Soon

Hi friends,
Just wanted to pop in really quick and let all of you know that I (Rose) am planning to do a blog post about Jude's day today (12/10/11) in the morning. We know that so many of you are reading our blog and praying, so we wanted to quickly let you know that Jude is doing alright and remains on ECMO. There have not been any major changes but there are certainly several things we would like to share with all of you. So, check out the blog sometime late tomorrow (12/11/11) morning.
There is so much to share about his day and I want to share my thoughts about the last several days...but I am also greatly in need of rest.
Thank you for all of your prayers and love for Jude and our family!

Day 2 on ECMO

Hey, folks. This is Brian checking in for an update. It’s been some time since Rose and I have written, as we’ve been preoccupied with Jude since he was born on Tuesday. We are very grateful that Papa Jack has so graciously assumed the responsibility of updating the blog to keep people informed.

Thankfully, today was uneventful. After a two-day roller coaster, today didn’t bring any significant changes to Jude’s treatment or prognosis. He is still on ECMO (often called “bypass” by some of the medical staff) and his body is resting. Since ECMO does the job that his lungs and his heart normally perform, those organs can rest and hopefully recover some of their functioning in the coming days and/or weeks that Jude is on bypass. In the interim, the medical staff will be checking his blood gases (i.e. the pH level of his blood, and his oxygen and carbon dioxide levels) on a regular basis, doing ultrasounds on his head to detect any bleeding around his brain (which can occur because Jude is on blood thinners so long as he’s on bypass), and doing echocardiograms to check the functioning of Jude’s heart. The latest of all of these tests indicate that Jude has good pH and gas levels, no intracranial bleeding, and some slightly recovered function in the left side of his heart: His body is responding pretty much in the way that our doctors have expected. While Jude’s status today afforded us a rest from the breakneck pace of Jude’s first two days, his overall condition is still extremely serious, and we won’t know his real prognosis for some time. We’re preparing for the possibility that Jude could be on ECMO for weeks before having surgical repair of his diaphragmatic hernia.

Today, we are thankful for many things, with the following just being a few of them:

·         Rose is now at our home away from home in Mount Pleasant, which will allow both of us to rest more effectively than is possible when staying at the hospital.

·         Jude didn’t regress today, and even showed a small sign or two of positive development, which is encouraging.

·         Rose and I are utterly amazed at how God has drawn people into our lives since we found out about Jude’s diagnosis, and we continue to be floored by the great generosity and support of those who care about us. We cannot pay you back for what you have done for us, but know that the gratuitous nature of your love continues to point us back to the cross and His great love and mercy toward us.

As you feel led, please remember us by praying for the following:

·         That the ECMO machine will continue to function properly and give Jude time in which his body can recover, his pulmonary hypertension can abate, and his other problems can lessen in their severity.

·         That Jude would have no bleeding in his brain or blood clots during his run on ECMO.

·         That Rose’s recovery from her C-section would be as swift and complete as possible.

·         That our family would be given the strength, stamina, and peace to weather the coming weeks, no matter what difficulties should arise.

Sorry this isn’t a longer post, folks. I’m not the fastest writer in the world, and I don’t feel terribly lucid right now either. Rose and/or I will try to provide more details tomorrow.

I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. -Psalm 116:1-2

Note from Rose & Brian

Thank you for ALL of your prayers! We are truly thankful for each prayer lifted up. Jude is now on ECMO. We hope to visit him within the next hour or two after the many doctors check him out to make sure everything is ok and working correctly. Please continue to pray. We are so worried for our sweet boy.

Not the morning news we had hoped to have. Specific Prayer Request

Dear Friends,

This morning brings news of needed prayer for baby Jude as he did not have a good night as his doctors and nurses continued to struggle with regulating his blood gas levels in addition to coronary difficulties.  The doctors told Brian that Jude is the sickest baby in the NNCIU at this time.  They changed him to a different ventilator last night and while it helped he has not stabilized as of noon today.  The doctors are continuing to attempt to stabilize him they have asked Rose and Brian to sign consent forms just now in anticipation of placing Jude on the ECMO – Extracoporeal Membrane Oxygenation Machine.  This machine will act as a heart lung machine to stabilize his gases etc while his body continues to heal and develop until he can receive the needed surgery to correct his condition.  What we have learned this morning that his right side lung and coronary area is more affected than anticipated in addition to the left lung being impacted by the crowding of his stomach and intestines in the chest cavity areas.  We anticipate that Jude will be placed on the ECMO within the next hour.  His eventual surgery is not even part of the equation at this time, unless there is no alternative, as his stability is the highest concern as he is still in the critical stage.

Specific Prayer Request:

• Jude's complete healing
• Wisdom for Jude's doctors and nurses as to making the correct decisions for course of actions on their part.
• Surgery to go as planned while hooking Jude up to the ECMO machine.
• Jude's quick response to treatment and to be stable.
• Rose and Brian's emotional and physical strength as we now know this will be a long process before being able to go home.  
• Rose's recovery from her c-section surgery.
• Thanksgiving that Jude is at MUSC to receive the best care for his condition and for all the family and friends support.

To learn more about ECMO and Jude's condition please refer to this site. 

http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site476/mainpageS476P0.html

We covet and appreciate your prayers and ask you send this email and blog information out to all your praying friends.

Believers in God's healing powers,

Papa Jack & Nana

Jude's Picture in NICU Unit

Dear Friends,

We are so glad to be able to share with you a picture of our sweet boy. Jude is a feisty little man, but he still needs your prayers.  Right now the doctors are working to regulate his blood gases ( CO2, O2) and get his blood ph in balance.  He is a little agitated with all of the attention so they have had to sedate him a bit.  At present Jude is on a ventilator. This is the desired path.  It would really be a blessing if his little body could get strong with this and slowly wean away from any machine.  Please pray for this adjustment, so that he can be healthy for corrective surgery in a few days.

Love thanks to you all for your continued prayer!!

Prayer Request

Dear friends,

In case you are not aware there is a blog address with the history and current postings of Rose & Brian's pregnancy journey with "Jude".  babymorrison2@blogspot.com  We thank you for all your prayers and support leading up to today's big event.

The next 48 hours are supposed to be critical according to the doctors and nurses and we covet all your prayers for Jude's lung development and blood gases to stabilize and be able to have his surgery and eventually making his way home with Rose and Brian.  Brian will be spending the night at the hospital with Rose.  It is unknown when and how much surgery he will require to move his stomach and intestines to his lower abdomen.  By the way, Jude is a fighter as the doctors and nurses said he was so active when first born, they had to hold his hands/arms down with wash cloths because he was fighting them as they tried to check him out.  I think he just likes being naked.

Believers in God's healing power,

Papa Jack & Nana

Jude Morrison