Thank you for your continued prayers. Josiah went back to the doctor's office today. His right arm was reexamined and re-xrayed. Thankfully, the ulna bone has not shifted and Josiah DOES NOT need surgery at this time. He will continue with the hard cast for another 2 weeks, then be reexamined and recasted in a water-proof cast. Dr. Minnich was optimistic that Josiah's cast will be fully off by the time of our vacation on July 13th. Please continue praying for a quick and full recovery for Josiah.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 8th, Isaiah goes in for his 3 procedures. We have to be at CHOP Main (in Philadelphia) at 6 AM....ugh! We have to leave the house around 4:30am. Pray for safety as we drive that early in the morning. Also, please pray for Isaiah, the doctors/specialists, and that the procedures go smoothly.
This past weekend we were able to participate in Chris's sister's wedding (Amy) in Lancaster. My 3 men looked awesome! The boys did well and were adorable in their tuxes---will post pictures later. I do have to admit they were quite busy and were always running in opposite directions--pretty difficult when trying to take family pictures. Our friend, Jamie, came with us for the weekend and was a great help. Thanks Jamie!!!! Thanks for praying us through this past weekend.
We will update tomorrow, via the blog, on how Isaiah does through the surgeries. Continue to pray for us as we are quite often too exhausted to pray ourselves. We need the support of our brothers and sisters in Christ. God bless!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
MORE THAN PRAYERS ARE NEEDED...
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. Right now things are incredibly stressful and I am especially struggling with God's goodness. Thankfully, Isaiah is doing better and has been gaining the lost weight back slowly, since his last hospitalization. We've had to adjust feeds and try new formulas. The doctors don't know why Isaiah cannot tolerate some feeds and can tolerate others. We've been working with a new nutritionist and new GI specialists. Hopefully, they will be able to find a reason for Isaiah's chronic vomiting.
On Wednesday, Isaiah will be having his 6th surgery. He is having 3 procedures done: ear tubes replaced, upper endoscopy with biopsies, and having his G-tube changed to a JG-tube. Isaiah's original ear tubes no longer function (one is out and the other clogged). Fluid is collecting behind the tympanic membranes and he has had multiple ear infections with hearing loss. The endoscopy is to check for damage from all the vomiting. The changing of his G-tube is for a diagnositic study--the JG-tube should only be in for 4 weeks. The JG-tube bypasses the stomach and the feeds go directly into the intestines. If Isaiah stops vomiting completely, then it means that the source of the vomiting is from the stomach and he will need additional surgery on the stomach for the Nissen Fundoplication.
Just today, God decided to push us again. Josiah decided to climb a table outside that we are constantly telling the boys to get off of. Well, he fell breaking the ulna bone of the right arm. Thankfully, he was able to be casted in the ER and he doesn't need immediate surgery. He will be rechecked Tuesday. If the bone has shifted, he will need corrective surgery.
We have an incredibly packed summer and we are just so overwhelmed with all the trials. Please pray for this weekend: Chris's youngest sister is getting married and both the boys and Chris are in it---kinda tough with a cast and tube feeds. Then, surgery for Isaiah on June 8th, MRI of brain/spine with general anesthesia on June 29th. Also, it looks like Josiah will need surgery to remove his adenoids---they are enlarged and he has been having trouble breathing, pain in his sinuses, and snoring for the past year. Finally, it has been exhausting with all the trips back down to CHOP. Pray for strength, safety, and grace.
Please pass on to friends and family. We need all the help we can get. Thanks!
On Wednesday, Isaiah will be having his 6th surgery. He is having 3 procedures done: ear tubes replaced, upper endoscopy with biopsies, and having his G-tube changed to a JG-tube. Isaiah's original ear tubes no longer function (one is out and the other clogged). Fluid is collecting behind the tympanic membranes and he has had multiple ear infections with hearing loss. The endoscopy is to check for damage from all the vomiting. The changing of his G-tube is for a diagnositic study--the JG-tube should only be in for 4 weeks. The JG-tube bypasses the stomach and the feeds go directly into the intestines. If Isaiah stops vomiting completely, then it means that the source of the vomiting is from the stomach and he will need additional surgery on the stomach for the Nissen Fundoplication.
