Courtney went back to school on Monday and had a good day. Her class went out in the community to do work Monday, but she mostly watched and was tired by the end of the day. The doctor's orders were no heavy lifting until Wednesday, but said she could try bowling if she felt like it. I picked her up from school and took her to her bowling match, but she said that she did not feel like bowling because she was tired and a little sore. If you know Courtney at all, you know she has a high tolerance for pain and she loves bowling, so if she did not want to bowl, I knew she was really tired and/or sore. The ironic thing is that Maplewood usually has 5 girls like we do, but they were missing one Monday also, so for the first time we had the same amount of girls as the team we were playing. The girls did a great job, with Courtney cheering them on, and they won their first match of the year 15 - 6. YEAH!!!! We play them again in Hermitage next month, so hopefully we can win again with 5 vs 5 girls. :-)
Courtney had a good day at school on Tuesday and we stopped by the HUMC Pumpkin Patch on the way home and got a couple of pumpkins. I had a Career Transition Support Group meeting in Hendersonville, so they cleaned out one of the pumpkins and Jennifer carved a picture of Woody from Toy Story while I was gone. Courtney was still a little sore last night, but not as much as Monday.
Courtney had another good day at school today (Wednesday) and did not complain of much soreness at all when she got home. We put the pumpkins outside on the porch and awaited the few kids that we normally get. We are in a rather small neighborhood with not many kids. We ended up having less than 10 come by and Courtney was in bed at a normal time (9:10 PM). Getting up at 5:30 every morning to have her at school by 6:50 has been hard getting used to. If she feels up to it, we may try bowling tomorrow to make up for the games she missed Sunday night in our league.
Thank you for your continued prayer support.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Courtney Update - Sunday, October 28th
We had a great weekend. Courtney and I played a lot of Wii on Friday. Courtney went to bed a little early and slept in on Saturday morning. My mom, aunt, sister, and niece came over from Sweetwater on Saturday. Courtney and Madison had fun playing all afternoon. The rest of us watched the UT - South Carolina game while catching up and we ate a late lunch before they headed back home around 4:00.
Jennifer's mom and Kelsey came in Saturday morning and went to TPAC with Jennifer to see "Anything Goes". It was Kelsey's 20th birthday and she got an unexpected special surprise at TPAC. Her favorite guest instructor at WKU last year, who taught tap and worked with her in their first production, was in the cast. He is an understudy for 3 different parts and Saturday he actually got to perform as a lead character. There were several musical theatre students from WKU there as well and Kelsey got to visit with them and meet her instructor after the play.
Kelsey had her favorite meal from Cinco de Mayo and had a friend come over to watch a movie with her and then watched a movie with Courtney while they went to sleep. Jennifer's mom spent the night with us also.
Sunday morning Jennifer made us pancakes for breakfast and then I left for the Titans game. Kelsey and Jenn's mom left for Jackson to get back in time for the Fall Festival at church. They are driving back tomorrow for Kelsey's doctor appt and a chance for her to vote, then Kelsey will be going back to Jackson and Peggy will head back to McMinnville.
Courtney and I have been bowling in a Family Fun league on Sunday nights, but she did not bowl tonight, she just watched. We are calling her doctor tomorrow to see if she can bowl in her McGavock match tomorrow afternoon.
Thank you again for your continued prayer support. It is really appreciated and no doubt had an influence on how well the procedure and her recovery went over the last few days.
Jennifer's mom and Kelsey came in Saturday morning and went to TPAC with Jennifer to see "Anything Goes". It was Kelsey's 20th birthday and she got an unexpected special surprise at TPAC. Her favorite guest instructor at WKU last year, who taught tap and worked with her in their first production, was in the cast. He is an understudy for 3 different parts and Saturday he actually got to perform as a lead character. There were several musical theatre students from WKU there as well and Kelsey got to visit with them and meet her instructor after the play.
Kelsey had her favorite meal from Cinco de Mayo and had a friend come over to watch a movie with her and then watched a movie with Courtney while they went to sleep. Jennifer's mom spent the night with us also.
