Prayer Request for Grace

Sharing about Grace so more people can pray.

For those of you who may not know:

About 5 weeks ago, Grace was completely fine in the morning -

ate breakfast, got dressed, normal third-grader-stuff.

Five hours later, she wasn't feeling well.  

She had a fever, felt like she couldn't swallow that well, and chest pain.

We thought it was viral. 

Or actually, didn't think that much of it

Kids get sick, right?

Well, kids do get sick,

but Grace really hasn't gotten better.

For five weeks she hasn't been able to swallow and complains of chest pain.

Over the past 5 weeks we've gone from soft foods

breads, bananas

to smoothies and shakes

to thinner smoothies and thinner shakes

to liquid 

to basically only ice-cream and popsicles

because they melt. 

She says stuff is "bad" for her throat and that her throat feels swollen and tight, 

and it hurts to swallow.

obviously, we've gone through the ringer of childhood illness testing - 

she doesn't have strep, mono, or anything like that.

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A few nights ago she was trying to take a bite of mac-and-cheese

which I was just shocked she was willing to try!

And she started shaking.

Thinking she was cold, I asked if she wanted a blanket.

She said

no, I'm just worried it'll hurt.

and then I went to the bathroom and cried and cried.  

My poor Gracie-girl.  Afraid to eat.

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As her symptoms progressed, our testing progressed.

We got a pediatric GI appointment scheduled,

and were holding out hope, just stringing along until that appointment.  

But Grace began to eat less and less, drink less and less...and then refusing all food and drink...

...when the GI doctor, who couldn't give us any medical advice over the phone because we weren't technically a patient yet, just sent us to the ER (in order to get a GI consult through the ER).

So, 2 days ago, I took my 8-year-old to the ER of the great children's hospital near us.

When the GI docs heard what was going on, 3 of them showed up in our ER room.

The ER doctor was blowing us off,

but the GI doctors were outstanding.

super encouraging, super comforting, 

saying that they symptoms I was describing they hear all the time.

and then they admitted us.

After a just a night in the hospital,

we got some testing done.

And are now home, waiting biopsy and other test results.

She also has this cool wireless probe on her esophagus,

measuring acid, sending data to this monitor.

She thinks it's pretty magical, which it basically is.  

When she gets too far from the monitor it'll beep, and you have to hold it up to the middle of her chest to reconnect it.

She's basically ironman for a few days. ;-)

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Would you pray for Grace?

Please pray that the diagnosis is simple and easily treatable.

(The GI doc thinks there are two likely diagnosis -

one is simple, the other not-so-much -

not-so-much as in chronic, life-long, and complex)

Poor Grace is hungry...SO hungry...but whatever is going on with her is making it painful to eat.

She's lost weight, and I'm counting bathroom trips 

to make sure she's getting enough popsicles in her to count.

Today, she ate 6 popsicles,
 a couple bites of mac and cheese and a couple bites of a cinnamon roll.

That's it.  
and that's actually kind of a lot to what she was eating a few days ago.

And then before bed she was crying she was starving but saying she couldn't eat anything.

I pray with her, reassure her the doctors are helping, get her tucked in,

then leave her room and cry.

Our sweet girl. 

 Something is wrong,

so very wrong.

She's hungry but whatever is going on in her esophagus is causing her 
to not be able to eat.

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Please pray with us that the Author and Giver of Life

will HEAL Grace.
Fully and Completely.

Pray with us that the Author and Giver of Life will bring much peace, much comfort,

for my mama's heart, for Gracie's heart...for our family.

Pray that our family can establish a sense of normal.  

In January, while these symptoms were escalating with Grace,

 Matt also had the flu that totally wiped him out for a few weeks, so it just seems like it's been a long time when we had any "normal" family life.

Pray that the Lord will comfort Gracie's heart.
Pray the Lord provides scriptures that encourage all of us.

Pray that the Lord will provide food ideas she can eat.

Pray that in the midst of all of this she'll feel well enough to do normal 8-year-old-stuff.

Pray that the testing results are diagnostic but it's an easily managed diagnosis.

We are not strangers to health crises.

The Lord has provided in the past and will provide again.

I know it, fully know it.

Pray my heart knows it now.

We are trusting that when we get on the other side of this we can update on the million ways the Lord showed His Provision and Providence through this all...much of which comes through the prayers of our family and friends.

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Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, "Here I am".
Isaiah 58:9

UPDATE Found HERE