We are headed to Duke for surgery.
Reyn's surgery is scheduled for February 15th which means pre-op is on the 14th. We will depart for Durham on the 13th and will plan on being in Durham 7-10 days. The plan is for Reyn to do pre-op on the 14th then Duke will admit him that evening. Dr. Friedman will make his rounds that evening and answer any questions we may have regarding surgery then Reyn will be prepped for surgery the following morning. The planned surgery will take approximately 5 hours. He will be expected to spend one night in ICU so that he can be monitored closely then moved to a normal recovery room for the remainder of his stay. The amazing part is that he is only expected to be in the hospital for 4-5 days total! If all goes according to plan he will then be released but we will stay in the Durham area for a few more days to ensure recovery is right on track. At that time we will return home for the remainder of Reyn's recovery, which really just consists of rest before returning to work. We are relieved to have made a decision and feel confident in the abilities of the staff at Duke and Dr. Friedman, in particular. Thank you for praying with us throughout this process and for continuing to lift us up in prayer.
It would be a major understatement to say that these past couple of months have been tough. They have been the most trying times in our lives. I have learned that it is very easy to praise God when times are good but not so easy in the valleys of life. Reyn & I knew early on from his diagnosis that God was giving us an opportunity to continually trust Him...these two "planners"/ control freaks. And so we continue to trust in the promises of God. We know that He will never leave us nor forsake us according to His Word. We know that He is with us every step of the way and that is where our peace comes from. We choose to praise you, Lord during this most difficult of times because You are worthy of our praise!
Once again we thank you for your support and friendship. Please be in prayer for us as we figure out the logistics of travel and as we prepare for Reyn's surgery. We have been blessed with multiple offers to help. Right now we believe that Jackson will stay in Marietta with "Pop pop and Momo". Jackson adores his Pop pop and Momo so this is a true blessing. It also allows him to keep his regular schedule. Grier will be traveling with us to Durham because I am nursing so please pray for safe travels. We will also be looking for a place to stay close to campus so that we can go back and forth to the hospital easily. Lots of little decisions left to make but at least we know the big decision has been made. There is certainly peace in knowing which direction we are headed. I'll continue to update the blog but that's all for now.
Love,
the connellys
Party of four
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy....
Down in my heart!
Hello friends and family! We are thrilled to announce Aubrey Grier Connelly's arrival into our family. She arrived on Saturday, January 12th at 12:03PM and weighed 7lbs. 9oz. She even beat out her brother in length as she is a whopping 20 1/2 inches! We thought that I was in labor on Friday and went to the hospital only to find out that altough my contractions were 2-4 minutes apart, nothing else was progressing. Northside held us overnight as they felt I was on the verge of hard labor but Miss Grier decided her home was a little too cozy. So, on Saturday morning we induced labor. Once the process began she came very swiftly....thank the Lord!
We are so thankful for such JOY in the midst of a lot of strife. I know God specifically planned her arrival for this very time in our lives for a reason. God is so good! Grier is doing great and she has such a sweet temperament. She loves to snuggle with mommy and daddy. Her big brother Jackson has been wonderful with the transition. He loves to "help" us with her and has only shown concern over the fact that their "binkys" (aka pacifiers) look the same. I'm in the midst of differentiating them. When he saw her this morning he said, "Come on Grier, go play" so I think he's going to be a great big brother!
Reyn continues to do well and we are certainly leaning toward surgery at Duke. We haven't officially decided but all signs point to "GO" as far as surgery goes. We just need to figure out the appropriate timing and logistics of the matter. Right now we are thinking 4-6 weeks from now but please pray with us as we make this decision. It obviously gets a little tricky with a newborn but we know God will lead us in the right direction. We love you all!
Hello friends and family! We are thrilled to announce Aubrey Grier Connelly's arrival into our family. She arrived on Saturday, January 12th at 12:03PM and weighed 7lbs. 9oz. She even beat out her brother in length as she is a whopping 20 1/2 inches! We thought that I was in labor on Friday and went to the hospital only to find out that altough my contractions were 2-4 minutes apart, nothing else was progressing. Northside held us overnight as they felt I was on the verge of hard labor but Miss Grier decided her home was a little too cozy. So, on Saturday morning we induced labor. Once the process began she came very swiftly....thank the Lord!
