Last Appointment, Baby Dedication, and Tomorrow's Appt.

I finally learned how to transfer pictures from my cell phone to my website, YEAH!!! Taryn was nearing the end of her hospital stay in this one, but I just had to post, because we spent lots of time driving this car around the halls.
April 16th highlight of our return to Vandy Children's was finally getting to meet CHAMP, the hospital mascot. Taryn was all about Champ until I got her out of the stroller, and she wanted no part of Champ, then.
Grammy spoiling me with extra butter at the Cheesecake Factory; we were cracking up, because we haven't been to a meal with 2 adults and 1 child to spoil in a very long time. Grammy was saying people around us, probably thought she was the 1st and only grandchild.
Beautiful Baby Dedication

Okay, I have been a very bad blogger, and I am not even going to use the Mom of 4 kids excuse, so here is a quick update about what has been going on the last couple of weeks. On April 16th we received an awesome report from the Infectious Disease team that we could finish the PIC line Penicillin that evening, and they would remove the PIC line the next day as long as the Plastic Surgery team didn't need the PIC line access. So, we got the PIC line out on the 17th, and it is bitter sweet, but we don't have to see Dr. Williams and the team anymore.

Dr. Shack, the Attending Plastic Surgeon, was very pleased with Taryn's left foot, and he wanted us to continue the dressing changes, and give Taryn's body 2 more weeks to heal before he reevaluates. He said he would definitely be scheduling her for outpatient surgery at some point to "clean up her foot", but he is trying to be as conservative as possible. Taryn has adjusted she just holds her big toe up when she walks. She has a pretty good fall about once a day, because the big toe has alot to do with balance. We give her Motrin for the pain, and she is now sleeping better for the most part. We will leave in the morning to see Dr. Shack in Nashville. Please, pray that we will get a good report, and the Lord will heal her Piggy Toes!!!!

Sunday was a wonderful, blessed time for our family. We started out the day worshipping with my sister and brother-in-law at their church, Macedonia Baptist in Kuttawa, KY. They dedicated their children, Tristan (big sis), Thomas Ray and Taylor Lynn (brother/sis twins) in their church's 1st annual Child/Baby Dedication service. Then our family came to our church, Hardin Baptist, for the evening Baby Dedication service in which Taryn was dedicated to the Lord. Many times when Taryn was so critically sick I thought of Hannah, and how she must of felt about Samuel, and her promise to God if He gave her a child. Dave and I could not make it through the service without several teary moments. The Lord is Good, and I thank Him for letting us still have Taryn with us.

I am also asking special prayer for Gunner Gillespie and his family. Many of you know his story. Even though we have actually never officially met, our family is touched by their dedication to the Lord to carry them through this very difficult time in their lives. Pray that Gunner is Tumor-free, and they will rest this evening while they are awaiting to hear the results of his MRI that will be available tomorrow. Their website is http://www.gunnergillespie.com/

We've Been Home Over a Week

1st night at home and Bubba wouldn't leave my side
Having too much fun with Tylee

My favorite pose "Big Kissy Lips"

Hey Guys,

It is hard to believe that we have been home from the hospital a full week. Taryn is doing great!!! She still has an occasional low grade fever, possibly from her feet. We think she may be in the healthcare profession when she grows up, because she loves to play with the medical cart and pretend to hook herself up to a cardiac monitor. You would think after all she has been through that she would want no part of that. She is still anti-scrubs; she did not like her homehealth visit from the Physical Therapist, but the great news is she doesn't require any physical therapy. She is doing great with her PIC Line and IV antibiotics; she never bothers it, except to try and help us flush the line.(not real safe for an 18mth old) She looks so halarious running around with her little fanny pack of drugs. Dave now has another profession: nursing. I've taught him well, and we have been alternating nights, so Mama can sleep a few hours, too. We also were finally able to celebrate Tylee's 3rd Birthday at Grammy and Papa Ted's last Sunday night, and she just informed me she wanted to celebrate again tonight, so we did use her left over party plates for supper. I am also including some pictures of Taylen after she had just performed at the Kentucky Opry on 03/08/08. She already had plans to spend the night with her good friend Abby H., so she wasn't able to be at Tylee's party.

Please keep praying for Taryn's toes. We leave early Tues. am for appointments with her doctors on Tues and Wed. She really cries during the dressing changes, and we pray that we will continue to get good reports about her lungs and toes next week.

I just love Stephen Curtis Chapman's song, "Cinderella" It reminds me of how quickly our children are growing up, and they will soon be gone. Midnight can strike any of our families at anytime; I still just Thank the Lord for His Miracle of Life!!! When I look in Taryn's face I see God and the prayers He answered for us. We can take all of our concerns to Him, because He understands!! A sweet family sent us a card that said "He understands your pain, because He watched His own Son suffer", oh there is not even a comparsion of what Taryn went through compared to Jesus, oh how thankful I am for serving such an understanding God!

PS: I tried to load the song, but I am not too techno savvy, and my disc drive is giving trouble, so any expert bloggers out there I could use some help in the music area. Also, check out the two posts below this for more pics; they all wouldn't fit in one post.

In Christ,

Traci

Photos Cont.

Our 3 year old Birthday Princess
A very excited Birthday Girl
Happy about eating all that cake
I have enjoyed reading all my get well cards, and please be patient with Mommy she is trying to work on all the Thank you notes.
The Birthday party crew

Taylen receiving her check at the Opry "You go Girl!"
Posing for Mom afterwards
God is Amazing!!! 4 weeks ago today we took Taryn to the ER at Murray. She is sporting her IV Pencillin fanny pack with her Dora gown and she obviously just finished her raisins, notice her box in the floor.

