They just took Bradley back to the operating nurse a few minutes ago (about 7:40am). The OR nurse said that the surgery could take anywhere from 8-12 hours. They will call us in the waiting room about every hour, so I will update on here, and on our Facebook profiles, when we get a call.
-A
Photo captured by Amanda Barker, Vivitography
April 4, 2011
April 3, 2011
Prayer List for Surgery
As Bradley's surgery is very quickly approaching (a little more than 24 hours away), there are some things we would like prayer for, if you feel led to pray for us in this way.
1. A successful surgery with no complications that will improve Bradley's pressure in his heart and lungs
2. Wisdom for the doctors, nurses, and others involved, especially in regards to his pacemaker leads (wires) in his heart
3. An undeniable peace that surpasses all understanding for Bradley, myself, our boys, and our family and friends; freedom from anxiety, fear, and worry - Philippians 4:6-7
4. A speedy recovery - managing pain, physical healing of his body
5. That I receive a supernatural spirit of service for my family during the recovery time (Bradley will not be able to lift more than 3 pounds or drive for 2 months)
6. That our sons, Cade and Blake, may adjust to their time away from us and that they may somehow come to know Jesus through this
7. That above all else, God's will be done in this and through this!!
I just realized that I haven't really specifically posted what is going to be done during this surgery, so if you're interested, this is for free. :) During the surgery, they are going to 1) widen an area of obstruction that is causing the high pressures, 2) do a procedure called an ablation that will help with his atrial flutter, and 3) possibly extract his pacemaker leads or add a second set of leads. It's not likely that they'll have to do much with the leads.
If you would like more information about visitation or anything else, feel free to email me - safer505@gmail.com
Thank you for reading this and for your prayers.
In Him,
Ashley
1. A successful surgery with no complications that will improve Bradley's pressure in his heart and lungs
2. Wisdom for the doctors, nurses, and others involved, especially in regards to his pacemaker leads (wires) in his heart
3. An undeniable peace that surpasses all understanding for Bradley, myself, our boys, and our family and friends; freedom from anxiety, fear, and worry - Philippians 4:6-7
4. A speedy recovery - managing pain, physical healing of his body
5. That I receive a supernatural spirit of service for my family during the recovery time (Bradley will not be able to lift more than 3 pounds or drive for 2 months)
6. That our sons, Cade and Blake, may adjust to their time away from us and that they may somehow come to know Jesus through this
7. That above all else, God's will be done in this and through this!!
I just realized that I haven't really specifically posted what is going to be done during this surgery, so if you're interested, this is for free. :) During the surgery, they are going to 1) widen an area of obstruction that is causing the high pressures, 2) do a procedure called an ablation that will help with his atrial flutter, and 3) possibly extract his pacemaker leads or add a second set of leads. It's not likely that they'll have to do much with the leads.
If you would like more information about visitation or anything else, feel free to email me - safer505@gmail.com
Thank you for reading this and for your prayers.
In Him,
Ashley
March 29, 2011
Surgery Rescheduled
Wednesday night (March 23rd), we got a call from the surgeon saying that he had come down with a fever and his cough had gotten worse and therefore could not do Bradley's surgery the next day. We were disappointed at first, but realized it was for the best. We definitely don't want a sick surgeon performing an 8-10 hour surgery. It's been rescheduled for Monday, April 4th.
While it threw a kink in our plans, God knew the surgery wouldn't be on the 24th, so we're trusting in His timing. Please continue to pray for the surgery and recovery time. I intend to post a detailed prayer request list if you feel led to pray for us in that way. On the day of the surgery and in the days following, I will try my best to update Bradley's condition on here, our Facebook pages, and on Twitter.
Above all, God gets the glory!
In Him,
Ashley
While it threw a kink in our plans, God knew the surgery wouldn't be on the 24th, so we're trusting in His timing. Please continue to pray for the surgery and recovery time. I intend to post a detailed prayer request list if you feel led to pray for us in that way. On the day of the surgery and in the days following, I will try my best to update Bradley's condition on here, our Facebook pages, and on Twitter.
Above all, God gets the glory!
In Him,
Ashley
February 15, 2011
Surgery Date!
We finally have a day for surgery set - March 24th! It's not as early as what we had hoped for, but at least we have a date now. On March 3rd, we'll be meeting with the surgeon, Dr. Forbess, to discuss the surgery and will hopefully have all our questions answered.
If you feel led to pray for us, please pray for the following:
In Him,
Ashley
If you feel led to pray for us, please pray for the following:
- That God will give the surgeons and doctors the wisdom and skill to perform the surgery and care for Bradley.
- That the surgery will be successful in lowering the pressure in his heart and lungs.
