Hernia/Bladder Reflux Repair

Hi guys!

Sorry it's been so long since we've sent out an update on Zeke--things around here have been pretty crazy since I've gone back to work. Zeke has surgery yesterday and he's doing well--he's at home recovering. He had a hernia removed (we thought there were two--he explored the second area and found that there was only one) and his bladder reflux corrected. The surgery went very well and he will be able to discontinue his antibiotic for his reflux. Thank you for your prayers for this procedure--he was quite a trooper! Zeke went in for an MRI this week which will hopefully be the last step in preparation for his reconstructive surgery. We should find out more in a couple of weeks and hopefully even get a date for the surgery. We are hoping for the beginning of October since I have fall break at work but we don't know anything for sure. We will keep everyone updated as we find out more. Zeke is now pretty much fully recovered from the Nissen/G-tube surgery. He hasn't wanted to eat much at all by mouth since the surgery so most of his feedings have been via tube. He needs night feeds in order for him to get his daily caloric intake so right now we've been getting up at night to feed him. Home health is coming
tonight, however, to set us up with a pump so that we can all sleep through the night. This will be a blessing as we'll be able to give Zeke around half of his feedings through the night which may encourage him to eat more during the day. Zeke also saw the ophthalmologist this week and he has some concerns about his eyes. His vision is still improving which is definitely a blessing (when Zeke was born we were told there was the possibility that he was blind), but we are pretty sure that he doesn't have much feeling in his eyes. He's had two significant abrasions in the last couple of months and the ophthalmologist is worried about damage to his eyes. Please pray for his eyes in this regards. He also doesn't blink like a normal child should--he blinks less often and not a full blink. We've started putting drops in his eyes every two hours and gel in his eyes overnight so hopefully this will help them to stay moisturized. If not, there's a possibility he may have to have a procedure to sew the corners of his eyes shut to protect his cornea. We are hoping and praying that the drops will be enough--please pray with us about that. His left eye is also weaker than the right eye and tends to drift a little more. We All else medically is going well--we are quickly approaching Zeke's first birthday with ZERO shunt malfunctions or infections. If you all will remember, Zeke's neurologist told us that it is very rare for a child to make it through their first year with no shunt problems, but every once in awhile he'll see a child make it. So far, so good! This had surely been God answering prayers. :-) We saw the endocrinologist a couple of weeks ago and all was well. He's growing appropriately and finally putting on weight! As most of you know, Brian has quit his office job with Discount Tire Company to go back to the store part time in order for us to work out childcare. Because of this job change, Zeke is now on my insurance. Our new insurance will not cover any of Zeke's therapies so all of them will be changing soon. He will now be getting therapy through the CDSA and it will be free to us. Please pray that this therapy transition will be smooth and the therapists will work well for our family. We are very sad about saying an abrupt goodbye to our old therapists as they've worked with Zeke since birth, but we do feel very blessed to have a Plan B and the ability to receive free therapies. Oh! And we have some very exciting news and a HUGE prayer request. I contacted someone again about CAP-C which would give us in-home nursing as well as Medicaid for Zeke and they sounded hopeful that Zeke may qualify now that he has a diagnoses and more significant developmental delays (when I contacted the organization before they said we wouldn't qualify because Zeke's care wasn't much different than a typical newborn) so we are VERY excited about this possibility. PLEASE pray that this will work out for us. I have to say that God has provided for us in amazing ways financially. I constantly look at our bank account and know that God multiplies our money. But it would be a huge financial burden off of us to have Medicaid. Finally, we just humbly ask for prayers for our
family regarding my job situation. Work has been incredibly hard this year as I'm in a new grade level and having to put in A LOT more hours than last year as I adjust. This has really taken a toll on all of us and we just ask that you pray that God will see us through this difficult time. I humbly ask for your prayers physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I know God will see us through this challenging time. Thank you all again for all of your thoughts, prayers, and support. Have a great September!