Update - prayers, praises and news

We were concerned this morning to find what appeared to be bed sore forming on his lower back/rear end. The skin had a bluish color to it, which is often a sign that something is starting to form. The doctors and nurses began to aggressively treat it through a number of means, and a few moments ago we already noticed improvement in the area. We praise the Lord for the wisdom and discernment that He granted the doctors and nurses here which enabled them to act quickly. Please continue to pray that he will not develop additional sores and that we will be able to keep him dry in the days that lead up to the next surgery. Also, please pray that the pin sites located on both of his hips will heal and not develop any infections. Two of the six pin sites have been very irritated lately and show some signs of possibly developing an infection.

Speaking of the next surgery, we found out today that the date has been moved up another day to the 26th. We have been praying that his surgery might happen sooner rather than later, for a number of reasons, but mostly because Jacob seems ready from a physical standpoint. We also understand that the recovery period after this next surgery could be anywhere from 6-8 weeks and so we'd love to get this final phase (Lord willing) underway.

Please continue to pray for our family as a whole. As you can imagine, there are many details involved in being so far away from home for such a long period of time, but the Lord has been so very merciful to us and we certainly feel that He has used your prayers, gifts and words of encouragement to bring glory to His name.

To God be the glory, great things He has done.

Daddy BA

Saturday morning update

We rejoice that Daddy BA arrived safely last night from Chattanooga at about 5:30pm. It had been a very busy day for Jacob as he been running a high fever and was not wanting to eat well. The doctors think he may have an ear infection, so he is receiving an antibiotic for for this. In addition, we are still treating some rash areas on his body and the thrush in his mouth. Last night his fever would spike up and down and his heart rate was elevated at times. This morning, however, he seems to be feeling better. Please pray that whatever has been causing his fever and elevated heart rate will subside shortly.

Dr. Gearhart (pediatric urologist) did come by and visit with Courtney on Thursday and we have a tentative surgery date of August 28th for the bladder closure. Please pray that this might take place as planned (or sooner would be great) so that Jacob can begin the extensive recovery period that typically follows this particular surgery.

We want to praise the Lord that Jacob's Papa also arrived safely yesterday from Knoxville. Today is Ronnie's 3rd birthday (Jacob's cousin), so we want to wish him a very Happy Birthday.

This morning has also been very busy for Jacob. The nurses have given him extra attention today in order to change all of his dressings, bedding, etc. They just now finished and I think he is thankful to just be able to watch his videos and wait for lunch to come.

To the glory of the King of kings,

Daddy BA

Quick Update and Prayer Requests

Jacob has been doing fairly well this week, especially once his appetite came back. We are currently waiting for Dr. Gearhart (Pediatric Urologist) to come by so we can find out when the bladder surgery might take place. Once we know this information, we will let everyone know.

Please pray for Courtney that she might be able to get some much needed rest this week while Daddy BA is back at work. Also, please pray that Courtney might be able to borrow a laptop computer to use while in the hospital (primarily for providing updates to the blog and sending/loading pictures to share).

To Him who supplies us with mercy and grace beyond measure, according to His will,

Daddy BA

Praise and Update

The nurses treated the thrush infection in Jacob's mouth with nystatin (same med used to treat the rashes he had last week) and his appetite has begun to come back. Please rejoice with us and praise God for such a quick resolution. It appears that a feeding tube will not be needed at this time.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Daddy BA

Prayer Request for Jacob

Please pray for Jacob today. He has been doing quite well over the past week with regard to his eating and drinking. Today, however, he has not wanted to eat or drink anything and he has what appears to be thrush in his mouth (an infection). The nurses will be treating this infection, which certainly may be one of the reasons why he is not eating well. He has also been teething recently and this may be contributing as well. Children with OEIS can dehydrate quickly when they are not drinking any fluids (we've seen this happen with Jacob in the past), so we are always concerned when this happens. Also, the nurses have gone back to giving him pain meds every 6 hours rather than every 8 hours and have increased the amount of fluids through his PICC line. If things continue like this, the doctors may need to insert a feeding tube to ensure that he gets the nutrients and sustenance that he needs.

In addition, we hope to find out today (perhaps) when his next surgery (bladder closure) will take place.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

May the Lord work through this circumstance that which pleases Him.

Daddy BA

Praises and Birthdays

We rejoice and praise the Lord that this morning, Dr. Sponseller (Jacob's ortho surgeon), was so impressed with the progress in Jacob's right foot that he was able to adjust the fixator and re-attach the tape that runs between Jacob's leg. His exact words were something like, "He has regained movement quicker than expected." This has been our biggest concern for the past week because regaining this movement likely means that we will be able to soon schedule his next surgery and not face the possibility of a re-do.

God truly does work in mysterious and unexpected ways sometimes and we know that His timing is always right, but it was especially meaningful to us that God chose to bring Jacob to this point today, because it also happens to be his older brother James' 4th birthday. His mom and I, along with his Uncle Ron, Aunt Rose, and cousin Ronnie will be taking James to a theme park to celebrate his birthday. His Grammy and Papa A (Bryan's parents) have been here this week and have been helping us out a lot by staying with Jacob at the hospital.

So, please rejoice with us but continue to pray for Jacob and our family as we continue on this journey.

Praise be to our Lord and Saviour,

Daddy BA

A Quick Update

This is Jacob's Aunt RoRo (Rose, Courtney's brother Ron's wife...for those of you who don't know)...Anyway, Courtney is having technical difficulties and asked me to give a quick update.

Jacob is ok. They started the new pain medication called Fentanyl, but it is still causing itching. He also gets Oxycodone by mouth and that seems to help. He's not relying on the PCA (pain button) as much anymore. Please continue to pray for pain control and the itching because it's still a bit of a trial and error experience and he's not as comfortable as he could be. He is starting to eat a little more which is good.

The doctors were in yesterday and this morning and there are still no clear answers on a plan or what to expect. Jacob really needs movement in that foot. God says pray specifically...so here's one...PRAY JACOB CAN MOVE HIS ANKLE! As you go about your day, just keep asking God for little Jacob's foot to move.

Bryan's parents arrived safely in town yesterday, hopefully they will get some quality time with Jacob and James.

Continue to pray for Courtney and Bryan, as they are very tired and this is very stressful on them. Everyone keeps asking what they can do to help. Earnest, heartfelt prayer is the best thing right now.

We know everyone loves pictures, so here are a few from Jacob's first birthday party. He turned 20 months just the other day!