Saturday, July 4, 2009

July 09 Update

Here's a quick update from our trip to Duke:

Gwyneth is doing very well, and her doctors continue to be very happy with her progress. She has hit several milestones in just the past few weeks, including crawling, sitting up (from her hands and knees), pulling herself to a stand from a sitting position, waving and mimicking babbling (see video below). She is finally off a vitamin supplament that we have been giving her since we brought her home, and we are going to be trying a new formula with more calories to help her continue to gain weight. She weighs over 17 lbs now.

Tricia also received great reports. She feels better now than she has in several years, and since her bought with pneumonia a few months ago, she has not had any major lung issues. All of here tests and scans came back looking good and clean, and her doctors are very pleased with where she is at right now.

I also had an appointment with an ENT to discuss my recent sleep study. The sleep study shows that I have severe sleep apnea...on a scale of 1 to 100, any score of 40 and above is considered "severe"...my score was 92. My suspicion for the past few years is that my tonsils are abnormally huge (which the doctors confirm), and my goal has been to have them removed. After seeing my sleep study report, and learning that I've had three different cases of illness related to or caused by my tonsils in the past few months, the doctor agrees that a tonsilectomy is the best option. I've done my homework and know the nature of the surgery and recovery and am very satisfied to finally have a surgery scheduled. Ultimately, my decision comes down to the fact that my apnea and increased illnesses are both unhealthy for Gwyneth and (more so) Tricia.

All in all, it was a great trip, although Gwyneth is just now getting back to her normal sleep schedule, which always gets messed up when we go to Durham overnight.

Here's a cute video (cell phone) showing some of Gwyneth's progress...



Nate

60 comments:

Momof2bz said...

That is the cutest video! I love when they start doing animals noises. The monkey, cow and pig are my favorites.

Glad to hear that you are all doing well. I hope Nate scheduled his surgery when Rita's is open. If you have to have the surgery, you may as well get something good out of it :)

Kathryn said...

Oh, that sweet baby's voice! Thank you for sharing such a special moment.

Anonymous said...

Great to hear such wonderful reports on the both of your girls. Hope you are on the mend soon.
Cute video!

My Diabetic Sweet Life said...

Awww bless - that was so sweet :) I love it when they start doing that!

Thanks for sharing another great moment.

malette-foreveryoung said...

I had my this surgery for a few reasons when I was 39 and yes it was bad,I did survived and I am happy that I did it.
Good luck on yours and I am happy to see that Tricia and Gwyneth are doing good.

auntrene said...

So thankful everyone is doing so well, Amazing!!!
And lil Miss Gwyneth you are terrific.. You are right that is what a sheep says... can't wait to hear her Mooing.. Thanks for sharing!
Have a Happy 4th of July and keep safe.

Becky in VA said...

I'm so happy for each of you!!!!!

Happy 4th of July - you have so much to celebrate!!!

Love to all.

Just the 5 of us said...

TOO precious! ;)

Emily B. said...

She's growing up so fast! *tear *tear
Happy 4th! Hope the festival at your church was a blast!

Rebecca (Ramblings by Reba) said...

Glad Tricia and Gwyneth are both doing so well. I hope your surgery goes well...

Unknown said...

I got my tonsils out as an adult. I am glad I did, but whatever you do Do Not bend over till they tell you you can. I didn't think one day would matter and that cost 2 overnights in the hospital Yuck :( I am so glad you are all doing well.

Jennifer said...

Oh geez! She is so cute! My daughter had her tonsils out when she was 19 yrs old and she did just fine. Lots of popsicles and ice cream for a bit. Grandson Owen over at www.howlifeismeasured.blogspot.com (age 2 1/2 and the reason I ever got interested in your blog!!) just had his tonsils and adenoids out and tubes put in his ears last week. He's doing GREAT! So happy the "girls" are doing so well. Tricia looks absolutely great...so healthy and beautiful.

Heather said...

Her ba ba is too precious. I am glad to hear that you will be getting your tonsils out. Sleep apnea is not something you want to mess around with. Glad both of the girls are doing well. Thanks for the great update. -

Jaren said...

I had to have my tonsils removed too. After I had twins, I was always sick and they were too. Since my surgery, all four of my children have had to have the same surgery (the latest surgery just a few months ago). I have the kids get surgery at just under a year old now since they all inherited my GOLF BALL size tonsils. I will be curious to see if your doctor (after surgery) says you have a permanent infection inside your tonsils or not. My twins did. He said no wonder they were always sick. The infection was literally inside them. I hope you recover quickly. Best advice from me is to not wait until your in pain. Take the meds on a schedule for a few days instead. But I am sure you already know this! Good luck! Glad to see your girls are doing so well!

Rachael said...

What a wonderful update! I hope that you can get your surgery soon Nate and things improve for you - that's a very high score.

All the best you all as always
Rachael (England)

Rachael said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
lovey said...