Just today, God decided to push us again. Josiah decided to climb a table outside that we are constantly telling the boys to get off of. Well, he fell breaking the ulna bone of the right arm. Thankfully, he was able to be casted in the ER and he doesn't need immediate surgery. He will be rechecked Tuesday. If the bone has shifted, he will need corrective surgery.
We have an incredibly packed summer and we are just so overwhelmed with all the trials. Please pray for this weekend: Chris's youngest sister is getting married and both the boys and Chris are in it---kinda tough with a cast and tube feeds. Then, surgery for Isaiah on June 8th, MRI of brain/spine with general anesthesia on June 29th. Also, it looks like Josiah will need surgery to remove his adenoids---they are enlarged and he has been having trouble breathing, pain in his sinuses, and snoring for the past year. Finally, it has been exhausting with all the trips back down to CHOP. Pray for strength, safety, and grace.
Please pass on to friends and family. We need all the help we can get. Thanks!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Home Again
Hi everyone,
We just wanted to send a quick post to say Isaiah is home. Joy brought him home last Wednesday(4/20) around noon. He was doing well with his feeds and was re hydrated, so the doctors felt he was ready to be discharged. Since he's been discharged, he's hardly thrown up during the last few nights. This has been a blessing.
Unfortunately Joy caught some kind of bug and was bed ridden starting Thursday night into Friday. This is why you have not heard from us until now.
We wanted to express our gratitude to everyone who helped provide meals, those who sent encouraging emails and most of all prayed for us and our little boy. We always feel blown away by the number of people who want to help us in this journey.
Chris and Joy
We just wanted to send a quick post to say Isaiah is home. Joy brought him home last Wednesday(4/20) around noon. He was doing well with his feeds and was re hydrated, so the doctors felt he was ready to be discharged. Since he's been discharged, he's hardly thrown up during the last few nights. This has been a blessing.
Unfortunately Joy caught some kind of bug and was bed ridden starting Thursday night into Friday. This is why you have not heard from us until now.
We wanted to express our gratitude to everyone who helped provide meals, those who sent encouraging emails and most of all prayed for us and our little boy. We always feel blown away by the number of people who want to help us in this journey.
Chris and Joy
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Apparently Isaiah misses his doctors and nurses....
....and feels it's time for another visit.
Hello everyone,
I know it's been a while since we posted an update on Isaiah. We will try to send an update later which will bring you to where we are today, since our last post was on Oct 21, 2010. Unfortunately this update is not a pleasant one.
Earlier this week Isaiah started with a fever and increased vomiting. He was still throwing up nightly prior to getting sick but lately it has increased to a few times over the night and sometimes during the day. He has not been able to keep hardly any food down and has had decreased urine output. He possibly has C-diff again and he has abdomen pain and restlessness while sleeping. He has lost 1.5 lbs in 2 days and therefore we are back down at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
Chris took him down Saturday afternoon to the ER. Later that night Isaiah was admitted. They are currently giving him just IV fluids to reverse the dehydration and are talking about slowly introducing tube feeds sometime on Sunday afternoon to see if he can start keeping anything down.
We are asking if you can start praying for our little boy again. We don't know how long he will be down at CHOP right now. Probably as soon as he can tolerate nightly feedings again.
Our primary focus is for Isaiah to get better. On a side note, we were scheduled for a bunch of CHOP doctor visits the next couple of weeks. Hopefully some of the doctors that are following him can see him while Isaiah is admitted which will make for less visits the next couple of weeks.
Thank you in advance for your prayers to our Mighty, Loving, and Gracious God on our behalf. Through him all things are possible.
Chris and Joy
Hello everyone,
I know it's been a while since we posted an update on Isaiah. We will try to send an update later which will bring you to where we are today, since our last post was on Oct 21, 2010. Unfortunately this update is not a pleasant one.
