Steven Gibbs

John Update

Well, Cincinnati was cold.  John's surgery went well.  They examined his larynx (and associated parts), as well as his lungs.  Nothing had changed, which was good news.  While not normal, it does work.  The doctor's continued to laugh at how it was possible he was swallowing.  It dawned on me that I didn't share their sense of humor...  

After we left the hospital John developed a fever and cough.  This turned out to be unrelated to the surgery, but associated with strep - very nice conclusion to the week for John.  At least we know how to treat that.  I think he hates the taste of the medicine more than surgery.

His brothers got to go with us for the first time.  They noted how calm he was heading into surgery - not showing any signs of nerves.  I guess he was compensating for Debby and I (smile).

Anyway, barring any complications, we'll head back at the beginning of next year for another follow up. It remains to be seen how his anatomy will continue to change as he grows and develops.

Thanks for praying.  

Financial Analysis

With the price of gas going up, as well as food, etc., I’ve decided to go through and analyze our personal spending plan. This is a principle that Debby and I learned as we took Crown, so we are tracking our spending for the month. Sure, we could get by without it, fudge here and there to make things work out right. But it’s probably the wise thing to go through and analyze our change in spending based on current economic conditions.

Crown Financial Ministries has many great resources. Also, I’ve included a link to a blog that I read that gives some great encouragement during these financial times.

What about you? What are you seeing in your own personal financial situations during these times?

VDCCF

Since my son Ethan turned 13 this year, we have entered into an intentional discipleship process. One of our goals was physical - the Peachtree Road Race. We stayed motivated with the thought of the t-shirt, as well as a Venti Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino.

Frappuccino is too much dessert for me, so I treated myself to a Quad Grande Americano. The sweet taste of accomplishment!

One Year Later

As many of you know, this Saturday is the 1 year anniversary of John’s accident. It has definitely brought back many emotions and memories. Some good, and some that… well, you get the picture.

Our family is headed down for Ethan and I to run the Peachtree tomorrow. As part of our trip, we’re going down to visit the Egleston PICU for the first time since we left last July. On Saturday I’ll re-post my original post from last July 5, with hopefully some pictures.

John Update

Some great news on John! Last week he had a follow-up appointment with his rehab doctor, who released him to do whatever he wants to do. Until this point, John has not been able to ride his bike, etc. While he has been playing, his activities have been limited. So now, he can venture out!

The doctors are still surprised by his progress. The week prior to John’s visit, his doctor had taught a lecture to the PICU nurses at Egleston, using John as one of his case studies. We owe them a visit!

Hopefully he will get his new tooth by the end of the summer. We’ve grown so accustomed to the missing tooth, it will be a drastic change! He also has a bald spot on the back of his head from so many days lying in the hospital. He may need a hair plug before he’s 40…

John Update

Well, today we had 2 swallow studies – both went great. The first was at 8:00. This was the FEES (fiber optic endoscopy, or snake camera up the nose). They give him some pudding, etc., to swallow and watch it go down. While extreeeemely abnormal, it is functional. It is slow, and requires quite a bit of fluid, but it went down.

At 10:00 he had a VSS (video swallow study). He swallows pudding, nectar, and an oreo, all with barium mixed in. An x-ray machine watches it go down. It definitely gets hung up in the back of his throat. However, he does protect his airway, and the food makes it to his stomach eventually.

So now, we are treading water, just watching what happens. I’ll give a more extensive update next week. Thanks for praying. Pretty cool things happening!

John Update

WHY DO YOU FEEL LIKE I’M YELLING AT YOU RIGHT NOW!!!

There was no point to that, but I thought it was funny…

Anyway, the scope went incredibly well. We waited our allotted 2 hours for all of the pre-op information. John picked “grape” flavor for his laughing gas. In about 7 seconds, he was out like a light.

John was under anesthesia for about 20 minutes, while they took a look-see. While he still has only a 50% opening in his throat, the scar tissue had not grown. They did not do anything other than take a look.

The lung wash went fine, and his lungs looked great. This is an indication that his swallowing is going well.

So, for now we’ll come back in 6-12 months to monitor his progress. The doctor’s were very pleased, as were we. While there may still be some other surgeries in the future (especially as he hits puberty), things are going well right now.

