Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Cath Failed; Surgery Tommorrow

I wish I could climb up on the operating table and go through it for the little guy. We certainly are growing to love him more and more.

The ductus was too narrow to insert a stent. So we are back to the three surgeries. Tommorrow afternoon Caleb will undergo the first of three surgeries to manage a condition known as Tricuspid Atresia. The goal for the surgery will be to insert a shunt connecting into his pulmonary arteria to increase the bloodflow into his lungs. Surgery number two will take place in three to six months. It is called a Glenn procedure. This will allow the blood from his head and arms to flow into his lungs without passing through his heart. Surgery number three, the Fontan operation, will take place a number of years from now.

So thank you for the prayers. Please pray for Caleb, Dr. Redmond Burke and the entire pediatric cardiac surgery team tommorrow. We are planning on Caleb being here at Miami Children's Hospital for another two weeks or so.

We have become friends with Tom and Tonya Haskins from Naples, Florida. They have a little girl named Mollie who was rushed here early last week and has gone through surgery and is recovering well. Their fellowship has been sweet.

Click here if you'd like to see pictures of Caleb intubated (with a breathing tube) after the cath procedure.

The Psalms work. As the Lord would have it, in my reading through the Old Testament, I am in the book of Psalms. I haven't had too much problem applying the scriptures into my life. This has been something that the Lord is teaching me. The Psalms are great tools to use for going through trials. When I taught a class on the book of Psalms we learned that the theme of the book is, "Life is hard. God is good."

Here's some verses I read earlier today from the Psalms:
  • O LORD my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me. Psalm 30:2
  • For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5
  • Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24

3 comments:

Sieler Family said...

Thank you, Ana. We were excited and hopeful that he could miss one surgery, but we know that he is the Lord's. Thanks for the prayers.

Anonymous said...

Hello Pat & Janet. I really like the website. Thank you for keeping us updated about Caleb. We are praying for him and your family. We trust in God's promise to work this out for your good and His glory. We love you guys.
Chistian & Dulce Carrasco
CC Homestead

Sieler Family said...

Christian and Dulce,
Thank you guys so much.
We love you!