December Update

Hello again all you beautiful people!

Long time no update, right? Ha ha, I do apologize for that, but I have my reasons. ;) We've been waiting on a specific Dr.s visit that finally happened yesterday to find out Hannah's current status.

So what's been going on? Well, Hannah's shingles are drying up very nicely! We are very thankful for this. Unfortunately, she still has a bad cough/chest cold/sinus infection (had this for a couple months) that just won't let go because of her weakened immune system. Despite that (and Lupus – ha ha) she continues to be the prettiest, funnest girl in town! She is having a blast getting ready for Christmas, and getting the house cozy and inviting for the holidays.

I bet you're wondering what the Dr.'s report was, so I'll get straight to that.

Good news: Hannah's Creatine levels have continued to go down (they are now at 2.4), meaning that her kidney function is going up! While she was in the hospital, her kidneys were functioning at 6%. They are now up to 19%. Hannah has been doing dialysis three times a week, but because of the improved creatine levels, the plan is that Hannah will take a little break from dialysis from the 22^nd to the 3^rd of January.

The not-so-good news: Hannah's hemoglobin (blood) count has gone down to 8.4. If it goes below 8, she'll need to get another transfusion. Each time she is dialysed, Hannah receives a medication that keeps her hemoglobin levels up. Our concern is that during the break from dialysis when she won't be receiving this medication her blood count will drop, and we really don't want this happening.

Hannah is on many medications that are keeping her immune system suppressed so that the Lupus doesn't flare up, but our strong desire is to heal her kidneys and build her immune system back up over time. Dad has been doing a lot, lot, lot of research and has found a couple things that she's just gotten started on, or will hopefully start soon. A couple of these: Co-Q-10, probiotics, greens (powder/capsules) and low-dose naltrexone. We're also really looking at her diet and figuring out what foods well aid the healing process.

One thing I talked about quite a bit in the last update was Hannah's neck catheter (for dialysis) possibly needing to be replaced with a permanent arm port. At the moment the neck/chest catheter is still holding up. The decision to get an arm port is still on hold – praise God! We soo hope she doesn't have to get the permanent port, and this will depend on if she's able to get off of dialysis soon or not. We will let you know if there's an update here later.

Dad and Mom have purchased their tickets back to Mozambique on January 31^st. Elijah and Esther will continue to live with Daniel and Hannah for now. There are going to be a lot of changes and challenges for Daniel and Hannah after our parents leave. If Hannah has to continue dialysis, then they'll need to figure out help with the kids. Also Hannah's energy level is pretty low, so we're trying to figure out how Hannah can get help taking care of the kids, meals and the house.

I just remembered that I had said something on the facebook page about there possibly being a fundraiser in December to send Hannah to California. This is not going to be happening after all. Sorry for the confusion!

I've saved the prayer list for the end. :) We so very much appreciate your continued prayers, and see them answered daily. Here's the current (abridged – haha) prayer request list:

• Most importantly: When it comes to Hannah's diet and health regime, please pray for clarity, desire and discipline for Hannah and Daniel. This will ultimately impact her kidney function, hemoglobin count and lupus, so this is big

• Other big, big request: Pray for clarity, peace and help for Hannah and Daniel for after our parents leave. There are just so many logistics to consider...pray everything falls into place with their schedule.

• Please pray for the break that Hannah takes from dialysis over Christmastime. Mainly that Hannah's blood count stays where its at, or even goes up! :)

• Pray that Hannah's current neck/chest catheter continues to hold up well and doesn't get infected so that she does NOT have to get the permanent arm port.

• Pray that Hannah's body fights off this nasty cough/cold/infection soon.

• Pray for the relationships of everyone in the house (marriage, parental, siblings, etc.)...with crazy schedules (Daniel is working 6 days a week/two jobs right now and Hannah had dialysis 3x a week plus dr. appts.) and lots of people in the house, pray for grace, love, peace, awesome communication, and really good connecting time for everyone involved.

That's all I can think of at the moment. If there are any specific questions I didn't answer, feel free to leave a comment and I'll try to reply back quickly. ;)

Again, THANK YOU soo very much for praying. We do not take this for granted. You are such a blessing to us.

Until the next update...

Love to you all!

Chloe

Hello friends!

I know a lot of you are wondering how Hannah's doing, so I thought I'd give you a quick update.

Hannah's Shingles are drying up, and she is finally off the high dose of painkiller she was taking for the nerve pain...Praise the Lord! The steroid shot that she got in the hospital is now helping with the pain and she is able to function pretty normally again. Thank you so much for your prayers for this!