- That Bradley recovers well with no complications.
- That above all God be glorified in this.
In Him,
Ashley
February 2, 2011
Bradley's Heart Catheterization Results & Treatment
I know that there have been a lot of people that have been asking for updates on Bradley and his procedure on Monday. I'll try my best to explain it in a way that everyone can understand. (Even I have trouble understanding it all!)
The last time I posted, back in June, his cardiologist was thinking that the blood clots in his lung were causing the pulmonary hypertension. (You can read that post here.) In the time since then, Bradley has been having trouble breathing and some other heart-related symptoms. So, he had a diagnostic heart catheterization on Monday to check out exactly what's going on. We were looking for answers, and praise God, we found them.
Dr. Dimas, a pediatric cardiologist at Children's Medical Center in Dallas, did the catheterization and got precise measurements of pressure in all chambers, veins, and arteries in his heart. She determined that there is a severe obstruction or narrowing in a passageway above the tricuspid valve draining into the right ventricle, which in Bradley's heart, pumps the blood to the body. This is causing a back up and increased pressure in both the right and left atria and the pulmonary artery (a.k.a., pulmonary hypertension). This narrowing (most likely due to a baffle that was put in when he was 11 months old) can only be repaired by open-heart surgery.
While open-heart surgery is not something that gets us excited, it does mean that this problem is fixable, and that gets us very excited. Once the passageway is opened up, his lungs will hopefully heal and reverse any damage that has been done from the pulmonary hypertension. In the long run, this gives him a better chance of only requiring a heart transplant, instead of a heart and lung transplant, which is infinitely more complicated and rare. So, the results we got Monday were the best we were hoping and praying for, even though it means open-heart surgery. We're waiting to hear from the doctors about scheduling it, but I anticipate it will take place within a month or so. Also in the surgery, they will attempt to fix a spot in his heart where his atrial flutter is originating from.
I think I've covered the basics. I tried to keep it short, but I'm sure I've left out something crucial. We have had over 24 hours of information overload, so we're still trying to sort it all out. Thank you to everyone who has lifted us up in prayer the past 2 days, week, month, and longer. The outcome of his procedure could have been much worse, and we praise God that we received the news we did. Please continue to lift us up in prayer as the surgery approaches.
Also, Bradley is having a difficult time recovering from the procedure. It was only expected to be a 3-4 hour cath, but he ended up being on the table and under anesthesia for 9 hours. His body did not handle coming off the anesthesia very well (nausea), and he's still having a lot of tightness in his chest from having to lay flat for that long. Please pray for his remaining recovery. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask one of us. We'll try our best to answer. :)
The Lord is sovereign and in control of our lives. We trust in his plan and know that He is good and does good. We pray that all of you may come to know the comfort and peace that we have experienced during these trials. Love you all.
Blessings,
Ashley
The last time I posted, back in June, his cardiologist was thinking that the blood clots in his lung were causing the pulmonary hypertension. (You can read that post here.) In the time since then, Bradley has been having trouble breathing and some other heart-related symptoms. So, he had a diagnostic heart catheterization on Monday to check out exactly what's going on. We were looking for answers, and praise God, we found them.
Dr. Dimas, a pediatric cardiologist at Children's Medical Center in Dallas, did the catheterization and got precise measurements of pressure in all chambers, veins, and arteries in his heart. She determined that there is a severe obstruction or narrowing in a passageway above the tricuspid valve draining into the right ventricle, which in Bradley's heart, pumps the blood to the body. This is causing a back up and increased pressure in both the right and left atria and the pulmonary artery (a.k.a., pulmonary hypertension). This narrowing (most likely due to a baffle that was put in when he was 11 months old) can only be repaired by open-heart surgery.
While open-heart surgery is not something that gets us excited, it does mean that this problem is fixable, and that gets us very excited. Once the passageway is opened up, his lungs will hopefully heal and reverse any damage that has been done from the pulmonary hypertension. In the long run, this gives him a better chance of only requiring a heart transplant, instead of a heart and lung transplant, which is infinitely more complicated and rare. So, the results we got Monday were the best we were hoping and praying for, even though it means open-heart surgery. We're waiting to hear from the doctors about scheduling it, but I anticipate it will take place within a month or so. Also in the surgery, they will attempt to fix a spot in his heart where his atrial flutter is originating from.
I think I've covered the basics. I tried to keep it short, but I'm sure I've left out something crucial. We have had over 24 hours of information overload, so we're still trying to sort it all out. Thank you to everyone who has lifted us up in prayer the past 2 days, week, month, and longer. The outcome of his procedure could have been much worse, and we praise God that we received the news we did. Please continue to lift us up in prayer as the surgery approaches.