Thanks to All...

Hello again everybody,
We have been home 6 days now and I would like to say we're sorry for just now blogging to everyone. It has been very hectic since Taryn came home, but we are very happy to be home. I have been working extra long hours at the new Outdoor Store to try and catch up and Traci has been dealing with keeping the IV antibiotics going for Taryn and trying to catch up around the house. Traci and I have been switching up every other night staying up to start and stop the IV medicines that the doctors have Taryn on. All-in-all, everything is wonderful because we are at the place we love, HOME!!!
I wanted to say a special thank you to all the doctors, nurses and staff at both Vanderbilt and Murray Calloway County Hospitals for all the hard work they all did to help get Taryn back to our family. We all know that God was the reason that Taryn's life was spared, but God is the one who gave everyone who worked on Taryn or worked with us the ability to do what they do. Our words will never be able to say or mean what our hearts feel because there are not enough words to thank everyone for their prayers, thoughts, hard work, and phine calls. It has been overwhelming to me the number of people I don't even know who come up to me and ask how Taryn is doing. WOW!!! THANKS AGAIN FROM OUR ENTIRE FAMILY TO EVERYONE, WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU ALL.
We will hopefully start to see everything get a little more back to normal over the next few weeks and it looks like Taryn will make a full recovery. God Bless Everyone, Dave

Home Sweet Home

Hello everyone,
We have not updated since Taryn came home Friday night. it has been pretty hectic and we have just enjoyed being at home. We are at Teddy and Teresa's house having a Tylee birthday party and a Taryn welcome home party. It is really amazing to watch Taryn walking around and laughing. God truly is awesome and His mercy is wonderful. It is also overwhelming when I sit here and see Taryn and realize that i am not dreaming. She is still with us after all we have been through. Let me just say that it is easy to try and be a "tough guy" and be strong but emotionally it is a true rollercoaster ride. God has truly changed our entire family's lives and He has opened up a new way to look at life. Life is about our relationship with Christ and it is also about FAMILY. Our family is returning to normal with kids screaming, laughing and playing. What a joyous sound to hear Taryn joining in the fun of being loud and happy. Thank you all so much for the hugs and tears at churc
h this morning. It is very nice to be home-sweet-home. Love ya'll, Dave

We are Coming Home!!!

Well, this day just keeps getting better. We just received clearance from all four of our teams, and we should be home tonight!!! We actually are going to be waiting on Daddy and Tycen to pick us up, because the discharge orders have just been completed, but they are on their way.
We are supposed to meet our home health nurse to start IV infusion between 8 and 9 pm tonight. Thank you all so much for all of the prayers, calls, visits, cards, gifts, and more!!!
We can't began to name each one of you, because during this roller coaster ride; we would surely leave someone out. It is hard to believe that less than 3 weeks ago our child was brink of passing away. As a mother it is hard to even say those words, but the Lord has given her back to us. Don't ever stop praying or trusting, because HE IS LORD!!! We are going to keep this blog open, because Taryn still has several follow up appointments with her illness, and then we will probably make this into our family blog. Thank you for taking this journey with us. We love each and everyone of you, and if there is ever anything we can do to help you in anyway including your prayer requests, please let us know!

The Power of Hope "Happy is he. . . whose hope is in the Lord his God." Psalm 146:5
The Lord will sustain us through life's trials. Hope tells us there is a day coming when we will know perfect and unending peace, joy, and happiness. Hope is not just wishful thinking. God can do and will do what He promises. (from book Promises of Comfort)

With much gratitude,
In Christ,
Traci

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

"Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to GOD with cries of joy." Psalms 47:1
One of the Surgical fellows just came and said the chest XRAY looked much, much better, and they would not be doing surgery, today!!! Of course, he has to sign off with the attending, Dr. Jensen, but I don't think he would come in here, and say we are not doing surgery unless, he wants to be body slammed, just kidding ha ha. I think that he thinks I am a crazy Mama anyway. I actually had drifted back to sleep between my last post, and he popped in, and gave me the good news. Of Course, I did a "Taylen Henry" said, "Yes!" with a little dancing.
2 Samuel 6:14 says, "David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, v. 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets." Dancing with Praises to our Father; who again has answered our prayers. Tera, I didn't have my linen ephod on, but I can move pretty good in my "Walmarks" jogging suit. I know I shouldn't have dressed up for the occasion, but I am about to wear my Walgreens clothes out, HA HA

Love you guys,
Traci
Dancing with JOY to the LORD

No Fear!!!

Well, they just came about 15 mintues ago, and did the big pictures. We told the XRay guy to take his big magic picture machine, and zap that fluid right out of that lung; he said he would definitely try. He was so sweet to Taryn. I always get a little nervous this time of morning, until we hear from the surgical team, but I turned on the computer, and notice in the top right corner the verse of the day. God always knows just what we need to hear, so I ask you to please continue to PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, but also, we can have NO FEAR of the outcome today, because we know HIS PLAN IS PERFECT!!! Well, I can't stay on this computer, because I have 2 big brown eyes staring at me right now, so it is Cuddle Time!! By the way Auntie Kerrie she looks great in her new Dora PJs; we had to try them out after the big bath yesterday afternoon.

