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