Tomorrow we have a couple of swallowing studies, and then we’ll head back home.

One interesting thing of note: We were talking with John’s doctor before the procedure. He mentioned that if John had been in Cincinnati initially following the accident, things would have been different. There would definitely have been a tracheotomy, as well as the reconstructive surgery. It would have obviously been a more intense environment with all of that going on. As we met with the pulmonologist, he also commented on how amazing it was that John has never had a trach.

Yeah, pretty amazing. All I can say is, thanks for praying.

On The Ground

We made it safely to Cincinnati last night. This morning John has some vocal chord testing. That is one thing that we haven’t done yet, as the doctors have been focused on his breathing and swallowing – rather important issues.

Please continue to pray for John and these next few days. Tomorrow is the scope, as well as a lung wash. This will give us an idea of any scar tissue build up. The lung wash will determine if he is aspirating when he eats. We are optimistic, but you never know what you find!

God Size

I’m sometimes puzzled by this phrase, “God-sized.” When we hear this phrase, it’s generally referring to something HUGE, astronomical, or gargantuan. Of course that is sometimes true.

But sometimes “God-sized” may not be big in the terms that we think of big. Clearly in scripture, some people are 1 talent, 5 talent, or 10 talent people. In other words, we have to be responsible with what God has given us. Everyone would like to be 10 talent people, but some people are not. The problem is, we settle. We settle for 1 talent, when we should be 10 talent folk.

Also, remember the story of the widow’s offering? She gave out of her poverty, and God said she gave more than the rich dude. Can you say “God-sized?” The disciples didn’t think so. But Jesus did.

Don’t settle for less than what God has given you. But don’t drive for more than He has for you. In that tension, you’ll find contentment.

Man Stuff

Sometimes it’s just good for a man to do some man-stuff. Last week our staff men got together and hung around the campfire. There are certain man-things that happen around a fire that don’t include acoustic guitar and kum-ba-ya. It includes a ton of laughter, possibly a few cigars, and discussion around a variety of topics. We used the time as an affirmation of one of our newest staff members, speaking life into him. We awarded him with his Stonecreek sword – a symbol to remind him of the battle. It was the Stonecreek version of ordination.

Last night these same men and I took my oldest son to the campfire to begin an “initiation” journey. He turned 13 yesterday. For a boy to truly understand what it means to be a man, it requires the company of real men. I am going to take him through a yearlong intentional discipleship process, and we launched that last night. Each man spoke some life into him, affirming who God has created him to be. They also taught him a few things about what God expects of him.

He now understands more about what God intends from a man. He has other men he can turn to, can look up to, and can depend on. Hopefully, that will mean something to him, and God can use it in his future.

He is fortunate, as am I, to have these type of men in his life. Do you? If you don’t, what are you doing about it?

Never A Dull Moment

Yeah, that's my house. Don't worry, there is no damage. Seems that the fireplace got a little out of hand, setting off all the smoke alarms in the house. Something about balls of fire screaming out of the chimney. (I wasn't in attendance, so I can't say for sure.) Just for safety, someone used 911. That's what happens when it snows in March.

Nothing like the day after Easter...

Bad Weather

Had some bad weather at my house. Spent most of the day in the basement. We had a tree break off and land on our deck. Check it out:

John Update

Heard back from our appeal today. Seems that after a little round-and-round, everything’s going to be covered.

Maybe you didn’t hear me. I’ll say it another way. LOOKS LIKE EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE COVERED!

Pretty good news. I always hold my breath until the check is cashed, but it’s looking good so far. Keep praying. Thanks.

John Update

John is out of surgery, and it went incredible. He was only in surgery for around 20 minutes. Dr. Rutter did not have to perform the major procedure that we had feared would happen, the arytenoidectomy. The issue with his arytenoids was cleared up, go figure...

The scar tissue has not returned (even though that is still a high possibility). They did nothing but look around. Dr. Rutter's comments were that he could have done some small things, but the pain involved was not worth the improvement that it would make.

Thanks for praying, as it went awesome. The doctor's were shocked again. We go back in April. At that time we'll get another swallow study, and then he'll take a look at his vocal chords. It seems that these visits may be winding down.