Sunday morning Jennifer made us pancakes for breakfast and then I left for the Titans game. Kelsey and Jenn's mom left for Jackson to get back in time for the Fall Festival at church. They are driving back tomorrow for Kelsey's doctor appt and a chance for her to vote, then Kelsey will be going back to Jackson and Peggy will head back to McMinnville.
Courtney and I have been bowling in a Family Fun league on Sunday nights, but she did not bowl tonight, she just watched. We are calling her doctor tomorrow to see if she can bowl in her McGavock match tomorrow afternoon.
Thank you again for your continued prayer support. It is really appreciated and no doubt had an influence on how well the procedure and her recovery went over the last few days.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Courtney Update - Friday, October 26th
9:30 AM - Courtney did very well the rest of the day yesterday. We played Wii, found some new games on her iPad and played for awhile, she watched videos, and listened to music and wrote the lyrics downs in her notebook. She ate a good supper and was ready for bed pretty early. Jenn and I picked up supper from O'Charley's and just stayed on the couch the rest of the night watching TV. She went to bed while I planned on watching the end of the football game and World Series. I woke up on the couch about 2 AM and decided to go get in bed. LOL We all slept in this morning, in fact they are still in bed as I write this. :-)
Looking forward to a great day and great weekend ahead of us. :-)
Looking forward to a great day and great weekend ahead of us. :-)
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Courtney Update - Thursday, October 25th
7:00 AM - Courtney slept well during the night, despite the numerous visits by the nurses checking on her. It has been a busy morning already also. One of the doctors came in and changed out her bandages on her leg and neck, then they came in and did an echo on her heart. The doctor who did the procedure has been in to check on her and is still very pleased with her progress. We are preparing to go down to get an x-ray and she is asking for breakfast. Thus far everything is still on schedule to go home early today.
10:00 AM - We had the x-ray and everyone has eaten breakfast. Courtney is watching videos on TV and we are still awaiting orders for going home. I will update again once we hear anything new.
12:00 PM - We went down to the Children's Hospital stage on the 2nd floor at 10:30 and watched Woodland Middle School perform their rendition of "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown". When we got back, we had discharge orders ready for us. The hospital provided lunch for families here in the hospital at the Ronald McDonald room, so we picked up lunch and are leaving as soon as we finish eating and get packed. Courtney is doing well, but still has a little rash that we are treating with Benadryl. Thank you for your prayer support. I will update more from home over the next few days.
1:00 PM - WE ARE HOME!!!! For 15 years I have been raising money for the AHA and I have lifted up many prayers asking for advancement in technology to allow a non-invasive valve replacement. Never during that time did I imagine that I would be sitting here in front of my computer in the office at home 37 hours after we left yesterday morning to have Courtney's heart valve replaced.
You cannot begin to understand how surreal it is to have her home right now. We have gone in for an outpatient procedure before and ended up spending 5 weeks in the PICU because of complications that arose. We have spent several weeks at Vandy after a heart valve replacement that required open heart surgery. Now, we are at home the next day after replacing a valve and Courtney's only real limitation is not to do any heavy lifting for one week. The doctor says she can go to school on Monday and also be able to bowl on Monday. I can say nothing greater than GOD IS GOOD. We are so thankful that He is watching over Courtney and blesses us each day with her presence. We are
also thankful to have a hospital like the Monroe Carell Jr Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt and for doctors like Dr. Doyle who take such great interest and care in providing medical assistance to so many children in this area. I hope that none of you reading this post ever need this type of care, but if you do, I hope you have a hospital like this to care for you.
10:00 AM - We had the x-ray and everyone has eaten breakfast. Courtney is watching videos on TV and we are still awaiting orders for going home. I will update again once we hear anything new.
12:00 PM - We went down to the Children's Hospital stage on the 2nd floor at 10:30 and watched Woodland Middle School perform their rendition of "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown". When we got back, we had discharge orders ready for us. The hospital provided lunch for families here in the hospital at the Ronald McDonald room, so we picked up lunch and are leaving as soon as we finish eating and get packed. Courtney is doing well, but still has a little rash that we are treating with Benadryl. Thank you for your prayer support. I will update more from home over the next few days.
