The Good News Is...

Before we get into Presleigh's status, please pray for our dear friend, Debbie Russell. She's in the middle of a crazy battle in the hospital and could use every ounce of prayer to fight it. She's in great spirits, confident that however this turns out, God will be glorified. Her faith has been an incredible beacon, even to those who are walking in the light.

Well, of course, the Good News is that the Kingdom of God is near, Christ is risen and sin has been defeated. But, in other news, Presleigh's in great hands.

We met Dr. SuperMacDaddy, the urologist, last week. He's very much a Clark Kent - closer to the nerdy guy than the life of the party, but isn't that what we need right now? Dr. Smith knows his stuff. His very manner is calming and reassuring based on his calm confidence in the subject matter at hand. (Yeah, that's how a conversation would go with him.) Otherwise, a man of steel when it comes to his field of expertise.

He inspected Presleigh externally, which made her wail nervously as she recalled her most recent medical run-in (the VCUG required pumping contrast dye into her bladder through a catheter... wouldn't you be a bit leery of the next person who inspected your goods?) No trouble apparent. Then, he invited us to look at the images below. These are from her VCUG.

What you're looking at is Presleigh's bladder filled with dye (the dark stuff), and the ureters pumping it backward, up into the kidneys. (Wrong way on a one way street, remember?) You can see the thickness of the ureters, which connect the bladder to the kidneys, is wide on the right and wicked wide on the right. In Med-speak this is called "grade 2" and "grade 5".

The fact that there's a duplicate (not visible in this photo) ureter on the grade 5 side is not a problem in and of itself. As Dr. Smith explained in terms only a man would appreciate - "think of it as 'dual exhaust'". Cool. In this case, the exhaust is trying to make its way back into the muffler. Not so cool. When that happens, Presleigh's at risk for another UTI.

Prognosis: Presleigh will be on a once a day preventative dose of antibiotic for at least the next 4 to 10 months while her body grows. Once her bladder wall is thick enough to withstand surgery, she'll get to have a brief (2 hour) operation where Dr. Calm-Confident-and-Collected will get rid of the two little bulbs (diverticulum) in her ureter where they meet the bladder and reinsert them into the bladder wall.

The better news is, we got to go to Florida for Presleigh's great-grandmother's 80th birthday, a huge celebration with all of the brothers and sisters, etc. I'm so glad I married a woman of God like Cristine. The fact that she's Italian is a mad bonus - yum, Yum, and more YUM!!! We really enjoyed getting to be with all the family, especially those who hadn't yet met Presleigh.

Presleigh got to dress up with her sister to go out to a big dinner for Nana! Both sisters looked dashing, as you can see. Thank God they get their looks from Mommy! Poor Presleigh, the life of the party, refused to go to sleep until the wee hours of the night. She got the social butterfly side from Daddy, didn't she?

She also ate her first strawberry. Very impressive. Grandma introduced her to some new rice crackers that are now equal in favoriteness to Cheerios. But, those strawberries... Mmm...

While away, I distinctly heard the voice of God telling me to be calm and rest in Him. In other words, "be on vacation". For once, I was obedient in this situation. I did no fundraising, made no phone calls, answered no emails, but did all I could to lean into Him and let His name be known. We returned well rested... for once. God has used many hard circumstances to reveal blemishes in my character that He wants to transform into the likeness of Christ. This time, it was great for Him to use the company of family, tastes of great food, and salty surf of Pompano Beach instead.

in Him,

AP - Grateful Son of the Lord Most High

The Waiting Game

Isn't that a Boy George song?

With a word in to Super Doc's office, it sounds like we've got our hands on one of the most sought after Pediatric Urologists in the country. Nice. Since Presleigh doesn't have any blockages in her uretermonsters, we can stick to the regimen of antibioitcs, probiotics, and fully bellies each meal until next week.

Next week, Presleigh will have an appointment with Dr. MacDaddyUrologyUSA (I think that's supposed to be a hyphenated name), who will likely call for an MRI and then make a decision on what type of surgery will be necessary and how soon it has to be done. Good news is, we're catching this at 8 mos. rather than scratching our heads for a few years wondering why she's always getting UTI's and running crazy fevers over "nothing at all".

