This is the first time in quite a while that I’m actually excited to write an update! Monday’s procedure went very well. We got there at 9am but unfortunately didn’t get started until 12! One of the Doctors has called to the ER so we waited for him. Levi, thankfully was very patient and entertained.
Dr. Acra, the gastro-intestinal Doctor was there with Dr. Wootten(ENT). Dr. Acra hadn’t seen Levi since April, when he said that we could go ahead and do the trache surgery. Anyway, he said that to the naked eye, Levi’s esophagus looked good. We will have the biopsy results next week to confirm. After that Dr. Wootten came out and said that things looked a little better but he wasn’t too sure yet how much better- he paused and said “why am I down playing this? It looked way better and I am very encouraged!” Of course things can change, but for now we are celebrating! Plus, he said we could take a two month brake and then check, if things still look really good then maybe we will start talking about getting the trache out… We need a two month brake!
So it was great! Things looked better and we get to go to Mexico for 6 weeks! Unfortunately Brian can’t be there for that long. We will leave on Monday and then he will leave a week after that and hopefully get to stay for three weeks. The boys and I will stay two extra weeks after he leaves. That’s the plan anyway! Like I said in my last update, we NEED this brake! I feel like I’ve been under water for months having to hold my breath (okay, maybe that’s a little exaggerated)….
Hopefully the next update will be from Mexico! Love you all and Merry Christmas!!!

Update

Hey everyone, thank you so much for the prayers for Jesse… he is totally fine now! We did end up staying in the hospital for 5 days. It took him a long time to get off of the extra oxygen, but the day I took Levi with me to Vandy and stayed all day, is the day that Jesse went from having to have the oxygen at all times (like it would come off for a few seconds and he would start going down!) to being totally fine without it. We came home on asthma medicine to prevent incidents like that one in the future. We really don’t like having him on it but until we can find a better alternative, we will continue to give it to him…
We left the hospital on Tuesday and then had to go to the pediatrician the very next day to make sure Jesse’s lungs still sounded good, thankfully they did and his ear infections were gone as well. Levi’s ear looked much better but not 100% just yet.
We are needing wisdom and prayer to decide if we want to stay with our pediatrician or find a new one. Do you remember when we first came home from the hospital after Levi’s big surgery in August? The Pediatrician on call was freaking out because his feeding tube had come out and I didn’t let the ER people re-admit him to try to put it back in after two failed attempts? Well, the same lady came and did rounds at Vanderbilt and after listening to him once decided that nobody there could wean him off of the oxygen or space out his breathing treatments for two days. I. Was. Furious. We couldn’t go home until he was off the oxygen and on every 4 hours of breathing treatments. We had already been there for 4 days and he was doing so great. Everyone disagreed with her(respiratory therapist, nurses, resident and fellow), but she made it clear that she had the authority to decide. After talking to our pediatrician we did get that resolved and left the next morning. This Doctor is the owner of the practice and I’m sure she is a smart women. I read her profile and it sounds like she is a great Christian as well. But we have just had the worst experiences with her! The two times that we have had to deal with her… well… they have just been horrible experiences. SO, if the boys ever get sick on a holiday or if they are at Vanderbilt on a Monday, she will be there… Anyway, please pray for God to give us wisdom on whether to stay there or find someplace else, Brian and I love the boys pediatrician but don’t know if we love her enough to risk having to deal with the other Doctor again.
So, tomorrow Levi his having yet another scope. Gosh, I don’t even know how many he’s had since his big surgery! Too many for sure. We are hoping and praying for a miracle, that his airway will look clear and not irritated, the swelling completely gone and that the Doctor will see a nice sturdy and strong structure so that he can take his trache out with confidence and his airway will never collapse. Not too much to ask right?
One week after tomorrow we leave for Mexico. To say that I am excited would be an understatement! This has all been very exhausting and I just need to breathe in air from my beautiful ranch… no doctor appointments, no phone, no crazy holiday traffic… just surrounded by my crazy amazing family. Enjoying the different community Bible studies and delicious food… right now it sounds like a dream!
Love you all and will let you know how Levi’s airway and esophagus look…