1:00 PM - WE ARE HOME!!!! For 15 years I have been raising money for the AHA and I have lifted up many prayers asking for advancement in technology to allow a non-invasive valve replacement. Never during that time did I imagine that I would be sitting here in front of my computer in the office at home 37 hours after we left yesterday morning to have Courtney's heart valve replaced.
You cannot begin to understand how surreal it is to have her home right now. We have gone in for an outpatient procedure before and ended up spending 5 weeks in the PICU because of complications that arose. We have spent several weeks at Vandy after a heart valve replacement that required open heart surgery. Now, we are at home the next day after replacing a valve and Courtney's only real limitation is not to do any heavy lifting for one week. The doctor says she can go to school on Monday and also be able to bowl on Monday. I can say nothing greater than GOD IS GOOD. We are so thankful that He is watching over Courtney and blesses us each day with her presence. We are
also thankful to have a hospital like the Monroe Carell Jr Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt and for doctors like Dr. Doyle who take such great interest and care in providing medical assistance to so many children in this area. I hope that none of you reading this post ever need this type of care, but if you do, I hope you have a hospital like this to care for you.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Courtney Update - Wednesday, October 24th
7:00 AM - Jenn and I woke up at 4:45 this morning, got Kelsey up at 5:00, and then Courtney got up at 5:25. Kelsey braided Courtney's hair, then we packed the car and left by 6:00. We made it to the hospital on time this morning, got signed in and are waiting to go back to the holding area.
8:00 AM - We got called back to the holding area and met with the doctor who will do the procedure, as well as the entourage that will be in the room with him. They explained the plan of action and had us sign all the consent forms, then we gave Courtney hugs and kisses before they took her off to the cath lab. They told us it would take about an hour to prep her for the procedure and would call us to let us know how things are going.
9:15 AM - Jennifer went down to the chapel prayer room and met the chaplain that has been here for many years and knows us well. When Jenn got back, Kelsey and I went down for prayer and spoke with the chaplain as well. She couldn't believe how tall Kelsey was and how mature she is. Kelsey and I got on the stage and Kelsey played the piano for me. :-)
10:00 AM - They called us around 9:20 to say that they had 2 IVs in place and they were starting to run diagnostics and get the necessary readings to decide how to proceed. They will have access through an artery in her leg and then the catheter will be in her neck. The procedure will be 3 or 4 hours, which includes the setup time that they have already done and then the closure time before moving to recovery. I will update once we hear anything else.
10:20 AM - The nurse called to say they have finished with the diagnostics and they are starting to balloon her SVC to prepare for the catheter in her neck.
11:30 - They called us back to speak with the doctor in the consult area. I will update once we have spoken to him.
11:50 AM - We just finished speaking with the doctor and he said that everything went "perfect". Not too often that we hear that word when talking about Courtney's procedures or surgeries. :-) He said that this procedure was designed with patients like her in mind because she was an ideal patient for this procedure. This was the first time it has been done by this doctor with access through the neck and he was very pleased with the results. He said that all the gradient pressure readings were perfect and that her heart is working normally now. She will have a sore neck and will have to keep her leg straight and at rest for awhile, but he sees no reason why she should not be able to go back to normal activity in a few days. We should get to see her in the next 30 minutes or so. God is good. Thank you so much for your continued prayer support.
3:15 PM - We are sitting in recovery with Courtney and she is doing well. She doesn't seem to be in much pain, but then again, she has a high tolerance for pain. She has to keep her leg still until 5:30 and that was hard for her during the time she was still waking up. We are waiting on a room right now, but we have gotten accustomed to waiting. We joke sometimes that the motto should be "Hurry up and wait". LOL Don't get me wrong, we are so grateful to have a place like this and unfortunately when you have a lot of sick kids, rooms are not available as quickly as they may need them. We hope to hear something soon about when we expect to get a room, but for now, we have things to keep us entertained and Courtney is doing well, so we are not complaining. :-) This is so much better than what we could be facing if she had to have open heart surgery.
I will update again later once we hear something about a room.
