Dear Friends,
I just pulled in the driveway from Minneapolis after a very successful pacemaker surgery. Miraculously, she did not need the lower lead (wire) changed. For four years technicians complained but it tested perfect in the office on Wednesday and directly on Thursday during the surgery so the procedure itself was very minor. There is a bit of pain and always the possibility of infection but it was a very simple procedure compared to a bit more delicate if they had needed the change.
Okay, baby stuff. Things still look good with Jennifer and Sophia, however, the doctor still wants to deliver early by C-section THIS MONDAY MORNING AT 7:15 AM. Low fluid is the main concern again with the AFI's coming in around 3 or 4 but the biophysical profile and the doppler cord have all been excellent. I don't know exactly what to say about this whole thing but will reserve my judgment until after speaking with the doctor. But, unless things change it looks like Monday morning it is.
Keep this in prayer that the baby is strong, healthy with good lung development.
Sincerely,
Dave
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
As the world turns...
12 hours later and a totally different situation. They took the biophysical profile again this morning and what was bad yesterday (2 out of 8) was perfect today (8 out of 8). The doctor said that there is no likelihood that we will be having the baby this week.
Of course this means that we will be going ahead with Grace's surgery (or at least that is the plan as of this moment). We want to avoid having her surgery the same week as the c-section which is why we scheduled it for this week rather than waiting a few weeks longer. We never anticipated Jennifer would have to go into the hospital early.
I'll keep you posted if (or when) things change.
Thanks,
Dave
Of course this means that we will be going ahead with Grace's surgery (or at least that is the plan as of this moment). We want to avoid having her surgery the same week as the c-section which is why we scheduled it for this week rather than waiting a few weeks longer. We never anticipated Jennifer would have to go into the hospital early.
I'll keep you posted if (or when) things change.
Thanks,
Dave
The Very Latest on Jennifer and Baby Sophia
Here’s the latest.
Jennifer is in the hospital with a heart monitor to track the baby’s heartbeat. With low amniotic fluid they want to make sure the baby isn’t in any duress. So far so good with that. The biophysical profile (measurement of the amniotic fluid, small movements and large movements) was not good today. They checked the blood flow in the umbilical cord, which was good so no immediate urgency. However, if things don’t improve most likely they will decide to take the baby early. They will do another biophysical profile in the morning, which will determine the course of action.
This would put Grace’s surgery on hold for a few weeks. Honestly, unless things turned out perfect tomorrow we would put it on hold. It was our hope to have this surgery before the baby arrived but even if things are tentative with Jennifer and the baby I couldn’t risk being away with Grace in Minneapolis having the pacemaker replaced. We have a few months window to work with so we would reschedule sometime in November or early December and just run a test sometime in November to check battery life and function of the pacemaker.
Also, Jennifer’s grandmother is not doing well and doctors indicate that she does not have long to live. She had a stroke a month back and has not shown any signs of recovery or responsiveness. More recently she has had congestion and pneumonia and her heart is failing. She is a believe which brings comfort in the midst of hurting.
Honestly this seems like a lot and it really is. But the one thing that I keep in mind is that problems are moment by moment and we don’t face the full weight of it all at once. We are weak and powerless and I don’t realize that any more than at the moments when there is absolutely nothing that I can do. But God’s grace is sufficient and His power is perfected in our weakness. We are not handling this well, God’s grace is enabling us to handle things well. We are not sufficient in ourselves but we are trusting God and hanging on to Him knowing that He is holding us securely in His strong and gentle hands.
Sincerely,
Dave
Jennifer is in the hospital with a heart monitor to track the baby’s heartbeat. With low amniotic fluid they want to make sure the baby isn’t in any duress. So far so good with that. The biophysical profile (measurement of the amniotic fluid, small movements and large movements) was not good today. They checked the blood flow in the umbilical cord, which was good so no immediate urgency. However, if things don’t improve most likely they will decide to take the baby early. They will do another biophysical profile in the morning, which will determine the course of action.
This would put Grace’s surgery on hold for a few weeks. Honestly, unless things turned out perfect tomorrow we would put it on hold. It was our hope to have this surgery before the baby arrived but even if things are tentative with Jennifer and the baby I couldn’t risk being away with Grace in Minneapolis having the pacemaker replaced. We have a few months window to work with so we would reschedule sometime in November or early December and just run a test sometime in November to check battery life and function of the pacemaker.
Also, Jennifer’s grandmother is not doing well and doctors indicate that she does not have long to live. She had a stroke a month back and has not shown any signs of recovery or responsiveness. More recently she has had congestion and pneumonia and her heart is failing. She is a believe which brings comfort in the midst of hurting.
