We had an eventful Monday evening!

The good news: Brett officially got moved “to the floor” - meaning he’s in a regular room instead of ICU 🙌🏻 It is MUCH quieter down here, and the room is quite large and more comfortable for someone to stay overnight with him. The best part for me is that there’s a bathroom in his room now so I don’t have to go out into the waiting room every time I have to pee 😉 He also got some decent rest last night - the best rest he’s had in well over a week - thank you Lord!

The not-as-good news: As he was getting settled in his new room and getting his vitals checked, they realized he’d spiked a 103 fever. They took his blood labs and his white blood cell count had gone up from 9 to 12.5 - indicating possible infection. This caused a flurry of activity. Around 11pm, they ran a bunch of tests including a chest x-ray and two blood cultures to try to identify what was going on. They treated the fever and his pain, and his fever finally broke early this morning.

When the vascular team did rounds this morning, they said they were concerned his RP bleed (retroperitoneal, i.e. the area on his lower left back where the hematoma is) could be infected. It’s a good sign that his fever broke, but they are going to watch him very closely and assess whether to start him on antibiotics as a precaution. Please join us in prayer against any infection in his body.

On a separate note, they are doing an ultrasound now of his abdomen and legs to assess the hematoma and the blood flow in his arteries. We are praying for good strong blood flow all around and for signs that the hematoma is healing 🙏🏻

Looking ahead: I’m a future planner and even though they tell us to take it day by day, I can’t help but think about the days ahead 😬 We are hoping and praying he will get to a point in the coming weeks where he can walk okay using both legs. Dr. Pearce (his main vascular doctor) explained that most likely, he will have significant weakness in the left leg because there’s such little blood flow. The hope is that with some training and PT, he can build up strength over time. He is an overcomer!

All that to say, we are taking it one step (quite literally) at a time. Our goal for today is for Brett to move around more and walk on his own using the walker. Then the next step is for him to be able to get himself up out of the bed and the chair without assistance.

Please be in prayer today for the following:

• Pray against any infection and fever in his body. We are believing for FULL healing and restoration to every part of his being 🙏🏻
• Pray for divine wisdom for the medical team in every decision.
• Pray for continued blood flow to the leg, no more blood clots, and no more bleeding!
• Please also pray for me. My parents have been staying at our house with the kids but have to head home tomorrow. We still have lots of support in town and Brett’s parents are right down the road and an incredible help, but it will be a transition again for the kids and me depending on how long Brett is in the hospital.

Love you all 🤍🙏🏻🕊️
-Meredith