Did you mean your AHI is 92? Mine is 82, and that's very severe (especially for a woman). Sleep apnea is hard on all your systems, so do whatever you need to bring your apneas down. I didn't know that sleep apnea is actually a deteriorating condition, in that your body can't handle years of work to get your oxygen levels right, so getting to it early is great. A wonderful website to learn about sleep apnea is www.cpaptalk.com I learned so much from all of them, and they saved me so much grief. Let me know if you need any advice or support on sleep apnea issues-...after 3 1/2 years of treatment, I am quite the expert. Take care of yourself, so you can take care of that wonderful family of yours. Laurie (lovey)

Lovin Lane said...

I just read through your fast track,, wow what an amazing and inspirational story... Thank you for sharing....Marcy

E.J. said...

What blessings to hear great news on the health of the girls... and the possibility of enhancing your own health.

Catherine said...

Adorable video!! What a smart little girl you have there!

All the best with your tonsilectomy. Ouchy as an adult but worth it in the end.

Apnea sometimes = cpap. If they encourage it, go for it! It was life changing for me and continues to be. Didn't know how tired and run down I felt before it until I began to use it nightly.

Great reports on everyone!!

Twinkletoes said...

Wow! I am so impressed with the results from the Duke trip! 17 pounds is TRULY awesome! Congrats!

As for the tonsils...good luck. I don't know a thing about the surgery in adults but being a teacher, I have seen many kids go through the process. Are they taking the adenoids out too?

Mikesgal2009 said...

awww, so cute! good luck with the tonsil surgery. i had mine removed. the best part was the icee's. so glad tricia is doing well.

judy1884 said...

Our daughter-in-law had her tonsils out when she was 32 and she has been in much better health since then. Gwyneth gets cuter all the time. Glad that the girls got such good reports :)

Unknown said...

My ex husband was a hunter (his name was Bob)... when our girls started doing the animal sounds he would say "What does a deer say" And the girls would say "Don't shoot me Bob!".... I know... wrong... but yet funny.

Teacher/Mom said...

Good luck with the tonsilectomy! AS I am sure you know the greatest risk for adults is simple dehydration, so be sure to drink lots and suck on those popsicles!! It stinks to end up in the ER for an IV!

BS said...

Wonderful news for all of you (well, except your surgery but it will be much better afterwards)

Amy Lynn said...

Go Gwyneth go! She's so smart!

Kimberly Wright said...

Glad to hear your girls are all well. Having a T&A will be rough since you are an adult but you will be so much better when it is all over with and sleep like a rock!

Anonymous said...

Happy belated 4th. Glad all is well with Trisha and Gwyneth. I pray all goes well with your surgery Nate. Hopefully this is the cure for your sleep apena. I love the video of Gwyneth,so cute.~Darlene

April said...

Awwww!! Seriously the cutest thing ever! I love it when Miracle says new things. What a blessing to be able to watch our children learn and thrive <3

Elizabeth said...

Thanks be to God for such wonderful reports! (Even though yours means surgery, at least it is an answer to multiple problems!) I got goosebumps hearing Gwyneth's sweet voice. I marvel at her and wonder what amazing works God has planned for her and through her.

Violet said...

The video was adorable! So glad to here the girls are doing so well!

I struggled with health issues related to my tonsils for years, and struggled to get a doctor to agree to take them out. I too, finally saw an ENT, who had me scheduled for surgery 2 weeks later. It was a great decision for me. I have few issues. I use to get 5-7 sore throats (often strep) every winter. THe last 3 years w/out my tonsils, I've had maybe 3 sore throat, and each lasted no more than 3 days, and were mild. I do find since I had them removed, I am more prone to losing my voice though. I will pray your surgery goes well, healing is fast you and mimimal pain, and that is brings resolve to the issues being caused by them!

Jenny said...

I had my tonsils out as an adult (the reasons sound similar to yours). Having the tonsils out was the best thing I ever did. I can't believe how much better I felt after having them removed. I am barely ever sick now and the night's sleep I get is awesome!

I won't lie to you... the recovery stinks. Take it easy (you'll probably HATE jello and pudding forever afterwards!)but IT IS SO WORTH IT.

Good Luck to you Nathan!

-Jenny

Anonymous said...

I love how strong Tricia's voice sounds in that short video clip. Lots to be thankful for!

mamav said...

That video was absolutely adorable!!

Sorry to hear about the sleep apnea. I know that can be very serious. If you're having your tonsils done at Duke, I would recommend Dr. Scher. He took mine out in 2008 and everything went perfectly. It's the recovery that is absolutely torturous - literally. People say you can eat ice cream or liquids, I could BARELY swallow for a WEEK! I don't know about you, but the pain meds make me loopy so I just laid in bed for a week and tried not to be near anyone so I didn't have to try to talk, eat or smile. If I remember correctly, by the end of the third week I was eating fairly normally. They second week I sat at the table with my family but they felt so bad for me when I swallowed.

I had my tonsils taken out to help with snoring and to help reduce the amount of sore throats I was getting. It definitely helped for the snoring but not for the sore throats. I still get tons of those.

Many blessings on your and your precious family,
Marla

Stacemoe said...

