Over the last several months, our family has been praying for Hope and her family - the Peacock Family. Through the difficult journey that this family has been experiencing, I have been so blessed to know this family and to be praying for them. Their belief is strong and their faith is deep. Their strength comes from God and they praise God in every situation they experience.
Here is the most recent update:
March 6, 3:00 am (Finally finished on March 9, 1:30 pm)
Hello dear friends and family! So sorry that it has been so long since our last update! The time does fly by so fast for us here in the hospital with all that goes on.
To catch you up to current news, let me do some quick notes here since reading my last update. . .
--Morphine and oxygen both came off the day after our last update! Hope has remained comfortable using Tylenol only! Praising God for His great answer to our prayers for Hope's comfort!
--Hope had a very unpleasant start to last week. . . her Monday involved having her then current NG tube removed, another NJ tube for feeding her and giving meds put in one nostril and another special NG tube for draining the stomach put in the other nostril. Being back to two tubes has been unpleasant for her as the tubes in the back of her throat cause increased secretions, gagging, coughing and discomfort there, BUT the new NG that drains her tummy has been so helpful in decreasing her vomiting.
--That Monday they also did an upper GI study that was not conclusive for them so after waiting for 3 more days for the contrast to completely pass through her system, they did a lateral x-ray (from the side to try to see under the pump) and a CT scan on the Thursday to rule out any obstructions or blockages in her GI tract. Good news was that no blockages were found, so NJ feeds were started very slowly Thursday afternoon.
--Friday they repeated the upper GI study but in a better way to see if/how the stomach was emptying and things were moving along the GI tract. This was another unpleasant test that was 2 hours long with pictures every 15 minutes. Hope was such a trooper for it, even though she was miserable throughout with nausea and a tummy ache, she kept the contrast down long enough to complete the test and then get upstairs to drain her tummy. The test was helpful to show the doctors that Hope's stomach is not emptying at all! So Hope has remained on a very slow progress of NJ feeds instead (this feeds her into her jejunum which is further down her GI tract below the pancreas). She just made it up to her full hourly goal rate as of midnight tonight! And the TPN (nutrition through her IV) was shut off earlier this evening. The NG tube continues to drain her tummy so that she is more comfortable with less vomiting. She does still vomit occasionally (about once a day), but it is much better. Hope was also started on a medication to stimulate increased motility in the GI tract. This drug can also have a side effect of causing dystonia, so we are praying that she will not have that. Hope's surgery to place a G-tube was postponed for now until she has a working stomach again.
--Rehab did start again last week somewhat around all the not feeling well and being on call for tests. The first day, Tuesday, they sat Hope up and even stood her up and then had her sit up in her wheelchair for a short bit to see where she was at. However after a poor night's rest and other noxious stimuli, it was a bit too much and she did have about two hours of dystonia (full body muscle spasms) that evening. We were so thankful though when Hope was able to get through it and eventually settle to an exhausted sleep with cuddles from mommy and loves and sweet words from Gabi and daddy! Rehab continues on a slower scale since, primarily being range of motion exercises and up in the wheelchair for short stints as tolerated. Thursday and Friday were exciting days with the speech therapist who had Hope using a little switch held under her finger that she could press to turn on or off a toy. The first day she used a fan and had fun "freezing" mom, dad and the therapist! The second day Gabs was off school and with us. The therapist brought a dancing musical monkey. . . Hope responded SO well to playing with her sister and Gabs was great in making it very fun! Mom and Dad helped Hope "dance" with Gabi when the music was on! We had great fun, and we're so encouraged to see how much more control Hope showed on just the second day!
One of Hope's newest issues has been insomnia. She has not been sleeping day or night! She will just have short naps after being so exhausted, but it is really hard for her to fall asleep being so tired and in this state, finding any stimuli to be overwhelming. There have been several new things we are doing to help her. Less aggressive rehab for now. . . as she can tolerate without pushing too hard. Also continuing to use Melatonin to help her relax and feel the natural lull to sleep we have at nighttime along with an extra dose in the middle of the night when needed, which we usually do. . . thus why I'm up right now at 3:00 am! : ) Also, eliminating almost all nursing care and assessments overnight to help limit any disruptions that would wake her or keep stimulating her. All of this will lend towards our whole family getting the rest that we need!
Hope continues to be increasingly more interactive with us! We are even starting to understand her communication by asking her to wink both eyes for answering “Yes” or to move her head back and forth for answering “No. She is not completely consistent yet, but there are times where it is very obvious that she is clearly communicating with us! Hope’s newest accomplishment that we challenged her to do end of last week, is to stick out her tongue. At first she was unable to move it out of her mouth at all. . . in only one week’s time, she is now sticking it out PAST her lips as far as it can go and moves it to the corner of her lips, in a “lick your lips kind of motion.” It is so exciting to see her work hard and use the determination that God has given her for good! We’re currently thinking of the next thing to put to a challenge for her with help from our wonderful therapy team!
The Lord continues to teach us more about His love and His character as we go through this trial. Wednesday this week, marked 12 weeks since Hope was found unresponsive. Verses that the Lord brought to mind early on in this trial were Lamentations 3:22,23.
Lamentations 3:22,23
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness."
God has affirmed His love for us daily through many means. We are reminded of His love as we spend time in His Word and as we reflect on the great hope that we have through Jesus Christ. Truly nothing shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
His mercies never come to an end. Over these last 12 weeks these mercies have come in many ways. One of those ways that God has brought these mercies on many days, have been through His people. Matthew 5:7 tells us, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” We have been the direct beneficiaries of this mercy as God has moved His people in compassion towards us. Right from the first day we have been overwhelmed and humbled by the support we have received. Your notes, your letters, your e-mails, your gifts, the meals, the prayers...all have reminded us of the love of the Lord and the privilege it is to be a part of the Body of Christ. We only wish that we could personally thank each one of you! May the Lord bless each one of you for your love and kindness that you have bestowed upon us. Your witness has not gone unnoticed by many. As the Lord always does He has taken this trial and He is using it for His glory.
Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” May God continue to receive all glory for His work in and through His people!!! And may many more call upon His name for salvation as they witness the good works that God is producing in His people!!! We love you dear friends and family with a deep love and gratitude for our Heavenly Father’s loving care through His people! Thank you for continuing to join us in coming before the throne of God’s grace beseeching Him with our requests and needs, trusting in His faithfulness and goodness! We pray that each of you might also see His tender mercies in your life even today! You are so loved!!!
After Christmas, another teacher and I organized Two Toonies For HOPE. Janine Bruce is a wonderful colleague and friend. She teaches Grade 2 and Gabi is in her class. We wanted to do something for this family and so Janine came up with the idea of selling bracelets. Through selling the bracelets we wanted to unite as a community around the Peacocks, have a reminder to pray for them, and raise monetary support for the family. Over the couple of months of selling these bracelets, we were able to raise $4300. What an amazing moment when we could present the cheque to Trevor and Heather. And a couple of students also presented Gabi with stuffies for her and Hope. Feel so blessed to be a part of growing through seeing the deep faith of this family.
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