Sleeping Beauty at Vanderbilt!

Well, it's high time to give an update! The surgery went very well! In fact, it didn't last quite as long as anticipated. It took 3 1/2 - 4 hours instead of 4 - 6. This was probably because David was asleep. Thank you so much for praying about the specific things during surgery! I talked to a few people after we talked to the anesthesiologist who gave us a scare. I guess by law they have to tell us certain things about what could happen. He said that because of some of the medicine David has been on for the Dystonia, he could have a serious reaction to the anesthetics. He said he would know in the first 10 min. Everything went well though because we didn't hear any more from him and Dr. Neimat said David did fine with the anesthetics. Dr. Neimat was very pleased with the CT scan and said the leads look like they are placed in the very spot needed in his brain.
Recovery Room and Beyond


We were able to go into the recovery room around 6:30. David was pretty unhappy until the nurse was able to give him some pain meds after the CT scan. After that he was a happy camper and even asked for a hamburger in between dosing off. What usually is about a 2 hour stay in recovery turned out to be about 7 or 8 hours of waiting for a room to become available! The night shift (Dad) took over around 11 when we realized how long it was going to be. I (Mom) went back to the hotel to get some sleep.


I relieved Marshall around 8 this morning . David has been in and out of sleep and hasn't complained of pain since 5:30 this morning (at which time the nurse gave him meds for pain). Dr. Neimat came in right after I arrived and said everything looked really good and David was responding well. At noon they will come back and let us know whether or not David can go home today.

Once again, thank you for following along with us! We really appreciate your prayers. I rest in the fact that we have a loving and all powerful God!

Dayna

Stage 1 on Tues.!

Well, the journey with DBS truly begins! We will leave Memphis tomorrow (Mon.) in the afternoon and head to Vanderbilt.
We hope to get to Nashville early enough to do a run through from the hotel to the hospital to make sure we can get there without any glitches Tues. morning since we have to be there soooo early (6:00!). Then we'll get an early dinner so David can get in bed early to have plenty of sleep.
Thankfully he hasn't caught any of the bugs that have been going around! We appreciate all those who have asked about David's surgery. It really means a lot to us knowing there are so many praying and thinking about us.

Aaron's few months at home couldn't have come at a better time! He will be around to help hold down the fort with John and get him to school while we're gone. Over the summer when Hannah was home from school, she was able to help out too, while we went to Nashville for appointments. We see God's hand even in details like that! (It's great having a big family!)

We would appreciate your prayers :

1. that David would fully cooperate so the doctors can place the screws in the exact place.
2. that the doctors would be able to put the screws in the right place.(is that redundant?)
   
3. that David would stay healthy.
4. for traveling safety.
5. that we would be a light to all we come in contact with.
6. that things would run well at home while we're gone.

I'll write again soon!
Thank you so much!
Dayna

Insurance Approved!

Great news! I just heard from the scheduling lady at Vanderbilt that the insurance company has approved David's surgery! The approval happened in a pretty timely manner! From what I've heard from the Dystonia Group, it could have taken a lot longer! Thank you to all who have asked about this and who have been praying! We really appreciate it. Although we have talked to David about the surgery, I'm sure he does not fully understand what all will go on. According to the times they emailed to us, it does look like we will need to spend more nights than expected in Nashville since some of his appointments are early in the morning. Thankfully Aaron is living at home for a little while and will help John hold down the fort while we are gone. So please rejoice with us as we are seeing the Lord work these details out for this important event in David's life!
Dayna

Hello Friends,
We have some tentative dates now for David's DBS surgery. If the insurance goes through, here is the schedule:

1. Around Oct. 13 - Pre-Op- This appointment will be to draw blood and test him to make sure he is in top shape for sugery.
2. Oct 27th - Stage One - They will measure his head for the "star" that will be made to fit David's head exactly. Then they will put 4 tiny screws in his head. This is an outpatient procedure.
   
3. Nov. 4th - Stage Two - The actually surgery to implant the leads into his brain. He will stay over night or possibly 2 nights.
4. Nov. 16 - Stage three - This is when they will implant the battery pack in his chest.

A month later we will return to Vanderbilt for the dr. to "turn David on". This will be his first setting and he will truly be able to say that he is "battery operated"!

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts! So many of you have asked about David and his surgery. It means so much to us. Please be in prayer that the insurance will go through in a timely way without any glitches.
Thanks again!
Dayna and family

Back from Nashville!

Hello friends!

We just returned from Vanderbilt where we met with Dr. Neumat, the surgeon, and Dr. Phibbs, the neurologist. They took their time with us and answered all our questions. They said that there were about 10 different doctors and specialists in the meeting when they reviewed David's case and all felt that the surgery could benefit him. We're feeling more comfortable and confident that this is the way to go for David. After signing several forms, we got the scheduling process started. We should hear from the scheduler on Mon. or Tues. If we don't run into any snags with the insurance, David will probably start the surgery process in Sept. or Oct. He seems ok with it. We've talked to him several times about it and even went to some youtube videos with him. Thanks for following the process with us! We covet your prayers!
Dayna