SamBeller.org

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Monday - Things Improving?

Sam is spending today and tonight on his home ventilator which gives him less support than the hospital ventilator.  Once we see that he does okay over night, he can go home on Tuesday.  Xrays looked good today and they have started slowing down his breathing treatments to a manageable level (every four hour albuterol treatments with 6 other treatments throughout the day).  So, still 12 treatments a day means we’ll be busy day and night for the next week or so until we get him down to his usual 10/day.  It’s all crazy, I know.

So, please pray for:
- a smooth transition home
- no bleeding in his lungs, throat, nose from treatments/suctioning
- good sleep
- a quick recovery of strength as we get Sam back into his schedule of activities over the next few weeks.
- for us (David & Kelly) not to be too overwhelmed with managing Sam and other short Bellers.

Love to you all.  Thanks for all the calls and emails of concern and prayers!  God is with us!

K & D

Monday, January 30, 2006

So Far So Good

Last night and this morning have been even better. Sam is in good spirits, but as you can tell, he’s still tired and looks a mess.

Doctors are thinking that Sam was almost over the bug when we arrived on Thursday, and that Saturday morning’s episode was the virus’s last “Hurrah.” We didn’t think it was something to cheer about! 

Lots to do today. Get Sam back on normal oxygen ("room air"). Get him back on his home ventilator. Get him back on his home breathing treatment schedule. Get home nursing set up. Get home IV steroids set up. Sigh.

Pray for us to have strength and energy. Our experience is that the first days home are very challenging for the caregivers! 

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Better Sunday

Better Morning
During the night last night, the respiratory therapists worked with Sam every 2 hours. This morning, things are much better than yesterday. Sam’s lungs sound good, even clear (!), to the PICU intensivist doctor. The tests for RSV (respiratory synctial virus) and influenza came back negative. They still have a respiratory panel growing bacterial cultures, to determine if they have the best antibiotic on board.

Frankly, we still don’t know why he’s struggling to breathe. It’s apparently not pneumonia or any of the things listed above. We do know that IV steroids have helped significantly. Big difference today. Sam looks better, seems to feel more alert and happy (as long as we don’t block his view of the DVD player!). He still has no fever.

We’re trying to persuade the docs to think about letting us go home, provided his level of respiratory care is practical at home.

We also changed rooms because construction was not quite complete on the one he was in.

Medical City has a new Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Building A on Floor 5. From a parent’s perspective it is much, much better. In room shower and toilet (used to have to walk a long, long way to find a toilet, and go to another floor for a not-so-private shower). Each room has a large TV with DVD and VHS players. Nice finishes, lighting, more space. Cleaner. Outstanding.

Please keep praying. Kelly and I have a lot going on for the next few weeks. Kelly is co-planning a Women’s Retreat, and I have a lot of work deadlines. Pray that we get rest, don’t get sick ourselves, that Sam goes home when he’s well, and that we can regain our life balance quickly after this hospitalization.

Thanks and much love, David and Kelly

28 Jan 2006 Sam's Rough Morning

Hello family and friends,

Well, Sam had a really rough start today.  I woke up to Sam’s nurse calling for help on her walkie talkie.  Before I could even stand up from the little parent bed in Sam’s hospital room, there were 2 doctors, 2 respiratory therapists and several nurses coming in to help.  Sam had started going down in is Blood Oxygen levels which should be between 92-100.  They were 88 when the monitor started alarming, 79 when she called for help and dipped as low as 27 before things started turning around.  He was a deep purple.  It was really scary.  He had several big blood clot/mucus plugs that were in his airway, back of throat and nose. They were able to suction those out and get him breathing normally again.  We haven’t had an episode like that in several years with Sam.

Please pray for his lungs to clear and for things to start turning around in this illness.

Big Sigh....... was a hard hard day.

Love to you all,
Kelly&David

Sam Admitted to PICU

Sam was admitted to Medical City PICU Thursday, 26 Jan 2006. Doctors felt it would be good to have several days of agressive respiratory therapy. 

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Merry Christmas & A Joyous 2006

Greetings from the Enchanted Cottage.