Nate,
I don't know if anyone has told you about this...but there is a little girl in Arizona that was just diagnosed with a brain tumor and her family is asking for prayer. Here is a link of a video clip of them http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ese3zYZ-NA4 and here is their website through caring bridge http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate. I know you have a large following, so I thought this might be a good way to spread the word. Thanks.
Glad Tricia and Gwyneth are doing so well. Praying for you too Nate about your upcoming surgery. Hope ya'll had a wonderful 4th!!!!

BeckeyZ said...

I had my tonsils taken out when I was 23...you'll do fine. Stock up on popsicles - I lived on them for a few days.

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to add as gorgeous as Gwyneth's voice is... Trisha's sounds GREAT. Seems her surgery a while ago worked wonders!
Good luck with the tonsils, poor thing!

Kat

Amy said...

So glad all is going well for everyone...don't worry about the tonsil thing. You'll do fine. Once I had mine out I hardly ever have any throat issues anymmore.

~j~ said...

So great to read the update on all of you, Thank the Lord for good reports all the way around. We continue to give HIM praise for the gift of the three of you!

Mary said...

Oh that is so awesome. Glad you all had a good report from the doctors. I also wanted to tell Tricia she looked so beautiful in the anniversary pics below...even my 7 year old daughter said so.

God Bless...
Mary in FLorida

Anonymous said...

Aaawww!!!

Caroline said...

It's so good to hear all the positive updates. Praying that your surgery will be uneventful and leave you feeling and sleeping better.

Brown Eyed Girl said...

Happy to hear that the girls are doing well. Bummed that you have to have surgery but glad you will resolution.

I recently heard about a new procedure to remove tonsils. I did some research and found that it is called Coblation. I don't know if that is something you could have but it sounds like it makes the recovering time a little easier. If you Google Coblation you will find more information.

MadMaude53 said...

Good luck with the tonsilectomy. I was 19 when I had mine out...don't believe that "all the ice cream you can eat" line--I found that warm liquids felt better going down. AND..believe your doctor if he tells you to avoid citrus fruits/juices for 4 to 6 weeks...they BURN LIKE FIRE if you consume them in the first 2 weeks. :-) You'll do great!

The rest of your news is so wonderful...and Gwyneth sounds like a little angel!

Lisa Leonard said...

thanks for the update. thinking about you guys and glad to read all is well (except for your tonsils, which sounds manageable!). sending hugs!!

Jenn said...

Aww, too cute!!!

Unknown said...

Way to go, Gwyneth!

Julie said...

Gwyneth is SO sweet! Glad to hear of the good reports for both of your girls, and while getting your tonsils out will not be fun, it will be good to have one less obstacle in the way of you getting to spend as much quality time with your family as possible. Plus, you should be able to sleep better, too! That's always a bonus.

Annette said...

Two of my children have had tonsilectomies and it made such a difference in their health! (Howver Ive heard its tougher for recovery in adults than children) Im sure you know it will be well worth it. Good Luck!!

amanda said...

Priceless!

Anonymous said...

I hope the tonsillectomy does the trick, but if not, please pursue the CPAP route to preserve your health . . . for your sake and your girls'.

The video is priceless! What a fun stage you are getting to with Gwyneth! Of course, all of the stages and all of the development are precious . . . but that very early talking stage is one of my personal favorite! :-)

Ang said...

How precious you have caught so many things on tape! I haven't been 'keeping' up on your blog as I should have since my recent heart attack..I feel like I am just now making my rounds around the blog world. but on the sleep apnea thing. I didn't catch if they have already removed your tonsils or if this is something int he making...but just wanted to share a 'praise' with you. My youngest who is now 9 had hers out 2 years ago. I swear that youngin could bring a house down with her snoring and the doc said that should almost stop completely..and it has!!!!!!!!! So it was a great success. Her little tonsils were so big they called them "kissing tonsils' because they touched. Theh doc said he couldn't believe she never had trouble eating but she never did. But the surgery was a great one! I hope it has the same results for you!! zzzzzzzzzzzz

Queen Mommy said...

I'm glad to hear things are going well. And, that video of Gwyneth is sooooo cute!!

Anonymous said...

That video is SOOOOOO super cute!! I am so excited for the progress she has made (and tricia)! I love hearing you talk about "your girls"! They both are so blessed to have you!!

Ginger said...

Amen Amen Amen

kitten.mom said...

My brother had his removed recently. He had snoring issues. They took out his adnoids also. His tonsils were huge in his throat. My uncle looked at the scans ( he's an ENT) and he was like um yeah they need to come out.
His surgery was sucessful but as they probably told you as an adult the recovery is a little bit longer unfortunately.

raw said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE the video!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Nate,
I just had my tonsild out last summer (7/7/08) and it was a long hard revocery. But I have also had a transplant like Tricia so that could be why I had such a rough recovery. I will be praying for you and I hope your recovery is fast.
Tara
PS I haven't been sick once since I got my tonsils out and due to my cf/transplant I have never made it through a winter without getting sick and this winter I did!

Semi-Organized Mom said...

Too cute!