Quick Update
Thank you for uttering "Shea" throughout the night and today. We loved all the comments you shared with us. As I sat by Shea's bedside this morning she asked me to read the blog. As we read one after another we both cried. There were many long pauses as I just couldn't get through them. Shea is utterly amazed that all of you are steadfast prayer warriors who are not giving up. To those of you whom Shea has not even met before, she wanted me to give you a special, "Thank you" for allowing God to "enlarge your hearts" to pray fervently for her.
I guess you could say it was a "newborn baby" night. Up and down quite a bit. They started Shea on four mg of Morphine, and it didn't quite last the two hours that it is supposed to. The last twenty minutes or so before she could receive her medicine I tried to keep her mind occupied -- sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. By morning though, Shea was up to six mg and she was doing very well. She stayed in ICU until late this afternoon and was then wheeled to a regular pediatric floor. What a difference. As soon as we got there it was time for her medicine. They gave her a lower dose of a different medicine! It wasn't working, and Shea was beside herself. The doctor was called and he said she could have the morphine but a lower dosage. It seems that the change was too abrupt and we tried our best to get the doctor called again and keep Shea comfortable at the same time, but it was a tough few hours. Steve is spending the night with her, and he just called to say that everything is fine and she's finally resting well.
Shea is more swollen today but not as much as we thought she would be. Dr. McKay came in today and said, "Shea, I thought you would be a pumpkin head this morning." She is wearing an elastic bandage that looks like a stocking cap around her neck and head as a compression for the cranial incision. When we ask her where the pain is, she says, my head, my face and my mouth. We're trusting that each day will get easier and the pain will be manageable as they gradually lower the dosage over the next few weeks.
Love and thanks to all of you --
The Hickoks
I guess you could say it was a "newborn baby" night. Up and down quite a bit. They started Shea on four mg of Morphine, and it didn't quite last the two hours that it is supposed to. The last twenty minutes or so before she could receive her medicine I tried to keep her mind occupied -- sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. By morning though, Shea was up to six mg and she was doing very well. She stayed in ICU until late this afternoon and was then wheeled to a regular pediatric floor. What a difference. As soon as we got there it was time for her medicine. They gave her a lower dose of a different medicine! It wasn't working, and Shea was beside herself. The doctor was called and he said she could have the morphine but a lower dosage. It seems that the change was too abrupt and we tried our best to get the doctor called again and keep Shea comfortable at the same time, but it was a tough few hours. Steve is spending the night with her, and he just called to say that everything is fine and she's finally resting well.
Shea is more swollen today but not as much as we thought she would be. Dr. McKay came in today and said, "Shea, I thought you would be a pumpkin head this morning." She is wearing an elastic bandage that looks like a stocking cap around her neck and head as a compression for the cranial incision. When we ask her where the pain is, she says, my head, my face and my mouth. We're trusting that each day will get easier and the pain will be manageable as they gradually lower the dosage over the next few weeks.
Love and thanks to all of you --
The Hickoks
posted by admin | 10:54 PM
11 Comments:
Shea,
You are so brave. Our prayers are with you day and night as your body works hard in the healing process. Please remember how very much you are loved!
A favorite verse of mine, written three times in the Bible, to make sure we wouldn't miss it.....
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." Psalm 42:5 (this time it reminds us, "hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of His countenance"), Psalm 42:11 and Psalm 43:5
Len & Brenda Evans
Thanks for the update! My prayers are with you guys. The body is an amazing thing and I trust that you will heal quickly. Thank heaven for pain medication sometimes!! I can't imagine the discomfort. I hope you are able to rest well- at least a little bit! Bless your little heart, I just can't imagine. Again, this is all truly a miracle.