Trusting in Him,
Traci

Praise the Lord for Fits, Feet, no Fevers, and Friends

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Well, my dear, sweet husband left this morning to go home and get ready for the Grand Opening at the new store in Calvert, and I have to say we both were sniffing back the tears. There is just something about these April showers; well, our May flowers came a little early today. Praise report includes: Taryn drank 5 ounces of chocolate milk this evening, lots of snacking, no FEVER for 24 hours, and she is getting extremely active now. You know as a Mom you cringe when you child throws a big hissy FIT in church, Wal-Mart, etc. Well, we had 3 good FITS today, and since that is "normal" 18 month old behavior, I praise the Lord and welcome those fits. Tycen, she also has been everywhere with her "trailer". (That is what Tycen called his IV pole when he was in the hospital at this age) Tylee, Tate, and Taylen--she finally got to visit the neat train on 2nd floor that you all love to play with. We had another visit from our plastic surgeon team today about her FEET, and they reassure us that she is only going to lose the big toenail when all of her "shedding" is finished. Dave and I think that will give her a unique way to share the gospel when she is older and wearing all those cute sandals.

We also had the precious blessing of going to visit two of our FRIENDS from critical care, Mrs. Danielle and Mrs. Carolyn. They were so excited to see her smiling. Mrs. Carolyn kept smiling at her, and saying she is so tiny. Mrs. Carolyn and Mrs. Danielle were Taryn's nurses the 1st few days she was here at Vandy, and with all the medicine they were giving her she was definitely Mega Baby. I think Dave said she reminded him of Tatoo off the old TV show, Fantasy Island.

Highlight for the day: I got to give her an actual tub bath, and she loved it. It is just in a Mama's nature to scrub their baby and rub on all that good Baby Magic lotion. She got a little wild in the tub, and even though we had wrapped and taped her arm with a plastic bag; she managed to get water down inside. I was little nervous that we had gotten her PIC line dressing wet, but thank goodness it was just the outer bandage.

I just want to say that all of us have been blessed by the Lord with Taryn's miraclous healing; the journey is not over yet. We are requesting specific prayer that her am chest xray will be clear, so PRAY, PRAY, PRAY. If it is, than no surgery tomorrow afternoon. I will try and update briefly after I hear from the surgical team.

We have been granted a second chance with Taryn from God. When you tuck your kids in or send them off to school; never take for granted one single moment of their lives, because life is soooo precious, and it can be taken so quickly. But, you know what? He has given all of us a second chance. John 3:16 says, "For God so Loved the World that HE gave HIS only begotten Son that whoever believes in HIM shall not perish but have everlasting life." This verse is so precious it is the 1st verse that our kids learned, and I had the precious opportunity of Jonas Melber reciting it for me the other day. I can't imagine not being in heaven with any of my dear friends or family, and all of us have someone that we can pray accepts this Second chance the Lord has given all of us. So, my prayer is this: we will all share with family, friends, and strangers, about our 2nd chance!!!

I love you all and Goodnight!
In Christ,
Traci

Taryn update

Hey everyone,
Sorry it has been a while since I last updated. I left Nashville this morning and drove home to Benton. I went straight to work and did not have a chance to get behind the computer to update you all. I just talked to Traci and she was in the process of updating the blog for today's events.
I miss Traci and Taryn and worry about them being there without me, but they are in very good hands. It has been nice to spend some quality time here at the house tonight with Tycen, Taylen and Tylee. They miss their mom and lil' sis very much and I think we will all just pile in the same bed tonight and snuggle. Traci has big shoes to fill by taking my place as the "ultimate blogger". (Good luck hun!!!) :-)
To Traci and Taryn: I miss you very much and love both of you. God has blessed me with two wonderful ladies and I can't wait to see you both Saturday. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

It is 12:40 p.m. and Taryn just got back from physical and occupational therapy. She did a good job walking after she got warmed up. The surgeons came in and the fluid had not gotten any better or worse. They have elected to take xrays again Friday morning to see how it is then. They really don't want to do the surgery unless absolutely necessary. Traci and I were fine with that decision and God is really teaching us the value of patience. Please pray over the next few days for the fluid in her lungs to get better.
I will be going home to Kentucky Thursday-Saturday for our grand opening at our new outdoor store. I really hate to leave Traci and Taryn here because it is hard work for Traci by herself. However, if they decide to do the surgery Friday, I will drive back down Friday for her surgery. I am looking forward to seeing Tycen, Taylen, and Tylee and seeing my friends and family back home. I wish we were all three going home, but Taryn will be here for a little while longer.
If any of you get a chance please comment on the blogs, Traci really loves reading them and hearing from everyone and maybe that will help pass the time while I am away. All-in-all, not great news, but not bad news either.
This morning while I was reading, I came across a verse from Isaiah 41:10:

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God, I will strenghthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

I know that God will take care of them when I am gone. Please pray for Traci and Taryn to be comforted for the next few days. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Good morning,
I don't have much to update yet this morning. We are still waiting to hear from the surgeons about the fluid. They came in at 5 a.m. and did the chest xray, but they said it would be late morning before we talk to the doctors. They just got done with her chest therapy and we will be going to physical therapy soon.
Dad (me) got a nice surprise this morning when Frank Wychek, the former tight end for the Tennessee Titans called my cell phone and said that he and his family have been praying for Taryn. My brother, Mike, knows him through a radio show here in Nashville. Celesa Cunningham should have been here so she could have spoken with him(she is a huge Titans fan). It is nice to know that people everywhere, even people we don't personally know, are praying for our family. God has truly blessed us through prayer from all over the place.
I will keep you all updated as soon as we talk to the doctors. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

