Friday, September 30, 2011 10:00pm
Morgan wants everyone to know that she has earned another $20 from her Daddy! She wants to know if that is an hourly rate? If so, then she will have earned $660 thus far... for you non-accountants, that is 33 hours off the high-frequency ventilator!
Today, Seth and I are rejoicing that our little girl has made it this long on the C-PAP machine! We are beaming inside! Yet, we are prayerfully optimistic. This a very big step in the right direction. This is a miracle! and nothing short of it!!
The C-PAP machine provides Morgan support through her nose. While on the C-PAP machine, Morgan is having to use her own lung strength more and more to breathe! We are prayerful that she can sustain this long-term. There is a chance that she may have to go back on the conventional or high-frequency ventilator, but we are praying against that!
Her lungs continue to be very sick and critical. There is a long road ahead for their development, but we are encouraged. The new tissue and air sacks need to grow and become strong and healthy.
Morgan received her last dose of her steroid medicine today. As the effects of this medicine begin to lessen in the next days, our prayer is that her lungs would have gained enough strength and growth to continue forward. Get ready for the roller coaster, because if the steroids are her only strength, then she is in for a long recovery. Please join in this specific prayer!
They have begun to feed Morgan milk again today. She is receiving 3 ml every 3 hours. She is growing! Morgan wants everyone to know she now weighs 2 POUNDS 2 OUNCES! She is growing. As mentioned before, the digestive system development is very important, too. We pray she tolerates her feedings well and continue to gain the necessary nutrients to become big and strong!
Our prayers continue to be: 1) Her lungs and all that encompasses; 2) Her nutrition and development of the digestive system; 3) protection of her brain; 4) continued healing of her heart; 5) against any type of infections. Also, please keep those taking care of her in your prayers. We pray for their wisdom and skill as they take care of her.
One of the precious things about this leap forward is that we can now hear Morgan cry or make noises. It is oftly soft and squeaky, but it is a glorious sound! We are so thankful that her lungs are growing and that she cannot only use them to breathe, but she can also use them to produce the sweetest hymn these parents have ever heard.
God is Great! Thank you from all your prayers and encouragement!
Elizabeth and Seth McCoin
Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Best Day Yet
Thursday, September 29, 2011 10:00 pm
Morgan had her best day out of the womb, yet! We are so happy with her progress today. She took her sweet time recovering for a few days, but, boy, did she make us smile today.
As we shared earlier, Morgan swtiched from the high-frequency ventilator to the nasal C-PAP, this afternoon, around 1:00 pm. When we went to visit her tonight, after dinner...SHE WAS STILL ON IT! Yay, Morgan! We understand that it is highly likely that she will return to the high-frequency ventilator, but we are celebrating her progress today. There are numbers on machines, balances in the gasses in her body and other indicators that allow us to tell how well she tolerates the type of breathing assistance she receives. She's up one minute, down the next and sideways the others. Tonight the indicators were telling us that she is tolerating it very well. We owe her successful day to the steroid regimine and she will taper off of the steroids tomorrow. It is our prayer that the steroids have provided some sustainable improvement and that she will be able to continue to develop without them.
Further, Morgan's feedings have been suspended. We hope to have her return to milk in the next day or two. Her digestive system is, obviously, critical to her development. We pray that she will allow us to help her and that she will be able to progress. We are thankful for the snail's paced development of her lungs, but she also needs to get going with this highly important peice to her puzzle.
Continue to pray for the doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses caring for our little girl. We cannot sing their praises from a high enough mountain.
We continue to be overwhelmed with your prayers, kind words, hugs and gestures of kindness. Our thanks could not be expressed deeply enough.
Seth and Elizabeth McCoin
Morgan had her best day out of the womb, yet! We are so happy with her progress today. She took her sweet time recovering for a few days, but, boy, did she make us smile today.
As we shared earlier, Morgan swtiched from the high-frequency ventilator to the nasal C-PAP, this afternoon, around 1:00 pm. When we went to visit her tonight, after dinner...SHE WAS STILL ON IT! Yay, Morgan! We understand that it is highly likely that she will return to the high-frequency ventilator, but we are celebrating her progress today. There are numbers on machines, balances in the gasses in her body and other indicators that allow us to tell how well she tolerates the type of breathing assistance she receives. She's up one minute, down the next and sideways the others. Tonight the indicators were telling us that she is tolerating it very well. We owe her successful day to the steroid regimine and she will taper off of the steroids tomorrow. It is our prayer that the steroids have provided some sustainable improvement and that she will be able to continue to develop without them.
