You see a couple years ago Jason and I drove up to UCLA to have a certain genetic test done on Faith. When we got there we were told that the order was written on the wrong papers and they could not do the blood test. In my anger I was stopped cold when a still small voice inside told me “It’s not time”. My response of course was… “Could you not have told me this BEFORE the 3 hour drive to get to UCLA?” I suppose not. Now, years later I am hearing “It’s time”. Wait! Could it be time for healing? For answers???
We lasted nearly 7 days with no fever. We were at the beach for the weekend when Faith got another fever. I took Faith home thinking that if we needed her doctors we would be closer to home. We saw the Doctor the next morning and they noticed her tonsils were swollen and put her on antibiotics again. This time was different though. She couldn’t seem to catch her breath while she was sleeping. There were moments where she would simply stop breathing. She was getting NO rest and was exhausted! We ended up back at the doctors the next day again and he found an ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat Dr.) that would see her immediately. We drove straight over to them. Her fever was now climbing and we had no Tylenol or Motrin with us and it was time for her to have another dose. Oddly, we had the thermometer but not medicine. Jason took off to the corner store to grab some meds. While he was gone the receptionist told me that they could not see Faith due to the lack of insurance authorization. I could have screamed at that very moment! Without fail, Faith decided to throw up all over! You’ve got to be kidding me! We decided to simply pay cash for the visit so we could see the ENT doctor. (Did I mention his office was empty???) Jason came back with the meds. and we got to go back to see the Dr. only for him to tell us that he felt her tonsils and adenoids should come out BUT, he didn’t feel comfortable doing it since she was a special needs child. I could have beaten my head against the wall! I COMPLETELY appreciate his honesty but, it was NOT what I wanted to hear. We came home with our baby praying for her to breathe without difficulty.
I soon found myself watching Faith as she slept. Her body was betraying her and I didn’t know what to do. I called the doctor again and they told me to take her to the ER at one of the children’s hospitals. We loaded up the car knowing we were in for a long day/ night. We got Dylan squared away with his best buddy and off we went.
We got to the hospital and they put her on monitors while they took our information. She ended up falling asleep and they were able to witness her breathing (or lack there of) and it showed her oxygen levels dropping down to the low 70’s. There was a definite problem! (Imagine that!) They paged an ENT to come down and do a consult with us. When they showed up we expected them to tell us they wanted to take out her tonsils and adenoids. (Like the two doctors before him said) Instead this young man stood in front of us and told us he understood our concerns as parents but, to come back next week so we could be seen in the office. WHAT?!?!? I think at that moment you could have picked our jaws up off the floor! Was he kidding? Jason asked some questions to try to figure out why he would chose to wait a week to see her and we got the same rehearsed answered. “I understand your concerns as parents but, you need to come back next week so you could be seen in the office.” At one point or another Mama Bear came out and I had to explain to the nice young gentleman that we weren’t leaving the hospital without our daughter breathing properly! Our ER nurse looked just as appalled and he told us he was working with another team to try to get her admitted. Sure enough Pulmonology came and admitted her to the hospital. Thank you!
The first night they monitored her and saw that she indeed needed to be there! (I’m telling you… I’m not crazy!) Pulmonology came to check on her each morning for 3 days. They ordered a CPAP machine to help her breathe at night. Although this was NOT fun it was a little funny to me. For the simple reason that this whole time I had been talking with the Lord saying Lord, you parted the sea for Moses please come and part Faith’s airway so that she may breathe! When the CPAP machine showed up I had to shake my head and thank the Lord for parting her airway so that she could breathe! The same wind that parted the sea for Moses parted the airway for Faith. The breath of God was here in a very real way!
Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! Exodus 14:21-22
We didn’t see ENT for several days. We asked for them to come, they were on the orders to come and yet they never came. Frustrating to say the least! Our days were spent waiting for the night to come to watch her vitals and get her use to the CPAP machine. Faith’s heartbeat started jumping all over the place. With our sensitivity to heart problems in our family we asked for a consult with cardiology. 2 EKG’s and an Echocardiogram later, they declared Faith has a good heart with no concerns for her.ENT finally showed up and told us without looking at her that her tonsils and adenoids needed to come out. I was baffled by the idea that they made such a statement without looking at her. He simply told me that the CPAP machine told him everything he needed to know. Hmm… whatever! He explained the risks & benefits of the surgery and we decided to go ahead and do it. His schedule was busy and he could do it in a day or two. This left us with a little more waiting. Faith was happy in her bed watching Signing Time from sun up to sun down. The nursing staff was now singing the theme song!
We continued to pray for healing over Faith. Her fever went away the day we came to the hospital. Whew! Now we were down to the breathing… We prayed that the Lord would bring knowledge to the forefront of the doctors minds. Neurology came into see us one of the days we were there. The doctor came in and told us how he had spoken with Faith’s neurologist and yet while he was watching her from the hall way a certain diagnosis came to his mind. (he he he) He wanted to test her for a rare muscle disease that he had only seen 3 times in his 30 something years of practicing medicine. He showed us pictures of children with this disease and told us about the symptoms of the disease. It sounded as if he was describing Faith. Now, let me say this, we have looked at ALL SORTS of diagnosis in the last 5 years. Most of them sound like Faith but, this one felt a bit different. He asked to do a muscle biopsy while Faith was under anesthesia and we agreed. I remembered… “it’s time” and held onto the belief that it in deed was time!
We stayed a total of 7 days in the hospital. We ended up with 2 surgeries. One for tonsils and adenoids and one for the muscle biopsy. (It ended up we couldn’t do them together) Since her tonsils and adenoids came out there is no longer a need for the CPAP machine we brought home. I can’t wait to send it back knowing she can breathe freely while she sleeps! Praise you God! The incision from the muscle biopsy is healing up and Faith can’t wait to be able to take a real bath again. Soon… very soon! We go for the post-op appointments this week and we should find out what the muscle biopsy has revealed to the doctors. I continue to believe “it’s time”.
Deuteronomy 4:9
Never forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.
Deuteronomy 4:14It was at that time that the Lord commanded me to teach you his decrees and regulations so you would obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy.
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