8:00 PM - OK about 6:00 we got moved into a room and are settling in for the night. Courtney has eaten supper and Robin came by to visit while Jenn and I went to get something to eat. The doctor came by to check in on Courtney and was still smiling, as he was very proud of the results of this procedure. He said that they will check in on her again in the morning and if everything goes well tonight, we should get to go home early tomorrow. She can walk to the bathroom and sit up in chairs, but can not walk the halls or do any heavy lifting for a few days. She has not complained of any pain, but does have a rash that required a dose of Benadryl. Kelsey is heading back to Jackson tonight, so please keep her in your prayers for travel mercies. I will update again tomorrow morning to let everyone know how she is doing and when we are able to head home.
Thank you again for your prayer support.
8:00 AM - We got called back to the holding area and met with the doctor who will do the procedure, as well as the entourage that will be in the room with him. They explained the plan of action and had us sign all the consent forms, then we gave Courtney hugs and kisses before they took her off to the cath lab. They told us it would take about an hour to prep her for the procedure and would call us to let us know how things are going.
9:15 AM - Jennifer went down to the chapel prayer room and met the chaplain that has been here for many years and knows us well. When Jenn got back, Kelsey and I went down for prayer and spoke with the chaplain as well. She couldn't believe how tall Kelsey was and how mature she is. Kelsey and I got on the stage and Kelsey played the piano for me. :-)
10:00 AM - They called us around 9:20 to say that they had 2 IVs in place and they were starting to run diagnostics and get the necessary readings to decide how to proceed. They will have access through an artery in her leg and then the catheter will be in her neck. The procedure will be 3 or 4 hours, which includes the setup time that they have already done and then the closure time before moving to recovery. I will update once we hear anything else.
10:20 AM - The nurse called to say they have finished with the diagnostics and they are starting to balloon her SVC to prepare for the catheter in her neck.
11:30 - They called us back to speak with the doctor in the consult area. I will update once we have spoken to him.
11:50 AM - We just finished speaking with the doctor and he said that everything went "perfect". Not too often that we hear that word when talking about Courtney's procedures or surgeries. :-) He said that this procedure was designed with patients like her in mind because she was an ideal patient for this procedure. This was the first time it has been done by this doctor with access through the neck and he was very pleased with the results. He said that all the gradient pressure readings were perfect and that her heart is working normally now. She will have a sore neck and will have to keep her leg straight and at rest for awhile, but he sees no reason why she should not be able to go back to normal activity in a few days. We should get to see her in the next 30 minutes or so. God is good. Thank you so much for your continued prayer support.
3:15 PM - We are sitting in recovery with Courtney and she is doing well. She doesn't seem to be in much pain, but then again, she has a high tolerance for pain. She has to keep her leg still until 5:30 and that was hard for her during the time she was still waking up. We are waiting on a room right now, but we have gotten accustomed to waiting. We joke sometimes that the motto should be "Hurry up and wait". LOL Don't get me wrong, we are so grateful to have a place like this and unfortunately when you have a lot of sick kids, rooms are not available as quickly as they may need them. We hope to hear something soon about when we expect to get a room, but for now, we have things to keep us entertained and Courtney is doing well, so we are not complaining. :-) This is so much better than what we could be facing if she had to have open heart surgery.
I will update again later once we hear something about a room.
8:00 PM - OK about 6:00 we got moved into a room and are settling in for the night. Courtney has eaten supper and Robin came by to visit while Jenn and I went to get something to eat. The doctor came by to check in on Courtney and was still smiling, as he was very proud of the results of this procedure. He said that they will check in on her again in the morning and if everything goes well tonight, we should get to go home early tomorrow. She can walk to the bathroom and sit up in chairs, but can not walk the halls or do any heavy lifting for a few days. She has not complained of any pain, but does have a rash that required a dose of Benadryl. Kelsey is heading back to Jackson tonight, so please keep her in your prayers for travel mercies. I will update again tomorrow morning to let everyone know how she is doing and when we are able to head home.
Thank you again for your prayer support.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Courtney Update - Tuesday, October 23rd
For those of you who don't know, Courtney is on the McGavock High School girls' bowling team this year. She had her best day yet yesterday winning all three of her games against Whites Creek. The team also had their best day as they were tied 12 - 12 after the three games, but lost by 3 because Whites Creek had 41 more total pins for the match. Considering we only had 5 girls to their 6, that was a great match. We are still trying to get 1 or 2 more girls to help us regain those points we are losing when the other team is bowling against noone.
