Day 111 - October 4 - Cold
I got to the hospital this morning to find that Connor's temperature was 93 degrees Fahrenheit and his heart rate was 42. The solution to that was to swath him in heated blankets and force feed him warm liquids to raise his core temperature, which took about three hours. We finally got it back to normal, and his heart beat came back up too.
I don't know why this is happening. It shakes us all up, as there doesn't seem to be any control over it, there's no cure to make it stop, and it's considered "normal" by the staff, as in "that happens a lot with SCI patients" - as if that somehow alleviates all our concerns. If this continues, I can envision the local paramedics getting a lot of workouts to come running to our house when his heart rate drops so dramatically.
Because of these anomalies, Connor didn't get any therapy done today, but rather stayed in his bed trying to get warm. He was, however, complaining that the incision sites from Wednesday's surgery were giving him sharp pains, to the point where he asked the nurse for some pain medication. I told him that this was a good thing - new sensation in a different part of his body, particularly sensation that he could localize. He also spoke about sensing his arm a bit, although he still can't feel it or move it. Still and all, we praise God for any sensation as we continue to ask for the boy's full restoration.
Cherié stayed with Connor this evening, and they're doing pretty good except for all the exhaustion going around! Connor also visited for a few minutes with a friend he hadn't seen in a year or so, which he enjoyed.
So our big prayer request for today, right after our pleas for Connor's 100% healing, would be that God would stabilize Connor's heart and temperature. Since those things are part of the autonomic system, along with his breathing, we are asking for the Lord to intervene specifically with that to restore Connor's breath, to stabilize his heart, and to regulate his temperature correctly. Please be praying with us...
Eric
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posted by Eric Williamson @ 9:52 PM
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7 Comments:
We pray with all our hearts for 100% complete healing for Connor along with all of you! And we give praise to the Lord for the sensations Connor was having today. We continue to pray for these.
And we pray specifically for all of your requests, for God to regulate Connors heart, temperature, and his breathing.
We pray for Connor and all of you to get some much needed sleep tonight, and that He would help all your fears, especially Connors. Very scary to go through this kind of thing.
We pray my favorite verse for you, Isaiah 41:10 about fear. It says, "Do not fear.... God will hold Connor up with His righteous right hand."
Love you all in the Lord!
Kim & Ken
Eric,
Your post brought back moments from when our son was where Connor is now.
I remember the flustration I felt when the hospital staff would say things such as... "That's routine" or "It isn't so bad" or "That's to be expected". It was NEVER routine to us, it was bad, and we didn't know what to expect - ever!
I know they are 'hardened' by what they see, day in and day out. It is their job, but they are our children.
My heart goes out to you.
We will be keeping our prayers going for Connor's 100% restoration to perfect health. The path way for his nerves seems to be waking up. Thank you, JESUS.
GOD bless and good night.
I am not to great at words. I do want to let you know we have not forgotten Connor or your family. We pray for you all daily. For myself, in the moments of my day, I pray for Connor's healing often. Please let Cherie know she is more capable than any nurse to care for her son. The care she provides is done with an unending stream of love for Connor. Cherie, I will be praying specifically for you. That you are well and maintain a mothers joy that comes from serving you kids! I know you heart must break when you see Connor. It only breaks because you love him so much. A Mom's love is a small tidbit of how much our Lord loves us!
The Derendinger Family
Perhaps this is how God IS answering the prayers we all send up for Connor--slowly restoring sensation, gently opening nerve ways, etc. and maybe even the low body temp and heart rate play into it? I will continue to pray for his healing and for all of you to be refreshed and ready to deal with all that comes your way.
praying
Dear Family, I lift each and every one of you up tonight; I know this is so hard...we heard so much..."unknown" from all of the staff when Mom spent her year of healing time. We still get the "shuffle" today...but we learn to deal with things best we can. I will be praying for stamina, rest and reassurance!
We are standing with your family through every aspect of your journey! Cherie, you can do it!! We have some funny stories and I am sure you will too! Remember, if things get rough call in reinforcements and maybe have a few extra people you really trust to help you if you and Eric need to have a morning "off".
I have found that if my atmosphere in the winter is at 78 degrees I can almost be a happy clam. If in the summer it's 72 degrees we're all cool. Connor's system will help you figure things out for the time being. oh yeah, PG&E has a program if you have a person with a disability in your home. I am sure you all have that info though.
Many hugs to you all!
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