Praise the Lord!!

WHOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOO!!!! Caroline has successfully made it through the surgery...!!! Below are the contents of an email our dad sent out. Usually I'd come up with my own wording and such, but seeing as I've been up since 5 AM, my dad's words are sounding more and more perfect for this particular post.... ;-)



PRAISE THE LORD!!!!

God was with Caroline throughout the 7 hour surgery..........and she is now in PICU..........trying to find a comfortable position.......which is impossible without serious medication!

But the great news is that she IS feeling the pain............and able to move her legs.............and that her curve progression has been halted......and she is already breathing MUCH MUCH better!!!!

Dr. Clark’s goal was to get somewhere near 50 degree correction.........and as you can see from the pic............it is much closer to 15 degrees..............OR LESS!!!

We are thrilled!!

Caroline’s rib cage is back to where it belongs.........her shoulder blades are symmetrical......her shoulders are more even......she is taller.......and I think her teeth are whiter also!!!

Thank you for your prayers and support...........it is greatly appreciated.

Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery and that the grafted fragment for the lumbar 5 vertebrae would fuse perfectly together.

Thank you God.....and thank God for friends like you!

Thank you once again for supporting Caroline throughout this time! She can still use a LOT of prayer! And as we can see by the results of her surgery-God is powerful! So keep it up Prayer Warriors!!!!

I will continue to keep you all updated!!

~Caitlin

Please Pray!

Hey Guys!
I don't have much time to write, but I just wanted to make sure that everyone knew that Caroline will be having surgery on Wednesday! I know that we haven't blogged about how we came to this decision, and I hope to do that in bits and pieces, but I just wanted to get this word out so that you can keep her in your thoughts and prayers. I know that she would REALLY appreciate it if you all would be praying extra hard during this time. Here's a quick shake down of what will be happening.....

WEDNESDAY MORNING

• In the wee early hours of the morning, Carrie will go to St. John's with my mom and dad. My mom's mom ("Grandma Ginny") will be at the house helping me babysit everyone all day and for the rest of the week.
• Caroline will be administered anesthesia and Dr. Clark will probably cut skin at 7:30-we don't have any times set in stone, so these are simply educated guesses.

THE SURGERY

• In each of the vertebrae to be fused, two holes will be drilled and then 6mm screws will be inserted into the 6mm holes previously drilled....not a lot of room for error~!
• Each vertebrae will be individually straightened and then attached to a rod....
• I realize that my understanding of this is very limited, so I might be posting later and revising this information!

RECOVERY

• Caroline will be in ICU for the first night, just so that she can have constant monitoring.
• She will then be in the hospital for about a week, give or take.
• It will be anywhere from 2-6 weeks before she resumes a few of her activities such as Sunday School, and possibly piano.
• By 6-9 months, she should be completely back to all normal activities, taking into account any difficulties she might have. (i.e. hurts to run, can't stand for long periods....)

PRAYER REQUESTS

• That Dr. Clark would have a clear mind and focused energy, and that if any split second decisions came up, that he would have the discernment to make the right choice.
• That all of the nurses and assistants would be especially alert and on their "A" game.
• That Caroline would have an unmistakable sense of God's presence and she would be completely surrounded by His peace and comfort.
• There is an issue surrounding a cracked and slipping 5th Lumbar....Dr. Clark will decide in surgery whether to fuse to L4 and put pressure on L5, or to fuse to the sacrum and decrease mobility. Please pray that he would be led to the right choice.
• That Caroline would be so very flexible that they are able to get her several times straighter than they had anticipated.
• That they would be able to fully de-rotate her ribcage and shoulder blades.
• That Caroline would have a full and quick recovery.
• Most of all, that God would be glorified and Caroline kept safe.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers! I will try and fill you all in later as to what has happened and to keep you updated as Caroline recovers!

Trusting in Him,

Caitlin