Honestly this seems like a lot and it really is. But the one thing that I keep in mind is that problems are moment by moment and we don’t face the full weight of it all at once. We are weak and powerless and I don’t realize that any more than at the moments when there is absolutely nothing that I can do. But God’s grace is sufficient and His power is perfected in our weakness. We are not handling this well, God’s grace is enabling us to handle things well. We are not sufficient in ourselves but we are trusting God and hanging on to Him knowing that He is holding us securely in His strong and gentle hands.
Sincerely,
Dave
Monday, October 26, 2009
Never a dull moment!!!
Dear Friends,
Brief update. Jenn went in to the doctor today for her twice weekly test and things were not as good as they have been. The fluid is again low and there isn't a lot of movement but otherwise the baby looks healthy and there is good blood flow through the umbilical cord. The short of it is monitoring tonight and see how things go. If they don't look good for the baby then they'll decide to deliver. If they stabilize then she'll be in the hospital for a while with bed rest.
Of course this put's Grace's surgery up in the air. We'll see how things go tonight before making a call on going to Minneapolis. If Jennifer is only being monitored then we'll get the surgery done but if there is a chance of delivery this week then the surgery will be put on hold.
More info coming as I find out more!
Sincerely,
Dave
Brief update. Jenn went in to the doctor today for her twice weekly test and things were not as good as they have been. The fluid is again low and there isn't a lot of movement but otherwise the baby looks healthy and there is good blood flow through the umbilical cord. The short of it is monitoring tonight and see how things go. If they don't look good for the baby then they'll decide to deliver. If they stabilize then she'll be in the hospital for a while with bed rest.
Of course this put's Grace's surgery up in the air. We'll see how things go tonight before making a call on going to Minneapolis. If Jennifer is only being monitored then we'll get the surgery done but if there is a chance of delivery this week then the surgery will be put on hold.
More info coming as I find out more!
Sincerely,
Dave
Friday, October 16, 2009
Time for Grace's pacemaker to be replaced
Dear praying friends,
We went to the cardiologist for our semi-annual visit at the beginning of October and already knew that we were in the last 3-6 months before Grace's pacemaker would need to be replaced. The battery life is almost gone so it is time.
We could wait a month or two to get this procedure done but with Jennifer scheduled to have a c-section on November 19th we decided that it would be better to take care of this now before the cold, snowy weather is upon us.
Grace and I will be driving to Minneapolis on October 28th for the pre-op and the surgery will be done the following morning at 8:00 AM. This should be a relatively routine procedure with the one caveat that they will have to replace the lower (ventricular) lead (a "wire" sewn onto the exterior of her heart). Grace's pacemaker is located under her sternum and other than the scar is it not noticeable. This is still the best location to give her complete freedom and mobility without worry.
Later in life they may decide to place it under her pectoral muscle but that would limit repetitive motion with her arm that might cause issues with the wire wearing over time. We want to give her maximum options for her interests and activities. With this location her only concern would be full-contact sports which she would need to avoid. We're not too worried about that anyway.
Please remember us in prayer as we travel and as she undergoes this procedure. She should only be in the hospital for 24 hours if all goes as planned. You can look at the blogs for November 2005 to read about the first time this was done and all the problems we had. Things definitely didn't go well that time but we trust for better situations now.
We should be back in town late on Friday, October 30th.
Continue to pray for Jennifer the baby and our son Alexander as they will not be traveling with Grace and me.
Sincerely,
David Monreal
We went to the cardiologist for our semi-annual visit at the beginning of October and already knew that we were in the last 3-6 months before Grace's pacemaker would need to be replaced. The battery life is almost gone so it is time.
We could wait a month or two to get this procedure done but with Jennifer scheduled to have a c-section on November 19th we decided that it would be better to take care of this now before the cold, snowy weather is upon us.
Grace and I will be driving to Minneapolis on October 28th for the pre-op and the surgery will be done the following morning at 8:00 AM. This should be a relatively routine procedure with the one caveat that they will have to replace the lower (ventricular) lead (a "wire" sewn onto the exterior of her heart). Grace's pacemaker is located under her sternum and other than the scar is it not noticeable. This is still the best location to give her complete freedom and mobility without worry.
Later in life they may decide to place it under her pectoral muscle but that would limit repetitive motion with her arm that might cause issues with the wire wearing over time. We want to give her maximum options for her interests and activities. With this location her only concern would be full-contact sports which she would need to avoid. We're not too worried about that anyway.