The sweet part is, Grandma was nice enough to purchase tickets to FL for us to make it to Nana's 80th birthday shindig, and now we can still attend. I think the tickets were a firm but nice way of saying "y'all better not miss this..." But, hey, who's going to turn down plane fare to Florida? Thank God for Grandma. Now, if only we can finagle some Delta miles for the Alumni Reunion Show for Hyannis Sound. (Has it really been 15 years?!)

Anyway, we're back in the queue for another round of "the waiting game". More info next week. Thanks, again for all the prayers! Presleigh's feeling them for sure.

And, keep praying for our friend Debbie, who we're hoping comes out of the hospital soon.

No Mistakes

There are no mistakes in God's economy - everything has value.

We are here at this time, in this place, with these people for a reason. To love God and love others. We are not worried about Presleigh. She will either make it through this scathed or unscathed. I have already confessed to God I will love Him either way, because He is bigger than me, bigger than this set of circumstances, and He loves my little girl more than I'll ever know how. Heck, He not only created her, but He invented love.

So, as I step down off my preacher podium, I just ask anyone whose life testifies that they follow Christ - would you keep this little girl in your prayers? Would you also pray that those who do not know and love Christ with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength would come to know Him and His love for them through this situation?

I'm not solid rock. Neither is Cristine. Fear and worry tap at our door often. But, fear is not of God, so we are "realigned" by the Spirit, not because we're Super Christians, because He's so awesome. I suppose you can pray for us - pray the Armor of God... Know, though, that more often than not, we are sturdy because He has left word: "My strength is made perfect in [your] weakness (2 Cor. 12.9)"

More simply stated, the more we realize that we can't handle this apart from Him, the stronger our legs grow because He holds us up. I pray that if you don't know Christ as scripture paints Him (not as movies or even His followers paint Him), that you grow to know Him as a loving, pursuing, redeemer-King, your Rock and your Salvation.

We speak with the Urologist tomorrow, first thing. More detail will follow that call. Maybe a trip to the ER for an MRI and further deets. Maybe business as usual. (Anyone want to help me write a Summer Stimulus fundraising letter?)

Keep our dear friend, Debbie in your prayers. She needs healing, too.

G'night.

VCUG Update

Just got off the phone with Presleigh's awesome Pediatrist - one side is a 2 or 3, the other side is only a 4! Woo-hoo, rock on...

So, the next step is a referral to one of the bomb-diggetiest urologists in the country, here at Children's of Atlanta. We'll need to talk to him next week, but it sounds from our Doc's reading that we may need an ultrasound and will definitely need surgery. What kind of surgery? All depends on what our urologist says...

More news as we get it. For now, we're in the comfort of the King of Kings.

Follow Up Flows Up... VCUG

Well, today was our follow up visit to the radiologist. Presleigh had a test called a "Voiding Cystourethrogram", which shoots a contrast dye into her bladder to see if it backflows (or "refluxes") into the kidney. As you're probably aware, the ureter (highway from the kidney to the bladder) is designed to be a one way street.

Now, class, what happens when cars travel the wrong way on a one way street? Correct, it gets messy and can cause damage.


Vesicoureteral Reflux (VUR) is the proper name for it. And, Presleigh's got it. It's measured in 5 grades, 1 being the least severe and 5 being most severe. We'll know more detail tomorrow after the full set of images is processed. But, from what we saw on the screen it looks like Presleigh has at least grade 2 on one side and when we saw the other side, somebody gasped. It's definitely a 5.

Here's a photo of what it could look like. This isn't Presleigh's images. The difference here you'll see this is a 4 or 5 on both sides, while hers is smaller on one side and a "biggie" on the other, but it gets the point across.

The most likely option is surgery of some sort - more on that as we find out more...


Mommy and Daddy are well - trusting in the least "churchy" way we can, that God is in the midst of all of this, working for His glory. He is good. He can be trusted. Keep Presleigh in your prayers. AP

See ya!!!

We're OUTTA THERE!!!

After almost 5 days at Children's Hospital I have one simple thought - we are so very, very blessed. This week, while my hopes were held high by the Lord Most High, I got to meet a whole lot of people who didn't have it as easy as we did.


Today, we're going to ask you to pray. But, not for Presleigh.

See, our little girl came home today. Others will not. Our baby has a healthy prognosis. Not all of them do. We were in residence for 5 days, not two weeks or for the fifth time in a month. So, today, we thank God with open eyes and hands held high and we thank you for all the prayer that sustained us in Him.