Earlier this week Isaiah started with a fever and increased vomiting. He was still throwing up nightly prior to getting sick but lately it has increased to a few times over the night and sometimes during the day. He has not been able to keep hardly any food down and has had decreased urine output. He possibly has C-diff again and he has abdomen pain and restlessness while sleeping. He has lost 1.5 lbs in 2 days and therefore we are back down at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
Chris took him down Saturday afternoon to the ER. Later that night Isaiah was admitted. They are currently giving him just IV fluids to reverse the dehydration and are talking about slowly introducing tube feeds sometime on Sunday afternoon to see if he can start keeping anything down.
We are asking if you can start praying for our little boy again. We don't know how long he will be down at CHOP right now. Probably as soon as he can tolerate nightly feedings again.
Our primary focus is for Isaiah to get better. On a side note, we were scheduled for a bunch of CHOP doctor visits the next couple of weeks. Hopefully some of the doctors that are following him can see him while Isaiah is admitted which will make for less visits the next couple of weeks.
Thank you in advance for your prayers to our Mighty, Loving, and Gracious God on our behalf. Through him all things are possible.
Chris and Joy
Thursday, October 21, 2010
FUNDRAISER WAS AWESOME--THANK YOU!!!
We had an awesome turnout two Saturdays ago for Isaiah's fundraiser. A HUGE thank you to Holly Boykin for organizing everything. Thank you to all who came and gave generously from your hearts. We cannot even begin to express our gratitude. We also had a huge miracle happen when several families stepped forward and provided a new washer/dryer for us. God has been so good to us and continues to provide for us even when we are not faithful in asking for His help. We continue to walk this journey with the strength from your prayers.
We were recently back down at CHOP Main for several appointments. Pulmonary was satisfied with Isaiah's improvement, but will continue to monitor him for awhile. We saw another orthopaedic specialist, Dr. Lee, about Isaiah's left arm. He was incredibly supportive and understanding and wished he could give us better news. But, the reality is there is nothing he can do to improve the left arm. It is what it is, and he was very happy with how Isaiah uses it. Pray that as Isaiah continues to grow, that we will know how to encourage him to use his differences for the glory of God.
We also revisited the feeding clinic. I think this will be the last time we go down there for the clinic. They were not much help and pretty much shrugged their shoulders because they have no idea why Isaiah doesn't eat or why he throws up daily. It was a very frustrating meeting. We are going to look into some other feeding clinics, like Good Shepherd and Hershey. Please pray for wisdom as we choose.
At the moment we have a need for help on Tuesday mornings. I go to a women's Bible study every Tuesday morning. We are entering flu season and we don't want to expose the boys to any more germs than we have too. The times would be from 8:30am-12pm. The boys are very easy and Isaiah does NOT have to be hooked up to anything while I am gone. Please let me know if anyone can help.
I know some of you may still be interested in ordering from 31 Gifts to support Isaiah's fundraiser. Holly Boykin will still be taking orders until the end of the month. All of her profits she is donating to Isaiah. To place an order, you can go online to her website at www.mythirtyone.com/hollyb, or you can call her directly at 267-375-9171. Thank you again for all of your help and support.
We were recently back down at CHOP Main for several appointments. Pulmonary was satisfied with Isaiah's improvement, but will continue to monitor him for awhile. We saw another orthopaedic specialist, Dr. Lee, about Isaiah's left arm. He was incredibly supportive and understanding and wished he could give us better news. But, the reality is there is nothing he can do to improve the left arm. It is what it is, and he was very happy with how Isaiah uses it. Pray that as Isaiah continues to grow, that we will know how to encourage him to use his differences for the glory of God.
We also revisited the feeding clinic. I think this will be the last time we go down there for the clinic. They were not much help and pretty much shrugged their shoulders because they have no idea why Isaiah doesn't eat or why he throws up daily. It was a very frustrating meeting. We are going to look into some other feeding clinics, like Good Shepherd and Hershey. Please pray for wisdom as we choose.
At the moment we have a need for help on Tuesday mornings. I go to a women's Bible study every Tuesday morning. We are entering flu season and we don't want to expose the boys to any more germs than we have too. The times would be from 8:30am-12pm. The boys are very easy and Isaiah does NOT have to be hooked up to anything while I am gone. Please let me know if anyone can help.