We are fixing to lay Taryn down for the night and she has had a good time playing before bed. She has to have an xray at 5 a.m. in the morning to check the fluid in her lungs. Traci and I are also a little sad because tommorrow is Tylee's three year birthday. We both want to be home with her and celebrate with her, but for now we will be here in Nashville. Tylee is with Grammy, Papa Ted and Tate and I'm sure she will have a fun day tommorrow. We miss all of our kids when we are away and we know they understand. Hopefully, Taryn will give big sis a big birthday surprise and not have to have surgery!!!
Please know that Traci and I really do appreciate each and every one of you all. We miss you guys and we will be home soon. Good night and God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Sorry for the delay today,
We have been waiting all day to find out about the new fluid in Taryn's lungs. They did an ultrasound earlier and the surgeons just came by to let us know that they are going to do another xray in the morning to see if it is getting worse. If it is getting worse they will do surgery on her tommorrow. If it is getting better, we should be in good shape with just IV pencillin. If it stays the same, then we will have to decide what to do. If they do the surgery, Taryn could possibly be back on the ventilator for a couple days in the PCCU unit. Please pray very hard that the xrays tomorrow show that it is getting better. It will be a very stressful wait tonight and tommorrow, but we are being comforted by God through all of this. We are so glad to be where we are today rather than where we were two weeks ago.
On a negative, turned positive note: the PIC line they put in yeaterday quit working about 11 o'clock this morning. We were very afraid they were going to take her back down and fix it. However, they were able to fix it here in the room. The positive that came out of all the PIC line incident was that Taryn was not able to receive any IV fluids or foods from 11 a.m. until just a few minutes ago. Therefore, she is very hungry and is eating the first solid foods she has eaten since getting here(she did eat a few puffs late last night and drank a little milk Saturday, but this is the first time she has been asking for food.). We love how God turns a negative intoa positive!!!
I will update everyone later if we hear anything else tonight. Please keep those prayers coming!!!! God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Good morning,
Taryn slept pretty well last night and she is still sleeping this morning. The surgeons already came in this morning and they are sending her down for an ultrasound before they determine which procedure to administer. We will not know anything for a while this morning so I'm sure it will be a stressful wait. The surgeons I talked with this morning said that the procedure should get rid of all the fluid and Taryn should feel much better after it is over.
We will keep you posted later this morning, but please keep those prayers coming, we really need them.
God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Hey there everybody,
Taryn is downstairs with Traci getting some more x-rays of her lungs and chest. They have not told us yet what they are going to do. If the fluid has to come off, they will do a surgical procedure tomorrow and remove the fluid. We were upset to hear that Taryn might have to go through another procedure, but we are glad that the doctors found it while we were still here.
Please be in prayer tonight for Taryn and the tests they have run. Taryn has been a fighter and I know she will continue to battle this sickness and get to come home to Benton. She is truly an inspiration to me and I hope I can be as tough as she has been through all of this.
We hope everyone has a good night and thanks for all of your prayers. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Hey everyone,
The PIC line is in and everything went fine, however, the doctors found some new fluid on Taryn's left side. This is possibly the cause for the fever and high resp rate. They are taking her downstairs right now for an x-ray to see how much fluid is in her lung. If there is very much fluid, they will have to do a surgical procedure to extract the fluid. This secondary pneumonia is very pesky and they want to jump on it as soon as they can. Please pray for the x-ray to come back negative for new fluid. This is a speed bump that will set us back a couple of days, but hopefully they have caught it in time. We are praying that they don't have to put another chest tube in.
We have to remember that God knows what He is doing and He has a plan for Tary. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Good morning everybody,
It is day 14 on our journey with Miss Taryn and the doctors came by this morning and have told us that they will do the PIC line procedure at two o'clock this afternoon. They feel like she has progressed enough over the weekend and she will do fine. Please be in prayer about this procedure. They will come get her at about 1 o'clock and we will get to go with her until they put her to sleep. The procedure will take about an hour and a half or two hours. Then we will get to go back in with her in the recovery room. This is not a major procedure but it is sure not a minor one either.
Taryn got a wonderful surprise yeasterday afternoon when Dr. Smith(Taryn's attending in the PCCU) came by and saw her. They played for over an hour and she really does love Dr. Smith. Traci and I were talking and it is weird how Taryn has not interacted with any of the doctors or nurses except Dr.Smith. It is like Taryn knows how important Dr. Smith was to her when she got here and how much she has done for her since she has been here. Dr. Smith is the doctor I blogged about last week that came in every morning and prayed with Taryn in the PCCU and she has been so special to our family. Dr. Smith also gives Traci and I a comfort that everything is going fine and Taryn truly is proof that God is the almighty healer.
Please be in specific prayer that the PIC line procedure goes smoothly and God will comfort her during the several hours away from mom and dad. Dr. Krause, one of Taryn's doctors, wants to see her fever come down and wants her breathing to slow down before he will consider releasing her. He won't give us a time frame because it is hard to say how she will do over the next few days.
Thanks to all of you who are praying for Taryn and those of you who have been keeping up with her progress. God Bless, Dave

P.S.- I will give you guys an update this afternoon about the PIC procedure.