Further, Morgan's feedings have been suspended. We hope to have her return to milk in the next day or two. Her digestive system is, obviously, critical to her development. We pray that she will allow us to help her and that she will be able to progress. We are thankful for the snail's paced development of her lungs, but she also needs to get going with this highly important peice to her puzzle.
Continue to pray for the doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses caring for our little girl. We cannot sing their praises from a high enough mountain.
We continue to be overwhelmed with your prayers, kind words, hugs and gestures of kindness. Our thanks could not be expressed deeply enough.
Seth and Elizabeth McCoin
Much Improved
We wanted to give a midday update and ask for prayer.
Elizabeth went to see Morgan at lunch and learned that her stats improved this morning. In fact, they have improved so much, that the doctor wants to try her out on the nasal C-PAP again this afternoon. This is great news and would not be attempted had Morgan not improved so much after the past few days. We have no idea how long her little body will tolerate this, but we are pleased that she is well enough to attempt it. Our dream would be that she would not have to return to the ventilator, but we must be cautious and thankful for her current status.
Elizabeth also learned that her feedings have been suspended. We are not sure when she will be able to tolerate milk again, but she is currently receiving nutrition through an iv. Her digestive system is just as critical as her lungs and we are anxious to push her along.
Again, thank you for your thoughts and prayers and, please, always include the wonderful people at St. Vincent's that are caring for us and our daughter.
Seth and Elizabeth McCoin
Elizabeth went to see Morgan at lunch and learned that her stats improved this morning. In fact, they have improved so much, that the doctor wants to try her out on the nasal C-PAP again this afternoon. This is great news and would not be attempted had Morgan not improved so much after the past few days. We have no idea how long her little body will tolerate this, but we are pleased that she is well enough to attempt it. Our dream would be that she would not have to return to the ventilator, but we must be cautious and thankful for her current status.
Elizabeth also learned that her feedings have been suspended. We are not sure when she will be able to tolerate milk again, but she is currently receiving nutrition through an iv. Her digestive system is just as critical as her lungs and we are anxious to push her along.
Again, thank you for your thoughts and prayers and, please, always include the wonderful people at St. Vincent's that are caring for us and our daughter.
Seth and Elizabeth McCoin
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Eyes Wide Open
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 9:00pm
Overall, Morgan has had low key day and slow progression. Morgan is a tortoise, not a hare.
The lungs continue to be our biggest battle. We are extremely concerned about the overall health and development of them. The doctor said today that her lungs are developmentally delayed by about three weeks, hence some of her struggles. The x-ray this morning showed a teeny-tiny improvement, but we will take it and celebrate in this small victory. The biggest concern is that she needs to grow new lung tissue. This is important in order for her lungs to be able to function properly. This, in turn, effects the ability for the lungs to properly process oxygen. Due to these factors, she continues to be on the high frequency ventilator. Any measurable results, big or small, regarding the steroid regimen that is being administered are not expected until after 48 hours. We are extremely prayerful that it is helping our little Morgan. God is the ultimate Physician and Healer, and we know He has Morgan in His hand... and Houston is tugging on God's pants asking for Him to keep an eye on her. The good news is that in time, Morgan's lungs can catch up to her gestational age, but it just take time and much patience on her parents' part.
At this time, there is no sign of infection in Morgan's body. Her platelets are on the low side but not enough to cause alarm. They will continue to watch this, and her white blood cell count in the coming days. As long as these counts stay in the appropriate ranges, then she can continue to receive the steroids.
Morgan's feedings have been reduced in quantity to 1/2 ml an hour. She seems to be tolerating her feedings well, but like any person, her appetite fluctuates. Ideally, we would like her to continue to digest all that is given to her, but the doctor has told us that is normal to fluctuate. Morgan needs to eat so she can gain fat, or as Aunt Augusta says, "get fluffy." Fat is what is going to give her strength to fight and grow the new tissue for her lungs. Her tummy is one of the last areas to develop, so we are still prayerful that there are no hindrances to the maturity of the digestive system.
There is not change on the status of her brain or her heart. Protection of these two organs is still a priority.
Our prayers continue to be 1) Morgan's lungs - on all accounts 2) Her nutrition 3) the lack of any infections 4) protection of her brain 5) and the healing of her heart. As always, please keep the doctors, nurses, and care givers in your prayers.
This afternoon, I was talking to Morgan. While she was sleepy, she would blink at me, as if to acknowledge my presence and our conversation. I decided to read aloud to Morgan the prayers sent to me via my email/texts concerning her. As I began to read these prayers, her eyes opened wide as she listened. I was humbled by this 21-day old infant who knew the power of prayer already. Certainly, awe inspiring.
As always, thank you for your love, prayers and support! We are so blessed!
