Eliza Update - 2/17 5pm

Dear family and friends,

Day after day we receive e-mails, cards, and phone calls (not to mention drop-ins, meals, and hugs) that proclaim God's love through your love. We can never repay it, so we'll just enjoy it. We thank God for you and are praying for you to enjoy His presence and walk in His wonderful light.

Eliza's awakening has progressed. While we sat with her today, she barely opened her left eye several times. Of course, we cooed over her mercilessly, inducing further sleep. Hallelujah all the same. As a reward for her continued breathing efforts, the docs have given Eliza a new respiration machine. Instead of simply giving her breaths, this one enhances her spontaneous breaths and supplies its own only when necessary. This will require more effort from Eliza, but it will also give her lungs the opportunity to take over without pulling the rug out entirely.

The neonatologist today summed up the latest MRI by declaring: "Her brain looks worse." The lesions in the white matter are about the same. The brain as a whole, including the brain stem, has definitely shrunk. The seizures do not appear to be causing the damage to the white matter, but the gray matter is seeing some neural death as a result of the seizures. The underlying cause of the seizures is adversely affecting the brain itself--but no other bodily functions as yet. What is that underlying cause? None of the many many tests has turned up a positive result.

Meanwhile, the EEG remains off, which is the only way you can tell whether she is having seizures. The doctors assume that the seizures have not abated. A feeding tube is now in her nose--Eliza finally got some breastmilk today! Assuming her digestive system tolerates the feedings, oral anti-seizure medications will soon be a possibility.

Every further meeting with doctors confirms: they don't know how it started; they don't know how to stop it. It's a good thing we fear and hope in an almighty God of love. Otherwise, we would surely share their despair. As it is, He gives us Grace in Jesus Christ to face each new day. Praise His name.

Love,
dixie jax