Taryn update

Hello again,
It is Sunday and we have had a long day with physical therapy and occupational therapy. They took Taryn down to their physical therapy play room and worked with her for almost two hours. Needless to say, she was exhausted. Tycen, Taylen and Tylee got to help out and Taryn did alot better for them with her brother and sisters by her side. Her resp per minute are still high but she seems much happier since the kids were here with her. Taryn needs to start eating and drinking on her own so they can take the feeding tube out.
We got a big surprise when Coach Monty, Chandler, Chaney and Shelby drove down from Benton to see all of us. It was good therapy for everyone to get to hang out with friends and just sit around talking. Kim Sullivan just came in and she informed me that I was in big trouble for not blogging yet. So, I will try to do a better job keeping you all up to date on the blog. Teresa and the kids just left to go home and it was a blessing to have Teresa here the last few days.
Please pray specifically for Taryn to start eating on her own and that her resp rate will come down so she can receive her PIC line. We are very glad that Taryn is doing better but we sure are ready to get out of here. Thanks for all the prayers and concerns and we love all of you very much. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Hello everybody,
Well the good Lord knows exactly what Taryn needed. I took Tycen, Taylen and Tylee to Tycen's baseball tournament in Paris, TN and in the first inning it started to rain and they cancelled the rest of the games for today. Me and the kids decided to drive to Nashville and surprise Traci and Taryn. They were very surprised!!! This was the first time that Tylee and Taryn have gotten to see each other in two weeks. Immediately a smile came to Taryn's face. She has not done that in a long, long time. We took them on a wagon ride and went down to the family room. We got to chasing bubbles and Taryn starting belly laughing!!! She kept on laughing and laughing and laughing. Teresa, Traci and I could not help but cry because we were so happy to see her laughing. The therapists have been very worried that Taryn was suffering from depression or something and this was the first time she has laughed. Oh what a moment (I did get lots of videos on my cell phone).
Her breathing remains high but they are going to start her on some medication that will hopefully help her. They think she is having drug withdrawls from all the antibiotics and morphine she was on for so long. Her fever remains in tact and they think it is just from the pneumonia still in her lungs. The kids and I will stay here for tonight and they will ride back to Benton with Grammy (Teresa) tomorrow.
I would like to thank Teddy and Aunt Tana for keeping Tate so Teresa could come be with Traci and Taryn last night. It made me feel so much better to know they were not here alone. Talk to ya'll later. God Bless, Dave

Dad working hard at the hospital :)

It's exhausting to be confined in a hospital room.....
especially after a hard game of solitare!

Pics from our journey

First time sitting alone in over a week!! I know, my hair needs a little work. Mommy and Daddy are just excited that I am sitting up!

First steps on my own!!! Praising God for being able to keep my toes :)

Loving having my mommy read me a book!

My first wagon ride. When I was in the PICU, Mommy and Daddy saw another little one in a red wagon. Right then they asked the Lord if soon they might be able to take me on a spin. I am a miracle!

Photos from the last 10 days

Mommy and me in the PICU. I looked kinda bad, but as you can see, God was using the doctors and nurses and lots of equipment to keep my body going.

Although this is blurry, this is a glimpse of what my toes looked like. The doctors and nurses had a grim prognosis for my toes, but Mommy and Daddy and all my friends know that God is bigger than a prognosis.

Taryn update

Good afternoon,
Well, Taryn still has a high resp rate and a low grade fever. It has been very hard for her to rest with all the doctors, nurses, and therapists coming in. I'll try to give you a run down on one of Taryn's days: she has three infectous disease doctors every morning, the PIC doctors, intern, resident and attending doctors, three nurses, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a respratory therapist, plastic surgeons, a pediatric IV team,someone to take her blood pressure and some dude that does chest x-rays. Each one of these staff members comes by throughout the day and several of them are there multiple times a day.
The PIC team is going to check her on Monday to see if she is strong enough for them to put her PIC line in her arm. Taryn will receive IV medicines through this line for about 4 weeks after we are home.
Speaking of home, I drove home this afternoon to surprise Tycen, Taylen, and Tylee. I wanted to make sure they know how much Traci and I miss them. Tycen has a baseball tournament this weekend in Paris, TN and I wanted him to be able to relax and have fun playing baseball with his buddies. Teresa (Traci's mom) drove down this evening to spend the night with Traci and Taryn at the hospital. Me and the other kids will be back there tommorrow night after Tycen's games. They are very excited to be going to mom and little sis'.
Please continue to pray for Taryn's breathing and fever and pray that she will be able to rest this weekend. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Good morning,
We are on day 10 and we are hanging in there. Taryn had a decent night last night except for that pesky resp rate. Her lungs are still very weak and they think they are getting better but they are watching her very closely. Traci and I got a little sleep last night while Auntie Tera stayed here in the room with Taryn and it sounds like they had a blast. We are specifically praying for her resps per minuted to dramatically decrease. Traci is holding up pretty well but I can tell this has taken a toll on her mentally, physically and emotionally. Traci is such a strong woman and I think God for blessing our family with such a good mom, wife, and best friend.
Please be in prayer for Tera Melber as she is on her way home today. Hopefully, all of her kids are in one piece(they have been staying with David and I'm sure they have been eating really healthy). Their 9 year old daughter, Maritess, is celebrating her "gotcha day" from the Phillipines three years ago. We want to tell Maritess congratulations and we love you very much.
I will try to give you the low down after the doctors come by, but for now, we're just hanging out and watching Barney. (I never thought I would love Barney so much. It is truly a blessing to see her watching the big purple dinosaur.) God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Good afternoon again,
Well I just wanted to share the fun time that Taryn just had. We got to go on our first wagon ride around the 7th floor. Traci and Auntie Tera got her all fixed up with her portable monitor and stuff while I was snoozin on the couch. It was very nice to see her just kinda hanging out in the wagon. The nurses did not let her stay out of her room long, but it was fun while it lasted. I remember very well when Traci and I longed to take her on a wagon ride here at the hospital and we did not know if we would ever get to. Oh how wonderful God has been to Taryn. She is truly a miracle and is doing better. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Good afternoon everybody,
Today has gone pretty well. Taryn has rested a little bit, but it is hard for her to rest because of all the doctors and nurses coming in. They are taking good care of her, however, she is not seeing it that way. Taryn's EKG came back fine and they did a kidney screen which was also fine.
Mrs. Abby and Mrs. Shelly from our church came down and spent some time with us. "Auntie" Tera has been wonderful as usual and she will flat keep the nurses straight. Traci is adjusting to the floor better and we hope things will settle down. We did find out that our baby doll will keep ALL TEN TOES!!!! AMEN!! Another prayer answered. The plastic surgeons came by and said that she would loose a couple of toe nails but all "digits"(toes) would be able to survive.
Taryn's breathing remains faster than they would like but they hope it will regulate better over the next few days. Physical therapy is glad to see her doing more things and hopefully they will change their request for two weeks of in house therapy. Several things need to happen: her breathing need to slow down, her low-grade fever needs to disappear, she has to eat and drink on her own, and they have to install a PIC line before we leave. As you can see, she is making progress, but she still has to make some strides. I'll update later. Love you all, Dave