Also, Bradley is having a difficult time recovering from the procedure. It was only expected to be a 3-4 hour cath, but he ended up being on the table and under anesthesia for 9 hours. His body did not handle coming off the anesthesia very well (nausea), and he's still having a lot of tightness in his chest from having to lay flat for that long. Please pray for his remaining recovery. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask one of us. We'll try our best to answer. :)
The Lord is sovereign and in control of our lives. We trust in his plan and know that He is good and does good. We pray that all of you may come to know the comfort and peace that we have experienced during these trials. Love you all.
Blessings,
Ashley
June 23, 2010
Bradley's Visit with Cardiologist
Just a quick update....Yesterday, Bradley met with his cardiologist about the clots in his lung. He has 3 clots in his right lung that are causing him to be short of breath and fatigued. His doctor is hoping that by adjusting his blood-thinning medication and making his blood thinner, it will break up the clots. And it should also lower the pressure in his pulmonary artery, which is the goal in all of this testing, and will make him breathe better and feel better.
If that pressure gets low enough, then he could still have an ablation done, which was the procedure planned last week that was canceled when they discovered the high pressure. That procedure will help with his flutter that he has, but he hasn't been in flutter for 3 weeks, so that will all depend on the pressure and how he's feeling.
We were also really encouraged when his cardiologist said that if the pressure gets low enough and stays low, then he might not have to have a heart and lung transplant, but rather just a heart transplant. This was such good news to hear, because when I searched for heart/lung transplants, I read on one website that those are only done about 20 times a year in all of North America. If we can rule out a heart and lung transplant, then that would be such a praise. So, that's what we're praying for....to keep his pressure down so much that a lung transplant wouldn't need to be considered.
Overall, it was a great visit and we were really encouraged. He has to have his blood levels checked every week to make sure they are within the range required to break up those clots. To hear that this has such an easy solution was such a blessing (and that the pressure wasn't coming from something like an undiagnosed disease). Thank you for all of your prayers in this. We know and rest in the fact that God is in control!!
Blessings.
If that pressure gets low enough, then he could still have an ablation done, which was the procedure planned last week that was canceled when they discovered the high pressure. That procedure will help with his flutter that he has, but he hasn't been in flutter for 3 weeks, so that will all depend on the pressure and how he's feeling.
We were also really encouraged when his cardiologist said that if the pressure gets low enough and stays low, then he might not have to have a heart and lung transplant, but rather just a heart transplant. This was such good news to hear, because when I searched for heart/lung transplants, I read on one website that those are only done about 20 times a year in all of North America. If we can rule out a heart and lung transplant, then that would be such a praise. So, that's what we're praying for....to keep his pressure down so much that a lung transplant wouldn't need to be considered.
Overall, it was a great visit and we were really encouraged. He has to have his blood levels checked every week to make sure they are within the range required to break up those clots. To hear that this has such an easy solution was such a blessing (and that the pressure wasn't coming from something like an undiagnosed disease). Thank you for all of your prayers in this. We know and rest in the fact that God is in control!!
Blessings.
June 20, 2010
Update on Bradley/Mini-Story of His Life
I know, I know it’s been a long time, since I last posted. Give me a little grace. :) I’m writing this post about Bradley because some of you may have seen my Facebook or Twitter statuses about him lately, but don’t really know what’s going on. So, for those of you interested in his life story or just wanting an update, read on...
Bradley was born with a congenital heart defect called Transposition of the Great Arteries. For those of you who know heart stuff, it’s where the aorta and the pulmonary artery are switched and the blood in his heart can't get to his body. (If you want to look at a picture of a heart like his compared to a normal heart, click here.) When he was born, he was a blue baby (fingers, toes, lips, etc. were blue) because not enough oxygenated blood was circulating through his body. At 11 months old, he had open-heart surgery to correct his heart, using a procedure called the Mustard Procedure. (His heart now looks like this.) It was a success and he grew to be a healthy child.
He got this first pacemaker when he was 4 years old (and one day he actually died but was revived quickly - true story), and has had several replacement pacemakers, including one when we had only been married 3 months.
When he was 22, he received news from his cardiologist that he had developed congestive heart failure because of the procedure that was done when he was 11 months old. In that procedure, while they fixed the circulation problems so oxygenated blood could get to his body, they made some parts of the heart work much harder than naturally intended. The right ventricle (*corrected as Bradley pointed out) is designed to pump blood into the lungs (low pumping action), but Bradley’s is now pumping blood to his entire body (a much harder job). So because it’s working much harder than intended, his heart muscle is slowly giving out.
There are other things associated with heart failure that he deals with, like atrial flutter (where his heart beats funky and makes him really tired), fatigue, shortness of breath, ankle swelling, and other things I’m sure I’m forgetting.
