Our Newest Driver!!!

Today Jeff took Emily to take her driving test so she could get her license and she was SO excited when she heard the words YOU PASSED! She was so happy she could hardly contain herself as the picture below shows! She has already called me and told me that she is driving to Wal-Mart this afternoon to pick up a few things...I guess I will now have a happy young woman that will be willing to run all kinds of errands for me...hahaha! We are so thrilled for her and she is excited to be able to drive the golf cart at the beach next week as well....everyone look out...here comes Emily!!!!!!!

Happy Fathers Day!!!

Even though we are up here in the hospital and I don't get to celebrate Fathers Day with Jeff the way we would like in our family but I do want everyone to know how grateful I am for a my wonderful husband. He is the greatest father in the world and our kids are so blessed to have him as their father! He is kind, patient, loving, understanding, righteous, and full of faith. He is the rock of our family and keeps us all steady and assured! He honors his priesthood and serves others unfailingly! I always think of him when I read the scriptures in Alma 48:11 and 17 and I can replace his name with Moroni's....the verses are, "And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding;......" and then verse 17, "Yea, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." That is they way I feel about Jeff. He is dedicated, hardworking, and immovable in his faith. He is a wonderful father and we love him very much!
I also am grateful for my own father who taught me about standing up for what is right and never backing down. He taught me how to speak up and be proud of who and what I was. He taught me good principles and gave me a foundation of faith with which to build upon. I am proud to be his daughter! I love you Daddy!
I have also been blessed with a wonderful stepfather who patience and kindness knows no bounds. His love and compassion underscores everything he does and he truly gives all from his heart. He has given all he has to me and my family thru the years and has stood right beside me in my darkest and hardest days. He is faithful and true and everyday I am thankful for his love and presence in my life. He is more than my stepfather...he is my friend. I love you, Nathan!
I have been blessed with so many wonderful men in my life that have taught me how to be better...my brother in laws are wonderful, faithful, honest, and true! They are great examples to me! I have nephews that are or will one day be fathers who bring me such joy watching them in their families and I am so grateful to be surrounded by so many good men! My life is blessed so to everyone I say, HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!

Gratitude!!!

A quick update....as of today (Saturday) things are looking up for us! Michael's blood culture they drew from Thursday afternoon was still negative this morning and we are hoping for it to stay that way! They have switched Michael from the big guns antibiotic (Vancomycin) to another one that is not quite so powerful because the sensitivities came back and showed that this particular bacteria can be treated with several different ones...yay!!! If all continues to go well then the plan is for us to leave here next Sunday (the 28th) and Michael will be given four days worth of oral antibiotics to take at home. If we are able to leave here Sunday morning then we will be able to leave for our vacation on time and as scheduled! That would be a near miraculous feat....we are praying for that to happen as it has certainly brightened up Michael's outlook and made it easier to be up here! We appreciate all the prayers and the combined efforts from everyone in praying for this treatment to be successful and for the doctors to be led in making wise decisions! Thank you all...we will keep you updated and hopefully our next post will be one from Myrtle Beach letting everyone know we are FINALLY THERE!!! Keep praying for us...please!!!

Another Twist!!!

