN & has been helping us understand things all along & has helped even more since she arrived here. She got to hold little Kacyn last night. She couldn't believe how perfect & good he looks. The NICU nurse took a picture of Missy holding Kacyn & gave it to her.

Not much else to report on. Everyone continues to slowly improve. I'm just waiting for the day Jennifer can tell us to leave her alone! Hopefully, that day will be here soon!

Miracles are being worked every day & they are all due to the prayers from around the country & the world. Thank you & please keep them flowing!

Love,
Lynn

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Day #20

Jennifer had a little bit of a rough night last night. She was distressed a little, running a fever, had high blood pressure, & a high heart rate. They turned her oxygen back up to 80% & increased her pain medication & sedation. She is no longer breathing on her own right now. Her heart rate & blood pressure have gone down, but are still a little high. They also used Tylenol & ice packs to get her fever down. They did a thoracentisis to draw fluid from around her lungs.

Today was a little better. Her heart rate & blood pressure were still a little high, but she seemed to be resting better.

They did dialysis again today, but when I spoke to mom about 4:30, they weren't finished with it yet so I don't know how much excess fluid they got. The dr's were hoping to get 7 liters of excess fluid today!

They did a swallow test on Kacyn to make sure he's able to swallow. He passed the test! Swallowing was something the neurologist who studied Kacyn's MRI results said he might not be able to do! The nurse told mom today Kacyn did have a couple of episodes yesterday where his heart rate dropped a little. They had increased his food a little & think it may have caused an acid reflux type reaction in Kacyn. They have decreased his food back to what it was previously & he hasn't had this happen again.

I want to thank Linda at It's No Monkey Business (http://www.itsnomonkeybusiness.com/). She brought me a cute gift basket for Kacyn today. It contains a baby blue stuffed Ty beanie baby monkey, a cute little outfit with dogs on it, a disposable camera, a blankie that looks very soft & cuddly, a journal, & a little booklet of mom-to-mom advice on having a baby in the NICU. It's also in a neat little container that can be used for storing things. I cried when it was delivered to me today. I'm just still overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness & love that has been shown to our little family.

Even though it's not as quickly as we'd all like, Jennifer is getting better. She will probably continue to have good & bad days, but she is slowly getting better. There are more good days than bad days. And little Kacyn is doing great! The prayers are working! Please continue to pray for Jennifer & Kacyn & the rest of the family.

Thank you!
Love,
Lynn

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Day #19

As indicated in the previous post, Jennifer's test for C difficile infection came back negative. This means Josiah can be taken back to see her again. Some of the nurses don't really like him going back there. It's against the rules, but we feel it's important for Jen to hear his precious little voice (yes, she can hear!). Josiah will normally say "Shhh! Mommy's sleeping!" and "I love you, mommy" and blow her kisses. He will also jabber in Josiah language something that no one else understands! We know Jen is smiling inside when she hears this!

I also mentioned previously that Jennifer & her family were on prayer lists around the country. Well, they are not only on prayer lists around the country, but also around the world!! Comments were posted to this blog from Germany & Canada, then there have been posts to her Facebook page from Argentina, Brazil, & I'm not sure where else!

The ultrasound results on Kacyn's little brain show there is no change in the cerebral spinal fluid buildup. If there's no change then that means it's not building up, so I guess that's good! Mom said when she went to Kacyn today in the NICU, he was sleeping until she started talking to him. He then opened his eyes & turned his head toward her! She even thinks he smiled at her. She told me "He's just beautiful!"

They did dialysis again today. They got 6 liters of excess fluid this time! Her creatinine levels in her blood have also gone down. Creatinine is essentially waste product created by muscle metabolism. It flows through the bloodstream to the kidneys. The kidneys then filter this out & dispose of it in urine. Normal level for creatinine in an adult female is 1.1. Jen's level on Monday was 7.8; yesterday it was 6.6; this morning it was 5.8. So it's coming down with the dialysis.