John, Debby, and my Mom will be driving home tomorrow. Also, we're still waiting on the appeal with the insurance company. Please keep those on your prayer list.

John Update

John, Debby, and my Mom made it to Cincinnati yesterday. He has surgery this morning, hopefully around 11:15. That’s the scheduled time. We’re not sure exactly what will happen today. Hopefully, he’s made so much progress, and there aren’t any new developments, that it will be a quick trip. If you could, pray for the surgery today, and I’ll update as soon as I hear something. Thanks.

John Update

I know I’ve been checked out of the blogosphere for a while. We went to one of my favorite places – the beach – for the week. Putting my toes in the sand and looking at the ocean always does something for me.

I heard Hal White did a great job today. Ken leading worship is always amazing.

John heads back to Cincinnati this week for more surgery on Wednesday. Please pray for him, Debby, and my Mom as they travel. Also, we're still waiting to hear back on the appeal from the insurance company.

I’ll fill you in as we know more details.

John Baptism

I have posted some pics from John’s baptism. It was truly an incredible experience. I want to thank so many of you who have prayed for us up to this point. John is truly a miracle. As I told him at his baptism, God has a plan for him.

Some of you may not remember or know of the severity of the accident. Here is a link to the original post following the accident. There have been so many developments since then.

The main development was the undiagnosed fractured larynx. We are continuing to have surgery (we, as if I’m involved). John goes back to Cincinnati on February 27th for the next step.

Thanks so much for praying. Baptism is a community event, and it was great for Debby and I to celebrate with you.

John Update

John's surgery went well - they were able to stick with the plan, and used a balloon to stretch out the scar tissue. They did notice some concerns of sleep apnea, possibly caused by a piece of tissue that is flapping over his airway at night. We will have to keep an eye on that. We go back in a month. If this sleep apnea causes a need for surgery, it will be more intense, possibly even having to open him up through the neck.

All in all, the doctor was extremely optimistic about the procedure and John's progress. Of course, I'm short on the details since I wasn't there, but will fill you in as I get more. Thanks for praying! Please pray that they have a safe trip home tomorrow.

Cincinnati Update

John had his FEES study yesterday. No surprises, which is good. The doctor saw one stitch still undissolved from the last surgery. Swallowing appeared pretty good. The opening is larger than it has been, but still not as large as it needs to be.

Tomorrow @ 1:30, John will have his scope. The preliminary plan is to do a laryngeal dilation. However, they aren’t exactly sure what they will do until they get down there.

Please pray that all goes well, and the opening is widened to allow continued improvement for swallowing.

John Update

John got his braces today! He doesn’t say too much about his teeth, but every now and then you can tell that they are bothering him. Over the holidays, Mark Brown’s (on staff) 9 month old son was crawling up in John’s lap. John said, “he sees my teeth.” (frown). Once at dinner, John commented, “girls don’t like boys with crooked teeth.” (tear).

John and Debby go to Cincinnati on Sunday (Jan. 6) for another follow up. He’ll have the FEES (snake camera up the nose) on Monday, meet the pulmonologist on Tuesday, and have another scope on Wednesday. Please pray for the following:

• Safe travel.
• Scar tissue to be doing what it needs to be doing. Hopefully, healing is going as planned and we can continue without more intense surgery.
• Pulmonologist to have no surprises, as well as the other doctors.
• Easy wake up from anesthesia, with minimal discomfort.
• Teeth to respond to the braces.
• Insurance – we’re still working the system.

Thanks for praying, and I’ll do better about posting next week regarding his Cincy visit!

Lack of Information

One of the hard parts about staying in the waiting room when John is having surgery is the lack of play-by-play. I mean, in surgery the doctor’s are focused on John, as they should. But as the latest surgery stretched from 1 hour to 4 before we heard anything, your mind begins to run away. It’s crazy how you begin to ASSUME the worst.

You begin to think, well if I haven’t heard anything, something bad must be happening. Even when I know they have to get me to sign a consent form to do ANYTHING, it’s easy to assume the worst.

Maybe there was a complication. Maybe the doctor’s were wrong all along. Maybe the damage was worse than originally thought. The list of “maybe” and “what if” goes on and on. This is Satan's primary tactic. He attacks the mind with untruth, and we rationalize what we think as being absolute. Because it is not absolute, fear, anger, concern, and worry can creep into our mind. He is called the accuser, you know.

