Hospital Day #13 - 12/14/23 AM - Every day is a gift from Jesus!

Hospital Day #13 - 12/14/23 AM 

(changing the way I track these posts, after 3 days at Baptist Hardin, 7 days at U of L & on 3rd day of U of L again )

Every day is a gift from Jesus!

This morning we’ve been enjoying the darkness instead of the sunrise in the UL Stroke ICU.  Brittney’s headaches the past 16 hours have been the worst of her life.  A darkened room and lots of medicine help, but your prayers are the best.  Not much to share this morning, but we are rejoicing that this morning’s CT scan reveals no new bleeding on her brain!!!  She just worked hard at speech therapy, a frustrating and exhausting task right now.

God is continuing to stretch and grow us.  He is teaching us to see every day as a gift from Him.

Ways to pray:

• Headaches to diminish rapidly and to go away
• Good rest between the hourly neurological checks
• Continued protection from brain bleeds and blood clots
• Therapy improvements - speech, occupational, and physical therapies will be a big part of our life the rest of December.  Please pray for Brittney’s strength as she works hard to heal her brain’s connections as the blood on her brain is resorbed.

Psalm 103:1–5 “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! [2] Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, [3] who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, [4] who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, [5] who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (ESV)

Hospital Day #12 - 12/13/23 PM - A great but tough day. A tough road ahead.

 

Hospital Day #12 - 12/13/23 PM

A great but tough day. A tough road ahead.

A great day: Shortly after our last request for prayer, God answered and Brittney passed her swallow test and had her NG tube removed.  Her brain bleed appears to have stopped 🙌🏻 her carotid arteries are not clotted up 🙌🏻She has been able to eat also! She has been worked hard on some of her neurological symptoms already and is now able to walk and get out of bed! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 She LOVED LOVED LOVED some time with her girlies.  

A tough day: Brain bleeds are said to produce the worst headaches of your life.  Brittney agrees.  Pain management is great but when the pain is bad, it is BAD. She is completely exhausted but usually has a few minutes of energy each hour. 

A tough road ahead: Stroke victims may all differ in severity, but it is heartbreaking to watch.  Brittney has lost coordination, motor control, strength, word-processing, number-processing, memory, etc. … but she is a fighter!! 

Her health situation with the unknown, rapid, and progressive tearing, clotting, and bulging (pseudo aneurysms) in all of her vertebral and carotid arteries is still very serious. The widespread and unprovoked nature of her hemorrhagic stroke is rare and dangerous.

We need your prayers. We are so grateful for your prayers.  Your love and encouragement has overwhelmed and strengthened us. Thank you.

Ways to pray:

• No more strokes or brain bleeds
• No clots in her stents or further problems with her vertebral or carotid arteries
• Constant pain relief 
• Complete healing of Brittney’s brain
• Wisdom for the OT/PT/Speech recommendation for rehab - for the best in-patient rehab considering Brittney’s needs & risks

1 Timothy 6:11-12 “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

Photo caption: A joyous time with our girlies!

Hospital Day # 12 - 12/13/23 AM - God Answers Prayers! Another Sunrise Together :)

 Hospital Day # 12 - 12/13/23 AM

God answers prayers!  

He gave us another sunrise together 🙌🏻😁 in the hospital penthouse suite it seems too, yay for stroke ICU perks lol 👏🏻

While Brittney’s bleeding did progress yesterday, the neurological symptoms from her hemorrhagic stroke did not worsen overnight.  She rested well and her pain level has gone down quite a bit with medicine (brain bleeds are said to be the worst headaches possible).

We are awaiting results from this morning’s CT. No surgery is currently planned unless her symptoms or bleeding worsens. 🙌🏻

We are so grateful to God for your love and prayers!

Ways to pray:

• For no more strokes, for the brain bleed to stop, for no surgery if possible 
• For no blood clots in her 4 stents
• For her neurological symptoms to improve and heal completely (memory, speech, vision, coordination, strength, processing, numbers, spatial reasoning, writing, object recognition)
• For wisdom for Brittney’s care team
• For peace, comfort, and healing for our girlies as they have gone thru so much in this rough season
• For her to pass her swallow test so she can get rid of her NG tube

Psalm 113:3 “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!”

Picture captions : I included some diagrams of where Brittney has brain bleeds (roughly) and the type of brain bleeds she is having