We know it's everyone's prayers that are helping Jennifer & Kacyn heal & be strong, as well as helping the rest of the family to cope & stay strong. Thank you!

C Diff

Good morning!

I found out last night that Jen's test for the C difficile infection came back negative!!!!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Day #18

Not a lot to report on today, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

They did dialysis on Jennifer again today. They got 5 liters of excess fluid out of her body today! Yesterday it was 3.5 liters. Her kidneys still aren't working, but the drs had told us they didn't know how long it would take. They said it could be days or it could be weeks.

The IVC filter was put in today. That surgery went well. This is a relief as we won't have to worry about blood clots anymore!

Kacyn & David continue to do well also!

We have been amazed at the outpouring of love & support that has been shown. A lot of it has come from strangers! They've heard Jen's story from a "friend of a friend" or online. One lady in OK sent a baby blanket & $20! Another lady is donating a gift basket for Jen & Kacyn. She had a preemie son & created a non-profit organization to assist parents with children in ICU. You can read more about it at http://www.itsnomonkeybusiness.com/. You always hear about bad people on the news. You rarely hear about good people. But we've learned firsthand over the last few weeks there are lots of good people in the world. Thank you to everyone who has shown us support over the past few weeks whether it be through monetary gifts, other gifts, or prayers. It's greatly appreciated!

Jen has friends all over the country & has had visitors at the hospital from OK, AR, MO, & OH. She & her family are on prayer lists across the country from OR to CA to AZ to TX to AR to LA to KY to MO to NE & OH! And these are just the places I'm aware of!

Please keep the prayers going! They are working miracles!

Dialysis

I found out after yesterday evening's blog post they had begun the dialysis treatment on Jen. It ran for about 4 hours & they got 7 pounds of fluid out of her body! If they get 7 pounds of fluid every day this week, they will have gotten a total of 40+ pounds of fluid by the end of the week! That sounds like a lot & is a lot, but if you've seen how swollen Jen is from all the excess fluid, it's not too hard to believe there's that much fluid in her little body. The drs have said they don't know how many dialysis treatments she'll need before her kidneys heal & begin working again.

But the treatments have begun & we are getting closer & closer to having our Jen back!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Day #17

I'm back at home in Bentonville, AR. I got home yesterday afternoon. My mom, brother, David, David's mom, & Josiah are in St. Louis with Jennifer.

Jennifer's kidneys still aren't working. As mentioned previously, she has fluid buildup because of this, including in her lungs. They were supposed to put the dialysis catheter in today, but I have not heard yet if this was actually done today. If they did get this done today, they should begin the dialysis tomorrow.

The dr's think Jennifer may have an infection caused by C. difficile bacteria. This infection is most common in people taking antibiotics. There are hundreds of bacteria in the stomach & intestines. Many are good bacteria & help suppress the growth of harmful organisms. But when an antibiotic is taken, it often destroys good bacteria. Without enough healthy bacteria, dangerous bacteria such as C. difficile can grow out of control. C. difficile infection is very contagious. They have cleaned Jennifer's room with bleach. Josiah is no longer allowed in the room to see her because his immune system may not be strong enough to fight it. All visitors must wash their hands before & after going into Jen's room. Currently, we don't know for sure if Jen indeed has this. The dr's are running tests to find out. The treatment for this is antibiotics -- I know that sounds strange since that's what caused this, but there are antibiotics that fight this also. Once we know the tests results (it could be a couple of days), I will post that.

They have been giving Jennifer something called Heparin, a blood thinner to prevent blood clots. She is at a very high risk for blood clots. But giving a patient Heparin over an extended period of time isn't good. They will implant an IVC (inferior vena cava) filter into Jen's groin area tomorrow. This essentially is a filter that will filter out any blood clots. It's put on the main artery that flows to the heart. All the smaller veins/arteries in the lower part of the body flow into this 1 artery in her groin. Putting this filter there will help catch any blood clots that are formed & keep them from making their way to Jen's heart/lungs.