I know some of you may still be interested in ordering from 31 Gifts to support Isaiah's fundraiser. Holly Boykin will still be taking orders until the end of the month. All of her profits she is donating to Isaiah. To place an order, you can go online to her website at www.mythirtyone.com/hollyb, or you can call her directly at 267-375-9171. Thank you again for all of your help and support.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
FUNDRAISER--RECYCLE YOUR OLD GOLD & SILVER
Dear Friends and Family,
You are invited to a Gold & Silver Recycling Event!! Our dear friend, Holly Boykin, decided out of the goodness and kindness of her heart to give a wonderful gift to Isaiah. She is doing a fundraiser to help with costs that we keep accruing with Isaiah. We cannot thank Holly enough for the love she has shown to our family.
THIS IS WHAT HOLLY'S FLYER/INVITATION STATES:
HOW DOES IT WORK? Bring your unwanted gold, silver, or platinum, (any amount, any color, any karat) and a licensed gold buyer will evaluate each piece for karat quality. It does not matter if the jewelry or items are broken. The value of your metal is determined by overall metal content and weight. There is no pressure and no obligation. If you are content with the appraisal, you will be paid on the spot! At the end of the event, the gold buyer will be donating a percentage of the payouts to the Miller Family.
There will also be a Thirty-One Gifts vendor set-up at the fundraiser. 100% of the commissions will be donated to The Miller Family. For more information, please visit www.mythirtyone.com/hollyb.
WHEN IS IT: Saturday, October 16, 2010 from 9:00 AM-1:00 PM
WHERE IS IT: Mr. B’s Coffeehouse – Rm 218, 820 Route 113 Souderton, PA, 18964. Mr. B's is on the backside of Calvary Church of Souderton. Please contact Holly Boykin at 267-375-9171 with any questions regarding this fundraiser, or if you can’t attend but would like to donate jewelry or gift cards.
Holly will be holding a *RAFFLE*. For every gift card that you bring for The Miller family (gas, grocery, supercenter, etc.) you will be entered into a raffle for some great prizes!
Hope you all can come!
Chris, Joy, Josiah, and Isaiah Miller
For the actual flyer, email us at isaiahsjourney@yahoo.com, and I will send you the link. I was unable to put the actual flyer on the blog.
P.S. If you have any friends, family, or businesses that would like to support Isaiah, please print and pass the flyer along to them, once I send it to you. We are trying to post the flyer wherever we can. Also, feel free to forward the blog on to whomever may be interested. Thank you.
You are invited to a Gold & Silver Recycling Event!! Our dear friend, Holly Boykin, decided out of the goodness and kindness of her heart to give a wonderful gift to Isaiah. She is doing a fundraiser to help with costs that we keep accruing with Isaiah. We cannot thank Holly enough for the love she has shown to our family.
THIS IS WHAT HOLLY'S FLYER/INVITATION STATES:
HOW DOES IT WORK? Bring your unwanted gold, silver, or platinum, (any amount, any color, any karat) and a licensed gold buyer will evaluate each piece for karat quality. It does not matter if the jewelry or items are broken. The value of your metal is determined by overall metal content and weight. There is no pressure and no obligation. If you are content with the appraisal, you will be paid on the spot! At the end of the event, the gold buyer will be donating a percentage of the payouts to the Miller Family.
There will also be a Thirty-One Gifts vendor set-up at the fundraiser. 100% of the commissions will be donated to The Miller Family. For more information, please visit www.mythirtyone.com/hollyb.
WHEN IS IT: Saturday, October 16, 2010 from 9:00 AM-1:00 PM
WHERE IS IT: Mr. B’s Coffeehouse – Rm 218, 820 Route 113 Souderton, PA, 18964. Mr. B's is on the backside of Calvary Church of Souderton. Please contact Holly Boykin at 267-375-9171 with any questions regarding this fundraiser, or if you can’t attend but would like to donate jewelry or gift cards.
Holly will be holding a *RAFFLE*. For every gift card that you bring for The Miller family (gas, grocery, supercenter, etc.) you will be entered into a raffle for some great prizes!
Hope you all can come!
Chris, Joy, Josiah, and Isaiah Miller
For the actual flyer, email us at isaiahsjourney@yahoo.com, and I will send you the link. I was unable to put the actual flyer on the blog.