We are so thankful for such JOY in the midst of a lot of strife. I know God specifically planned her arrival for this very time in our lives for a reason. God is so good! Grier is doing great and she has such a sweet temperament. She loves to snuggle with mommy and daddy. Her big brother Jackson has been wonderful with the transition. He loves to "help" us with her and has only shown concern over the fact that their "binkys" (aka pacifiers) look the same. I'm in the midst of differentiating them. When he saw her this morning he said, "Come on Grier, go play" so I think he's going to be a great big brother!
Reyn continues to do well and we are certainly leaning toward surgery at Duke. We haven't officially decided but all signs point to "GO" as far as surgery goes. We just need to figure out the appropriate timing and logistics of the matter. Right now we are thinking 4-6 weeks from now but please pray with us as we make this decision. It obviously gets a little tricky with a newborn but we know God will lead us in the right direction. We love you all!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Reyn is home
Reyn is back from Durham and the appointment at Duke went very well! Thank you to all of the prayer warriors that prayed for his safe return and that baby Grier would wait to make her grand debut until after daddy returned home! I am still pregnant but feeling very large at this point....so we will be happy to see her whenever she decides to make her presence known. I feel I can breathe a sigh of relief now that he is back.
As for this morning, Reyn met with Dr. Allan Friedman (the neurosurgeon) at 9AM. Dr. Friedman was kind enough to let me sit in via speaker phone call and ask questions. We learned that he feels confident he can remove 60-80% of the tumor. This will obviously decrease the pressure in Reyn's head and give us a better idea of the true composition of the tumor (drawing from a larger sample). There are also much fewer cells that can be problematic later. If we go the surgical route Reyn will be at Duke for about a week and he expects him to return home for the remainder of his recovery, which really consists of rest. Reyn will then be able to resume normal activities and work at that point. Dr. Friedman does not anticipate Reyn needing physical therapy, although he may need a really good hair stylist due to his new hairdo! ;) There are many benefits to surgery, mainly increased quality of life and overall improved future outlook. The surgery itself will be ~ 5 hours long and Reyn will be given general anesthesia for the surgery. Reyn may require chemotherapy treatment after surgery but it would not be immediate. Dr. Friedman recommends observing Reyn after surgery then making the decision down the road as to whether chemotherapy is necessary. Dr. Friedman also recommends Reyn tapering off of his steroid which is also positive news.....steroids can take a toll after a while!
So, many decisions to make but we do like Duke and the confidence they have regarding their capabilities.
For those of you who have read "Jesus Calling" you know what a great devotional it is but I continue to be amazed at God's perfect timing when I start to feel discouraged. Reyn handed it to me yesterday and told me to read the devotional from the previous day. So here are a couple of excerpts...
"I am able to do far beyond all that you ask or imagine. Come to Me with positive expectations, knowing that there is no limit to what I can accomplish. Ask my Spirit to control your mind, so that you can think great thoughts of Me. Do not be discouraged by the fact that many of your prayers are yet unanswered. Time is a trainer, teaching you to wait upon Me, to trust Me in the dark." Then one of the many verses she references is Ephesians 3:20-21. This is one I have been clinging to from the beginning of Reyn's diagnosis.
Thank you God for hearing us when we call out to you.
Lamentations 3:24- "The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for Him" And so, we will.
We will let you all know once we decide the course of treatment but ask that you pray along side us and that we will do what God wants us to do. We will also send out an update when baby Grier arrives!
Jordan
As for this morning, Reyn met with Dr. Allan Friedman (the neurosurgeon) at 9AM. Dr. Friedman was kind enough to let me sit in via speaker phone call and ask questions. We learned that he feels confident he can remove 60-80% of the tumor. This will obviously decrease the pressure in Reyn's head and give us a better idea of the true composition of the tumor (drawing from a larger sample). There are also much fewer cells that can be problematic later. If we go the surgical route Reyn will be at Duke for about a week and he expects him to return home for the remainder of his recovery, which really consists of rest. Reyn will then be able to resume normal activities and work at that point. Dr. Friedman does not anticipate Reyn needing physical therapy, although he may need a really good hair stylist due to his new hairdo! ;) There are many benefits to surgery, mainly increased quality of life and overall improved future outlook. The surgery itself will be ~ 5 hours long and Reyn will be given general anesthesia for the surgery. Reyn may require chemotherapy treatment after surgery but it would not be immediate. Dr. Friedman recommends observing Reyn after surgery then making the decision down the road as to whether chemotherapy is necessary. Dr. Friedman also recommends Reyn tapering off of his steroid which is also positive news.....steroids can take a toll after a while!
