Jayson's Still Fighting

Jayson is still fighting for his life.  He made it through the night and now the goal is to keep him alive for another 12 hours. He is currently stable and showed some slight improvements. He had a restful and quiet night. This is in contrast to what went on during the day yesterday, Sept. 11th.

The main concerns the doctors had yesterday was Jayson's liver function and the increase in the fluid he was retaining.  His liver function was getting worse so they have been monitoring it very closely. His body is still retaining a lot of liquid.  They are trying to minimize the amount of liquid going in and at the same time trying to increase his urine output and gradually take some fluid out.  It has been a battle to try to get ahead of it and throughout the day yesterday, we could see Jayson's body swelling up.

Yesterday, while they were trying to get some fluids out from his lungs, they found there was an obstruction and they couldn't get where they needed to go.  It was determined that the tube was bent a little, so it was adjusted and chest x-ray was done to confirm proper placement.  During the procedure of correcting the tube placement, there was some damage done and he started bleeding.  His body's inability to clot properly, allowed the bleeding to continue.  The blood was coming out through his mouth, then through his nose.  A team of ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) doctors came in to plug his nose and that helped stop the bleeding.

Jayson continued to communicate with us through his eyebrows, but we noticed that as the day progressed, he was not doing it as often.  We knew he could still hear us so we've been playing music, singing and talking to him as well.

Many more friends and family came and visited Jayson yesterday.  Some are taken aback when they saw him because he's retained so much fluid that it's not easy to recognize him. Many prayed over him or said a prayer for him. At one point when we wasn't responding at all, we thought that he was leaving us.  I just kept talking to him and continued to encourage him to show us he was still there and he was hearing us.  Finally, he raised his eyebrows twice.  This brought cheers and praises among the people around him.  He was still with us!  Thank you, Lord.  I was later told that sometimes his ability to respond may be affected by the medications he was getting. So, now, I'm not so concerned or scared when I talk to him and he doesn't raise his eyebrows.  We will continue to believe he is hearing us even if he doesn't respond.  God is still working his miracle in Jayson.

He continues to get his chemotherapy and so far there seems to be a positive reaction to it.  He is continuously getting blood transfusions and medications are adjusted as needed.  He still has a long battle ahead of him, but we're taking it a day at a time, sometimes, even an hour at a time. Today, the main concern is Jayson's liver and kidneys.  They're both not functioning well and there's concern about them failing.  So, let's ask God to help these organs.

The doctors, nurses, social worker, janitorial and other staff are doing all they can to help Jayson and our family.  They are each a blessing to our family. I can't express the gratitude we have for the staff here at NMCSD.  Their dedication and compassion is unbelievable!  There are so many people here at the hospital who are pulling for Jayson.  He gets daily visits from nurses and staff members from the 2 East and 2 North wards who have taken care of him during the past few years. Although many of his original nurses have transferred to new duty stations they are still praying for him. We've said "good-bye" to many familiar faces, but we're also saying "hello" to new ones who are as dedicated to doing their job and taking care of Jayson.

The staff has given us a room next to Jayson where family and friends can gather.  We've also been given a suite at the Fisher House here in the hospital property.  This is a house that was built through a foundation where family members can stay at while their love ones are in the hospital.  There is a limited space, but we were blessed to get one.

Blessings just continue to pour over Jayson and our family.  We are so very grateful for each and every blessings, big or small, that have come our way.  And we continue to praise our heavenly Father for His mercy, His love and His healing power.