Taryn update

Good morning everyone,
It is day 9 of little Taryn's stay here at Vanderbilt and she had a decent night last night. Tera Melber stayed here with Taryn and Traci and I went and got about five hours of sleep, which felt like a hundred hours. The doctors ran an EKG last night to check her little heart and are looking for any damage. They said there is still a possibility of that but they are being positive that her heart is fine. Her breathing continues to be rapid and labored, but consistant. They will be in this morning to evaluate her and see if she is strong enough for them to put a PIC line in her arm so we can give her IV antibiotics for about a month after we leave. They said they doubt she will be able to go through the procedure today but maybe tommorrow.
Teresa brought Tycen and Taylen down yesterday and it was wonderful to see them for a little while. We had lunch and just hung out. Teresa stayed here with Taryn so Traci and I could get them out for a few hours. We really miss Tylee and this is the longest period of time that we have been away from her. I think Papa Ted is really going to miss her once we get home and she is not there to play with him and Tate.
Please be in prayer today that Taryn's breathing will get better and we will get a good report on her EKG. Also, please be in prayer for Teddy. He got volunteered to go on Tycen's 5th grade field trip to the state capital in Frankfort. Teddy is on a bus with a bunch of fifth graders. (That's scary!!!) Thanks for all you have done and we could never thank you all enough for all of your prayers and help. It is times like these that you realize how fourtunate you are to have good friends and that friends will do anything for you in times of crisis.
God has touched our family and shown himself to us through all of you. God Bless, Dave

