It has been a long week trying to figure out how this pacemaker thing was going to shake out. Sherry and I have struggled with this pacemaker situation. The root of our struggle has stemmed from the fact that it takes a fairly long time to get results back from halter monitors. That is the little pager-sized heart monitoring device that attaches like the telemetry monitors used in the PCICU and step-down unit. Once the data was analyzed the cardiologist and surgeon immediately called us to schedule Caden for surgery to repair the pacemaker. We are told that the halter monitors are still detecting heart blocks and what the cardiologist calls wide complex escape beats. We are told that this shows itself as a much slower heart rate (approx. 40 beats/minute). This heart rate is way too slow for Caden. He baselines at above 120 beats/minute these days. He regularly gets up in the 150 range or more when retching. The cardiologist and heart surgeon’s sense of urgency to get this repaired is impressive. We have expressed our concerns about it taking what seems to be more than a month to get halter monitor and pacemaker weekly downloads analyzed. We did not even know there was a delay and thought they were on top of the data. To us, no new was good news. We hope that data analysis improves moving forward so that we don’t get such a false confidence in the stability of the pacemaker functionality.
We have a tentative surgery date for next Tuesday September 19th. There are some twists that may change that date. The subject of an MRI has come up. The pediatric orthopedics folks really want to get a look at Caden’s back and spin with an MRI. They believe that there may be some Nero-surgery that can be performed to reverse the scoliosis progression. I wrote more about this in my August 31 post if you want to read more. The cardiothoracic surgeon is on board with coordinating an MRI during the pacemaker repair. The MRI can not be performed while the pacemaker is inside Caden’s body, so they are planning on removing the pacemaker, rolling him to radiology for an MRI, and then taking him back into surgery to complete the troubleshooting and repair of the pacemaker. All parties involved believe the benefit of the MRI in this case outweighs the increased risk of infection caused by moving a patient from surgery to radiology in the middle of a procedure. Since there are close to a dozen doctors and departments that have to be on the same sheet of music for this, we have been told that we must be a little more flexible in our scheduling to get this MRI completed.
Caden is doing great over all and you would have no clue that he even has a pacemaker, feeding tube, or fuss over an MRI. Caden and Riley both have shown signs that they understand more of what is going on than Sherry and I sometimes realize. They are both smart boys and have spiritual hearts the size of Texas.
Caden’s physical and communication skills amaze us and his therapist on a weekly basis. Caden is so interested in doing whatever Riley is doing. He is standing without assistance on a regularly and we believe he will be walking without assistance before his second birthday on 11/2. He stands up in his walker and takes off through the house without any assistance now.
Please be prepared for a few extra posts as things heat up in the next week. I will be keeping Caden’s Page updated more regularly until we through this. Thanks in advance for your prayers. We continue to need prayer for strength in our faith in God to see us through. I have been shown Proverbs 3:5-6 on several occasions this week by different sources as I have been seeking God’s will in this situation.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.” (NLT)
Many folks like to pray “If it be your will God”. I believe that God makes his will known to us very clearly in His Word. God wants Caden healthy and whole. What that will look like and how God will deliver it I am sure will be as surprising as anything I have ever experienced. I continue to stand on Mark 11:24 where Jesus gives us this promise.
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.†(NIV)
I am praying that Caden’s heart functions perfectly and that there will be no need of a pacemaker repair. Caden has been healed in Jesus’ name.
The cardiologist have agreed to perform a complete test of the pacemaker during the pre-operation visit. I have faith that God will see us through in a way that he will be glorified most. I am no longer moved by the attempts of the enemy to tear down our faith through fear of the “what if’s” that come with situations like these. I thank God for this circumstance and pray that His power and love shine through it all.
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)
There is a ton of fear that can crop up when you are faced with things like this. God’s Word is clear on how we should respond to fear. I faced a lot of fear as a child and came through it standing on this scripture. I continue to stand on 2 Timothy 1:7 today.
If you are in the Charleston area and want to start to understand a little more about how we come to faith in God like this, then join us as we go to hear Charles Capps this Friday night here in Goose Creek, SC. If you don’t ahve a church home the please join us at Seacoast Church for a weekly dose of worshiping God, faith building, and spiritual growth. Don’t take my word for it, come and experience God for yourself.