Love,
Elizabeth and Seth McCoin
Overall, Morgan has had low key day and slow progression. Morgan is a tortoise, not a hare.
The lungs continue to be our biggest battle. We are extremely concerned about the overall health and development of them. The doctor said today that her lungs are developmentally delayed by about three weeks, hence some of her struggles. The x-ray this morning showed a teeny-tiny improvement, but we will take it and celebrate in this small victory. The biggest concern is that she needs to grow new lung tissue. This is important in order for her lungs to be able to function properly. This, in turn, effects the ability for the lungs to properly process oxygen. Due to these factors, she continues to be on the high frequency ventilator. Any measurable results, big or small, regarding the steroid regimen that is being administered are not expected until after 48 hours. We are extremely prayerful that it is helping our little Morgan. God is the ultimate Physician and Healer, and we know He has Morgan in His hand... and Houston is tugging on God's pants asking for Him to keep an eye on her. The good news is that in time, Morgan's lungs can catch up to her gestational age, but it just take time and much patience on her parents' part.
At this time, there is no sign of infection in Morgan's body. Her platelets are on the low side but not enough to cause alarm. They will continue to watch this, and her white blood cell count in the coming days. As long as these counts stay in the appropriate ranges, then she can continue to receive the steroids.
Morgan's feedings have been reduced in quantity to 1/2 ml an hour. She seems to be tolerating her feedings well, but like any person, her appetite fluctuates. Ideally, we would like her to continue to digest all that is given to her, but the doctor has told us that is normal to fluctuate. Morgan needs to eat so she can gain fat, or as Aunt Augusta says, "get fluffy." Fat is what is going to give her strength to fight and grow the new tissue for her lungs. Her tummy is one of the last areas to develop, so we are still prayerful that there are no hindrances to the maturity of the digestive system.
There is not change on the status of her brain or her heart. Protection of these two organs is still a priority.
Our prayers continue to be 1) Morgan's lungs - on all accounts 2) Her nutrition 3) the lack of any infections 4) protection of her brain 5) and the healing of her heart. As always, please keep the doctors, nurses, and care givers in your prayers.
This afternoon, I was talking to Morgan. While she was sleepy, she would blink at me, as if to acknowledge my presence and our conversation. I decided to read aloud to Morgan the prayers sent to me via my email/texts concerning her. As I began to read these prayers, her eyes opened wide as she listened. I was humbled by this 21-day old infant who knew the power of prayer already. Certainly, awe inspiring.
As always, thank you for your love, prayers and support! We are so blessed!
Love,
Elizabeth and Seth McCoin
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Improvement After the Afternoon Scare
Tuesday, September 27, 2011 10:15 pm
After a pretty hefty scare this morning/afternoon, Morgan seems to be doing much better. While she is still very critical, we were very pleased with her improving rebound tonight. We spent some quality time with her tonight and she even got to see her Aunt Augusta! Aunt 'Gusta even went as far as rubbing lotion on Morgan's back, which seemed to soothe her based on her levels increasing during the deep rub.
Morgan's lungs continue to stay very sick and our knees are in the dirt with prayerful hope that they will develop with noticeable improvement. She has restarted a 3-day steroid course to help with her lung development. There was an attempt at this recently and she was only able to receive 2 days of the 3-day course because of the increase in her white blood cells and the inverse decrease in her platelet count. We were afraid of that inverse reaction being a sign of an infection, so the steroid treatment was immediately stopped since steroids inherently increase the risk of infection. We learned that there was no infection, but the risk was too great to keep her on the steroids at that time. That said, we pray that her white blood cells and platelets will stay manageable so that she is able to receive the full dose of steroids this time...as she needs all the help she can get at the current moment.
We received a good report from Morgan's brain ultrasound today. There was no sign of bleeding which indicates that there is also no sign of a hemorrhage. If you recall, we had seen a level 1 hemorrhage that has since dissipated. We continue to receive very satisfactory reports related to the status of her brain. This is the only part of her sweet body that cannot be repaired if any damage is present. Her brain is disadvantaged enough from her father's genes and she doesn't need to fight any other battles in this arena.
As I stated this afternoon, we were notified that Morgan's heart has improved and while the issue has not totally vanished, we are comfortable with it's status at the moment. The PDA needs to improve more, however, it is at a point that we can focus more attention on her lungs. And yes...it is difficult for a father to type about his daughter's heart and PDA in the same sentence, but as long as it's medical...he'll survive.
Her feedings have increased to 1 ml per hour, which has doubled in quantity from yesterday. She continues to accept the nutrition well. Morgan is noticeably bigger than the day she arrived. The feedings are helping and we pray they will continue in such a positive manner.
