Thursday, June 29, 2006

The Waiting Game




Well, things are going well. Lincoln is handling breathing pretty good. We finally get to see his whole face. Since he is not going to eat for two weeks they pulled out the NG tube out of his nose. Now that he is extubated we are told we can hold him although not quite yet. His breathing is still quite fast (60-85 breaths per min)...so when he gets excited or agitated the breathing rate goes even higher and his "saturations" (oxygen in the blood) goes down and his blood pressure goes up. So when those things get better we will be able to hold him. Oh...and by the way the oxygen level in his blood is now down to 75-85% and holding...praise God! They are not quite sure why he is breathing this fast. They are still speculating that the band might not be tight enough around his pulmonary artery. But as long as his blood gases, vital signs, saturations & no sounds of water on his lungs are o.k. then they are fine with his high rate of breathing. Lincoln's chest tube drainage has slowed down a lot. As long as they are not draining it means that the duct can now begin to heal and there should be no presence of extra water near his lungs for them to soak up. We just have to wait & wait & wait. This will be very hard considering Lincoln is trying to make forward progress, and having the threat of fluid near the lungs & infection because of his chest tubes only makes the waiting harder. Not to mention his tubes are so painful and now they want to start weaning his pain medication because of withdrawal. So continue to pray that the pulmonary band is sufficient, the chylothorax heals and he continues to make forward progress with out infection. Last night before we left the hospital, we saw Lincoln making the funniest face expressions while he was sleeping. He must have been having a good dream because we caught a picture of him smiling. Kristen and I are doing o.k. The hospital routine is so exhausting! We forget sometimes that there is a world out there happening around us but time seams to stand still when you never leave the hospital...plus there is only so much cafeteria food one can eat! But we are doing good. Continue to pray for our emotional, physical & spiritual strength as those tanks sometimes run low. Thank you for all your support and prayers. During the nurses shift change (from 7-8 pm), we go to the hospital library and read the blog. The messages are so encouraging to us! Cant wait for you all to see this little peanut you have been praying for. We love you all! J&K

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOW!!!!
Those pictures are soooooo precious. The one of him smiling is priceless! What a gift to you!!

Praise God for his miracles today!

We will continue to pray for the daily requests! I typed them up and have them posted all over the house so I can pray everytime I see them...which is constantly. God is so good and He is richly blessing your family.

Take care of yourselves too...you need to be strong for your little boy!

It does my heart good to see he's doing well.
Trusting in Him,
Linda

Stephanie said...

Know that we are continuing to pray for both you and Kristen and Lincoln. We are rejoicing in the miracles God has already done! He is truely Sustainer and Sovereign over all. He is your refuge! You are both a testimony to God's faithfulness!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad to see he's doing better. We'll keep praying for all of you.
Alan Doswald

Anonymous said...

Dear Josh and Kristin,
Thank u so much for sharing him with us. We r praying for both of you, your families and most important for his healing. I have been getting up early to pray and have asked for this prayer request across the country.

I'm sorry, I have not had the courage to write to u, I am not very good at words, but needed to express to u how much energy, peace and healing we have asked God to send to all of u.

He is soooooooo cute, it must be so difficult not to squeeze him, my heart hurts for u until that time that u will be able to do so.

Our Prayers and hearts are with all of u.

Your cousins Denny, Sam and Cole.

Anonymous said...

Lincoln looks awsome each and every day. Its too bad we can't be there everyday to watch him recover. Thanks for keeping this blog going!!! Our prayer today is what you requested, but the Lord knows all the details and He is in control. That little guy is in better hands than we know!!! Hang in there guys and we will see you soon!! Kiss his precious face for us...
Uncle Sam & Aunt Michelle

Anonymous said...

Hi Josh and Kristen,

It is soooooooooo special to see Lincoln's little face with a sweet smile. He looks a bit like you, Josh, from what I remember. His hair looks a bit reddish! What joy this must bring to your hearts as you see him progress step by step. I pray that you will be able to hold him soon and just cuddle with your little boy. I know he will love being with you both.

Wish I were closer so I could bring you a home cooked meal, perhaps fried chicken or something! Maybe someday! I pray you will be able to settle into home one day in the not too distant future with your little one. I will continue praying for your strength and for Lincoln's healing.

Love ya much,

Aunt Donna :-) Psalm 23

Anonymous said...

Hey guys!! The pics are great! He looks like Josh (at least Kim and I think so...) We are praying for you daily, Selina and Mateo too. They love to see the pictures when you post them. We love you guys!!

Matt & Kim Souder