So, many decisions to make but we do like Duke and the confidence they have regarding their capabilities.
For those of you who have read "Jesus Calling" you know what a great devotional it is but I continue to be amazed at God's perfect timing when I start to feel discouraged. Reyn handed it to me yesterday and told me to read the devotional from the previous day. So here are a couple of excerpts...
"I am able to do far beyond all that you ask or imagine. Come to Me with positive expectations, knowing that there is no limit to what I can accomplish. Ask my Spirit to control your mind, so that you can think great thoughts of Me. Do not be discouraged by the fact that many of your prayers are yet unanswered. Time is a trainer, teaching you to wait upon Me, to trust Me in the dark." Then one of the many verses she references is Ephesians 3:20-21. This is one I have been clinging to from the beginning of Reyn's diagnosis.
Thank you God for hearing us when we call out to you.
Lamentations 3:24- "The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for Him" And so, we will.
We will let you all know once we decide the course of treatment but ask that you pray along side us and that we will do what God wants us to do. We will also send out an update when baby Grier arrives!
Jordan
Thursday, January 3, 2013
2nd opinion
Hello all!
This past week has been rather interesting for us. We spoke with Dr. Allan Friedman from Duke University last Friday night. I have been AMAZED at the attention to detail and responsiveness from Duke! They have the reputation that they have for a reason. Dr. Allan Friedman contacted us after I spoke with Dr. Henry Friedman just the day before and expressed some concerns over their recommendation for surgical resection of the tumor. I knew we needed a further discussion. Dr. Allan Friedman, the doctor who would perform the actual surgery, informed us that he felt surgery was a better option for Reyn and that he feels confident he can get at least 70% of the tumor removed. Reyn may require chemo following surgery but would not require radiation in his opinion. He would spend one week at Duke and then be able to return home for rest. Of course we have many questions but this is good news to us because it gives us another option. So we have decided it will be best to have a face to face meeting with the neurosurgeon at Duke to discuss all of our questions and concerns. That being said, Reyn will travel with his friend Shane to Durham this upcoming Monday evening for a 9am appointment on Tuesday. Our plan is for me to be on the phone during the meeting since I cannot be there in person, but at least I can listen in on the conversation. I am unable to travel at this point because I am 2 1/2 weeks from my due date so our major prayer is that Grier waits to make her grand debut until Tuesday night at the EARLIEST! My due date is January 22nd but all signs point to her making an early arrival at this point in time.
Please pray for us as we make the decision of surgery vs. radiation/ chemo. We want to be where the Lord leads us and be confident in our decision. Please pray for safe travel for Reyn and Shane. (Thank you Shane for being willing to be there with Reyn!) And please pray that our baby girl stays put just a bit longer. That's all for now.
Reyn and Jordan
This past week has been rather interesting for us. We spoke with Dr. Allan Friedman from Duke University last Friday night. I have been AMAZED at the attention to detail and responsiveness from Duke! They have the reputation that they have for a reason. Dr. Allan Friedman contacted us after I spoke with Dr. Henry Friedman just the day before and expressed some concerns over their recommendation for surgical resection of the tumor. I knew we needed a further discussion. Dr. Allan Friedman, the doctor who would perform the actual surgery, informed us that he felt surgery was a better option for Reyn and that he feels confident he can get at least 70% of the tumor removed. Reyn may require chemo following surgery but would not require radiation in his opinion. He would spend one week at Duke and then be able to return home for rest. Of course we have many questions but this is good news to us because it gives us another option. So we have decided it will be best to have a face to face meeting with the neurosurgeon at Duke to discuss all of our questions and concerns. That being said, Reyn will travel with his friend Shane to Durham this upcoming Monday evening for a 9am appointment on Tuesday. Our plan is for me to be on the phone during the meeting since I cannot be there in person, but at least I can listen in on the conversation. I am unable to travel at this point because I am 2 1/2 weeks from my due date so our major prayer is that Grier waits to make her grand debut until Tuesday night at the EARLIEST! My due date is January 22nd but all signs point to her making an early arrival at this point in time.
Please pray for us as we make the decision of surgery vs. radiation/ chemo. We want to be where the Lord leads us and be confident in our decision. Please pray for safe travel for Reyn and Shane. (Thank you Shane for being willing to be there with Reyn!) And please pray that our baby girl stays put just a bit longer. That's all for now.
Reyn and Jordan
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