From Burlington to Nashville... Events from the past 2 weeks

So the past two weeks has not been without some events.  On the Monday that Kelly and I were supposed to drive the babies down south from Burlington, we went to the cardiologist prior to getting on the road only to find a small pericardial effusion (fluid around the heart) at the posterior aspect of the heart.  Hudson was not showing any symptoms.  She delayed our trip for the day, and called it stable the following day, allowing us to make the drive.  We had a great 2 1/2 day trip to Nashville, and headed straight to Vanderbilt, where the effusion still seemed to be stable.  Hudson continued to be asymptomatic.  Kelly and I visited the house in Huntsville on Saturday to find that the unattended workers had made a disaster zone of our new house.  Since all seemed stable, I stayed in Huntsville to be a contractor on our house for the next 2-3 days.  His follow-up cardiology appointment on 7/7 found the effusion to be a bit bigger, still with no symptoms.  On Tuesday 7/8, Kelly noticed that Hudson's breathing seemed labored.  She took him to the ER to find that the effusion had shifted over the left ventricle, which was causing compression.  I came up from Huntsville, and it was absolutely providential that my dad had just decided to come to Huntsville that morning, so that he could take over supervising the workers in Huntsville.  Hudson was admitted to the CICU at Vanderbilt on Tuesday night, and on Wednesday morning, he began to have an arrhythmia (atrial flutter).  They tried to get him back to sinus rhythm for about 2 hours with various meds and D/C cardioversion (shocking his heart) 3 times with it finally converting to normal rhythm.  He subsequently underwent an open surgery Wednesday afternoon to relieve the effusion and place a drain around the heart.  His recovery has been good since the surgery.  We have been cleared for transfer from the CICU to the floor this morning.

Throughout all of this, our family has been indispensable (as if they were dispensable before).  While I was in Huntsville, the two sets of Nashville grandparents have really helped Kelly divide and conquer with the four kids.  Even more, once Hudson was admitted to the hospital, these grandparents have become the sole caretakers of our kids.  My dad remains in Huntsville as my contractor.  I don't know what we would do without all of the help they have provided!

God has also taken care of us with the moving logistics as our moving truck was supposed to arrive on Tuesday 7/8, but has now been delayed until Sunday 7/13.  We are hoping that Hudson will be discharged by this time.  Taylor and Will are definitely ready for our family to reunite, and all of us are ready for some normalcy.  I don't know how far away that will be, but please pray that God will continue to give Kelly and I strength and patience.  We both are feeling a bit numb at this point, reacting day by day to whatever is thrown at us.  If you get a chance, please pray for the following:

1) that Hudson would continue to be stable, that his recovery would be without any events, and that this would be the final surgery for him to have a functional heart.
2) that Taylor and Will would continue to understand why we have to be separated right now, and that  God would give them patience and strength.
3) for strength for our parents as they complete this marathon of taking care of our kids.  We know they are exhausted!
4) that God would revive Kelly and I's hearts, so that each day we would be able to see his mercies afresh and allow us to trust that he is still holding us all in his hand and in absolute control.
5) for our house in Huntsville, that all of the renovation tasks would move toward completion in a timely manner so that we would be able to have a peaceful environment in Huntsville once we finally move.

Thank you for prayers and support!  We love you all, and will continue to keep you posted.

Hudson continues to be strong during his recovery from surgery #2.