Please Pray for Jake
Saturday, August 2, 2008 at 09:51PM Jake said it was OK for me to share this prayer request with all of you.
As many of you know, our son, Jake, was born with multiple, major heart defects. He has had two open heart surgeries and many other procedures over the years and in all these things, God has been so merciful. Jake has been in some pretty difficult spots, but always God has intervened for him at just the right time.
Over the past few weeks, Jake has been going through some routine (well, routine for him) tests as a part of his regular recall appointment. We are seeing a new doctor, so he wanted to get a thorough baseline for him.
When the results from his holter monitor came in this week, it was discovered that Jake's heart rate is falling into the 20's when he is deeply asleep and he is having multiple pauses between 3-5 seconds in duration. This is not good. He went to see the cardiologist again on Thursday, who sent him to an electro-physiologist on Friday (the wonderful Doctor I went to in April for my ablation) who put him in the hospital Friday night for observation. He will be transferred to Children's Hospital in Chicago where he will undergo an MRI and then they will implant a pacemaker and defibrillator. The MRI has to be done before the pacemaker, because once that's implanted, there will be no more MRI's for Jake.
Every thing with Jake is extra risky and a little trickier because of the structural changes that have been made to his heart tissues, so we greatly desire your prayers for Jake over the next week or so.
I will most likely be away from my computer during this entire time, as I will be staying at the hospital with Jake. I may be able to get some updates to you through my dear friend, Dorothy.
Thank you, my dear readers, for the friendship you have extended to me (and my family) through this blog. I'm grateful for each and every one of you.
Reader Comments (28)
Oh Kim. You KNOW that we will be praying not only for Jake's healing, but for strength for you as well. :)
Oh my. Yes, prayers forthcoming.
Oh, my. I didn't know. You're all in my prayers...
Continuing to pray, Kim, for Jake and all of you. May God's lovingkindness sustain and uphold you throughout the week.
I didn't know about Jakes heart history. I will certainly pray for him and you this week and whenever else God lays you on my heart.
Wow, I had no idea about Jake's history. Thanks for sharing this request. I will be praying you both this week.
Definitely, friend. I will look for updates from Dorothy.
Praying for you all, my dear friend! I love you!
I will definitely be keeping you, Jake and your family in my prayers. Wishing you God's peace throughout this time.
We will pray. May the Lord bless and strengthen Jake and all of the rest of the family.
Thank you for sharing your burden of concern -it is a privilege to pray for your family and son.
As usual I'm late but will remember you and your son, much love.
Praying for you and for Jake today, Kim!
I am PRAYING for him. Yes.
Thank you all so much for your prayers! I just noticed that a post I had in draft on intercessory prayer--A Call to Prayer, by JC Ryle--providentially published just in time for our need for prayer!
I will have limited internet access while I am here. The browsers on the laptops here at the Hospital aren't compatible with Squarespace Log in, so I can't post new entries, but I can update you all here on this post.
Jake is now at Childrens Hospital in Chicago. We came here thinking he'd be having his pacemaker installed today, but instead, today will be a day of testing. He's already had multiple ECG's, an hour long echocardiogram, chest xrays--the usual stuff for diagnostic purposes. He will probably have an MRI today.
Jake's spirits are very good. He's not looking forward to the procedure, but he understands the need and, so, is accepting that he needs it.
We are all doing fine; tired, but calm and trusting in the excellent doctors and staff of Children's Hospital and most especially trusting in God's sovereign plan for Jake's life and ours.
I'll update here on this post as I have opportunity and as things change.
Again, thank you all so much for your continuing prayers on Jake's behalf. We are grateful for the prayers of the saints.
Looks like the MRI will be tomorrow. Things go fast in the hospital and they go slow. Time is definitely a different animal in the hospital ward. Jake is doing well.
I'll try to update when I get an opportunity to jump on a computer in the family center--a very busy place as you can imagine.
Oh Kim -..... just back from holidays. Thankyou for your kind comment.
Thinking and praying for you all and especially for Jake's health.
Oh, Kim, I will pray. May Lord strengthen and sustain Jake (and his mom).
I got up early this morning and got first dibs on the laptop, so I can give you all an update:
The plan is as follows:
MRI this afternoon.
Nothing so far on Wednesday.
Dr. W (miraculously) has time, an operating room, and a support staff on Thursday to do a cath and an EP study on Jake. These are done at the same time. The cath will give them information about the heart structures as well as internal pressures in all the chambers, information about his outflow obstruction, etc. The EP study will be like mine. It is very unlikely that he would be a candidate for an ablation but not impossible. Even so, that would only address the atrial arrhythmia; he would still have to have the pacemaker because that originates in the ventricle and with the change in the right ventricle's "job" and the toll that has taken already, the right ventricle is not a candidate for an ablation. She will "put Jake's heart through the paces" trying to get it to do what it does in the night (all in a controlled environment, of course) If she is easily able to reproduce the pauses, she will NOT allow him to leave the hospital without a pacemaker because the the great risk for sudden death, even though he is assymptomatic and looks good clinically. If she has a hard time stimulating it into those rhythms, then she MIGHT consider sending him home until it can be scheduled. She, personally, could place the pacemaker on Friday once a decision is reached about which kind he needs, but she also has to put together an operatory and support team, so it all depends on what and who is available.
That's the upshot of what is going on. Personally, I got the impression that she is leaning towards the pacemaker plus defib. She said that as the right ventricle continues to be asked to do the work of the left ventricle, they are finding that as these patients get older, many eventually need it, so that is a consideration.
Jake is doing just fine. He is accepting that he really DOES need a pacemaker.
I'll try to update you here when I have access to a computer. I may go home for a while tomorrow since there's not much going on tomorrow at this point. We'll see what happens.
For now, I'd just like to thank you all for your prayers, your emails, and your friendship. Jake thanks you, too!
Jake got through his MRI today, even though he has EXTREME claustrophobia. He was dreading that more than the cath or the pacemaker surgical implant! It took over 2 hours in the machine, but they think they got everything they need. He won't be able to have another one once the pacemaker is implanted. I think that was how he got through the procedure today! : D
Thanks for your continued prayers! It means so much to us all,
K