Most everyone already knows how things are going but for those that aren't on Facebook and haven't been keeping up with our updates I will update here as well! First...the good news..Lauren will be going home on Friday. She has improved greatly..her migraines are under control and her stomach pains have stopped so they will be discharging her tomorrow! Now for the not so great news...first off, there is a terrible stomach bug going around up here which Jeff and I had hoped to avoid but weren't able to so we spent Tuesday and Tuesday night very sick! Thankfully it only lasted 24 hours and even though we still feel a little bit under the weather, we are much better than we were! Yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon they came in to tell us that Michael's port had come back positive for bacteria again which meant that they were going to have to pull the line. That would actually require two surgeries (one to take the port out and then another one after they had cleared the line)! We would then be here for another 14 days on IV antibiotics. Well, since we were planning on leaving for vacation on the 28th of June, it would cut right into our vacation and take out the first week. We were all disappointed and since I wasn't feeling well physically it brought about tons of tears. What was most heartbreaking for me was watching Michael be so upset and disappointed. That brought me out of my own disappointment and Jeff and I talked with Michael for a long time. We explained to him that being angry was not the way the Lord would want us to be and that sometimes we just have to exercise our faith and put our trust in Heavenly Father that everything will work out the way it is supposed to. We told him how thankful we were that we were able to catch this when we did and that this was truly a blessing from the Lord. We asked him to put forth all the faith he had and that Heavenly Father would bless him. Jeff is going to give him a blessing and we asked others to pray in our behalf as well. We just accepted it and tried to remember that we are not left alone to deal with challenging times. Later yesterday evening the doctors came in again and told us that after they met with the surgeon that he really wanted to try and save the port, using surgery as a last option. They decided to do a new treatment which is they will run the vancomycin to Michael every 8 hours and in between those times they will do a vancomycin lock which is they will push a small amount of vancomycin into his port and let it sit for one hour three times a day! This they are hoping will clear the line faster and it will get all of the bacteria. We felt like that was an answer to the many prayers that were being offered up in our behalf. This morning Dr. Muge came in and told us that if this clears the line then we will be able to do it for 10 days instead of 14 which would mean that we would get out in time to make it to our vacation! I know that doesn't seem like a huge deal but to the kids it is a big deal and I know that Heavenly Father knows how much it would mean to our family to spend some quality time together. We are sending up our prayers that this treatment will clear the line and that all will go on schedule. We are thankful for the blessing the Lord gave us of finding out about the port infection before it got into his bloodstream and made him very sick. We are thankful that all the prayers that are being lifted up for us are being answered and we are most grateful that as we turn to the Lord and ask for His strengthening hand that we are being supported by His all powerful hand. We are exercising our faith and asking for everyones combined prayers and faith that Michael's port will be cleaned and we will not have to remove it! We are so grateful for the many friends and loving family that are supporting us and are helping us thru this challenging time in our life. If I can find a silver lining in all of this it is that very thing...that we have been blessed with many friends and much family who unite their faith and prayers with ours to bring about our desired result. I can never express enough my gratitude to the Lord for His guiding hand in my life. I know the Lord never gives us more than we can bear and He will fortify us in all things for as I am reading now in the book of Ether...we are "tight like unto a dish" and we will and can survive the storms! We love you all!

More Drama!!!!

OK...well, I have been trying to be positive and upbeat about our whole situation and my positive attitude was sorely tested yesterday! Jeff and Michael came up to visit us last evening and while I was waiting for them to come, Jeff called my cellphone and asked me to bring the bloodsugar machine downstairs because they were in the truck out in front of the hospital. I asked him what was wrong and he said that Michael had thrown up in the parking garage and he didn't have the bloodsugar machine with him. I grabbed our bloodsugar machine and ran downstairs. Michael's bloodsugar was 91 so I ran back upstairs to get him some cornstarch that I had in Lauren's room. When I got back downstairs his bloodsugar was 77. I gave him cornstarch, spoke with Dr. Muenzer and told Jeff that he would have to pull over and wait to see if Michael's bloodsugar would come back up. I went back upstairs to check on Lauren. Jeff called me just as I got back to the room and Michael's bloodsugar was 61. I again called Dr. Muenzer, told him quickly what was going on, grabbed my access kit and the D-50, told the nurses to keep an eye on Lauren, told Jeff to take Mikey to the ER and headed downstairs to the ER. I met Jeff and Michael in the ER, the doctors took him back, and his bloodsugar was now 54. I accessed his port, and they started an IV on him. They checked his bloodsugar and he was 43! They increased the sugar running into his veins and I ran back upstairs to check on Lauren, told the charge nurse that Michael was being admitted and they saved him one of the VERY FEW rooms open on the floor that was 3 doors down from Lauren. Michael and Jeff came up within about 30 minutes and once I spoke to Mikey's nurse and got him some phenergan thru the IV, I sat down for a minute and took a breath. I called Momma, she and Emily went and gathered a few of Jeff's things (he was in his suit from church) and Bishop Tiek and Robin came and brought them up to us! Now Jeff is staying the room with Michael and I am in the room with Lauren. Now...for my silver lining....Jeff was already in the parking garage here at UNC when Mikey got sick, a room was available which is rare, Dr. Muenzer was on call and quickly responded, the nurses up here were WONDERFUL and quick to keep an eye on Lauren during all our drama, I had an extra access kit in the room and was able to quickly get it together for Michael. So amist all the drama and stress, we were able to remain calm and get everything in order for Michael very quickly! Jeff and I knelt together in prayer last night (another silver lining) and thanked Heavenly Father that everything worked out the way that it did and that Michael is being taken well care of as well as Lauren. We prayed for our precious Emily, who is a huge blessing to us with her ability to understand and roll with what we are given and for Momma and Nathan who we don't know what we would do without! The stress was high but our blessings were greater and we gratefully acknowledged the Lord's hand in our life once again and expressed our thanks for His constant care. We appreciate all the help everyone has been to us over the last 24 hours and have felt the many prayers and love that are being sent our way!

