Hi everyone,
Thank you so much for all of your encouragement and rejoicing over the past few days! We truly had a Thanksgiving miracle. Its still hard to wrap my mind around the fact that Greg has a new heart! A NEW HEART!! Good riddance old heart and all your issues... we are moving forward and not looking back!
As Becky has mentioned in recent blog posts there have been some complications over the past few days. His first day post-transplant was incredible, but since then he's really been struggling. Yesterday was his worst day so far. Horrible pain being the biggest issue. The pain is not only from the surgery site but also from the extreme bloating he is dealing with because his kidneys are not functioning properly. It has gotten to be so bad that they are starting dialysis today to get the extra fluid off of him before it starts to effect his other organs. The nurse just showed us the chest x-ray of Greg right before the transplant, right after the transplant, and this morning. The amount of fluid he has built up was staggering. And its obvious just looking at him - his joints and extremities are extremely swollen. Its interesting because it shows that his new heart is working well - his old heart couldn't pump the fluid to the extremities which is why his liver and abdomen held all of the fluid. His new heart is successfully pumping the fluid everywhere, which is great! The downside though is that Greg hurts everywhere.
The docs are hopeful that once they remove a lot of the extra fluid that Greg's kidneys will "wake up" and start working effectively. There's no indicator at this point that he's experiencing any sort of kidney failure. Kidney issues are actually one of the major complications of heart transplants so while we are surprised and disheartened by this turn of events, the doctors are hopeful that this too will pass in time. Not sure if it'll be days or weeks, but he will probably have full kidney function again.
So, please pray with us for the dialysis to go well! It has been scary for Greg realizing that he needs dialysis. Its one of those scary medical words you hope you'll never have to experience. Thankfully the nurses and doctors have been excellent at explaining everything and making Greg as peaceful as possible. As I type this he is sleeping and his nurse is finishing all the prep needed to get the dialysis machine to work.
Please pray:
For the dialysis to be effective
For Greg's kidneys to work at 100% capacity again
For relief from pain and confusion for Greg
We are continually praising God for the miracle of Greg's heart. I still can't believe how incredible it is!
Love,
Elise
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Thank you so much for taking your time to update us, Elise. It means a lot, and we know you are busy and tired. We will be praying for Greg and you as well.
ReplyDeleteAmber and Chris
Dear Elise,
ReplyDeleteI've been following your story on the Global Staff Women community. I was teary eyed as I read about Greg's new heart. What an incredible blessing beyond words. Though I don't know you, I will pray for you as you adjust to your new reality, especially that Greg's kidneys start to function properly. I will look forward to updates and seeing what God does.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Reeves
CCC staff in Orlando
We were so excited to hear of God's provision for Greg - a new heart!! Thank you so much for keeping us updated and allowing us to be involved in prayer! It is a blessing for us as well. Our church (Woodbridge Bible Church in Dale City) was rejoicing with you this morning and will continue to pray through Greg's recovery.
ReplyDeletePraying God's blessings on you both as well as Smitty, Becky, Tim and Nate.
We love you and can't wait until we hear that you and Greg are back on campus ministering fulltime again!
Love, David and Kelly Wynn and family