But whenever I have a question, all I have to do is get the receptionist to call back to surgery, and they give me an update with ACCURATE information, not my assumptions and fears. I get the clear truth.

It’s silly how that happens in every area of life. Someone makes a decision that we disagree with, or have questions about. Someone says, "did you hear what he did?" "Did you hear what he said?" We think we know the full story. We assume that we have all of the information in our puny little minds. Negative thoughts and feelings occur. Actions soon follow, all based on inaccurate, unsubstantiated and incorrect information. We listen to the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

There is a simple solution to this. All we have to do is ASK the source. Not someone who knows someone who has a friend whose aunt was involved. We don’t ask the wolf to check on the sheep. We need to check for ourselves. The only source that is trustworthy and reliable is THE source of information.

The silly little assumptions we make ruin relationships and grip our minds with fear and bitterness. They can cause us to make decisions that we regret later. These assumptions affect innocent sheep around us as we spread the assumptions.

However, asking requires too much work, and someone may point out that I don’t have the right information. I rushed to judgment. I am wrong. I hate being wrong. Instead, I’ll just let the wolf eat the sheep.

Long Day

I flew up yesterday for John’s surgery, and came back late last night, so my posting is a bit behind.

Originally, they had planned on just taking a look around at John’s progress. While they had him sedated, they decided to go ahead and remove some scar tissue. So, the 1 hour procedure turned into four. I would say how hard that was, but I wasn’t on the table with my mouth pried open, my tongue shoved over, and knives stuck down my throat.

They were able to remove a considerable amount of scar tissues. They removed some tissue, as well as re-arranged some. They do it in such a way as to make it grow in our favor. Pretty remarkable stuff. While this doesn't repair the injury, it does help make it functional. Hopefully, we can avoid repair.

They did notice a little gunk (Gibbs medical term) in his lungs. It wasn't much, but it may be a sign of micro-aspiration.

Recovery was brutal. As I type this, I haven’t heard from them this morning. But he was in a lot of pain – as expected. The anesthesia was having bad side effects, and John’s tongue was about 4 times the normal size, probably from being pressed up against the instruments all morning. We weren’t expecting a hospital stay, but he’ll be in the hospital for a few days.

As long as he recovers as expected, it was a good day. However, as we all have learned, expectations can be a dangerous thing!

I’ll post again as soon as I get some word on how the night went.

Cincinnati Bound

On Sunday John and Debby fly to Cincinnati via Indianapolis. We have some great friends in Indy, so it will be a comfort for Debby. On Monday John goes for pre-op and another swallow study. On Tuesday they will perform another scope to check out his larynx.

He is definitely having issues breathing again. It is clear that the scar tissue has returned. While not unexpected, it is unnerving. It makes John really tired to have to use so much effort to breathe. It is hard for him to get up in the morning due to the fatigue, and he doesn’t quite understand. I asked him if he wanted some cold water thrown on him…

I’ll fly up Tuesday for the test, and then fly home Tuesday night. We REALLY want to avoid any further reconstructive surgery. Please pray for that. Also, pray for my other kids as Debby and John are traveling. It brings an added dimension of stress around here.

Oh yeah, the insurance thing is still a challenge. Keep that on the list. Thanks.

John Update

John has been doing pretty well lately, continuing to progress in his eating and going to school. We are looking forward to thanksgiving lunch with him!

He has had some respiratory issues, which are hard to diagnose and treat due to his other issues.

It’s clear that some of the scarring has returned, as we can tell by his breathing and talking. We also visited a craniofacial specialist again, who did a FEES (snake camera up the nose). He noted some scarring as well.

We are continuing to face insurance challenges, so if you would please pray for that to get straightened out. Debby and John fly back to Cincy next Sunday, Dec. 1, for our doctor to take another look-see. Please pray that things are progressing well, and that nothing major needs to be done.

School

John made it through his first week of school! It has worn him out, but he does enjoy being around his peeps. He spends lunch with the nurse, and then P.E. in another class working on the computer. He has begun to expand his menu, and was actually able to eat some of his Halloween candy. Maybe I can talk him into a video to tell you how he is adjusting to his new schedule (smile.) Stay tuned.

