Please help me pray for our Emmett

[cmwessels]

Continued Prayers for the little man.

[TMC50]

Great picture and update. Little man is growing.

[El Viejo]

That's a wonderful report. It's great to see what God has done and will continue to do in this young man's life in the years to come.

[Hoggslayer]

Thinking about Emmett this morning. Prayers for a huge haul of candy on his first Halloween.

Hoggslayer

[ladybluearm]

Happy Halloween Emmett! Hopeing and praying all is well this morning!

[DUKFVR]

Fabulous Report! Prayers continuing.

[stickbowcoop]

Prayers sent, thank you for the updates.

[SM69]

New to the green screen and just seeing this thread for the first time. Awesome to see the power of prayer at work! Another prayer warrior added here for sure. Bless little Emmett and mom and dad for the continued courage and strength to persevere! You guys are awesome. God is good!

[solocam_aggie]

He folks. Been a little since I gave an update. Life has been getting a little busier on my end. I'll fill in a few of the important updates to get back up to speed here. Thank you all for continued prayers for our little guy.

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[solocam_aggie]

Day 73 update. A day we've been patiently waiting on for 3 weeks now. A day that is considered a huge milestone in Emmett's progress. We. Are. On... nasal cannula!! As sweet of a moment as it is, our excitement is somewhat masked from the concern of his current oxygen requirement. He's been up to 48%, and if he hits 50% they will put him back on bubble CPAP. The greatest difficulty comes when he's receiving his milk feeds. As his stomach fills, it expands and puts pressure on his lungs. We asked the nurse if the doctor would consider lengthening his feeds, a trick we learned before to help with the pressure issue. He asked, and the doctor agreed to switch him to a continuous feed. He'll be receiving the same amount per feeding (which is now 40ml), it will just run continuous now. Hopefully this will help, and keep our little guy on cannula!

We had an incident today in Emmett's room. It was bad. Dad was called upon for a diaper change today. No big deal, I've already changed a many. But this one would be different. Peeling that diaper back, my initial thought was "ha, I got lucky." Well folks, things got unlucky in hurry. As a reached back to grab the new diaper, I heared it. I've never seen such a mess in my life. I'll spare the details, but will say it took mops, a whole pack of sanitary wipes, and bed sheets that went straight into the trash to save the poor person the surprise that would have to wash those.

We found ourselves thinking about the fundraiser throughout the day still. Once again, we would like to thank everyone who contributed to this event. It was so amazing. Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers. We could use a few to help keep Emmett on his cannula.

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[solocam_aggie]

Day 74 update. Little man did it! He hung in there, and as the night gave way to day, he was able to keep his 02 below 40% the whole time. So we're still on cannula! Emmett also had a renal ultrasound today which showed improvement in his kidney function from his last check. Weight gain continues, as Emmett is up to 5lb 3oz. He's doing everything he should be doing!

One big positive resulting from the switch to nasal cannula is that we can pick Emmett up whenever we like without any assistant from the nurse. You can bet we'll be taking full advantage of that!

Looking forward, our steps look something like this: first, we need to get his feedings back to an hour. Once there, we will then have to start weaning his rate down from five to two. At two, we can then try him on his first bottle. Our elatement for nasal cannula will be equally matched when we try that first bottle feed.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Once again, they worked.

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[solocam_aggie]

Day 80 update. As typical on eye exam days, the day was started early. Emmett's Ophthalmologist is an early bird, which I like. Following the same procedure as usual, he began his exam after Emmett's eyes were dilated. It didn't take me long to realize things had changed, as he was spending more time than usual on each eye. The report confirmed this. Disheartened, I listened as the doctor described his current condition and plan of action.