Trusting Taryn's Maker and Healer

Taryn update

Hello again everybody,
Taryn has had a little bumpy road today. She has had a low grade fever and her little tummy is not feeling well. Her resps per minute are high which is not good, but she is sounding better and her chest xray this morning did look better. The plastic surgeons came by and it looks like we may get to keep all ten toes. They think her big toe that was in question will take a while to heal, but they don't think right now they will have to do surgery.
Tycen, Taylen and Grammy made it here okay, as well as "aunt" Tera. We hope Taryn will rest better this afternoon because she has not been able to rest due to all the doctors coming in.
The doctors let us know that the sickness which made Taryn sick is classified as a disease and has a mortality rate of 1 out of 3. When we heard this we realized how fourtunate we are to still have Taryn here with us. Please continue to pray for her to get better, she has a long way to go but we like her chances. God is awesome and He has been good to our family. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Good morning everyone,
It is day eight of our stay here at Vanderbilt and last night was our first night out of the critical unit. Traci and I had to piece our sleep an hour here and a half hour there. Taryn is coughing up lots of junk out of her chest and requires some help with that. Traci must be feeling better this morning because she has been dancing to The Wiggles dvd and Taryn has been looking at her very oddly. Tera Melber will be coming in today and she is sooooo good for Traci's nerves, however we do have to keep a close eye on Taryn's oxygen levels because Traci and Tera get to babblin so much it deprives her a little bit. We are also very excited because Teresa is bringing Tycen and Taylen down to see us.
Please be in prayer for the family of Jayden Kimbro. She was a neworn in critical with us from Hardin, KY. and she passed away Sunday morning. Her arrangements are being held by Collier Funeral Home.
God continues to give Traci and I the opportunity to share salvation and the word with Justine's family. Justine is a thirteen year old who has been here in critical care who suffered a massive brain aneurysm. Her mother, Raina, came by and said "I appreciate your prayer connection to God...". We told her that she has a connection as well and we then started sharing the gospel with her. Please pray for their entire family as they are not saved and God is working very strongly in their lives. Our God is wonderful and He knows how to open doors and we hope He continues to use our family and friends to witness to them. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Good evening,
We are moved and have had a busy day getting adjusted. Taryn has been evaluated by her physical therapist and she is recommending a 2 week in house therapy to help her body relearn the basic functions. The therapist also said that they would change their recommendation later if she picks up faster than expected. Taryn's breathes per minute are a little high but they said it may just be that she is nervous. Traci is a little more nervous here on the floor because we don't have a nurse at her bedside 24/7, which they said was very understandable. Please pray for Tera Melber because she will be traveling back here from Louisville to be with us. Also, pray for David Melber because he will be in Louisville with all five of their kids while Tera is here. Thanks to everyone for the prayers and phone calls.
God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Hello again everyone,
Taryn has been moved to room 7535 and is officially off the "critical" list. We are kind of confused because everything is moving so fast but oh how God has shown himself to us this week. We will be here several more days, but the relief of not being on the fifth floor is overwhelming. We are also a little sad because of the friends and families we have left behind that are still in critical care, but they all were very happy for Taryn to leave them. We will hopefully be able to take a wagon ride tommorrow afternoon to visit everyone downstairs. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers and please keep them coming. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Well it's me again. I am sitting in Taryn's room right now and Traci is getting to hold Taryn for the first time in over a week!!! She is still hooked up to lots of tubes and monitors but they really don't care. I did get a picture of this occassion and maybe mom or "Auntie" Tera will get it posted in a little while. Just wanted to give you guys the up-to-the-minute progress report. Please pray for all the families and children on this floor that God will continue to be with them and let them know that He does do miracles. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Good morning everyone,
The doctors were just in and they are still watching her blood pressure, however, it has steadily been coming down and hopefully it will get down where they want it. They said we could be moved to the floor as soon as tommorrow. The doctors words were..."Taryn has recovered remarkably well and we have never seen a more determined little girl". All the doctors and nurses on the entire floor are coming by and are blown away at how fast she has gotten off the life support machines. Many of them either saw her or worked on her when she got here and they did not think she would make it. My words to them are.."We believe in the power of prayer and God is the ultimate healer." I don't know how many of you all have heard about Dr. Smith (Taryn's attending doctor) but she is a very caring, compassionate, and loving lady. She is also a very strong christian woman. Dr. Smith comes in every morning and grabs Taryn's little hands and prays with her and she asks God to give hers
elf and Taryn a peace of mind that she knows only God can heal little Taryn. I cannot express how wonderful it is to know that many of the doctors and nurses here at Vanderbilt know that they are not the ones healing these children, but God is the one doing all the work. When Taryn first arrived last Tuesday, Dr. Smith told Traci and myself that they were doing all they could to keep Taryn alive and the only way that Taryn's little life would be spared was if God healed her. Dr. Smith's exact words were..."I see God do miracles here everyday, have faith in Him." WOW!!!! We then knew we were sent an angel here on earth by God to look after our little girl. Sorry for the babbling, love ya'll. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Good morning everyone,
It is 3:45 am and i just got back to Taryn's room. Traci has gone to the sleep room and has had a pretty good night so far. Taryn's blood pressure has come down some more and is getting really close to normal. She was wide awake when I got in here and she gave me a little bit of a wave (i think!). Anyway, thanks for the prayers last night for the blood pressure, she is doing better. Hopefully, today will be a good day and she will rest so her little body can heal. Love you guys, Dave

Taryn update

Just a quick update: Taryn's blood pressure has dropped down just a little bit but is still higher than they want it. They are going to keep a close eye on her tonight and hope that it steadily drops by morning. Traci is pulling first shift from now until 3:30 am and i will take over then until 9:00 am. Please continue to pray that Taryn's blood pressure continues to come down and please be in prayer for Tycen, Taylen, and Tylee as we have been away from them. They are all three in great hands back home but their little world has been turned upside down as well, so please remember them as well. All of you all with kids at home please always love them and cherish every moment with them because we never know what lies in store and it is very easy to take our kids health for granted. Better go to bed before Traci catches me out here typing away instead of sleeping!!! I love each and everyone of you all. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Just a quick update. Please be in specific prayer for Taryn's blood pressure. It has been extremely high since they took her off the vent. She is responding slower than what mom would like and the doctors are a little concerned. However, her lungs have responded very strongly on their own and her little heart seems to be getting stronger. Again, we are praying hard that her blood pressure will regulate. We love you all and miss everybody. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

PRAISE TO THE LORD!!! OUR LITTLE ANGEL IS OFF ALL LIFE SUPPORTS!!! WE JUST GOT OUR FIRST SMILE FROM TARYN IN ABOUT A WEEK. I AM TRYING TO HOLD IT TOGETHER BUT TEARS OFF HAPPINESS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE. TRACI AND I HAVE TRULY WITNESSED A MIRACLE FROM GOD'S HANDS TO OUR LITTLE GIRL. THEY ARE WATCHING HER VERY CLOSELY AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. WE WILL BE REMAINING IN THE CRITICAL CARE UNIT FOR A ANOTHER DAY OR SO BUT THAT'S FINE WITH US. THERE IS A VERY SPECIAL VERSE THAT COMES TO OUR MIND RIGHT NOW:

"PRAISE THE LORD. GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD; HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER." PSALM 106:1

TRACI AND I KNOW THAT TARYN IS STILL A VERY SICK LITTLE GIRL, BUT OH HOW WONDERFUL IT IS TO SEE HER BREATHING ON HER OWN. PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY, SHE IS STILL BATTLING LOTS OF ILLNESSES AND WE STILL NEED MORE WORK FROM THE LORD. THEY HAVE TOLD US WE WILL STILL BE HERE AT LEAST ANOTHER WEEK, BUT WE'LL TAKE IT!!!!!!! GOD BLESS, DAVE

Comments

P.S.- I forgot to tell you guys that if you are like me and have never done much blogging, you can send messages on the blog by clicking on the "comments" word at the bottom on each entry. I think they will ask you to set up a user name and then they will email you a password to use. It is free. Please be patient with all of my type o's because "Aunt Tera" won't be back until tommorrow and she is the ultimate blogger. The fonts will get prettier and colorful!!! :-) Dave