We go back to Cincinnati December 3-4 for another look down his throat. Hopefully he is healing well, and we can avoid any reconstructive surgery. Please continue to pray for him in this area.

Tubeless

Sorry I have not posted this week about John’s progress. It’s been crazy getting back in the groove from the trip, planning for Christmas, etc. Man, I haven’t received this much criticism since I taught on “Pure Sex.”

Anyway, John got his NG tube out! He has been eating this week – soup, mac & cheese, etc. He can have all of the ice cream he wants, but he doesn’t really like ice cream. Go figure.

We have made such huge progress, and John has worked it hard. We hope that he can go back to school next week. It’s one step at a time, and we are grateful for your continued prayers. It will be interesting to see how his scope turns out in a few weeks. Hopefully his transition back to school will go well.

Homeward Bound!

We had the swallow study Wednesday morning, and they gave us the pass for now. We’re going to put off inserting the G-tube and come home! John has been eating somewhat, and we’ll see how much he progresses over the next week, and hopefully remove the NG tube then.

It’s been 2 weeks since Debby and he have been home. It will be nice for a change. We’ll go back in 1 month for another scope to see how he is progressing.

I'm pumped about our next series:

Good News

The scope went well today, finding nothing that they weren’t expecting. The doctor wants to just let it ride and see how John heals. If he doesn’t continue to get better, then a more intense surgery will be required. But for now, amazing things are happening in Argentina’s throat – go figure (smile). We’ll go for a re-check in 5 weeks.

They do want to put in a G-tube. Because a G-tube requires going to sleep, therefore intubation, Dr. Rutter would like to do that in Cincy. However, the insurance company is balking a little. They say that they have good ENT’s in Atlanta.

Yes they do. As a matter of fact, we have the best ENT in Atlanta. She said go to Cincy. If the insurance company trusts the ENT in Atlanta so much, then they shouldn’t mind following her advice and paying out of network – follow my logic?

Anyway, tomorrow night John will be able to go to the Ronald McDonald house with Debby! We tentatively have the G-tube scheduled in Cincy for Thursday. I have non idea what this means for our schedules, etc., but will keep you posted.

Let’s pray – G-tube goes well, no further surgery, etc. I’ll let you know the doctor’s thoughts tomorrow.

I cannot wait for Sunday and the conclusion of our WHY> series. Mark Brown will be leading worship, and I know you'll enjoy him as much as my family does. Don't miss it - invite your One Life and pray hard...

Expect The Unexpected

John did have the swallow test today. He made some progress, but is not where he needs to be. He tried many different textures, which was good, and a HUGE step from our last tests. They will wait until they do the scope of his throat again to try and figure out what is happening. John is able to protect his airway, but the liquid tends to pool in the back of his throat. This is most likely as a result of his changed anatomy from the injury.

We have been scheduled for the scope on Wednesday. Everyone has told us to be ready. The ENT, the nurse, etc. Then, late tonight (Tuesday) the nurse came in and said we were scheduled for Friday. Seems that the pulmonologist wanted to participate, and he couldn’t make it until Friday. As you can imagine, we had many questions on this change. Even ENT was surprised, as they had planned on doing the scope Wednesday. So, as it stands now, John is going to stop the feeds, and take fluids as if he were having the scope. Maybe they can get to the bottom of it in the morning. However, the schedule is always set the day before, so I am not sure what to think.

You can pray that we get the scope. But it’s God’s timing, so whatever. We’ll push for tomorrow, but it is out of our hands. Why am I really in Cincinnati?

Off Of ICU

They moved us off of ICU to a regular room. These regular rooms are still in the same configuration as ICU, so you still get the same personal attention.

John had to have one IV removed, because it stopped working. John is hard to get an IV in, so they stuck him several times to find a vein. Nothing has worked, so we’re still waiting. A lot of pain and tears involved with this. They've called a trauma nurse to take care of business. Trauma is ALWAYS a bad word.

Tomorrow will be a big day. He gets the snake camera up his nose to determine what has happened since the surgery. Please pray that things go well, and that something else “exceptionally well” is happening! Our daughter’s homecoming is this weekend, and while I’ll be there, it would be great if Debby could be there as well. John is also ready to be home.

I’ll keep you posted.