A Diagnosis and Prayer Requests

The Facts:  Maggie's cultures from the abscess in her brain revealed strep bacteria.  The theory is that she contracted strep several weeks ago and that it set up in her heart somewhere and threw a clot or just migrated to her brain.  The course of treatment from here is to put in a pic line for 6 weeks of IV antibiotics.  She will have an MRI every Wednesday and procedures on Thursdays if needed to drain the abscesses on her brain.

The Implications: We are going to be here for awhile.  This also suggests that she does not have a clotting or bleeding disorder.  Now her heart condition does make her more likely to clot but she does not have an otherwise genetic clotting disorder.

The Prayer Requests:
*To be able to completely wipe out this infection without further brain surgery. There is an increased risk for brain damage and further infection with each surgery so we would like to avoid this.

*For complete return to her prior functional level.

*For complete emotional healing.

*For Trent and I to hit a care rhythm that allows us to sleep, work if necessary, and interact with our other 3 while taking care of Maggie.

*For the finances in all of this to work out.  This may be more about me releasing my need for control and security than any dollar amount.  I have financial security issues and I have a feeling that God may break me of those through this experience.  Pray that I can give those concerns to Him and then focus on what is eternal.

*For my other kids to feel secure and know they are loved.  They are starting to struggle and there is just not enough of me to go around right now.  I also want them to still enjoy their summer.


On Another Note:  We have been blessed with some new relationships since being here.  There are several team members that I really like and one in particular is from Beijing.  She moved here at 15 and has taken a real interest in Maggie.  Yesterday she came in and just hung out for a while and talked to Maggie in Mandarin.  Also, the vascular access team member today was the husband of a photography client of mine.  It's a small world and there is encouragement and small blessings all around us.  Trent has been speaking with the cleaning lady for the floor.  She is hispanic and he talks to her in Spanish.  She said she is praying for Maggie.

The staff here is amazing and we are getting excellent care.  You could see them trying to suppress the excitement in their eyes that they have a diagnosis while communicating the gravity of it to me.  I get it.  They are scientists and they don't like to lose.  Finding an explanation is a win for them.  Now they shift their need for victory to her recovery and I am determined to help them get a win there too.

Thanks for being on our team, for riding in our roller coaster, for providing drink stops in our marathon, and for your role in whatever other analogies I come up with over the course of this experience.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.