day 13....

if there is one thing i have learned about being in the hospital with a sick kiddo, it's that circumstances and diagnosis can change quickly. i can be ready to lose it one moment and a tired, weepy mess the next.

thanks be to God that 'P' has been fever-free for 48 hours without tylenol/motrin! yay! yay! yay! so awesome, don't ya think?!

we decided against the procedure to drain the other very small abscess yesterday. there is a portion of his colon in the way and the potential risk of damage to the intestine was too much for my liking...so to ensure the elimination of that infection it tacks on two more weeks of i.v. antibiotics...

the drainage from his j.p. drain is still too murky and goopy (these are of course the technical terms!) for my liking, however it is producing very little "goop" but this will stay in another week to appease this mama and make sure everything gets outta there!

there is the exciting possibility that 'P' gets discharged tomorrow night (squeal!!), so my training begins in the morning how to care for his pic line and how to administer his i.v. meds at home.  pray that he gets discharged soon, but not before everything looks just as the Lord wants it to.

to be honest with you, i'm a bit nervous to get sent home...this has all gone so badly that it's just nerve-wracking 'cause i don't want it to happen again, which i know is very unlikely...i know it doesn't make sense, it's all been a smidge overwhelming at one moment or another

if you have been praying for my boy's healing, i am so grateful, thankful, indebted to you...that you spent time before the Lord asking for graces on his behalf is glorious and again beyond words for me to express my thanksgiving.

God has never left 'P' or our family, He was never surprised by this sickness, the Lord pours out His blessings in ways that not our choosing...however it is just what we need to learn more of His love, strength, goodness

i look forward to see how He will use this experience, this sickness, in 'P's life and our family's, my marriage. i know more of Him that i did 3 weeks ago and i can still loudly proclaim that the Lord is Good and does Good! i believe and know that God is working in our lives no matter what it looks like or feels like...

for our best days are NOT our yesterdays, it's now, it's tomorrow, it's all for Him!!

stay tuned....

day 12 of our hospital adventure...

so i haven't blogged in forever, i want to but i can't find the time to shower some days much less write tids bits of thoughts....however with my boy, 'P', in the hospital and more people wanting updates i thought i'd take a few minutes this morning to let you know where we are at as of today:

i am close to completely loosing my mind with 'P's surgeon/doctor. i am an intelligent mama of 4 and i'm sick of my concerns or input not being taken seriously...i practically have to demand things like an out-of-control dictator to get something done, and thankfully it usually turns out (so far) that my hunches produce positive results for my 'P'. i'm grateful to God for the wisdom and discernment He is pouring out on me, i need all the leading i can get.

'P' is still struggling with a spiking fever even after being in the hospital on i.v. antibiotics for 12 days, his j.p. drain (this was put in during the last surgery on the 19th to drain the large abscess that formed after his appendectomy) is still draining pus-y looking fluid not clear but it is draining much, much less. he is on TPN since they won't let him eat anything but jello. so during rounds yesterday morning i laid it all out for 'P's surgeon and he ordered another CT scan to see if for some reason another abscess had formed causing this fever to remain.

thanks be to God there isn't another abscess forming anywhere but there is some free fluid around his colon on both sides that is most likely infected and therefore not helping his situation. 'P' will most likely have that drained today in a much less severe procedure but need His grace and provision during this.

i have also sought out second opinions on the current protocol from our awesome pediatrician, who is also suggesting another culture of the drainage from the current j.p. drain as well as culturing the fluid they get from his abdomen today.

i am a crunchy-granola-natropathic mama, so i've been doing what i can to help his body heal itself and that has definitely gotten his digestive system & colon up and working again, so that makes me a happy

this supposedly simple procedure, an appendectomy, has gone seemingly wrong at every single turn. it's scary at moments, frustrating, tiring, confusing, a stretching of our endurance and faith...growing is uncomfortable and painful so we press in, trusting that as we seek God, He is faithful to guide us and flow favor upon us. it's not easy though....

'P' is amazingly strong and courageous beyond all my expectations. he isn't on any pain meds and we spend most days playing PS3, cards, watching movies, taking walks around the hospital and playing with Baby Ky, who is usually up here during the days. he does have moments of brokenness, he wonders why this sickness, pain is endless. he wants to play ball, swim, sleep in, hang with the guys...but i remind him, just as he reminds me by this display of bravery, that God doesn't waste any minutes of our lives when we are devoted to His will and while 'P' can't see how Jesus will use this, all these long minutes WILL be used for God's ultimate Glory and mold us ever more into Children of the Most High King.

pray, believe with us for this infection to be destroyed, gone, never to return!! but the strength and perseverance to remain...

i'll fill you all in more as it happens!

....the best IS yet to come