Sunday!!!

Gosh, you know I love Sundays even when we are in the hospital because I try really hard to make it a different day even up here. I got up this morning and turned on "The Mormon Channel" on my computer (it's an audio site that plays music from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, conference talks, CES talks, different gospel subjects are discussed, and so on..) and then I read my conference edition of the Ensign after reading my scriptures. The room is quiet and there is a wonderful spirit in it because I ask Heavenly Father to help us have a good Sabbath Day. As I read the talks I ponder over their words of counsel and I think about things in my life that I can improve on. The talks I have been reading this morning are all about being strong during adversity in our lives and I thought about how appropriate it is for those to be the ones that I am reading today. Even reading them has strengthened my resolve to live closer to the Spirit and to be more exact in my obedience, more faithful in going thru challenging times and pray harder for the inspiration to lead me where I should go! I am thankful for my Savior and for His redeeming sacrifice for me. I am thankful for the scriptures that bring me peace in stressful situations and I am grateful for modern day revelation that teaches me how to be more patient, more faithful, and more grateful for the challenges in my life. I am grateful for the challenges that I face because they increase my faith as I allow my will to be swallowed up in the will of the Lord. I am most grateful for my wonderful husband and my children who take life as it comes and never complain. I am thankful for Lauren's amazing courage, Michael's absolute joy in life, Emily's never ending compassion, and Noah's constant powerful influence in my life! I have a husband who loves me more than I can put into words and who completely honors his priesthood. My blessings are many so on this Sabbath day I will share my testimony of faith and love with each of you. I am thankful for all the blessings in my life and I am most grateful to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for walking every road with me...it gives me the courage to walk forward with faith! I just love Sundays...they give me a chance to pause, ponder, and reflect on the important things in my life! My blessings are numerous.

Update on Lauren!

I thought I would give everyone an update since our drama on Wednesday. It appears that she has caught a cold bug or something that has thrown her backwards with the migraines. She has a great team of doctors working with her with her beloved Dr. Muenzer heading it up! We are blessed to have a doctor on the team that suffers from migraines and has been an invaluable source in guiding the doctor's efforts. They still have her on DHE (they actually increased the dose) but are going to bring it back down tomorrow. If her pain level hasn't gone down below a five on the pain scale tomorrow, they are considering giving her a scheduled dose of Zanaflex (a muscle relaxant) because it makes her very sleepy and they think it might be good for her to sleep as much as she can so that it will help with the migraine treatment. If they go that route, she will be getting it three times a day so she would be sleeping most of the time over the next two days. We will just have to wait and see. She woke up tonight and enjoyed visiting with Jeff and the kids. When they left, she asked the nurse if she could have the zanaflex...I asked her if she felt ok and she said no but she didn't want to make her dad and brother and sister feel bad while they were here. She seems to manage the pain when it goes below a certain level but then it seems to come back again and that it what they are trying to get under control. Right now I just think that she is feeling lowsy because of this cold bug too! On Monday, they will do an MRI under concious sedation. They tried to do one today with just some ativan but Lauren freaked out with her head hurting and the "darth vader" mask that they put over her face to keep her head still. After a few minutes, we called it quits and decided to do it the other way. Dr. Muenzer did not want her to be down there crying and shaking. She has been pretty drugged up today but at least when she is sleeping, her body is relaxed and the pain is better. I cannot say enough about our love and admiration for Dr. Muenzer...he takes extra steps to make sure we are doing ok. I have talked with him at length twice today...both times with a few tears and he just listens and tells me that Lauren is going to be fine and they will get her thru this. I know that they will. I have a lot of faith in them and I have prayed mightly that the Lord will direct their efforts. I feel like He is doing so and we are on a right path. The room gets smaller every day...I had hoped to transfer to a bigger room but it doesn't seem to be working out as well as I had hoped. It's okay though...we are making due! Please continue to pray that the pain in Lauren's head will subside and we will be able to go home one day next week! We are all definitely looking forward to our beach vacation! Below I have put some pictures of Lauren sleeping...she is still so frail and weak looking but she is going to get stronger! Thanks for all your support and prayers! We are looking forward in faith and we know she is being watched over and her guardian angel is near.

