No Rejection!!

Last night Lincoln's Dr's called and informed us that all biopsy specimens taken during the heart cath tested negative for rejection! There was no sign of hemo-rejection or tissue-rejection! This is a huge sigh of relief! We are not exactly sure why Lincoln's BNP was so high. Even if it was a mistake by the lab...more than one lab test showed that it was gradually increasing over the last few months...so we are confused but very happy none the less!! Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and emails! This was a great reminder of God's greatness to us and the power of prayer! It was also a good reminder for us of how we need to keep on top of the little things to ensure that Lincoln stays healthy! Thanks again...we love you all! J, K &L

We're Home...Still Waiting!

Hey Everybody! We got home late last night. Lincoln’s procedure went GREAT and without any problems. He got discharged and got to go home in record time! So thank you all for the prayers of safe travel and for a great cath procedure! The lab results and echocardiogram were also better than we expected. When lab results came back for the BNP, we were all shocked when we saw a number of 36…under 50 is normal. This is quite a bit different than the 509 number we had going into the cath and in which all the Dr’s were NOT thrilled! So either something drastically happened in the last two weeks to make the BNP go down, or one of the labs made a mistake and we got false numbers, OR God did some good things!! Anyway, we are still nervous about the results of the biopsy. If a BNP of 509 is not a mistake and 36 is…than there might be some rejection. If a BNP of 36 is not a mistake and 509 is…than things should be fine. It makes sense, though, that 36 is more accurate seeing that all of the other labs and echos are great? The results should be in the next 48 hrs so we ask that you continue to pray for the results of the biopsy and that God continues to heal! We will be in touch very soon! We love you all! J,K & L

Please Be Praying!

Hello to all of our friends and family! As you know, from our last update, Lincoln has been doing great and was scheduled to go down to UCLA on Sept. 26th for his bi-annual heart catheterization. Well, our plans have changed just a bit! Lincoln gets his lab work done once a month...and last week’s lab work revealed something not so exciting. One of the lab numbers they keep an eye on (the BNP level) was elevated 9 times the normal level. BNP is excreted by the heart when the heart muscle is being stretched. A couple of reasons the heart muscle could be stretching is: the heart is working too hard which could mean some level of rejection; too much fluid in and around the heart; or as simple as a growth spurt. We are praying for the latter...but at this point the Dr's aren't sure what it is or what it means. The rest of the labs, echocardiograms, medication levels and all around energy are great, so things aren't making too much sense at this point. All we know is that in April his BNP level was normal but it has been slowly and steadily rising. So basically this means they are bumping up his cath procedure to this Monday the 15th. They want to get in and get numbers, pressures and a biopsy as soon as possible to see if there is any rejection happening. Please be in prayer for Lincoln, his heart, the procedure and our hearts and minds as this is no doubt stressful and discouraging! Lincoln goes into cath at 7:00 AM and should last a few hours so please be in prayer! Other than that Lincoln is doing fine...he is his happy, crazy, smiley self! Hope everyone is doing well...we'll keep in touch. We love you lots! J,K&L

No Biopsy Yet...

Hey everyone! Hope all is well with you! Lincoln is doing great. The last few weeks have been very busy and we are glad summer is coming to an end! As a lot of you were aware...Lincoln was supposed to go to UCLA on Labor Day for a biopsy. The date for his procedure has been delayed due to scheduling conflicts. We are now scheduled to have his biopsy on Sep. 26th. This will not affect any outcome or cause worry due to the delay. In fact, when Lincoln's cardiologist found out about the delay at UCLA, he made Lincoln come in for an echo and lab work…both of which turned out great! So please be praying for this trip and this procedure. Although "routine", there is never anything routine about cardiac catheterization. We will update with how everything went very soon. We love you all! J&K