As we stood at her bedside tonight, the nurse practioner decided to pick on me about Morgan going to an Eighth grade dance (probably with some boy that's faster than a 12-gauge shot). We talked about how lovely she will be with her nails and hair done in her "little dress,"... a "Little House on the Prairie dress," maybe, but that's about all this father could stand.
We continue to be thankful for the relationships we have with "Morgan's Helpers." They are knowledgable, caring, intelligent and wonderfully selfless individuals. As we thank the staff at St. Vincent's, we would also like to thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers.
Seth and Elizabeth McCoin
After a pretty hefty scare this morning/afternoon, Morgan seems to be doing much better. While she is still very critical, we were very pleased with her improving rebound tonight. We spent some quality time with her tonight and she even got to see her Aunt Augusta! Aunt 'Gusta even went as far as rubbing lotion on Morgan's back, which seemed to soothe her based on her levels increasing during the deep rub.
Morgan's lungs continue to stay very sick and our knees are in the dirt with prayerful hope that they will develop with noticeable improvement. She has restarted a 3-day steroid course to help with her lung development. There was an attempt at this recently and she was only able to receive 2 days of the 3-day course because of the increase in her white blood cells and the inverse decrease in her platelet count. We were afraid of that inverse reaction being a sign of an infection, so the steroid treatment was immediately stopped since steroids inherently increase the risk of infection. We learned that there was no infection, but the risk was too great to keep her on the steroids at that time. That said, we pray that her white blood cells and platelets will stay manageable so that she is able to receive the full dose of steroids this time...as she needs all the help she can get at the current moment.
We received a good report from Morgan's brain ultrasound today. There was no sign of bleeding which indicates that there is also no sign of a hemorrhage. If you recall, we had seen a level 1 hemorrhage that has since dissipated. We continue to receive very satisfactory reports related to the status of her brain. This is the only part of her sweet body that cannot be repaired if any damage is present. Her brain is disadvantaged enough from her father's genes and she doesn't need to fight any other battles in this arena.
As I stated this afternoon, we were notified that Morgan's heart has improved and while the issue has not totally vanished, we are comfortable with it's status at the moment. The PDA needs to improve more, however, it is at a point that we can focus more attention on her lungs. And yes...it is difficult for a father to type about his daughter's heart and PDA in the same sentence, but as long as it's medical...he'll survive.
Her feedings have increased to 1 ml per hour, which has doubled in quantity from yesterday. She continues to accept the nutrition well. Morgan is noticeably bigger than the day she arrived. The feedings are helping and we pray they will continue in such a positive manner.
As we stood at her bedside tonight, the nurse practioner decided to pick on me about Morgan going to an Eighth grade dance (probably with some boy that's faster than a 12-gauge shot). We talked about how lovely she will be with her nails and hair done in her "little dress,"... a "Little House on the Prairie dress," maybe, but that's about all this father could stand.
We continue to be thankful for the relationships we have with "Morgan's Helpers." They are knowledgable, caring, intelligent and wonderfully selfless individuals. As we thank the staff at St. Vincent's, we would also like to thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers.
Seth and Elizabeth McCoin
Let's fervently pray together
Here again is the attachment that our friend Ashley put together. Sheet 2 of this file has this week's slots largely open. You are more than welcome to fill your name into any slot. Let's bathe Morgan, Elizabeth, & Seth in constant prayer over the next 72 hours.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aj23EXrc1xRvdGUxbHpfMDVRcmcxUHozUnIzaHdGOUE&hl=en_US#gid=1
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aj23EXrc1xRvdGUxbHpfMDVRcmcxUHozUnIzaHdGOUE&hl=en_US#gid=1
Scared, but prayerfully optimistic
Tuesday, September 27, 2011 2:40 pm
I have just returned to my office from visiting Morgan with Elizabeth. Morgan is very sick and we ask for immediate prayer. Her lungs are at great risk, which has always been our greatest concern. We received good news regarding the medicine treating her heart, so we are halting that and going to back to a steroid for her lungs, since these two treatments do not mix well. Please pray that her lungs will develop at a greater pace than current progress. Also continue to pray for those taking care of her.
Seth McCoin
I have just returned to my office from visiting Morgan with Elizabeth. Morgan is very sick and we ask for immediate prayer. Her lungs are at great risk, which has always been our greatest concern. We received good news regarding the medicine treating her heart, so we are halting that and going to back to a steroid for her lungs, since these two treatments do not mix well. Please pray that her lungs will develop at a greater pace than current progress. Also continue to pray for those taking care of her.
Seth McCoin
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