Groovy Sputum

Sad News

I am sorry to have to write this post, but Valerie and I went in for a check up this morning and the doctor was only able to find one beating heart. Sometime between last Saturday and today, Micaiah’s life ended. Valerie expressed our feelings much better than I ever could with “When The Answer Is No”. Please continue to pray for Micah. There is still a long way to go before she is able to live independently of Valerie and we appreciate each and every time her name is lifted up before the Lord.

Two Hearts

Dr. Rink just did a quick ultrasound and we saw two strong heart beats! That means that the surgery didn’t damage the placenta too much and that both girls are still getting nourishment. The question now is did the surgery do enough to even out the blood supply? Only time will tell and Valerie will be on bed rest for a while to try and prevent early labor. The doctors will also be following up weekly from here on out to look for TTTS returning. Please continue to pray that the twins grow evenly and that they can remain in Valerie until term.

So Far, So Good

Pastor Mike just left after reading Psalm 103 and praying with us. I spoke with the surgeon around 1:00 and he is pleased with the outcome up to this point. He mentioned that both girls hearts were beating strong when the procedure ended, but that we will know more in terms of how successful thing really are when he does an ultrasound tomorrow morning. Until then it is just a well deserved rest for Valerie.

Prepping

Valerie just went in for surgery prep. She should be in surgery until about 12:00 or 12:30.

Surgery

The three options to correct TTTS are: 1.) do nothing, 2.) drain some amniotic fluid, and 3.) operate on the placenta to try and correct the imbalance of blood flow to the girls. We have a great sense of peace that the third option is the best because it increases the chances that both girls will survive and it reduces the chances that they will be born pre-term should they survive the surgery.

The doctor just gave us an update and said that his team can be ready to operate between 10:30 and 11:00. Valerie will be awake but with an epidural. She will be in OSU hospital overnight and should be allowed to go home to bed rest tomorrow.

Twin Girls

I know we have been secretive about the gender of our twins, but we have been trying to wait until we had their names picked out before blabbing. After the doctor visit yesterday, we can officially announce them: Micah & Micaiah.

Because the girls share a placenta, they are identical twins. Their names are actually the same in Hebrew and mean “Who is like God?” The obvious answer to that is: no one. These girls may look alike, act alike, and be the same age, but nothing is like our God, the Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, and Healer of life.

Please pray for these little girls. They are 20 1/2 weeks along and have developed Twin Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) which basically means that the blood flow from the placenta is not equal. One gets too much and the other not enough. This is a fatal syndrome if treatment is not done, so we are meeting with a surgeon at The Ohio State University Medical Center this morning at 7:00 to get his recommendation on the type of surgery to have done. The surgery team has an opening around noon today and most likely something will be done then, so we need wisdom…in a bad way.

The hospital has Wi-Fi and I will be updating my blog through out the day. Please pray that God’s will be done in the lives of Micah & Micaiah. We selfishly want to see two little ones crawling around our Christmas tree next year, but that may not be His plan.