Peace...I love the feeling!

Thank you for all the prayers...although we are running on very little sleep and Carson's schedule is out of whack, we have ALOT of peace after meeting with the doctor's today. I know some of that is simply from the hundreds of prayers being said for Carson and us. The other part is that these doctors seem to really know their stuff.

They said Cincinnati Children's does more airway reconstrucive surgeries than ALL other hospitals in the nation combined. They also said that of the children that come with trachs, 95% are able to have them removed over the course of treatment! That's good odds...even though Carson doesn't always have the best luck with statistics & playing the odds : ) The pulmonologist also said...after looking at Carson's case on paper, he doesn't know why Carson would not be included in that 95%... just praying they don't see anything tomorrow that changes his mind. The pulmonologist also said they are very aggressive at this hospital, taking cases that other hospitals won't even touch and also cases that have had failed attempts at other places. BUT also do NOT get in a hurry just because we all want the trach out. They look at the WHOLE picture and make sure the patient is in optimal condition for a major surgery. He also mentioned that the best chance of success for an airway reconstruction is the first attempt so it is a huge blessing that we did NOT go ahead with other surgeries PRIOR to coming to Cincinnati. Yes...God is good and DOES have everything in control...Who would have thought?!? : ) Anyways, I could go on and on about different things the pulmonologist said but overall, we just got a really good first impression.

Carson also had an Xray...they said this looks pretty good and his lung damage (as a result of the ventilator pressures needed early on) seems to be resolving. Children are amazing! Apparently their lungs remodel greatly in the first 2 years and all the way up until 7 years old. This means that most damage done in premature babies will be remodeled in the first several years.

The GI doctor was also hopeful of gaining some good insight into Carson's case & function tomorrow with the upper endoscopy. One, to determine what may be going on with his esophagus...if it is an intrinsic narrowing (a problem with the esophageal lining), an extrinsic narrowing (or something that is pressing in on the esophagus), or more a a dysmotility of the esophagus (meaning the nerve innervation has been interrupted somehow). Along with this he will take a look at the Gtube and try to also determine the possible cause of his frequent vomitting. Is he refluxing which causes him to vomit or is he just getting overly full or does he have some sort of allergy to his formula? Hopefully we will get some answers tomorrow and be able to progress with oral feedings.

Well, I know this is a long update and I probably forgot some of the info but all in all it was a good day! Now to eat and try to get some sleep!

Thanks again for all the prayers! Tomorrow Carson is scheduled to go into the OR at 11:15 am. The doctors will then all come out together to give us their initial thoughts and preliminary findings. But, again the FULL plan won't come together until the following weeks!

I've spoke with Mom and we believe Kellen's fingers will survive : ) Kellen also seems to be doing well at home...I guess I didn't have any doubts with Nana, Mimi, Papa, and Aunt Sarah in charge!

We made it!

Preston, Carson, and I made it to Cincinnati about 6:30 or 7 (Cincinnati time) yesterday evening. The trip went as well as could be expected. We missed one turn shortly after leaving Dexter but it didn't delay us much at all. Carson slept for the first 2 hours of the trip (thank you Sarah and Mom for keeping him entertained before we left : ). We only made one stop for gas and a break. Carson had his first 'gas station break' experience and he completed it by puking all over himself & Preston while I was in the bathroom. I couldn't help but laugh just a little when I came out... Oh, the joys of children. I think Carson is fine...although he did puke again in the car about an hour later (this time I caught it with the puke bucket). It may be some car sickness (which my family knows all about) or it could just be Carson.

Anyways, we made it to the hotel, which seems to be okay. Preston unloaded the vehicle while Carson and I hung out in the room and wiped everything down with Lysol : ) - you never know... It took Preston three trips to get everything (even with a luggage dolly). But we got settled in...finally got a pizza up to the room about 9 pm. I think Carson was wondering where Kellen and the rest of everyone was last night, but he did pretty good for being tired on top of being in a new place.

Please stick in a couple prayers for Preston and I...I think we are in for several nights of very little sleep. So I hope the adrenaline (& God) can carry us through until we get home. Also, say a few prayers for little Kellen. Before we left, he got a hold of my CHI (hair straightener) ....good job, me...& burnt two of his fingertips pretty good. They blistered up...I felt awful! He seemed to be in a fair amount of pain right afterwards but Mom & Sarah said the rest of the day, yesterday, went better.

I'll try to get an update up later today after we have our appointments. Today, will just be clinic visits (with anesthesia and the aerodigestive team)...so I'm not sure how much information we will get.

Thanks again for the prayers!