Yesterday and Today

Thank you for praying us through yesterday. I'm sorry it has taken me a while to update the blog. God's hands were in every detail. Mary Graham's surgery went smoothly, lasted about 5 hours total and Dr. Campbell is very pleased with the results so far. They were able to cut through two ribs, spreading them wider to given more room in her chest wall. Then he attached two veptr rods on either side of the spine from shoulder to pelvis. Her xrays already show improvement, her spine is straighter, ribs opened and lifted and she actually is one inch longer now. It really is amazing all they can do. We praise God for bringing her through the surgery and ask you to continue to pray for her.

Today is just post op day 1 and it has been a rollercoaster. Last night she was in a lot of pain, her heartrate was high and she started running fever, so it was pretty rough. They have better management of her pain, but she is labored in her breathing today, still running fever and her heartrate has been up and down. Her xrays are showing today that parts of her lungs are a little collapsed, so they just put her on a cpap machine to help her breathe fully and hoping to not have to put her on a ventilator. The ICU staff is wonderful and trying to find the best ways to treat her. As you can imagine her body has been through an enormous trauma....it's as if she has a whole new body and she is adjusting to that and trying to cope with the pain of the actual surgery. The doctors have said this is normal for everything she has been through and they are totally on top of things.

So, I feel relieved that the surgery is over and God carried her through. Today has felt like we have been here for 7 days. I ask you to pray for these next few days - I am constantly staring at the monitors and it can be unnerving for a mother. Pray for her lungs, her breathing, heart rate and overall healing. Pray for tonight and tomorrow to show much improvement.

 I did get out of the hospital and went back to the RMH for a few hours today and the one verse I read was, "Be still and know that I am God." I felt like God was saying, "I've still got her, be still." Now that she is in sight it's easy to think I have more control, but I really don't. Pray we can rest in Him and feel his peace. He has been so faithful through it all.

We are in a shared room in the ICU, and it just happens to be with the sweet little 10 year old girl and her family that I met online. She had her veptr implants yesterday too and we had dinner with them at the RMH the night before the surgery. Just cool how God is in all the details.

Thank you for continuing to faithfully pray for Mary Graham.  I have better access to a computer and will try and update more tomorrow.