Hearts and Minds

The Lord must have great plans for Lucy.

Last night, Lucy had her 2 month appointment with her primary care doctor and he was concerned that her head seemed to have grown more than it should have in the weeks since our last appointment.  He ordered us an ultrasound downtown at the children's hospital.  We came to the hospital, nervous, but not too concerned.  During the ultrasound, they identified a buildup of fluid on the brain that was causing the head to swell.  This is technically considered hydrocephalus and can be very serious if untreated.  Our doctor was on the phone to us moments after the ultrasound and had us admitted overnight.  In the whirlwind hours since, we have had a CT scan on Lucy's head, echo cardiogram on the heart, scattered a few hours of sleep over night for us and Lucy, and she is currently in surgery.  Her surgery involves going into the brain to place a shunt that will drain into the belly cavity.  This shunt will stay with her as she grows.

The neurosurgeon explained tons of risks and possible complications.  It sounds like the shunt itself has a 50% failure rate where follow-up procedures are generally required (less invasive than this procedure).  8-10% have infections that could develop days to weeks after we leave the hospital.  We will be given a ton of warning signs and instructions to review and watch for.

Please pray with us.  Having 4 months to prepare for the heart surgery was a blessing looking back. We are overwhelmed.  God has a plan for our daughter and for our family.  We pray that we can live the story that the Lord has for us.  Give us strength, Lord.  We pray for wisdom for doctors, surgeons, and caretakers.  We pray for our ability to pay attention and remember the things we need to remember as we are inundated with information in the next 48 hours as we are working on almost no sleep.  God has chosen symbolically and literally to use Lucy's heart and mind to help shape ours.  May we bring glory to God, who sustains us when we are at our weakest.

Lucy's recovery should only be a few days at the hospital, we are grateful for that.

Be still and know that I am God.