Peyton got to come home this morning! We are so grateful that everything went so well. Peyton is still in pain, as is to be expected and her recovery road will be long, but thankfully the surgery accomplished what was needed. It was evident that prayers were being answered. I asked that you pray for Peyton before surgery as she goes into the operating room. I am glad to tell you, that she was so brave and went in without any sedatives and without crying at all. Thanks for praying specifically for that. She was such a big girl.
It was actually evident from the beginning that God was in complete control of this situation. At the beginning when Peyton was first diagnosed, the local doctor's listened to Karen about how different Peyton's anatomy is. The doctor's took what she said to heart and referred us to an ear specialist who they felt confident could handle this situation. It would have been easy for any doctor to take this on, even with lack of experience, but these guys didn't do that. They were honest about their lack of experience and pushed this specialist to the forefront.
Once the doctor's got inside of Peyton's ears, they found that the problem was a lot larger and more significant than first thought. The surgeon had to make some difficult decisions during surgery in order to move forward and remove all of the cyst and the cells. He said after the surgery, that this was the largest one he had ever seen and that it was very aggressive. We are not quite sure how long this has been going on inside of her, but all that we have read states that more aggressive chloesteatoma's can lead to very serious issues like having the brain abscess. This process moved so fast to get Peyton into surgery and we didn't even realize how severe it was. Thank you God for taking care of Peyton and getting her the attention she needed when she needed it.
We often wonder why so many things have to happen to one person, especially a five year old. It is easy for us to get caught up in ourselves in times like this and forget about God and his plan. Although we don't understand all that happens, Karen and I can say that in all of Peyton's operations and health issues, we have always seen God's hand in the midst of it. We believe that God loves Peyton more than we could ever love her and that he doesn't make mistakes. All that has happened to Peyton didn't sneak up on God and catch him off guard. We are learning more and more that we must trust God's promises and his plan for our lives and for our children's lives. Peyton has been through a lot and there have been some scary moments in her young five years of life, but God has brought her through all of them. We can only hope that he will use all of these experiences in her life to bring more glory to Himself.
We are thankful to God to have Peyton home and to be home with the rest of our kids. All of the kids were glad to see Peyton come home today and she was glad to be home with them. Thanks again for keeping our family in your thoughts and prayers. We are very blessed to have such caring friends and family. Even those that we don't even know!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Peyton's Ear Surgery!
As most of you know, Peyton is going in for another surgery in the morning. Her surgery is scheduled for 9:30am. For those who have been asking what this is all about, here is a brief description. About a month after we got back from Charleston at the end of last year, Peyton had an ear doctor appt and they found some problems. The first thing they saw was a hole in her eardrum and they prepared us for a possible procedure to skin graph it. The doctor wanted another doctor in his practice to take a look at it, so we went back in and that doctor found something more serious. They found a skin cyst that had overtaken her middle eardrum. The guys here locally didn't feel comfortable doing the surgery required to remove it, so they called in a specialist from Raleigh, NC. He came in and confirmed the cyst findings.
The doctor explained to us that this cyst was like cancer in the sense that when he goes into her ear, he has to remove it all, along with the skin cells or it will grow back. Tomorrow's surgery will involve the doctor going in behind Peyton's ear and removing the skin cyst and cells. He also will do some sort of temp fix for her middle ear drum (since the skin cyst has defected her middle eardrum). The second surgery in 6 months will involve the doctor rebuilding her middle eardrum so that she can regain full hearing and to follow up to see if any more skin cells have developed. For about the last 4 months, Peyton has really struggled to hear and that hearing loss continues to get worse.
This surgery like all surgeries has risks. Some of the risks are facial paralysis due to the surgery taking place all around main nerves that control muscles in the face. Also, they will be working in close proximity to the back bottom part of her brain. The doctor feels very confident about his ability to remove the cyst and fix the problem. The surgery itself should last about 1.5 to 2 hours. They are planning on keeping Peyton in the hospital for 24 hours due to her history. Peyton will have a very tough recovery that will last 8 weeks. During this recovery time, she will be very limited as to what she can do.
Karen and I would ask that you guys pray first and foremost for Peyton as she goes in for surgery. She is nervous and anxious. She really begins to struggle when the doctors take her from us and into the operating room. They give her a sedative to help her relax, but she still gets really upset. Also, please pray for the surgery itself and that it is a success. Karen and I can't help but be reminded of our last episode in Charleston. We know that doctors can and do make mistakes and we are trying really hard to not think about that and focus on this surgery going smoothly. Please pray for our sanity throughout the process as well. One more thing, please pray for our other kids as they are going through another day or two without mom and dad and Peyton in the house. This is a very difficult time for them as well.
It is a really good feeling and it blesses our heart to know that you guys care enough to pray for our family and specifically Peyton. We wanted to get the word out, yet again, as we know Prayer works. Thanks for all that you guys do.
Red and Karen
The doctor explained to us that this cyst was like cancer in the sense that when he goes into her ear, he has to remove it all, along with the skin cells or it will grow back. Tomorrow's surgery will involve the doctor going in behind Peyton's ear and removing the skin cyst and cells. He also will do some sort of temp fix for her middle ear drum (since the skin cyst has defected her middle eardrum). The second surgery in 6 months will involve the doctor rebuilding her middle eardrum so that she can regain full hearing and to follow up to see if any more skin cells have developed. For about the last 4 months, Peyton has really struggled to hear and that hearing loss continues to get worse.
This surgery like all surgeries has risks. Some of the risks are facial paralysis due to the surgery taking place all around main nerves that control muscles in the face. Also, they will be working in close proximity to the back bottom part of her brain. The doctor feels very confident about his ability to remove the cyst and fix the problem. The surgery itself should last about 1.5 to 2 hours. They are planning on keeping Peyton in the hospital for 24 hours due to her history. Peyton will have a very tough recovery that will last 8 weeks. During this recovery time, she will be very limited as to what she can do.
Karen and I would ask that you guys pray first and foremost for Peyton as she goes in for surgery. She is nervous and anxious. She really begins to struggle when the doctors take her from us and into the operating room. They give her a sedative to help her relax, but she still gets really upset. Also, please pray for the surgery itself and that it is a success. Karen and I can't help but be reminded of our last episode in Charleston. We know that doctors can and do make mistakes and we are trying really hard to not think about that and focus on this surgery going smoothly. Please pray for our sanity throughout the process as well. One more thing, please pray for our other kids as they are going through another day or two without mom and dad and Peyton in the house. This is a very difficult time for them as well.
It is a really good feeling and it blesses our heart to know that you guys care enough to pray for our family and specifically Peyton. We wanted to get the word out, yet again, as we know Prayer works. Thanks for all that you guys do.
Red and Karen
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