Saturday, October 3, 2009

Please Pray For Andrew



Please keep the prayers going for Andrew today! They have discovered that he has a blood clot in the right atrium of his heart. They have increased the dose of heparin he is on which will help to stop the clot from growing or new ones from forming. We will wait and see for now what happens and pray to God that it does not get dislodged and go to his lungs which would be fatal. They have seen these clots sometimes disappear on their own and not cause any damage- that is what we want for Andrew!

His cardiothoracic surgeon is very negative and all doom and gloom which Gene and I find very frustrating! We know his heart defect is a big one, but there is still hope. Everyone else thinks that we still have a shot at making it even though it will be an all uphill battle- that is what Gene and I are choosing to believe! Please pray that Andrew will be able to survive this and have a good quality of life!

He has been even more stable today since they repositioned his ecmo catheter and his blood pressure has been stable. His nurse and respiratory therapist who runs his ecmo machine seem to think that was the cause of his frequent lower blood pressures. Hopefully we can continue to lower his epinephrine and dopamine today which have been helping to keep his blood pressure up. The difference in the type of ecmo that Andrew is on compared to what he would have been on is that it does not bypass his heart- so he is having to rely on medication in addition to his own heart working properly. His nurses are fantastic and gave him a bath after the many tests he had done today. He is very puffy from the ecmo which is normal- now that his blood pressure is more stable, they will probably start a medication that will help him to pee some of this extra fluid out of his system.

We love this baby so much and still are holding out every hope that we will bring him home with us one day! Thanks so much for all the encouragement and prayers- they mean so much to us right now! - Becky

40 comments:

  1. Praying for wisdom for all the caregivers, strength for the 3 of you and an attitude adjustment for the cardiothoracic surgeon! Andrew is a little fighter and in spite of everything, he continues to look AND BE absolutely amazing. Keeping looking up!
    Love,Mom

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  2. What a cutie! He has wonderful teams and fantastic nurses working with him. We are all praying for a great outcome very soon. We agree Attitude is half the battle. You and Gene are a very strong and loving couple! We stand in awe watching you both as you have had very difficult decisions to make and so much information to process. Keep up the good work together.
    Love, Mom & Dad

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  3. We are praying for Andrew. Stay Strong!
    Dear Lord, we trust in you, and we surrender to you. Please shield and strengthen Andrew's body. He is in your hands. Amen.
    Psalm 33:22 “May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”

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  4. Becky,Gene and Andrew,
    We knew this would not be an easy journey. We ( you, Gene and Andrew) and I mean all of us have to take it it-one second, one minute and one hour at a time.
    I love my grand nephrew-I love him with all my heart as you love him; I want to hold him; kiss him; hold him and have him play with my grandson- Dallas.
    Let's go on to the tomorrow and see the new journey we have to travel. I am there with you as always.
    Love,
    Paula

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  5. Becky - I don't know if you remember me from your Orlando/First Baptist days but Nathan and I are praying for Andrew. He is just precious! Karen Hilbert Shamey

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  6. Don't EVER give up hope--they are doctor's, not God. Andrew CAN beat this. You guys are doing a great job, and I know how hard it can be. Be strong for eachother and Andrew. He can feel your love, and know's you are there with him--cheering him on. You are definately in our daily (if not twice a day) prayers!

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  7. Praying that the clot disappears. Thinking of your family.

    ((hugs))

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  8. Dear Becky and Gene -

    Am thinking of you guys and praying for you all. Little Andrew is too precious. Let me know if you need anything. Take care.

    Kelly Meno

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  9. HOLD ONTO YOUR HOPE! You are So right! God is helping him and you MUST stay positive and full of hope. Thinking of baby Andrew and praying he gets better soon.

    "Keep fighting Little Man! Ava fought the CDH beast more than once in her life and you can too!"