Please remember I'm not a dr, nor do I play one on tv...so my explanations of these things may not be perfect. They are my understanding of everything after talking to my brother (a paramedic), his wife (a nurse), or my cousin (also a nurse). Thank you, guys, for helping me understand this stuff!

Kacyn continues to do well. He's drinking a full ounce out of his bottles now!

Jennifer's had some great nurses & dr's. I can't thank them enough for taking such good care of her! Kacyn also has had some great nurses & dr's. From the very beginning, the nurses in NICU had been taking pictures of Kacyn & taking them up to Jennifer since she couldn't see Kacyn. They took several pictures a day & brought them to her. They even had a webcam set up by Kacyn's bed & put a laptop in Jen's room so she could see him in his crib at all times! They tied a ribbon around the 1st bottle he drank & put a note on it that had his name, the date, & "1st bottle" on it & had it delivered to her room. Unfortunately, Jennifer hasn't seen this yet, but it's in her room so she'll see it when she wakes up. The nurses in Jen's ICU rotate out. There are nurses who aren't hers anymore, but they still come by to check on her & give mom a hug. Mom really needs all the hugs she can get!

Josiah is back in St. Louis. He had a great time with his cousins here in AR! And his cousins enjoyed seeing him too! His cousins range in age from 7-12 years old. I already told you about his trick-or-treating adventures. I have Halloween pictures I will post sometime in the next few days. He also went to my nephew's pee-wee football game while he was here. He enjoyed that as well! Anytime the crowd would cheer, he would cheer & clap. It didn't matter which team it was for!

Prayers are still needed. Please pray for Jen's kidneys to begin working, the continued healing of her bones, lungs, heart, & the possible infection. Also please pray that no blood clots are formed in her body. Please pray for strength for David & for his & Kacyn's continued improvement & for Kacyn's little brain to be free of excess spinal fluid, blood, & tissue damage. Both our parents & David's parents need prayers for comfort & strength to help them cope. Please pray for the same for me, my brother, & David's sister. Can't forget about little Jo-Jo (as Jen calls him) - Please pray for angels to watch over little Josiah & keep him safe.

Thank you again for everything!
Love,
Lynn

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Day #16

Good morning!

I convinced my mom to leave the hospital last night to get some much needed rest. Believe me, it's not an easy task to get her to leave! Kathy stayed here with Jen last night. Mom & I arrived this morning to find out Jen is essentially breathing on her own. The ventilator is just helping with the pressure. Her kidneys still aren't working & the dr said if it weren't for her kidneys, they'd be discussing taking her off the vent. The dr also said she was starting to get some fluid buildup due to her kidneys not working. We were thrilled to hear she's breathing on her own, but disappointed to still hear her kidneys aren't working.

We met with the kidney dr last night. He said he was "getting to know her" to help make a decision on when/if to start dialysis. He's meeting with the rest of her dr's today & they will be reviewing all of Jen's records. They will look at everything & decide what action to take. Dialysis is essentially a fake kidney that will do the work for her kidneys. This will give her kidneys the time they need to heal. (I've learned more medical stuff in the last 2 weeks than I ever cared to! Of course, one of the medical people in our family usually has to dumb it down quite a bit before I understand it. :) )

There's no date for her hip/pelvic surgery. This isn't up for discussion until she gets through all this.

The drs still believe there is nothing wrong with Jennifer that can't be fixed.

In the meantime, little Kacyn also continues to improve. He now weighs a little over 5 lbs. He's getting 2 bottles a day, but only drinks about .5 oz from the bottle before getting too tired. The rest of the feeding is then done through his feeding tube. (He eats 1 full oz.) He's still trying to figure out how to suck & swallow. He's got the sucking figured out, but is still working on doing both of these at the same time. But he's getting better at it! They are moving him out of the enclosed bed to a regular open crib today. And they're going to dress him! We brought him some little preemie outfits to wear. They look sooooo tiny, but I know they are still going to be way too big for him! He'll still be in NICU, but in a regular crib. Grammy (David's mom) is down there feeding him now & will be taking more pictures. I'll post new pics to the blog as soon as I get them.