P.S. If you have any friends, family, or businesses that would like to support Isaiah, please print and pass the flyer along to them, once I send it to you. We are trying to post the flyer wherever we can. Also, feel free to forward the blog on to whomever may be interested. Thank you.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
HE'S WALKING...
It's been awhile since I've had the chance to update. Sorry about that! Well, just to quickly let you know what's been going on---Isaiah started cruising furniture around 15 months and then took off walking after he received his foot braces in July. He's been running ever since, at least trying to! He loves chasing his older brother and torturing him. He is a very busy little boy with a bigger than life personality!
Unfortunately, Isaiah continues to refuse to eat and rarely drinks. He is on tube feeds 3 times a day. He also continues to throw up daily. Chris and I don't get much sleep and often end up with much more work than we would like. The doctors have no idea why he continues to throw up like this. He is already on medications for reflux. The current doctors suggest that we see go see an allergist as well as a GI motility specialist. We also have to decide soon whether or not we are going to take Isaiah to an intense feeding clinic to help retrain him to eat. We have 2 options, neither of which are easy or inexpensive. Please pray that we have the wisdom to pick the right program for Isaiah.
Right now, we have 3 pressing needs:
1) Our washer and dryer are struggling to keep up with the insane amount of laundry we have to do on a daily basis because of Isaiah's vomiting. Our dryer is rusting on the inside, causing rust stains on clothing. Then, our washing machine broke on Monday, but Chris thinks he will be able to fix it temporarily. However, we are in great need of a heavy duty clothes washer and dryer.
2) We need to figure out how to address Isaiah's eating issues. We don't know what to do and not sure which clinic to take him to. They both require alot of time, commitment, and money.
3) We need home care for Isaiah to be approved for 16 hours a week. I am going to a job fair on October 19 and hope to enter back into the nursing work force. Pray that I know how to coordinate Isaiah's schedule and what nursing job to accept. I need something that will be flexible and understanding with our situation. We would also love to put Josiah into preschool, but not sure how to do this at this time.
Please keep your eyes open for information regarding an upcoming fundraiser for Isaiah on Saturday, October 16, 2010. It will be held at Calvary of Souderton, room 218 off of Mr. B's, from 9am-1pm. Look forward to seeing you there.
Thank you for all your love and support. Please enjoy the video below. (You will need to go to the blog website to see the video) http://isaiahs-journey.blogspot.com
Unfortunately, Isaiah continues to refuse to eat and rarely drinks. He is on tube feeds 3 times a day. He also continues to throw up daily. Chris and I don't get much sleep and often end up with much more work than we would like. The doctors have no idea why he continues to throw up like this. He is already on medications for reflux. The current doctors suggest that we see go see an allergist as well as a GI motility specialist. We also have to decide soon whether or not we are going to take Isaiah to an intense feeding clinic to help retrain him to eat. We have 2 options, neither of which are easy or inexpensive. Please pray that we have the wisdom to pick the right program for Isaiah.
Right now, we have 3 pressing needs:
1) Our washer and dryer are struggling to keep up with the insane amount of laundry we have to do on a daily basis because of Isaiah's vomiting. Our dryer is rusting on the inside, causing rust stains on clothing. Then, our washing machine broke on Monday, but Chris thinks he will be able to fix it temporarily. However, we are in great need of a heavy duty clothes washer and dryer.
2) We need to figure out how to address Isaiah's eating issues. We don't know what to do and not sure which clinic to take him to. They both require alot of time, commitment, and money.
3) We need home care for Isaiah to be approved for 16 hours a week. I am going to a job fair on October 19 and hope to enter back into the nursing work force. Pray that I know how to coordinate Isaiah's schedule and what nursing job to accept. I need something that will be flexible and understanding with our situation. We would also love to put Josiah into preschool, but not sure how to do this at this time.
Please keep your eyes open for information regarding an upcoming fundraiser for Isaiah on Saturday, October 16, 2010. It will be held at Calvary of Souderton, room 218 off of Mr. B's, from 9am-1pm. Look forward to seeing you there.
Thank you for all your love and support. Please enjoy the video below. (You will need to go to the blog website to see the video) http://isaiahs-journey.blogspot.com
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