Megan's Gagging Isn't Any Better

[Cheri A]

I'm so happy to read the last couple of updates! Fever going in the right direction and smiles!!

I agree that this community is so great! I love to come here and read!

[Judyin Philly]

Motrin + Smiles = GOOD NEWS...!

JUST DID A LONG PRAYER...GOSH IT TAKES ALOT TO FIGHT THAT 104 FEVER SO NO WONDER THERE ARE FEW SMILES...

PATTI...THANKS..FOR THE FIRST THING THIS AM.

HI ARMETTA SAW YOU WERE ON THIS THREAD.

LET ME KNOW WHEN YOUR UP TO A PHONE CALL KNOW HOW TIRED YOU'VE BEEN BUT WITH THE PT ETC I HAVEN'T HAD ALOT OF TIME FOR COMPUTER SO PHONE IS FASTER..ONLY IF YOUR UP TO IT

JUDY

[key]

Glad Megan is more alert and the Motrin is working. I love that stuff! Praying for her continued recovery.

My oldest had major surgery on his head at 21 months old and I was very upset through that. It was the hardest thing I have ever been through, so my heart goes out to you Tanya, as her mother.

HUGS,

Monica

[VydorScope]

MEGAN UPDATE

FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2006 11:43 AM, CDT

Megan's night was pretty good, but her fever is still a major issue. She's still staying around 99 as a minimum and creeping back up often. At this point the doctors don't think this could be a reaction from the bypass machine since she's so far out from surgery. They are starting to test for rejection of the bovine contegra (the cow's vein they used to replace the shunt and valve). This is not good if she is rejecting it and would mean another surgery to replace it. This is not something that usually happens, but the doctors know Megan well and said that if anyone would, she could. They are doing a Tcell count to see if it's elevated for the first step. Another possible thought was a beef allergy. My heart sank with this thought. She hasn't been tested for beef since I don't eat much, so we just don't know yet. The contegra is supposed to be neutralized enough so that it can't cause a reaction, but, again, this is Megan we're talking about, so they're looking at all the possibilities. I'll update as soon as we know something. Please keep praying for this all to resolve. I'm not sure what to pray specifically, so I pray for God in His wisdom to make her better.

Her oxygen saturations have been a little low too, so she's being given more oxygen, but her blood pressure seems to be a little better.

On a bright note, she is smiling more this morning and even sat up and played with her toys for a few minutes and laughed. She looks great clinically too.

Love to all - Jarod, Tanya, Cole, and Megan Hope

[AndreaB]

Great news about her smiles. Not so good news about possible problems with beef. We'll continue to ask to God to direct the doctors in her care.

[Judyin Philly]

"I'm not sure what to pray specifically, so I pray for God in His wisdom to make her better."

That's what I'll pray for then..and add strength for you all

love

judy in philly

[nikki-uk]

Hoping this will turn out to be a minor hiccup.

If it's any consolation to you my son had a temp as high as Megans for a week after heart surgery.

His core temp was way too high whilst periphally his temp was too low.

The docs did a myriad of tests and cultures and never actually found out why-it just seemed to right itself.

Still rooting for you!!

[jenvan]

Vincent, you make me smile. Aren't you forgetting that it's politically correct to trash Christians, it's just every other group you cannot trash??? I homeschooled for ten years till I couldn't handle it anymore, not from an academic standpoint, but from a health standpoint. Now that I'm healthy, they don't want to leave their friends and my husband doesn't want me under the stress. It's a wonderful thing though, and I have fond memories of homeschooling. People would say, "What about socialization?" I'd say, "You can't be serious, there are 8 of us who live in this house!!! Plus, with all the homeschool activities, we get way too much socialization!" Of course, you may be talking about a private school.

Anyway, all states have exemptions to vaccines. In some states, like Ohio, we take a philosophical exemption. In other states, like Indiana, we took the religious exemption, which is available in all states. For the religious exemption, they might ask for a letter from your pastor, but they are not allowed to do that, so tell them that the letter is not necessary because it's your personal religious belief not necessarily the belief of your church.

If you want to just skip this one vaccine, then I'd still take the exemption for all of them. Just seems easier.

Prayers on still...

[DingoGirl]

Yes, still praying for the little one.....and for you....strength, wisdom, guidance and grace.