The ROP progressed significantly, and prompted the doctor to schedule treatment at the next available time, which will be tomorrow morning. As mentioned yesterday, they will begin with injections in Emmett's eye that will cause the blood vessels to stop growing. This in turn will keep the ROP from getting any worse. This is an OR procedure, done with a mild sedative and eye drops that numb the eye. After treatment, they will continue to monitor the ROP to ensure the treatment successfully stopped the abnormal blood vessel growth. As he grows and matures, he will more than likely need laser treatment down the road to permanently stop the growth of those blood vessels. Krystal and I are so worried about his long term vision from all of this. There are no treatment options to fix any damage resulting from this. If there is vision loss, Emmett will have glasses from an early age.

We have the upmost faith in the Ophthalmologist, Dr. Harper. It was obvious from day one that he was very knowledgeable and took pride in his work. We'll pray for good results, and trust in God. Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers.

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[solocam_aggie]

Day 81 update. Pretty rough day. Watching the eye procedure was difficult, but I opted to just for comfort of knowing everything went smooth. Emmett was wide awake this morning, and in good spirits. Standing beside his bed playing with him, I couldn't help but feel terrible knowing his day was about to turn difficult. I reported incorrectly yesterday, as they were able to do the procedure at his bedside. After dilating his eyes, the doctor brought a camera out that would take pictures of his eye. The doctor invited me over to the screen so I could see, and explained everything in detail. You could definitely see the blood vessels that were distorted and causing concern. A mild sedative was administered, and the nurses paired up to help hold Emmett still. The doctor administered the injections in both eyes, and flushed them with iodine several times. Seeing Emmett crying in distress with iodine running down his face was one of the more difficult things I've witnessed. It was a cry I've never heard before. As soon as I could, I scooped him up and held him tight. This was able to quell his crying. Between myself, Krystal, and the nurses, Emmett was held most of the day, as he would cry whenever he was laid down. There will be a follow up eye exam Friday to ensure the injection did indeed stop the blood vessel growth.

Somehow, through all the stress and discomfort that today brought, our tough little guy actually came down on his oxygen requirements. He was weaned down to the low 30% range. The doctor said they would likely reduce his rate tomorrow back down to four if he continues to do well. He's still gaining weight well, as he's now at 5lb 11oz!

Thank you all for the extra prayers that were said for Emmett. Thank you also for all of the Facebook posts. We appreciate the support more than words can describe. Below is a picture of Emmett in his pre-halloween outfit!

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[SaltwaterSlick]

Been out of town and away from the GS a while... though there were moments of concern in your reports, it is very good to see how well our little super hero is progressing!! He's one tough little boy!! Colton/Krystal, you guys are solid rocks as role models to so many!! Thank you both so very much for taking the time to keep us all informed with your updates... some of us old fogies don't do the book of faces so we really appreciate your efforts to keep us included. For me personally, it is very uplifting to be able to pray for this little man and see the almost immediate results that come from our petitions to the Lord. What an awesome God we serve and what an awesome job He is doing with Emmett!
Thanks again,
Charlie

Lord God, Thank You for this precious little boy and the miracle You are working daily through Emmett. Thank You for giving him supernatural strength to endure the healing and growing process he is going through. Thank You for his spirit of strength and fighting! Please Lord continue this good work to fulfill You plan for this sweet, sweet baby. May he grow into a strong man that is a sign and a warrior for You and Your glory! Lord specifically at this time, we ask you go clear his eyes that he may see clearly each day as it comes. Give him strong sight and strong insight into just what You have done in him and through him. Continue to guide all Emmett's care-givers to right actions to accomplish Your plan for Emmett. Lord we know You have such a strong place in Your boundless heart for the little ones, and we know that among the little ones, this one, Emmett is front and center in Your heart and You have great plans for him. Thank You Lord for being Our GOD and hearing our prayers and petitions for Emmett. Strengthen his mom and dad that they too may endure to the end of this struggle to grow Emmett into a strong young man. Give them peace knowing that You Lord are in charge and holding both of them yes all of them in Your Hand. Thank You Lord for Your Son who You gave up for us. It is in His name, Jesus Christ our Savior and our Advocate we ask and pray, Amen.

[TildenHunter]

Thanks for the report Colton. Happy Halloween Emmett!