David continues to improve. He can bend his knee more than they thought he'd be able to at this time. We are still looking at 3 months before he can put any weight on that leg, but he's getting closer every day!

Little Josiah is on his way back today. John (our brother) is driving him back. Those of us who know Josiah very well know he'll probably jabber the whole way!

Keep the prayers flowing! They are working! Everyone is getting better every day!

Love,

Lynn

Saturday, November 1, 2008

The Last 2 Weeks

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Lynn. I'm Jennifer Dierking's older sister. I'm creating this blog so all of the people who know & love Jennifer can keep up with what's going on with her & her family. The plan is to update this daily to keep everyone up to date.

This 1st blog will be a long one. I want to fill everyone in on all the events of the last 2 weeks to make sure everyone is aware of what has happened to this little family.

On Sat. Oct 18, David, Jennifer, & Josiah were involved in a head-on collision. Jennifer was air evac'd to St. John's Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. David was air evac'd about 45 minutes later. It was determined that Jennifer had a broken left femur (thigh) bone & a broken right pelvic/hip bone. David needed 6 stitches on his left eye, 24 stitches on his right knee, & his right leg was broken below the knee. Our precious little 2 year old Josiah came out of it without a scratch!

Jennifer was 32 weeks pregnant with little Kacyn Lee. They had to do an emergency c-section. Little Kacyn came into this world 8 weeks early at 4 lbs. & 14 oz! Being premature, Kacyn's lungs were not ready to breathe on their own. He was on a ventilator to breathe for him. He also had some struggles with internal bleeding & needed several blood transfusions.

We had Jennifer in ICU on the 4th floor, David in a room at the opposite end of the 4th floor, & Kacyn in NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) on the 2nd floor! We only got lost a few times before finally figuring out our way around this huge hospital!

On Mon, Oct 20, the nurses & staff in the NICU cleared out a path through NICU big enough to wheel Jen's bed down to see Kacyn for the first time!

Jennifer had her 1st surgery to fix her femur on Tue, Oct 21. This consisted of putting what was described as a long nail in her leg. It runs from the top of her knee all the way up. This is held in place by 8 screws (I think). Also on this day, Kacyn was taken off the ventilator. He was on oxygen, but breathing completely on his own.

Jennifer's surgery went well, but she was having difficulty breathing afterwards. Because of this she was moved back into ICU - she had been released from ICU & had been in the same room with David for a few days prior to the surgery. It was determined through several tests that Jennifer suffered from fatty embolist syndrome. This is one of the risks involved with the breaking of a larger bone. The breaking of this bone released fat tissue, bone marrow, & other tissues into her blood stream. Some of this made it's way to her lungs.

David was discharged on Wed, Oct. 22 until they could do his surgery. It had to be delayed due to swelling around the area they needed to do surgery.

On Mon, Oct 27, they did an MRI on little Kacyn. The neurologist who reviewed the results met with Jen & David that evening. The neurologist told them when he was looking at those results, he couldn't believe this baby had lived 10 days. The results showed a buildup of blood at the back & base of his brain. They think the bleeding has stopped, but they are going to watch this closely. He also has a buildup of cerebral spinal fluid on top of his brain. They are unsure if this is still building up, but are monitoring it. If it continues to buildup, they will need to do surgery to put a shunt in to drain it. He also said Kacyn has some tissue damage on the sides of his brain but wasn't sure at this point what affect, if any, this may have. He had not seen Kacyn yet & rushed right down to see him. He was expecting to find a baby in severe distress. He was very surprised to find our baby breathing on his on & looking like a normal baby! The MRI results looked like they belonged to a baby who couldn't breathe on his own, wouldn't be able to hold a body temp, wouldn't be able to suck a bottle or pacifier. All of which our baby is doing!