We wish you all a grand Christmas season and hope that in this time of year, you will find many moments to stop and acknowledge the great gift in the coming of the Messiah. 

Frankly, our lives, our marriage, our everything would be a big fat huge mess without the wisdom of the Holy Spirit ministering to our hearts and minds.  Praise Him who is our Counselor and Rescuer!

The news from the cottage is that 2005 was awesome.  This was the year of CAMPS! 

By the generous gift of many fellow HKS employees, our entire family enjoyed a weeklong camp for families affected by disability in June – Joni and Friends Family Retreat Camp - was awesome!!  See http://www.joniandfriends.org to see details on the camp. 

Also in June, Tevah attended a Christian Leadership camp at Abilene Christian University (http://www.acucamps.org).  Kelly volunteered as a teacher and Jacob and Simone had fun in the “pre-camper” program created to entertain the kids of the teachers.  What a deal! 

In July, Sam was so blessed to attend his very first camp-away-from-mom-and-dad (we, personally, do not see the draw J).  Sam attended Camp Summit for 7 days (http://www.campsummittx.org).  He stayed in a guys cabin, did guy stuff, went on a ropes course (with lots of help as he was in a harness sling), rode horses, swam (floated), and attended a dance with colored hair spray and a crazy hairdo one of his counselors gave him.  Sam’s nurses were with him 24/7 providing him continuous care while at camp.  He loved it and didn’t want to come home (but did sleep A LOT the first night home).

While Sam was at camp, Tevah, Jacob and Simone were shipped off to David’s folks house in Roundrock for a week of fun at “Camp Nana and Papa”.  So, we had a week with no children at home and no plans.  It was amazing how good it is to just completely slow down and spend time together.  We named that “Camp Rest.” It was glorious.

In other non-camp news…
David was promoted to Senior Associate at HKS, Inc.  We were all very proud and thankful for his hard work as an architect. Kelly is still not getting paid for a single thing that she does (and wishing that someone would pay her). 

Sam has had a really healthy year – no big bought with pneumonia.  He’s now enjoying life in Junior High.  He’ll be 13 in January!!  After a rocky start and missing his elementary school (lots of grumpy days), he has made some great new friends at his new school.  Sam is quite blessed to have siblings who love him so very much.  Jacob and Sam have developed quite a special brotherly bond this year … a blessing for both

Tevah, 10, loves school this year – she and 5th grade get along well.  She is very responsible with all her schoolwork and a thinker.  She is continuing with her study of piano and is doing well in her 3rd year of this.  She is also now a Girl Scout … so if you need cookies, let us know.  Sales start in January.

Jacob, 8, has another awesome teacher this year.  God continues to provide for our children in education!  Jacob is enjoying being on his first official hockey team.  He is “all about” the tools in everything he does.  So, it’s only natural that he would choose a sport that had a ton of equipment!  He performed in two talent shoes this year doing bike stunts (little guy style).  You gotta find your niche!

Simone, 6, started Kindergarten.  Yeah… everyone is in school!  She loves it and asks for more homework (which is given to her promptly!).  She is loosening her limbs in gymnastics and now able to do the splits … ouch.  She is still obsessed with the medical field and aspires to be a NICU/OB nurse or doctor.  She is funny and keeps us all laughing with all of her impersonations that she does.

Children are a blessing and so wonderfully made!

Our family took a chance… on a dog named, “Chance”.  He’s two years old and some kind of a hound/black lab mix.  Our motivation was to get a companion dog for Sam and buddy for our entire family.  However, Chance seems to think our household is quite overwhelming.  We’ve had him since just before Thanksgiving and he’s made great strides in becoming one of the crazy participants in this circus house.  Our nickname for him is “The Horse” because he is soooo tall ... we’re not used to dogs who can put there nose up to the kitchen counter!

We hope that you will find the mystery and wonder of the Lord revealed to you in all the details of your lives in 2006.

God Bless & Merry Christmas,
David, Kelly
Sam, Tevah, Jacob and Simone

P.S. Click Here to Send a Beller Kid a Message