    ~Terri and Ava
    http://avaslifewithcdh.blogspot.com
    http://cdhawarenessvideos.blogspot.com

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  10. Oh, Gene & Becky, Andrew is such a beautiful little boy! He looks so strong and healthy. We are praying so hard that he gets through this incredibly rocky start. We just can't imagine how difficult this must be for you. We are thinking about you 3 all the time and sending love and positive thoughts...

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  11. Hang in there guys! Carter also overcame supposedly insurmountable odds. It can be done. You guys can get through this. Andrew can get through this. Praying hard and constantly.

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  12. We are praying so much for Andrew! We are praying for him to be strong and for you to be strong!

    It is not ok that your surgeon is negative. Not at all!! Even when a situation is as severe as it is, a doctor should never display a negative attitude. It's not healthy for him, and most def. not healthy for you! I'm not ok with this surgeon! You can tell him I said so too! :)

    Hang in there!! You have lots of people out there praying for your family!!

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  13. I have faith that YOU will be a positive influence on your surgeon. Praying for Baby A! Such a sweetie...

    Dawn,
    A friend of Carter's
    :)

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  14. Andrew is gorgeous! You are all going through such a challenging time. Andrew is in God's hands. Multiple studies with control groups in hospital settings confirm that love and prayer increase viability significantly. You have a rather large army of God's warriors praying on behalf of Andrew. You three are loved more than you know. Elizabeth and Larry

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  15. Praying for all three of you!!! Isiah 41-10 Fear though NotFor I am with thee. Be not dismayed for I am thy God. I will strengthen you, yea I will help you, and I will uphold you with the right hand of my rightousness. Hold tight to that promise. Love Aunt Sandy

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  16. Unfortunately Doctors do not always have the best personality gene, but i have faith that your precious Andrew is going to put this surgeon in his place & show him a thing or two. Andrew is absolutely adorable with that head full of hair. Keep fighting little guy!!! Hang in there Mom & Dad...Andrew is very lucky to have such strong parents. You all are in our thoughts!
    {{{hugs}}} The McGuire Family
    ....friends of the Myers Family

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  17. . . . one day at a time, one moment at a time. Andrew needs you all to stay strong and positive for him. You all and he are in my constant thoughts and prayers. PLEASE let me know if there is ANYTHING that I can do for either of you. Love you guys!

    Cathy

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  18. Dear Gene and Becky
    We have been praying and we will keep on praying for you and little Andrew. Dad shared some wonderful pictures with us this afternoon - he is so cute! It is wonderful to know that God is in control, He knows your every need and sees you tears. He knows you fears and yes, He cares!
    Love Ockie, Ulrine, Donna, Frank and Jacquie (Gift of Grace)

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  19. We will pray for Andrew and his family. Sometimes all we have is HOPE. Thinking of you.

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  20. Becky and Gene, Carol has been keeping me posted about Andrew and now I am reading your blog. He has been and will remain in my prayers. I refuse to give up hope. I have spent too many years as a respiratory therapist and have seen many miracles. Be strong, God has his arms around Andrew. Hope you remember me. Nan Ritchie from Lakeland now in St Augustine

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  21. From the time I spent with my little one in the PCICU, I came to realize that doctors really have to prepare you sometimes for the terrible things that 'could' happen... they have to prepare you for the worst case scenario in these types of situations.. and of course it is never easy to hear. But like someone already said, they are doctors.. not God! Do not let what anyone says take away your hope... you are doing a great job at that already!! I am praying for Andrew all the time, and I can't wait to see him prove the doctors and statistics wrong! God bless you all. Love, Angela

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  22. We are praying for baby Andrew and I posted the request on Wyatt's blog too. He is adorable.

    Gina
    www.wyattjameskoger.blogspot.com

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  23. Andrew is so lucky to have parents who love him as much as you do. He is a strong boy and he fits his name perfectly...he is so brave and so are y'all! I constantly think about you guys and pray for him every chance i get. give him a kiss for me if you can.

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  24. He is so cute!

    Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

    Michele, Lee and Caitlin

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  25. Dear Becky and Gene,
    We are thinking of you so much during this incredibly stressful journey. Although the news today was hard to hear, you two are doing a great job of keeping a positive attitude. The best thing you can do at this point is keep that up. Andrew WILL feel your love. He is one lucky little boy to have such caring parents. Cherish every second with him! He is so handsome! Praying HARD for him!
    Love, L

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  26. Praying praying for baby Andrew's blood clot to go away.

    Love,
    Dai

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  27. Becky and Gene,
    Baby Andrew is such a beautiful child, and the two of you are wonderful parents. Your strength and courage are amazing! Keep on keeping on. Our HOPE is truly in the Lord! Your precious family and the medical team are in our constant prayers. Our Love, Alan & Jeri

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  28. We have not given up hope either! God is in control. Andrew is so strong and brave, and you both are as well! We are praying for the clot to dissolve, and that the care givers will have wisdom and good judgment as they work with Andrew. Your and Gene's positive attitude is amazing! Andrew is blessed to have such strong and faithful parents. Lots of love and prayers! Sue and Bryan

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  29. Andrew Becky and Gene-What a beautiful baby! It's amazing how dark his locks are! (Nice work!) We are praying for you and glad to know that you're doing better, Becky. Our thoughts are with you...only God is in control of all of this, not a negative surgeon. Keep up your positive attitude and fight. Love ya'! Chellie & Bob

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  30. Our family will continue to think wonderful healing thoughts for Andrew and all of you. My fathers name was Andrew so I know that that is a strong and beautiful name.
    So regret the phys. being pesimistic, but we know there are miracles all the time and perhaps some of the members of the medical community would do better by being more upbeat themselves.
    In the meantime, we hold all of you close and
    Andrew you are so sweet and lucky to have such
    wonderful parents and a faithful following!
    Love to all of you!

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  31. I find myself thinking and praying for little Andrew all day and when I am up at night. I know that God is in control and has plans for Andrew. I know you must be so proud of him and how hard he fights everyday to overcome each new hurdle. He is so cute in the pics. I still can't believe how big he is! Becky I hope you are still feeling better and getting rest when you can so you can stay strong for Andrew. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family. Jamie and Cody

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  32. He is a handsome little guy. We are praying for all of you daily. Stay positive. Steve and Lisa

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  33. I can't begin to tell you how sad we are to hear that Andrew is not having a "boring" (i.e., stable and easy) ECMO run. We hate that you are going through this. You are in our constant prayers. Call anytime if you need to talk.

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  34. Eternal Echoes


    Our life is an echo
    Of our spirit today,
    Of our essence
    As it is,
    Caught between
    Our yesterday
    And our tomorrow.
    It is the resounding
    Reality of who we are,
    As a result of
    Where we have been,
    And where we will be,
    For eternity.

    Spring 2000 by Mattie Stepanek


    From one Becky/Andrew (mom and son) pair who grew up together but almost didn't, to another pair that so many hope and pray will do the same... our thoughts are with you moment to moment.....

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  35. Becky,
    Congratulations on the birth of your son. He is precious! Robin has been keeping me updated and I just wanted you to know I'm praying for Andrew. I'm praying for a speedy recovery for you as well. Susan Bills Arnold

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  36. what a beautiful baby you have. I am so terribly sorry that you are taking this roller coaster journey!!It will play havock with every emotion you have and some you didnt know you had. Keep the faith, NEVER, NEVER give up hope,take baby steps and trust in God. I will continue to keep all of you in my prayers.
    Carters Grandma BZ

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  37. May God heal this little fellow and provide the family and friends with strength and faith. Amen.

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  38. Still praying for this adorable little guy. I survived a bloodclot in my heart. Good news is that it did not hurt after the immediate episode.

    I am confident that God has plans for Andrew. He knew Andrew before he was formed in your womb. His love for Andrew is unfathomable to us. Think of how much you love him and multiply it by infinity.

    Love the hair!
    Billie Baskett

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