Pictures from last surgery

Elizabeth driving to Cincinnati

Elizabeth with DeeDee the registration clerk at Childrens Hospital. DeeDee has been checking us in at surgery registration since Elizabeth was 18 months old!

Kay, another longtime friend. She has taken care of Elizabeth in the recovery room at Children's since 1994.

talking on the phone while waiting and waiting for surgery.



Going into the O.R.

After surgery...in recovery room with Grandma Mary and not happy about Dad snapping pictures

Good News

Elizabeth had her bronchoscopy/laryngoscopy yesterday. She was scheduled for 1:00pm but things got backed up in the O.R., so she wasn't taken back for her procedure until 3:15PM. She really didn't mind. She said that she heard that Dr. Cotton's first patient that morning developed complications and surgery took longer than expected. She said "I don't mind because remember when I was 10 and my big surgery took 2 hours longer than expected? I probably caused other people to wait and wait on that day"
Anyway, she did have some granulation tissue in her airway that Dr. Cotton removed. He said her airway is measuring a 6.5 which is a normal adult female airway size. Woohoo! He wants her to try to do anything she wants and get back to playing basketball. She needs to go back to Cincinnati in early December for another Bronchoscopy/laryngoscopy just to make sure the granulation tissue is not growing, etc.

We are still working with her pediatrician and pulmonologist for her terrible migraines and the right side chest pain. Hopefully we will get good results soon.

I will add photos later.

SWEET 16! X 3

My babies are 16 today! Where did the time go? They had about 8 friends over last night to celebrate. We had planned on a bonfire in the backyard, but got rained out. They rented a movie, played a game and ate cake. Lot of laughter, so I'm sure they had a good time.




16 candles each!

Jack, Jessica, Elizabeth

Tom and my mother, "Grandma Mary", will be taking Elizabeth to Cincinnati today. She is having a bronchoscopy/laryngoscopy tomorrow at 1:00PM. Please pray for good news. If all looks good, then she won't need to go back to Cincinnati for 3 months. That is what we are hoping for. Pray for no scar tissue in her airway. I can't go with them this time because I can't miss anymore time from work. I work for the Michigan Marching Band and it is our BUSY season right now.

I'll update tomorrow after Tom calls me with the news.

First day of Eleventh grade!

Jessica, Jack, Elizabeth
Jack

Jessica

Elizabeth

Going into WLHS to begin the Junior year!!!!

How did my babies get so old? I can't believe they only have 2 years of school left before they go into the real world of college and work. Wow. They were excited about their new status as 'juniors' and looking forward to seeing friends they haven't been in touch with all summer.

Elizabeth was excited to talk with her teachers and to visit with Ms. Easlick, the teacher that made the long drive to Cincinnati to visit with us. She wanted to thank her for the visit and let her see how well she is doing now.

On the medical news; Elizabeth will go back to Cincinnati on September 15 (the day after her 16th birthday) for her next bronchoscopy/laryngoscopy. Dr. Cotton will decide if anything needs to be done with the scar tissue in her trachea and just make sure the rib graft is still holding strong. Elizabeth is still having chest pains when she exercises. The pain is on her upper right side of the chest. She is now seeing a pulminologist for that. She also has migraines. She had her first migraine at 7 years old. She got them about 2 times a month back then, but in the last 2 years she gets them more and more frequently....about 3 times a week. Her pediatrician has started her on ibuprofen 400mg 3 times a day to prevent the migraines and says to do that for 2 weeks to see if her brain can be re-trained. He also prescribed Maxalt in case she does get a migraine.