Month: December 2007

  • Some good news

    I’m going to share an excerpt from an email I received from Kristie a little while ago. It appears that Olivia is doing better and the doctors are encouraged by what they are seeing.

    Gulley also talked to Kristie a little while ago and Kristie said the doctors believe that they have narrowed down the bacteria strain to one of two different strains and feel confident the antibiotics Olivia has been taking are the right ones for either of these strains.

    Several of y’all have emailed and asked questions about bacterial meningitis and Antique Mommy suggested that it might be a good idea to give an overview of the early warning signs, especially since a lot of us are mamas with little ones. There is so much information out there, but this link is the most comprehensive and specifically covers the symptoms and signs.

    And I know I keep saying this but, seriously, thank you for all the prayers.

    – We believe the antibiotics she has been on are helping
    – Her fever is starting to stay down
    – She is less irritable (this is good, because her head hurts like the dickens)
    – She did well with the MRI today and recovered from anesthsia well
    – She is getting her appetite back

    Please keep praying for the following:

    – That the MRI shows little to no swelling on the brain, if there is swelling, please let there be no infection
    – Once the bacteria strain is identified, we are hoping the treatment course is clear, available, and Olivia will not have negative reactions to it
    – That she does not have any long-term developmental damage from this experience

    We know we will be in the hospital at least 10 more days, maybe longer. We feel good about her doctors and are more optimistic by the minute. We will keep you posted as we know more, but thank you again for your all of your support, encouragement and most of all, your prayers.



    I’ll keep y’all updated if anything changes. But know that your prayers are being answered and God is faithful.

  • More on Olivia

    Many of y’all have emailed or commented asking about any update on Olivia. And again, let me say how awesome y’all are to embrace our friends with your prayers and concern. Seriously, I’m amazed and so blessed.

    I talked to Kristie this morning and they are still looking for answers. The infectious disease specialist didn’t really have any answers. The biggest problem, from what I can understand, is the bacteria cultures keep mutating so every time they think they have maybe figured out the strain of bacteria, it changes.

    They are hoping these mutations will stop by this evening because it will have been almost 72 hours since they did the initial draw. The good news is that in spite of their inability to identify the bacteria, they do believe that one of the antibiotics they are giving her is working somewhat.

    Hopefully they will know more by this evening or the morning. I will definitely keep updating as I get news. Right now it’s just a long road with not a lot of answers.

  • But how did the catalogues get in the manger?

    Last night I was rocking Caroline before bed, my heart heavy with all that’s going on with our sweet friends and their baby girl. And so I held my own baby girl a little bit tighter and a little bit closer than usual.

    We said our prayers and then she wanted me to sing her a song. She requested “Away in a Manger”.

    I rocked her and sang the first verse:

    “Away in a manger, no crib for his bed
    The little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head
    The stars in the sky look down where He lay
    The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay”

    I settled back to rock her for a few more minutes but she pulled away, looked at me and said, “You skipped the part about the catalogues. I want to hear the part about the catalogues!”

    Here’s what she was looking for:

    “The CATTLE are lowing…”

    But, in all fairness if our mailbox is any indication, the Christmas season has turned into the season of catalogues.

    And, also, she is my daughter which means she relates everything back to shopping.

    It’s genetic.

  • One more Olivia update

    It is bacterial meningitis. And it’s a rare form. The doctors aren’t sure how to treat it and don’t think that what they’ve been doing is working.

    They are meeting with an infectious disease specialist in a little while who will hopefully have some answers.

    Please pray for wisdom for the team of physicians, healing for Olivia, and peace for Kristie and George.

  • Update on Olivia

    Okay, so y’all are beyond awesome. Thank you for all your prayers. Just knowing that prayers are being lifted up all over the place for Olivia and her sweet parents is such a blessing.

    The latest news is that they won’t know anything for sure until later tonight or tomorrow morning. They are concerned that it is bacterial meningitis because Olivia’s white blood cell counts are very high. And if it is bacterial meningitis, there could be complications.

    In the meantime, your prayers are being felt. Olivia was finally able to fall asleep in her mama’s arms a few hours ago. It was the first time in almost 24 hours that she hasn’t acted completely miserable.

    Olivia’s parents went through years of infertility and, ultimately, in-vitro fertilization, to have this sweet baby girl. They’ve been through so much already. Please continue to pray for the peace and comfort that only God can give.

    Y’all are the best.

  • Quick prayer request

    I normally don’t post things like this, but it’s all I can think about right now.

    P and I have some very dear friends that have a two month old baby girl named Olivia. They just called to let us know that they are in the ER with her and have found out she has meningitis.

    They won’t know if it’s bacterial or viral until tomorrow morning. Bacterial is the worst of those two options.

    I know they would so appreciate your prayers if you feel led to pray for them and their sweet baby.