[dlp252]

Still praying as well!

[Canadian Karen]

Prayers from up here too!

Hugs and kisses to baby Megan (and family too!)

Karen

[schuyler]

Still praying

[covsooze]

Praying here too. Much love to the whole family.

Susie x

[jerseyangel]

Still praying and keeping positive thoughts

[lonewolf]

I'm still praying for little Megan too. And the whole family.

[mouse]

Still praying for good health for Megan and for this to beresolved without other surgery. God Bless.

[jaten]

God bless.

[evie]

God bless Megan and her whole family. evie

[AndreaB]

MEGAN UPDATE

FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2006 06:22 PM, CDT

Megan had a really good day. The fever is still spiking for no apparent reason, but her bloodwork still didn't show any sign of infection. She even sat up in bed and played with toys a few times today.

Dr. Drinkwater, her surgeon, came by tonight and helped to settle our fears about the fevers. He thinks it is a rejection of sorts causing the fevers, but thinks she will adjust to it in a few days. He said it's more of an allergic reaction than a true rejection. She looks so good otherwise, he is not concerned that it will be anything that would precipitate needing another surgery - Thank God!!!!

The Tcell count they did won't be back until tomorrow. That should give us a better indication of whether or not rejection is the issue. Dr. Drinkwater said that as long as infection is not present, though, she should build up antibodies to be able to tolerate it. Pray that he's right.

She looks sooo much better. We also were told that we will have to continue to keep Megan in for about 6 weeks after surgery because of risk of infection, but should be able to be out more after that. We'll still have to be very careful through cold and flu season, but not as bad as last year.

Thanks for all the prayers today. God is still hearing and responding! He has big plans for Megan, plans for a future and a hope....

Love to all - Jarod, Tanya, Cole, and Megan Hope

[jerseyangel]

Thank goodness for this wonderful news from Tanya!

[VydorScope]

Tanya called, but I was unalbe to get the phone and mised it. She left a message and sounds like theres realy no new information on Megan... how ever there is some sad news

Remember that mother she mentioned that was there 52 days alone? I was trying to get her name/etc and well Tanya called to tell us that other baby did not make it.

Is 9:20pm here now so I dont want to call Tanya, the kids are hopefully asleep and I would hate to wake them, I will call her tommorow though....

[AndreaB]

Oh Vincent, that's so sad. That poor woman, to be there all alone and now this.

[VydorScope]

Oh Vincent, that's so sad. That poor woman, to be there all alone and now this.

Tanya did say at the very end the grandparents did show...sure that helps a little.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I'm very relieved for Megan, but, oh, how sad for the other mom. (We need a crying smiley...)

The night after Michael's open-heart surgery, an eight-year-old boy who had been hit by a car while riding his bicycle was Life-flighted to Children's hospital. He didn't make it through the night. I will never ever forget his mother's face as she walked out of the PICU with her priest. I think of her every time Michael has a birthday, or on the date of his heart surgery, or at times like when he received his black belt in Tae Kwon Do. And she'll never know how often I do think of her; we never met.

When things go well, everybody says, "God heard our prayers," or "God is good," or "God guided the surgeons." But this poor mommy's experience kind of puts it in another light, doesn't it? I mean, we can't say to her, "God didn't hear your prayers," or "God is bad," or "God didn't guide YOUR surgeons."

We can hope, we can pray (and the power of prayer is well-documented!), we can believe--but the truth is, we mere mortals can't really presume to know what God does or doesn't do, and for us to say, "God is good," only when things are going the way we want--I don't know, at least for me, it makes hearing sad news like this all the more upsetting. I imagine the mommy of the baby who didn't make it hearing others congratulate the mother of a baby who did with, "God heard our prayers," and I can't even begin to imagine the heartbreak she must have.

I'm not trying to start a religious argument here. I'm just thinking out loud (well, as loud as you can on a computer)...

I'm still hoping and praying for good health for Megan, and for peace (if that's possible) for the mother of the baby who didn''t make it.

[flagbabyds]

I am praying for Megan all the time,

my friend was killed while i was at camp and it is horrible but megan has loving parents and everyone who cares for her and she sounds like an amazing little girl.

Its good that she is smiling and getting better i hope that she keeps getting better every day!