Currently, he just found out this week that he has pulmonary hypertension, which is pretty much like high-blood pressure in the artery that leads to the lungs. If left untreated, it could lead to things like very difficult breathing and having to use oxygen. This week, we have been in the hospital doing tests for a procedure called an ablation that was supposed to help relieve his flutter, and they discovered that the pressure in his heart was too high to do the ablation. He did some more tests on Friday and found out that he has some blood clots in his right lung, which I think is causing the high pressure. The doctors didn’t seem too worried about it, so we’re waiting to hear from his cardiologist on Monday. (It certainly worried us...try searching “blood clots in lungs” and see what you get. Lol) It is our prayer that however they treat this, it lowers the pressure. After all, he does have 2 little boys to chase after. :)
Right now, they just plan to treat the symptoms of heart failure as they come up. The doctors say Bradley’s heart, and possibly lungs, will probably continue to decrease in function and most likely end in a heart or heart/lung transplant. But, that will probably be years and years from now, we hope. However, we know that God is sovereign over everything and is the ultimate Physician. He may allow all this to happen, or may choose to heal Bradley. While we wait, we pray for healing.
So, that makes you current with everything that’s going on with Bradley’s heart. I am amazed at how he has handled himself throughout all of this (or at least what I’ve seen the last 6 years I’ve known him). His response to being diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, “happy and hopeful.” Only someone resting securely in Christ’s hands can say that. :) (How to rest securely in Jesus)
That’s it, for now. Sorry if that was way more information than what you came for. :) I will update any new information on here when we get it. If you have any questions, please just ask and we’ll be happy to answer! Love you all.
Bradley was born with a congenital heart defect called Transposition of the Great Arteries. For those of you who know heart stuff, it’s where the aorta and the pulmonary artery are switched and the blood in his heart can't get to his body. (If you want to look at a picture of a heart like his compared to a normal heart, click here.) When he was born, he was a blue baby (fingers, toes, lips, etc. were blue) because not enough oxygenated blood was circulating through his body. At 11 months old, he had open-heart surgery to correct his heart, using a procedure called the Mustard Procedure. (His heart now looks like this.) It was a success and he grew to be a healthy child.
He got this first pacemaker when he was 4 years old (and one day he actually died but was revived quickly - true story), and has had several replacement pacemakers, including one when we had only been married 3 months.
When he was 22, he received news from his cardiologist that he had developed congestive heart failure because of the procedure that was done when he was 11 months old. In that procedure, while they fixed the circulation problems so oxygenated blood could get to his body, they made some parts of the heart work much harder than naturally intended. The right ventricle (*corrected as Bradley pointed out) is designed to pump blood into the lungs (low pumping action), but Bradley’s is now pumping blood to his entire body (a much harder job). So because it’s working much harder than intended, his heart muscle is slowly giving out.
There are other things associated with heart failure that he deals with, like atrial flutter (where his heart beats funky and makes him really tired), fatigue, shortness of breath, ankle swelling, and other things I’m sure I’m forgetting.
Currently, he just found out this week that he has pulmonary hypertension, which is pretty much like high-blood pressure in the artery that leads to the lungs. If left untreated, it could lead to things like very difficult breathing and having to use oxygen. This week, we have been in the hospital doing tests for a procedure called an ablation that was supposed to help relieve his flutter, and they discovered that the pressure in his heart was too high to do the ablation. He did some more tests on Friday and found out that he has some blood clots in his right lung, which I think is causing the high pressure. The doctors didn’t seem too worried about it, so we’re waiting to hear from his cardiologist on Monday. (It certainly worried us...try searching “blood clots in lungs” and see what you get. Lol) It is our prayer that however they treat this, it lowers the pressure. After all, he does have 2 little boys to chase after. :)
Right now, they just plan to treat the symptoms of heart failure as they come up. The doctors say Bradley’s heart, and possibly lungs, will probably continue to decrease in function and most likely end in a heart or heart/lung transplant. But, that will probably be years and years from now, we hope. However, we know that God is sovereign over everything and is the ultimate Physician. He may allow all this to happen, or may choose to heal Bradley. While we wait, we pray for healing.
So, that makes you current with everything that’s going on with Bradley’s heart. I am amazed at how he has handled himself throughout all of this (or at least what I’ve seen the last 6 years I’ve known him). His response to being diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, “happy and hopeful.” Only someone resting securely in Christ’s hands can say that. :) (How to rest securely in Jesus)
That’s it, for now. Sorry if that was way more information than what you came for. :) I will update any new information on here when we get it. If you have any questions, please just ask and we’ll be happy to answer! Love you all.
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