Taryn update 3/24/08

Good morning,
It is 5:30 am Monday morning, the clock on the computer at the hospital is a little off so the blog times are a little wrong. Taryn had a rough night in that she did not get much sleep. She ran a 102-103 temperature most of the night which was not good for daddy's nerves. Her blood pressure was high due to the fever and the fact that we kept bothering her to get the fever down. She did have a good ole fashion poop last night. Taryn did well on her CPAP testing during the night before she got the fever. They will not any CPAP stuff while she has one. Traci did go to the sleep room here at the hospital at around 11 last night and she is still asleep. I have prayed all night that she would not come in and check on me and Taryn and that she would sleep through the night and she has. All-in-all kind of a rough night, but nothing life threatening. Please be praying this morning for her temperature to stay down and please pray very hard for her toe evaluation this morni
ng when the surgeons come in. I love everyone of you and I will try to update anytime something changes.
God Bless,
Dave

Taryn update

Hello everyone,
Taryn has completed her first round of CPAP testing and she did very well. She is back on the vent until her next round of testing. The doctor said her lungs looked good while testing and her heart did fine. She will hopefully have a restful night tonight and be ready for more hard work tommorrow. The doctors and nurses are working her very hard and she is as strong as her mommy. Again, from the bottom of my heart thank you to all of you who have been praying and also a huge thanks to everyone involved in moving the outdoor store, cleaning up our flooded basement, taking care of our other children, and everyone who has called or come down to see us. We love you all and we hope everyone had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday. (By the way, today was Taryn's 18 month birthday!!!!) God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Keep those prayers coming!!! They are at this moment doing a CPAP test (turning the vent down all the way to see how she breathes on her own) and will be doing that for several hours off and on. If her lungs do well on their own she may get off the vent in the next 24-36 hours!!! Her chest tube is out and they have been feeding her through a tube that runs through her nose into her stomach. If she continues to tolerate the food on her stomach they can quit the IV nutritional fluids. Dr. Vanderpool also stopped by earlier and removed the tubes which were put into her kidneys in preperation for the dialisis machine (of course she soon there after started peeing like a race horse, thanks to all that good ole fashion praying Thursday night by everyone!!!) This afternoon has been all-in-all very good and we are just a little nervous over the next several hours during the sequence of CPAP testing. God has answered soooo many prayers over the past few days and hopefully he wil
l continue to do so tonight. We are very hopeful that we can start Taryn's rehabilitation very soon and please be praying very hard for all of her piggy toes to start turning pink. Again, thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Just a quick note, they switched Taryn from room 2 in the pccu to room 7. Taryn has been resting well today. Thanks for all the prayers during church services this morning. God Bless, Dave

Taryn update

Good morning everyone and Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Taryn had a good night last night and is resting well this morning. She was put on a traditional vent yesterday and has responed well to it. Dr. Smith took her chest tube out last night and she also start a feeding tube. The plastic surgeons will assess her beautiful little toes first thing in the morning and let us know if they will need to remove any of them. Taryn's left big toe is the one in most doubt, but the good Lord has answered so many prayers this week that we have not given up on any toes yet. Taryn was upgraded to critical but very stable. She could be off the vent within 3-4 days if she keeps progressing. Traci has been solid as a rock and is the strongest woman I have ever known. Traci has however been very sick herself and will be evaluated this morning to see what she needs to fix her up. Please continue to pray for Taryn's little lungs and heart and start praying really hard for that left big toe. I love each and everyone of you and praise God
for all the prayers and thoughts. I want to say a special thanks for the Wootn family for coming down last night and staying with us so Traci could rest. Also, to the Melbers for being here the past few days and all they have done for our family. The Lord has truly blessed us with special friends. Traci will be posting on the blog all the events of our week later today. I want to leave you with a thought that has been on my mind all week since reading it on a church billiboard earlier in the week..."God gives us grace not when we deserve it, but He gives us grace when we don't deserve it." God Bless, Dave

Praises and Prayers

Dear Friends,

Just wanted to give you an update on Taryn...

Praises!

1. Taryn was switched to the conventional ventilator today and is being weaned from it and tolerating it pretty well.
2. Taryn's toes are still in question, but are looking like they are pinking up a bit! Please keep praying for her toes to completely pink up! She is wiggling her toes which is a good sign.
3. The nurse started a feeding tube on her a bit ago. As she tolerates the feeding, they can remove the IV feedings.
4. Traci's fever is gone, but please keep praying for her health to improve.
5. Taryn's IV blood pressure and diuretic meds were removed! Her vital signs and output look great!
6. The head of the infectious disease department told us this morning that after this is all over, Taryn will have built up many antibodies, so her body should never experience this illness again!
7. Chest tube should be out today!!!


Prayers:

1. Taryn can be weaned from the vent.
2. Taryn would not get any secondary infection.
3. Taryn's toes would be a beautiful shade of pink!!!
4. The many families up here with very sick kids. So many of them don't know the Lord. Pray that Dave and Traci's faith would be evident and that they would have the opportunity to share the love of Christ.
5. That the Lord will keep Tycen, Taylen, and Tylee as they are away from Dave and Traci.

We want to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers, visits, phone calls, work at the store, work at the house, food....I can't think of anything else. You all mean the world to us and we are grateful to be a part of God's family who lifts us and carries us in difficult times.

All our love,

Dave, Traci, Tycen, Taylen, Tylee, and Taryn.

Taryn Updates

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