Courtney was very excited yesterday about her results and the fact that her educational aide came to watch her yesterday. She will be home from school soon and we will begin our process of making sure we have everything ready for tomorrow. Kelsey is driving in from Jackson tonight and is going to braid Courtney's hair so that it is surgery ready. :-) She always braids it so that it is easy to keep out of the way during surgery and we don't have to worry as much about "bed head". LOL
We have to be at Vandy at 6:15 tomorrow morning. I will update the blog as often as I can.
Thank you again for your prayer support.
Courtney was very excited yesterday about her results and the fact that her educational aide came to watch her yesterday. She will be home from school soon and we will begin our process of making sure we have everything ready for tomorrow. Kelsey is driving in from Jackson tonight and is going to braid Courtney's hair so that it is surgery ready. :-) She always braids it so that it is easy to keep out of the way during surgery and we don't have to worry as much about "bed head". LOL
We have to be at Vandy at 6:15 tomorrow morning. I will update the blog as often as I can.
Thank you again for your prayer support.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Courtney Update - Monday, October 22nd
Well this week is one that I have so many mixed emotions about. While I am concerned over Courtney's heart valve replacement on Wednesday, I am excited about the possibility of it being done without open heart surgery.
For those of you that have known me for a long time, you understand my passion for raising money for the American Heart Association. I have prayed for years that the money being raised would benefit heart research that would lead to new and advanced procedures. Now, 4 1/2 years after her last heart surgery, we face the possibility of her valve being replaced through a catheterization procedure. If the procedure goes as planned, they will replace the valve, we will spend the night for observation, and then come home on Thursday. She would be back in school on Monday and only miss 3 days of school.
However, if they are not able to do the procedure and there are no complications, we will schedule the open heart surgery for a date later in the year. If there are complications and they have to do the open heart surgery right away, she will be out of school for quite awhile during her recovery. We are obviously praying that the procedure goes as planned, but we have learned to prepare ourselves for the long haul and pray for the best results for her.
We have had numerous people ask for updates, so this is the best way to give everyone the same information in the most expeditious way. Many who read this blog have been doing so for years and we thank you for your concern and your kind words in your comments. For those of you who are new to this blog, there is the option to leave comments below if you like. I will update frequently throughout the day on Wednesday and Thursday as we are updated by the doctors or staff.
Thank you everyone for your prayer support for Courtney, her doctors and staff, for Jennifer, Kelsey, and I, and our entire family. We have great family support and appreciate them very much. Remember to pray for Kelsey as she drives in from Jackson on Tuesday night and for any other family members that may be travelling.
For those of you that have known me for a long time, you understand my passion for raising money for the American Heart Association. I have prayed for years that the money being raised would benefit heart research that would lead to new and advanced procedures. Now, 4 1/2 years after her last heart surgery, we face the possibility of her valve being replaced through a catheterization procedure. If the procedure goes as planned, they will replace the valve, we will spend the night for observation, and then come home on Thursday. She would be back in school on Monday and only miss 3 days of school.
However, if they are not able to do the procedure and there are no complications, we will schedule the open heart surgery for a date later in the year. If there are complications and they have to do the open heart surgery right away, she will be out of school for quite awhile during her recovery. We are obviously praying that the procedure goes as planned, but we have learned to prepare ourselves for the long haul and pray for the best results for her.
We have had numerous people ask for updates, so this is the best way to give everyone the same information in the most expeditious way. Many who read this blog have been doing so for years and we thank you for your concern and your kind words in your comments. For those of you who are new to this blog, there is the option to leave comments below if you like. I will update frequently throughout the day on Wednesday and Thursday as we are updated by the doctors or staff.
Thank you everyone for your prayer support for Courtney, her doctors and staff, for Jennifer, Kelsey, and I, and our entire family. We have great family support and appreciate them very much. Remember to pray for Kelsey as she drives in from Jackson on Tuesday night and for any other family members that may be travelling.
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