But, today we returned home to hard news.

We have a friend, a dear friend, a young woman who should not have tumors in her body, who does. Today, we ask you, while we guard her privacy with anonymity, to pray for our friend, who is now scheduled for chemo starting this week.

As for Presleigh:
The fever has been gone for about 48 hours. Today, she's home, on antibiotics, sleeping in a familiar crib. Her appetite hasn't completely returned, but we're working on it with prayer, persistence, and patience. Below are a few photos to chronicle the past couple of days - Daddy didn't have a way to get these photos on the blog until he got back today.

Day 3, Presleigh still looked a little pale. Holding onto a low grade fever, we did what we could to get her to drink, drink, drink. This would be the only way to get that IV out of her arm.











Here's Presleigh enjoying one of the perks of Children's Hospital - a red wagon we call "The Presleigh Express"!











Our super awesome nurses and tech's were kind enough to procure a "Jumpa" as we call it in our house. By whatever name we called it, Presleigh called it "fun."

On the Mend...

Presleigh continues to recover today, drinking several buh-buhs of formula, and coming off the IV liquids around 2:30. Aunt Sarah came by to give Mommy & Daddy a brief reprieve, so Mommy could actually leave Ground Zero. God has sustained my wife incredibly in light of the fact that she's literally been at Children's Hospital since Wednesday at noon. Regardless, the spirit is willing but the flesh was weak. Thankfully, Cristine was able to go home for a real shower, pick up a more "matching" change of clothes (since Daddy doesn't really know how to pack a Mommy bag all that well...), and breath fresh air.

The support of all of your prayers has been great sustenance for us during this time. Our spirits have been high, Presleigh has been delightful in spite of her malaise(s), and the nurses are all thoroughly entertained by her surprisingly positive demeanor. That's our girl!

CRP level (which measures infection vis-a-vis inflammation) will be checked again tonight. She's due for another round of antibiotics and once her "output is 'solid' ", she'll be free to go home. Oh, and we will, too!!!

Keep praying for restful sleep for Mommy, God's sustaining grace in Daddy, and "solid output" for Presleigh.

Weekend Update: Presleigh and Infection

Update:
So, it appears Presleigh may have a 3rd ureter. This is the connector between the kidney and the bladder. One side has one, the other side may have two. Alright! Spare parts - anyone need another ureter?
Apparently, this is not so rare, occuring in 1 in 4,000 infants, 90% of them being girls. You'd think, if you're anything like me, two tubes would mean a more efficient system, wouldn't ya? Apparently, if you factor in all of the laws of physics, the second ureter uses the capillary effect (like when the level of soda in your straw is slightly higher than the surface of the rest of the soda) to create backflow or "kidney reflux." Not so good long term.

Long story short:
Presleigh's temp is back to normal - Praise God. Her infection numbers were at 19, came down to 17.6, and are now at 8.6. It's a far cry from 1 or less. But, I'm just going to give God the credit for making her body work the way He built it. Thank y'all, all of you, for your prayers. (Some have even sent "positive thoughts". God knows your heart, even if you don't address Him.)

How Big is your God?
One of my favorite verses of scripture from Paul's letter to the church at Thessalonika is "Faithful is He who calls you and He will bring it to pass." Ain't that the truth?!
1. Not only was I needlessly stressing out about possibly not having quorum for our Board meeting Friday, but a previously excused absentee was able to make it last minute.
2. We were supposed to speak at a retreat this weekend and I'm lying on my face with God telling Him how He's got to reconcile the fact that I need to be with my little baby and relieve Cristine from no-sleep-land. Meanwhile, He brings the only 3 guys to my mind that I would trust to deliver these messages - and one happens to be registered for the retreat!
3. While stressing out like God's all small or something, I get to the board meeting and Brent (the guy who's registered for the retreat) calls me and says "I've got a couple of talks already prepared that cover the topics you were going to cover..." If that ain't a Godsmack...

When God's got a job to do, He sometimes calls the equipped, more often, He just equips the called. And while he sometimes calms the storm, other times He lets the storm rage, but calms His child. Keep Presleigh in your prayers (healing). Keep Mommy in your prayers (sleep). Pray for our daughter, Brianna, that despite all the attention her little sister is getting, she knows Mommy and Daddy love her just as much and Christ loves her even more.

How great, how awesome is He?