Waiting is the Hardest Part

Lincoln is doing good...we had a little bump in the road on Oct. 20th. Lincoln had a spasm in his heart called an Atrial Fibrillation. This is when the heart rate speeds up to a dangerous rate. Usually there are reasons the heart does this...but of course with Lincoln...it's always idiopathic (an unknown reason). Lincoln's heart rate jumped up to 230 bpm without reason, and after a few different attempts to calm it down with medication...it finally did. Because Lincoln is so small and has a failing heart...his ability to fight through and handle issues like that or what they call his "reserve" is very weak. And we think that by going through yet another huge episode like he did made him lose a little more reserve making his heart even more weak. Since then, his oxygen content in his blood (his "saturations") has been low and he is now on oxygen with a nasal cannula. He has also been put on a new medication called Digoxin to make his heart beat slower and more efficiently. Pray that another "big" issue stays away because we don't know how much more his heart can take before it says "enough." This is the hardest part for Kristen and I...and Lincoln...waiting! Lincoln has been on the waiting list for a little over two weeks now. The scary thing is...heart transplant for infants are more rare than for older kids and we just don't know how long Lincoln can be in a stable condition waiting...especially when he has had big issues come up every now and then. Wow...that was heavy...but aside from all of that...Lincoln is doing well. Kristen has been working with the physical therapist to help Lincoln with head control and arm and leg strength. You can imagine how far ICU kids get behind in their development just lying in a bed all the time. We've seen him getting stronger every day with his movement and technique. As you probably have noticed, we have updated his blog site with a few more items to look at. On the right side of the page we've included a "Prayer Request" list...PLEASE be in prayer for those items as we specifically lay them out. There is also a "Link" section...there we have highlighted some of the sites that pertain to Lincoln, his condition, heart transplant, donor awareness, etc. Have fun looking at those as you become more familiar with Lincoln's needs. Thank you all for your continued prayer and support for all of us...we will talk to you soon...we love you all! J&K