Say Goodbye to the Pins and throw in a surprise

After 10 weeks of pins, a fixator and traction, we were finally able to officially say goodbye to them today. They were removed as part of a procedure that also involved a second scope of his bladder. I'll speak about the scope in a few moments, but wanted to let everyone know that Jacob looks great without all of the metal in/on him and what a joy it was for us to be able to hold him in our arms again. He seemed to really relish the moment and did want to be put back into his bed. The entire procedure took about an hour or so, with an additional hour of recovery. Jacob has typically come out of these procedures and surgeries a little groggy and cranky, but not this time. He was about as happy as we've seen him in quite a while and his Mommy and I definitely shared in this joy with him. Please take a moment to praise the Lord for all He has done for Jacob through the skilled hands of the doctors and nurses here at Hopkins.

Now, as for the bladder scope, it revealed that there is basically some scar tissue that has blocked his urine from properly passing through his urethra. Dr. Gearhart and his team brought Courtney and me into the Operating Room to show us how to catheterize Jacob. He had mentioned to us that this was a possibility, so it was not a surprise when we were called to go back, although we really didn't know what it might involve. However, as soon as we arrived, we were greeted with a most pleasant surprise. Dr. G said something to the effect of, "I believe this boy has some continence" (meaning that he has at least some ability to control the flow of liquid from his bladder.) This was absolutely unexpected and Dr. G noted that this is extremely rare in cloacal exstrophy patients due to the issues with their spinal columns and the associated nerves in that area. We do not know exactly what this may mean for Jacob in the long run, although there is a possibility that he may not need to have some of the bladder augmentation/catheterization surgeries later in life and may be able to begin training himself to do this at a slightly younger age than we expected. At this point, though, we are just so thankful to have the pins out and then on top of that, to really see the Lord choose to display His power, love and mercy before so many here at the hospital. We are reminded that nothing is impossible for our Lord, no matter how great the "odds."

Courtney and I will be responsible for catheterizing Jacob on a fairly regular basis, at least until he begins to exhibit a bit more control over this area. It is not a difficult task to actually carry out, but it is very uncomfortable for Jacob right now and will take some time before he (and we) get used to it. Please pray for us as we take on this new responsibility and pray that this indeed will get things flowing in the right direction and from the right place.

We will likely be discharged from the hospital on Friday and then have a follow-up with Dr. G next Tuesday. We may be able to come back to Chattanooga shortly after that.

We ask for your continued prayers as we get closer to the end of this particular journey in our lives, but also ask that you remember to thank and praise the Lord as well, for He has truly done great things.

May God and God alone be glorified.

Daddy BA