Back Home for Now and What's to Come

After a good visit with family and friends in Cockeysville (MD), Salem (VA), Knoxville (TN) as well as the aforementioned doctors appointments, we arrived safely back in Chattanooga this past Thursday. We met with Dr. Gearhart (Urology) this past Tuesday to discuss the SP tube and the issues Jacob has been having with his urethra (some slight bleeding). Dr. G thinks that the pelvic plate that was inserted during the bladder closure surgery this past fall may be impeding on the urethral tube and perhaps causing the bleeding and some of the discomfort he seems to have in that area.

He advised that he will perform another scope on the same day that we have the stoma revision with Dr. Lau. Initially, we thought this would be on Feb 3rd, but in order to schedule both doctors on the same day, we moved the date to the 10th. The purpose of the scope is to see if the plate is indeed causing some problems and also check to see why he still is unable to pee from that opening. If the plate is causing problems, it will need to be removed. Since the plate is part of the orthopedic side of things, Dr. Sponseller will be the one to remove it, if necessary.

We should point out that the plate, which is made out of titanium, was put in to help stabilize his pelvic bones. We found out that it does normally need to come out at some point, although they usually like for it to stay in a little longer. In Jacob's case, they feel like his pelvic bones have healed well and that should it need to come out, his pelvic bones should remain fairly stable with only a slight bit of movement possible.

Dr. Sponseller will not, however, remove it during this upcoming surgery, rather, it will likely be in a couple of months. This will allow him time to heal from the stoma revision surgery. Also, we did find out that the expected recovery time for the stoma revision is 5-6 days. Please pray that this will hold true as we certainly do not wish to have another extended stay at the hospital, especially knowing that we may need to return again in a couple of months. Also, winter travel between Chattanooga and Baltimore can be tricky at times as well.

Dr. Gearhart was very impressed with how well Jacob's mobility has improved. Jacob tooled around the hallways near his office with his little walker and Dr. G loved it. It is truly an example of how God has blessed us and how He has answered the faithful prayers that so many have offered up on our behalf. In addition, as of the time we are writing this, Jacob has now taken about ten steps on his own and seems to be growing stronger each day. We have much to be thankful for at this time.

In closing, we ask that you pray for us as we prepare for the next round in "Jacob's Journey". We will probably leave for Baltimore on Feb 7th or 8th as there is a rather extensive "bowel prep" that must take place prior to the stoma revision. Please pray for the doctors who will be involved and that the outcome will bring glory to the Lord of all creation. Please pray for James as he will likely stay here in Chattanooga with Gran so he won't miss any school. I (Daddy BA) will likely come back to Chattanooga shortly after the surgery to come back to work and help with James. We'll try to provide another update once we begin our trip to Baltimore, unless something changes between now and then.

God of all gods, King of all kings, to whom all praise, glory and honor is due,

The Arringtons

The latest news...

Well, as many can tell, we are not the best "bloggers" in the world and we do apologize for the lack of recent updates. However, we do want to give everyone an update on how everything is going. Jacob has made very good progress from a mobility standpoint. He crawls well and has begun climbing again (something he was pretty good at prior to the last surgeries. He walks very well with the help of his little walker. He has stood and balanced by himself a few times, but hasn't quite taken any unassisted steps, yet. He seems to be close, though. We are very grateful for all the Lord has done for him. Thanks to everyone who continues to pray for Jacob and our entire family.

His stoma, however, continues to be an area of concern. Just this past week, we drove up to Baltimore, where we are currently, to have the General Ped Surgeon check it out. We have been dilating his stoma regularly, but we have been praying for another solution. It has been torture on both he and us having to do this and also it has become more difficult as he has become stronger. Thankfully, the doctor here feels like a stoma revision is in order and has scheduled this for Feb 3. We have one additional doctor visit this coming Tuesday, Jan 20, then we plan to return home until a few days prior to the next surgery. The doctor feels like the revision to the stoma will help with his gas and general "plumbing" issues he has been having. He is not 100% sure what this revision will like, but it may involve moving the stoma slightly below where it is currently. He feels like the recovery time in the hospital will not be more than about 5-6 days for this surgery. Please pray that the surgery will be a success and that the recovery time will be no more than expected.

Oh, and we should mention that the doctor visit this week will be with Dr. G regarding the Urology side of things. Jacob is still using the SP tube and bag, and we feel like we will likely continue. However, he has had some "scant" bleeding (kind of like spotting) from his urethra, and so we don't know if this will be a concern or not. We will try to post some more details on this later this coming week.

We once again thank you for your prayers, despite our less that stellar efforts to keep everyone informed.

God is faithful and will accomplish more than we can every ask or imagine.

The Arringtons