A Curve Ball !!!

Well, today started out good at least...I got up early, got the room packed up, our clothes washed and had everything ready for Jeff to come pick us up from the hospital around 12:30 this afternoon. Lauren slept in late, Dr. Muenzer came in, we all talked and then they came in to give us our prescriptions to take home and Lauren got up to take a shower! Once she got into the bathroom, she called for me and when I opened the door she was falling to the floor with her eyes rolled back in her head. I caught her head just before she hit the floor and laid her gently down then reached for the nurses's call button and yelled for help! Lauren was pale, clammy, and very disoriented (CLASSIC HYPOGLYCEMIA). I grabbed the bloodsugar machine just as the nurse came running in and we started giving her sugar filled soda to bring up her bloodsugar as she began to come around. They paged Dr. Muenzer and he came running up from his clinic visits as well as the neurologists and a lot of other people crowding into the room. Nicoletta (the nurse) and I were able to get her to the bed and then she started throwing up everything. Everyone stepped into highgear and we quickly reaccessed (I had already deaccessed her) port and Dr. Muenzer ordered the staff to restart her D-10! They gave her phenergan thru the IV and we took a wet washcloth and wiped her face and got her calmed down. They hooked her up to the heart monitor to watch her more closely and we checked her bloodsugar frequently until it was back up to normal. She fell asleep and I took a big sigh of relief that she was sleeping calmly and the crisis was over! Jeff came up and we are sitting talking about how much we hate GSD and how sometimes it just creates havoc for no good reason! They have decided to run the DHE Protocol another day and then reassess her again tomorrow! For the meantime, she is back on the IV and we are most grateful that we hadn't left the hospital yet when this happened and that we have wonderful doctors who take great care of her! She was in the best place she could have been in for her to have a hpyoglcemia attack although we all wish we could have figured out why it happened....but that is GSD and we are hoping she hasn't caught something while she has been up here although I don't think anything is going around up here so who knows!!! I have said a prayer of gratitude in my heart to the Lord that all has turned out and we will probably be here for a couple of more days until we get this worked out! Lauren loves to throw us curve balls and we had a doozy of one thrown at us this morning! It's a good thing we are learning to catch them better.......:)

Nice Sunday!

Today is Sunday and as I sit here and type this in the hospital, I am listening to "The Mormon Channel" that comes over my computer. It is songs, inspirational stories, and talks from the general authorities. It is so uplifting and even though Lauren and I can't be at church today, we can certainly listen and feel uplifted. It is so great to have this kind of technology now! Lauren is improving everyday and we are hoping if all continues to go well that we will be able to go home by Tuesday...at least that is what we are shooting for. I think we will make it. I am grateful for the scriptures and the power of prayer in our lives....we feel very blessed to have great doctors who are so in tune with Lauren and take such good care of her. We are also grateful for the nursing care she has received up here. We see the Lord's hand in our life and are grateful for every blessing He sends our way and He sends many. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and love sent our way. We appreciate it! Things will be back to normal soon and we will be preparing for our beach trip...we are looking forward to a nice relaxing getaway!

Chapel Hill....again!

Well...here we are at Chapel Hill once again! Lauren has been fighting migraines for the last couple of weeks and we began to get concerned this week-end when the medicine was not taking the migraines completely away. She would get better at night and then the next morning the migraine would be back and she would sleep most of the day. We were having a hard time getting her to eat and last week she had two low blood sugars in the mornings. This afternoon when her migraine came back and was a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10, I put a call into to Dr. Muenzer. He told me that she was headed to the hospital and after speaking with the peds neurologist and Dr. Muge, the decision was made to admit her to Chapel Hill. By the time they called us with a room, it was 8 pm and we got here around 9:30 pm. We were able to come right up to the room and by the time they got her admitted and got all the initial stuff done it was close to midnight! They finally got her medicine up and running around 1 am and she is now sleeping. We will probably be here for 7 to 10 days as that is how long is usually takes for the DHE Protocol to work. We are grateful for her wonderful doctors who don't take any chances with her and hopefully we will get this taken care of and be able to enjoy our vacation! So for now...we are confined to the 6th floor of the Children's Hospital at Chapel Hill!