Hannah went into the doctor to talk about getting a permanent port in her arm for the dialysis soon. Right now they are using the catheter in her neck, but I guess it's not going to last much longer, and could get infected if they don't switch to an arm port soon. We are not very excited about the prospect of getting something in her arm, as that would require surgery, and would definitely be more serious than the catheter in her neck. Please pray that Hannah's kidney function continues to go up so that she will be able to be off dialysis SOON, making the arm port unnecessary. At the moment we're not sure what the doctor thinks about Hannah's progress and the timing of coming off of dialysis. As soon as we know more details about this, we will let you know.

Please continue to pray for Hannah's blood count. When they last checked, it was at a 7.9, and they are concerned about anything under an 8. Because of this, Hannah will be getting another transfusion in a few days.

Also, please continue to pray for peace in Hannah and Daniel's home...with so many people living together there right now, it can be rather stressful at times, as I'm sure you can imagine. :) Of COURSE there is lots of fun going on too! Life is wonderfully crazy right now. :)

I will update you as soon as there is any more new news.

Much love!!

Chloe

Hello Friends!

I just wanted to share the good news that Hannah is out of the hospital (after spending two nights there, she got out yesterday evening).

I just talked with her this morning and she is still in quite a bit of pain when she is walking or moving around, but she was very excited that the pain has gone down significantly when she is sitting. At this point she is still planning on being in the wedding, and just "dealing" with the pain. She is veeery excited about this, and grateful that her Shingles are not contagious.

She was given a shot of steroids for the pain in the nerve in her back that should last for a month. She is also taking some new medications for the pain and to get rid of the Shingles.

We're not sure how long it will take to get rid of the Shingles (and the pain). The Dr.'s say it could be from a couple months to a couple years.

Hannah specifically asked that you all please pray that her pain would continue to go down (when she's walking her pain is about an "8"). Also please pray that the Shingles goes away SOONER rather than later. :)

Thanks soooo much!

-Chloe

Hello Friends,

Thanks so much for praying for Hannah.

I was talking with Mom tonight and she said that the past few days Hannah has been in so much pain that she has literally been screaming...I guess she was at this level of pain when they went into the ER. Hannah said it was more pain than she'd ever experienced.

The good news is...the Dr. thinks he's found what the issue is. We're still hoping they'll run an MRI tomorrow, but for now, she's basically diagnosed with Shingles. Shingles is a viral disease that effects the nerves, which is the reason she has been in so much pain. They are putting her on an IV tonight to start fighting the Shingles. The Dr. said it may take a couple weeks to get rid of it...and that sometimes it takes a couple months/years. We pray Hannah heals quickly.

She will be staying one more night in the hospital. I will update you tomorrow if we find anything else out.

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR PRAYING!

Much love from all of us,

Chloe

Hello everyone!

For those of you who haven't heard, Hannah's back has been causing her major pain the past 5 days or so. So much pain that her husband Daniel has had to carry her around the house, to the car, etc. They have gone to a couple chiropractors and the pain hadn't decreased at all, so Hannah's dialysis nurse recommended that she go into the ER and see her kidney Dr. at Olathe Med. that she'd been working with while there in the hospital.

Dad and Mom took her into the ER this afternoon, since the pain was so bad. She has now been admitted to the hospital and will be there overnight, since they hope to get an MRI. A couple possibilities are a herniated disc, kidney stone, muscle spasms.

Please pray that the Drs will be able to figure out what the issue is and that the issue will be resolved QUICKLY as Hannah is going to be a bridesmaid in a wedding this Sunday.

One big praise is that Hannah's creatine levels have greatly improved, which tells us that her kidneys are also improving a lot.

I will keep you all updated, so check back tomorrow and I'll have an update as SOON as we know what's going on. :)

Love, Chloe

Great News!!

Have some very exciting news for you all!

Yesterday Hannah saw her Lupus doctor who worked with her in the hospital. He said he is very positive about her recovery, as all the health markers from labs are going in the right direction up or down.

The really good news? While in the hospital, her active lupus level indicator, which would read below 5 for a normal person, read 634! Today it is only 10! WOO HOO!

Because of the overall improvement, the doctor is lowering the dosage on some of her blood pressure pills and steroids (prednesone...). The $4000 IV rituxin(sp?), which she received twice by IV, is still coursing through her body continuing to work for another 6 months. She still will be on CellCept for a couple more years, helping control the Lupus autoimmune response. But, the doctor is also quite hopeful Hannah could be off of kidney dialysis within 6 months.

She'll see the doctor again in two months.

Thank you sooo very much for your prayers! We praise our heavenly Father for watching over us!

Pictures

Hannah and Daniel put together this slideshow of pictures from her time in the hospital. I thin you all will really enjoy it.

Click here.