Joy Cometh and healing too :-)
Love and prayers, Marian Madden
Dear Hickok Family,
I have never sent you a message before, although I have been reading this blog regularly since right after Shea's accident. I go to church with the Gorslines, and I work at the school that Justin attended and Megan and Cameron still attend. Immediately after the accident, they sent a prayer request out to many of our church members and included your blogstpot. I am sure that many of them are still praying for Shea, just as I am. When the date for Shea's surgery was set, I put it in my day planner so that I would remember to pray. The Lord actually brought her name to my mind several times during the days before the surgery and keeps reminding me to pray for her recovery. I will continue to lift all of you up to Him in the days to come. Shea, you have been such an inspiration to me through this trial! I will pray that the Lord will continue to strengthen and heal you.
Love,
Barbara Howard
Shea,
It's been a joy to pray for you and watch GOD move in a mighty way. Only the Lord could give you such a calm spirit during this time. I am so thankful for that. Your doctors sound wonderful. I'm glad both them, your nurses and Mom and Dad are taking such good care of you. I continue to pray through out the day for rapid healing and minimal pain.
Love,
Teresa
PS. I'm so glad you are not a "pumkin head".
... "Dear Lord, have mercy ... have mercy! Merciful Father, pour out your sustaining mercy and grace. Bear her up as only You can, day by day, hour by hour. In Your mercy You have promised to be near her ... she is resting in the shelter of your wings. Cradle this, your treasured child, safely in your arms until this storm passes by. Amen" ... and love, from a friend in Darien :)
I'm praying for you Shea! I love you much!
-Meagan Fulford
Yep ... here she is again, walking through the Valley of Pain.
You're in my prayers today, dear Shea. Each day will surely be a little better than the day before. Something to look forward to, eh?
In a way, I suppose the pain is a good thing, if that can possibly be so. I have a friend with diabetes who hurt his foot, and the wound refuses to heal. I ask him how his foot is, and he blinks at me and says, "Now, how would I know? I can't feel it." And that has been the whole problem ... he has no feeling in his feet, so he does not know when he's hurt. He may lose the foot, all because he feels no pain.
You, dear child, DEFINITELY know you're hurting! That means all your nerves are working! See? Something positive in the pain.
Ok ... enough celebration of pain. We know the nerves are working: wahoo. Now make it go away (HOORAY for drugs!), and get some sleep!
I'm personally excited for the next couple of weeks to go by and see what the Lord was able to do through your Doctors' hands. Still praying for complete restoration!
Love you!
Carolyn
PDX
Dear Shea, My post to you was erased-I took too long. Suffice to say that many in Darien prayed for you all week though Uncle John and the kids and I were away. We prayed for you from Kenya. Uncle John kept tabs on a satellite phone. We miss you and are so sad for all of the suffering you are undergoing. I wonder what it would be like if hundreds of people all over weren't praying for you? At this point you are feeling so bad that you can't think of others, but I'm glad that you have been one of the few people in history ever to be prayed for so hard by so many.
When you are up to it-perhaps this fall-come and visit. Fall is beautiful here and you have many friends that you have never met but who have been faithful, faithful, faithful in holding you up. I'm sure they want to hug you and shed a tear.
Steve, Susan, Luke, and Jesse-We are praying for you as well. Holding on is hard and life keeps going. Please take an hour or two for icecream or a movie or both-that is an order from someone with NO authority at all! Give each other hugs all around from Aunt Liz and Uncle John.
God's peace keep you now and always,
Aunt Liz
Your continued faith and perseverance are amazing, Shea. We pray that hope and mercy will be evident to you and your family today.
Love,
The Jackson Family
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Dear Shea and family,
We are so happy to hear one more step of your journey is past and that healing continues. We pray that the pain will get less and less each day. We also pray that the "repairs" that were made will be exactly what you need and that they'll heal quickly. I still look at the blog each day to see what progress has been made. We will continue to uphold you in prayer. Please take care of yourselves - everyone - hope you can get the rest you need. Hospitals, doctors, etc. really take a toll on a person. I don't usually have much time for e-mails, etc. My Mom has still been in the hospital (since January 4th). She has been in and out of different hospitals and rehabs all this time. We are probably moving to a care center or hospice tomorrow. She has many wounds (months in the making) that won't heal as well as many other physical difficulties. We are happy we've had the extra 7 months with her. Praise the Lord!
Love, Linda, David & Karen Guthrie
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