Marcus update #8

Hello. I am sorry that it has been so long since my last update. Much has happened. We do not currently have internet access at home, and have been very busy.

So... in my last update I told you that Marcus was coming home on Sunday, January 18th. He did. He was home for about 9 days. We had a really good week with him, it was great to have him home.

On Monday, Jan. 26th, when the home nurse was examining him, we noticed that his chest was retracting when he was breathing. He still seemed ok though. Later that night he was breathing really fast and labored. We didn't get much sleep that night, and took him to the doctor Tuesday morning. She sent us for a chest x-ray which revealed that his left lung was either collapsed or full of fluid. I looked at the x-ray, and couldn't see the left lung at all, it was just white. They told us that this was either an indication of pneumonia or heart failure.

They proceeded to send Marcus and I to Phoenix Childrens Hospital by ambulance Tuesday afternoon. They admitted him back to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). So he is being cared for by the same doctors and nurses that cared for him before he came home. I stayed with him until Thursday when Chris and the kids came and picked me up. Side note... I had to take Aliyah to the doctor right after we got home because she has an ear infection (so please pray for her too).

He had an echocardiogram and his heart function looked ok. They were calling it pneumonia although he wasn't really as sick as they would've expected his to be if he had it. So they were also looking at other reasons why his lung would look that way and he would be laboring to breath.

He looked a lot more comfortable and seemed to be breathing easier yesterday before I left, but today he was doing worse. They called us today to talk to us about what was going on and to get permission to do a medical procedure. I believe it was called a broncioscopy (or something like that). They did it at 3 today and it went well. Basically what they did was put a fiberoptic scope down through his nose to his lungs. They did have to put him to sleep for the proceedure. They got a sample of whatever is down there. They should have the results in a few days. They said that he seemed to be a bit better after the proceedure.

My dad visited him today after they were done, and he said that Marcus looked better, and that the nurse said that he seemed better than he had been this morning.

Today they also found that Marcus has a urniary tract infection. So they put him on antibiotics for that today.

I am having a difficult time not being able to be there constantly right now. It is Mikaila'a birthday on Sunday, February 1st, and I need to prepare for that. And it was my birthday today - I turned 40! Also Aliyah is really having a difficult time with mommy being gone so much. She is too young to understand what is going on and why I have been gone a lot. It really doesn't help when she doesn't feel good either.

So, please pray for Marcus. Pray for his left lung to open back up, or clear up, or whatever it needs to do in order to function properly again. Also pray that his urinary tract infection will clear up. Pray that he will be healthy.

Also, pray for our family. Our kids were all very upset when Marcus had to go back to the hospital. Pray for Chris as he is also having a difficult time. Pray that he will find more work, that his back will feel better (he's had back issues for many years), and that he will be able to really trust God with Marcus's life (me too on that one). We've both been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster through all of this. We have strong, good days, and weak, tearful days.

We truly believe that God is in control. Thank you for your prayers. I will try to get back online and put on another update next weekend. Thanks again and God bless you. Kim

Marcus update #7

Hello. Sorry it's been so long since my last update. We've been pretty busy. I think I was home for 1 day last week. I thought that I would put an early picture of Marcus on the blog this time to show how much better he is doing and how amazing our God is. He was doing and looking so much better by the time I started the blog that I figured that many of you have not seen an early picture of him. God has been at work healing Marcus. He's not done yet, but Marcus has certainly come a long way from where he started December 1st at 12:13 am.

The plan is for Marcus to come home tomorrow, Sunday Jan. 18th. He is doing very well. His platelets are up to 121, and his direct billirueben is down to an acceptable level. He will be coming home on oxygen, being fed through an NG tube (tube that goes down through his nose and into his stomach), and with an apnea monitor. So last week I had to take a few classes at the hospital and learn how to take care of Marcus at home.

I learned how to put in his feeding tube and care for it properly. I learned how to operate the apnea monitor and hook it up to Marcus. I took a refresher infant CPR course. And learned how to use the feeding pump. Marcus will be fed every 3 hours during the day and then will be on a constant feed for 8 - 10 hours during the night.

I'm sure it will be an adventure having him home. We are very excited for his homecoming. Kira and Aliyah are sick with coughs and runny noses, so please pray that they will get better quickly and that Marcus will not get sick.

Thank you all for you continued prayers for our family and for Marcus. He still has a few issues and could still use your prayers. His liver is still enlarged some and his direct billirueben still needs to come down some more. He still has 2 holes in his heart and a little fluid around his it. He still needs oxygen. And there is something about an area of his brain possibly not being fully milonated - I'm not sure exactly what that means yet, but am told that a neurologist will be looking at it further and that Marcus will probably need to have another MRI of his brain in a few weeks.

We appreciate you and your prayers and encouragement very much. God is good, and what He is doing with Marcus is all for His glory as well as for our good and our growth in Him. In this life we will have trouble and hard times, but take heart God has overcome the world and is always there for us to help us through whatever we must go through in this life. I don't know how people make it through life without Him.

Thank you.

Marcus update #6

Hello again. Sorry it's been a while since I've posted an update. I just got back from spending a couple of days in Phoenix with Marcus. I stayed at the Ronald MacDonald House - it was pretty nice. Anyways...

Marcus is doing better and better again. He was up to 5 lbs. 4 oz. yesterday. I gave him a tub bath and a massage, and enjoyed being with him all day. His color is really good. His platelets are going back up and were at 62 yesterday.

They never figured out what caused the blood in his stool last week, and they probably never will, but that's ok. So, his billirueben is down - good - his platelets are going up - good - and his feedings are going well and increasing - good. He still doesn't eat from a bottle or nurse well, and you can pray that he will learn, but he can come home even if we have to tube feed him.

So basically continue to pray that Marcus will grow stronger and healthier each day. Our family is doing better. Please pray that we will stay healthy now so that when Marcus is ready to come home, he comes home to a healthy environment.

Thank you for your prayers. Hopefully the next time I send an update I'll have a date for Marcus's homecoming. Praise God for how He is answering our prayers and yours as well.

Marcus update #5

Just a quick update tonight. Marcus is bouncing back quickly from whatever made him sick on Tuesday. Chris and I went to see him yesterday and he looked pretty good. Today they started feeding him again. They are trying something different with him feeding now. They are giving him breast milk pretty constantly and slowly. They are giving him 3 mls every hour. It seems to be going fine so far.

He will need to work back up to full feedings and be off of the IV suppliment again before they think about letting him come home.

His platelet count is improving again. That also needs to be stable before he can come home.

Thanks for praying for our family's health too. It seems like the flu is gone. Mikaila has had a cough and headache today though and I just took her temperature before bed and she has a fever of 102. I really hope that this is isolated and not the start of something else. Please pray that she feels better soon and that no one else gets sick. Marcus can't come home to a sick house either.

Hey... another answer to prayer... We got a dryer through freecycle today. Yeah!!

Thanks for your prayers. God is working miracles.

Kim