David finally had his surgery on Tue, Oct. 28. He had a plate put in his lower leg. This surgery required many more stitches in addition to the ones he already on the knee of the same leg. His surgery went well. He was then put in a room on the 3rd floor. This left us again with 3 family members in the hospital...Kacyn on the 2nd floor, David on the 3rd floor, & Jen on the 4th floor!

Kacyn was well enough now to be brought up to Jennifer's room to see her. He was crying when Jennifer took him, but when she started talking to him he stopped crying & looked up at her. He just laid there in her arms, looking up at her, & listening to her for about 30 minutes. She was able to see & hold him twice before the events of Oct 28.

At this point, everyone except the moms had gone back to either OH or AR. On the night of Tue, Oct. 28, the moms left St. Louis & went to David & Jen's house in Sullivan (about an hour south of St. Louis) for the night. That night Jennifer went into respiratory distress. The next morning, Wed, Oct 29, at about 7:30am, Jennifer went into cardiac arrest & had to be resuscitated. At this point she was put on a ventilator & sedated into a coma-like state. This is when we all got the worst phone call you can imagine. The dr. basically said it didn't look good & the family probably should head back to St. Louis. That 5 hour trip from AR seemed like 10 that day!

This all happened on David's 25th birthday.

It was a shock to us when we got here & went into Jen's room. It didn't even look like my sister! She had 14 iv bags, the ventilator down her throat, & several other monitors attached to her. Her heart rate & blood pressure were way out of whack. She was on 100% oxygen (normally, you breathe only 21% oxygen) & was running a 104 fever. As the night went on, her heart rate & blood pressure came back within normal range & her fever also came back down to normal. The next day, Thu, Oct 30, they were able to reduce her oxygen to 45%. Her lung x-rays showed 50% improvement over the previous day. They were able to take her off her heart medication which was controlling her heart rate & blood pressure. This was done about 2:00 that afternoon. Her heart rate & blood pressure have been perfect every since!

On Thu, Oct 30, the dr talked to us about the "great day" Jen had the previous day. He also told us what we can expect going forward. He said she had a great day, but wanted to let us know that patients will reach a plateau where their progress is slower & in small, baby steps. This was to prevent too much disappointment if things didn't continue to progress as quickly as they did the previous day. He also said it could be another 1-2 weeks before Jennifer is off the ventilator & awake. He said she will be very confused for the first few days & not to be alarmed at some of the things she may say. When asked how long it would be before she's released, the dr's answer was "months". She will then begin a long rehab process. It could be a year before she's back to her old self.

She continues to improve slightly each day. She is now down to 40% oxygen. Her heart rate & blood pressure are still normal. Her respirations per minute are coming down to where they need to be. Her temperature has been normal. Her lung x-rays & blood work continue to show improvement. One of the biggest concerns right now are her kidneys. They are getting worse each day. If they continue to do so, they will need to dialysis to give them a jump start.

David was released yesterday, Fri, Oct 31. Now we only have the 2nd & 4th floors! Little Josiah went to AR to trick-or-treat with his 5 older cousins. He was dressed up as Tony Romo! He had a blast trick-or-treating! He was a little confused at first & tried to go in the first couple of houses when the door was opened! It didn't take long for him to figure out you ring the doorbell, they give you candy, & then you go to the next house & do it again! Jennifer's Halloween plans had included coming to AR so Josiah could trick-or-treat with his cousins. This wish of hers was fulfilled & LOTS of pictures were taken!

Please pray for the continued healing of Jennifer's heart, lungs, kidneys, & broken bones. As well, strength for her to continue to fight & strength for David & continued healing for him. Please pray for the miracles that are being worked on Kacyn to continue. And last, but not least, please pray for both sets of parents for strength & comfort. Everyone still has a long road ahead, but we know we will have a miracle in both Jennifer & Kacyn before it's all over with! Thank you for all the prayers, well wishes, support, & love!!