Please remember us in prayer as we travel and as she undergoes this procedure. She should only be in the hospital for 24 hours if all goes as planned. You can look at the blogs for November 2005 to read about the first time this was done and all the problems we had. Things definitely didn't go well that time but we trust for better situations now.
We should be back in town late on Friday, October 30th.
Continue to pray for Jennifer the baby and our son Alexander as they will not be traveling with Grace and me.
Sincerely,
David Monreal
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
weekly Update-October 13, 2009
Dear Friends,
No news is great news as far as this blog is concerned. I do want to keep you updated on how things are going but be assured that they are going great at the moment and we continue to pray that they stay the same way.
All of the tests are coming out absolutely ideal at this point in the pregnancy and we have every confidence that if we stay on the present strategy we won't have more issues before delivery. Things are going so well we have scaled back from three visits to the doctor down to two visits per week. For most pregnancies that would be excessive but for us it is a relief and a huge improvement.
We've gone from inpatient hospital bed rest with tests run daily down to home bed rest (which does include sitting on a reclining chair in the living room) with an IV and twice weekly visits to the doctor. At this point the doctor doesn't want to change anything which might risk a relapse with low amniotic fluid or increased risk for heart block. At present both those risks are very low and we want to do everything we can to keep it that way.
We have confidence in God's guiding hand of the doctors and us to find solutions to our issues that have protected our baby and lowered the risk of lifelong issues. We thank you for continuing to pray and to keep up with this blog post. Sorry for not posting last week but like I said, no news is good news.
With Love and gratitude,
David Monreal
No news is great news as far as this blog is concerned. I do want to keep you updated on how things are going but be assured that they are going great at the moment and we continue to pray that they stay the same way.
All of the tests are coming out absolutely ideal at this point in the pregnancy and we have every confidence that if we stay on the present strategy we won't have more issues before delivery. Things are going so well we have scaled back from three visits to the doctor down to two visits per week. For most pregnancies that would be excessive but for us it is a relief and a huge improvement.
We've gone from inpatient hospital bed rest with tests run daily down to home bed rest (which does include sitting on a reclining chair in the living room) with an IV and twice weekly visits to the doctor. At this point the doctor doesn't want to change anything which might risk a relapse with low amniotic fluid or increased risk for heart block. At present both those risks are very low and we want to do everything we can to keep it that way.
We have confidence in God's guiding hand of the doctors and us to find solutions to our issues that have protected our baby and lowered the risk of lifelong issues. We thank you for continuing to pray and to keep up with this blog post. Sorry for not posting last week but like I said, no news is good news.
With Love and gratitude,
David Monreal
Friday, October 02, 2009
Weekly Update-October 2, 2009
Dear Friends,
I want to continue to share the good news regarding our pregnancy and the health of Jennifer and our baby. Jennifer continues to be at home on an IV and complete bed rest. We have gone in twice this week for testing and both times all the indicators are that things are fantastic and progressing well. Jennifer will go again this afternoon for testing and I will post an update if anything changes.
I continue to thank you for your prayers. I know that it is God's grace and strength that have sustained us during this harrowing and trying time. For a time there it looked like we would have a severely premature baby with not the best chances of surviving and thriving. Every week the baby remains inside Jenn's womb is one week closer to a healthy baby and a full-term delivery. The doctors are very pleased with the turn-around and in spite of the unusual positive response of Jennifer to IV fluids they are content to keep doing a strategy that works.
If you have any questions or there is some aspect of the pregnancy, Jenn's health or the baby's health please feel free to drop me a line and I'll answer your question. Just to let you know, any posts on this site will go directly to my email address so I can be contacted through the blog page as well as directly.
With love and thanksgiving,
Dave
I want to continue to share the good news regarding our pregnancy and the health of Jennifer and our baby. Jennifer continues to be at home on an IV and complete bed rest. We have gone in twice this week for testing and both times all the indicators are that things are fantastic and progressing well. Jennifer will go again this afternoon for testing and I will post an update if anything changes.
I continue to thank you for your prayers. I know that it is God's grace and strength that have sustained us during this harrowing and trying time. For a time there it looked like we would have a severely premature baby with not the best chances of surviving and thriving. Every week the baby remains inside Jenn's womb is one week closer to a healthy baby and a full-term delivery. The doctors are very pleased with the turn-around and in spite of the unusual positive response of Jennifer to IV fluids they are content to keep doing a strategy that works.
If you have any questions or there is some aspect of the pregnancy, Jenn's health or the baby's health please feel free to drop me a line and I'll answer your question. Just to let you know, any posts on this site will go directly to my email address so I can be contacted through the blog page as well as directly.
With love and thanksgiving,
Dave
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