Back to the Apartment!

Well, Erin got out of the hospital Wednesday, and she's feeling great! Mike & I are exhausted! We took her to Texas Roadhouse Wed. night to celebrate, and yesterday was spent at hospital doing labs, pfts, clinic visit & pt. She blew a 50!!!! She's NEVER blown a 50 in her entire life. It was Awesome! There is a pic of her smile on facebook. WE then drove out to Katy to find Mike some shoes. The doctor said she could do whatever she wanted. This morning she had a bronchoscopy, and she had some fluid between the chest wall & her lungs, and she had some mucuous in her lungs. Now, she's on a breathing treatment and another med. She slept most of the day after the bronch. Wishing we could see our Casey perform at the game tonight. We love her & miss her very much! Monday Erin will have labs, Xray, clinic visit, surgical follow up (to check on stitches), and pt. A full day!!

Columbus Day

Erin is in a regular room on the 14th floor at Texas Children's. All tubes are out; epidural is out; no oxygen. She is looking great with a pink complexion and red cheeks. She walked down the hall 3 times yesterday. She will maybe get out of the hospital to go back to apartment Wednesday. Probably could have gone back to apartment today, but today's a holiday, and we are waiting on meds to come by mail from Waynesboro. That's fine with us; we are in no hurry! Had LOTS of company this weekend: Aunt Caroline, Donna & Mike Stevens, Judy, Leroy & Pax Luke, Dale & Teresa McKee, Robert & Nicole Cooley. It was GREAT to see everyone. Thanks, you guys, for taking time out of your weekend to come by & see us! We love you!

In A Room

This morning Erin got remaining 2 chest tubes out. Uncle Mike & Aunt Donna drove all night, so they could see Erin this weekend. Judy, Leroy, & Pax Luke also drove all night to see Pax play ball & visit Erin. Aunt Caroline drove from Dallas & is spending the night with Erin in the hospital. Erin also got put in a regular room today on the 14th floor. Erin was so excited to see all of her company. Thanks, to all the churches who have prayed for us. Today we got letters from Pleasant Grove Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Raleigh, MS. Thanks to these churches and of course our own home church Calvary Baptist Church in W'boro. We received news that several different churches had special prayer services for Erin last Sunday. While Erin was in surgery last week, it comforted me so much knowing that so many were praying for my little girl to our Wonderful Amazing God.

So Glad to Be a War Eagle!

Wow! We are simply amazed at the support our Wayne Co War Eagles are giving to our girl! Tonight at the ball game there were Erin signs everywhere, and the cheerleaders were wearing purple ribbons. How awesome is that? Well, we didn't get out of PICU today. We were supposed to, but there weren't any beds available. We are skipping PCU and going straight to a regular room tomorrow. Erin had 2 chest tubes removed today, and she is back to her normal self. Thanks to Sara & Kyle for visiting today. Looking forward to our weekend company. Erin still has 2 chest tubes in, and the epidural is still in, but she's on very little pain medication. Good luck to our Casey at State Band Competition tomorrow. We miss you & wish we could be there to cheer you on!

just a little bump

Well, we experienced a little bump in the road with some medication, but the doctor says he is very pleased with Erin's progress. She is having to limit her fluid intake until the chest tubes are out. She may get 2 chest tubes out tomorrow. She got out of bed several times today and sat up for a little while each time. Her appetite was not great today and she didn't feel that well either, but now her spirits are improving. Her friend Maddie went to the Carrie Underwood concert last night and got Erin a Carrie Underwood t shirt. When Maddie's mom Tina gave Erin the shirt, I saw Erin smile for the first time in days. Carol Tondre and her son Connor came by today to visit Erin; Connor has been waiting on the transplant list for 14 months, so please pray that he gets his lungs soon and that they are the ones God means for him to have. Mike finally got some rest last night; he slept a full 10 hours, so he feels much better. He's being a great daddy feeding Erin and helping her in & out of bed. Everything is going great except we miss our Casey and her smiling face. I posted a picture of Erin on facebook if you would like to take a peek. She looks gorgeous!

Fresh Air!

This morning Erin woke up with a great appetite. She ate pancakes, hashbrowns, & sweet tea. She got out of bed and stayed up for about 20 minutes. Doctors are really pleased with her progress. She may have one chest tube removed today and her central line may be taken out today. Her regular port will be accessed and used as her central line. In other words, they are decreasing her meds greatly. The catheter may come out today. They are reducing her fluids, so that the chest tubes can be removed. (less fluid in her body means less fluid in her lungs). She was wide awake this morning. A drastic difference from yesterday. She was still showing a lot of effects from the pain meds yesterday. She had Carrie Underwood tickets for tonight that Dr. Lefler in Dallas so kindly gave her. Thank you, Dr. Lefler! Maybe next time LOL. When Erin first got the call to come to the hospital; she was jumping up and down so excited then she stopped & said "Dang, I was supposed to go see Carrie Underwood!" Of course, 2 new lungs won out over Carrie Underwood! Sorry, Carrie! Anyone who knows Erin knows her favorite food is a loaded baked potato, so today our friend Tina is bringing her one along with lunch for me & Mike! Have I told ya'll how God has blessed us with so many new friends who have taken care of us here? It is truly amazing how HE works! Erin is sleeping now. So, Erin's Jason's Deli baked potato is on its way! Casey, Bro. Whit, Granny, & Papa left today, so it's just me & Mike. We have been going upstairs every night to Ronald McDonald house to sleep (It's just one floor above the PICU), so we are extremely close. Please continue to pour out your wonderful prayers to our Almighty God!

OUR MIRACLE

Hi! This is Erin's mom! ERIN GOT HER LUNGS!!!!! About midnight Saturday night the beeper went off, and we got to the hospital about 1 in the morning. Erin was ecstatic and cool as a cucumber. Her memaw asked her if she was scared, and she said, "No, I have 1000 people praying for me at home." After a long night of preoperative procedures, Erin went into surgery at 6:46 still as calm as could be. The first incision was made at 10:14, but the lungs did not arrive until 2 hours later. Mike, Casey, Granny, Papa, & Aunt Donna Rials arrived about 7 AM. My mom, mimi, and brother Russell & Sharon were already here visiting for the weekend, so my mom & Russell accompanied us to the hospital. Friends & family hung around the hospital with us supporting us through this arduous day. Thank you to Whit Lewis, John & Jennifer Williams; Clark, Tina, Elizabeth, Madelaine, & Abigail Davis; Andy Cade; and Stacy Wells for spending the day with us at the hospital. Thank you to EVERYONE for all the texts, emails, & phone calls that were sent that day and since then. At about 6:45 Erin came out of surgery with a gorgeous new set of lungs. Oh, How Great is Our God! Erin has been breathing on her own since yesterday morning. She is completely off oxygen (except at night). She's eating & drinking with a great appetite. She's sitting up in bed. The next 36 hours are still critical. In the next few days, the doctors hope to remove her chest tubes and epidural. She will be doing breathing treatments twice a day for the next couple of weeks. Doctors say she may go back to our apartment in Houston as early as Monday. WOW! We will still have to stay in Houston for at least another 3 months. Mike, Casey, Erin, & I will NEVER be able to express to everyone the gratitude that we feel for all who have supported us through this time in our lives. God has greatly blessed us & we give HIM all the praise & glory! We continue to ask you to pray for Erin's health and want you to know that Erin is just beginning her life as a new transplantee & will need many prayers as she begins this journey. Do not ever question the ability of our God to perform miracles!
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