Ryan's Recovery

Ryan's Recovery Ryan was pronounced deceased August 27th, '22. BUT God had other plans. Come follow Ryan's recovery!

https://gofund.me/5d5d3296

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3PXO8RT35NWC6?ref_=wl_share

Our church asked Ryan to put together some words to be spoken during our Christmas play when the question was asked “why...
12/25/2024

Our church asked Ryan to put together some words to be spoken during our Christmas play when the question was asked “why did Jesus come in the first place?” after our children put on a precious play depicting the birth of Christ. Through sign language, Ryan was able to produce what you will read below. 🙌🏻🙌🏻 He’s still preaching, praise the Lord!
Scripture references… all from memory. Absolutely the reason why we should teach and it should be preached the importance of scripture memorization. We never know when the Holy Spirit will recall a verse to our mind and I’m sure Ryan is also thankful for the time he took to hide scripture away in his heart. The Lord only knows how many times he’s just been laying and staring at the ceiling and has been comforted by the Word.
The rest of the message we would like you to get from us this Christmas can be found in Ryan’s words. Merry Christmas to all of our Facebook family and prayer warriors. We are grateful for you all. ❤️💚

From Ryan: ⬇️
“Why did Jesus come, you ask?
He came to die in our place as the Lamb of God. He was our sacrifice and took our place on Calvary.

The play you just watched was a wonderful depiction of the birth of Jesus. But the whole reason He came… the reason He was BORN… was to die on Calvary for our sins. Without Christmas there would be no cross.

The Bible says in John 1:14 that He “became flesh and dwelt among us.” He became one of us in order to DIE for us.
There is a price that must be paid for sin BUT He paid it for us. And that price is eternity in a place called Hell.

But, what is sin?
The simple answer is, sin is anything that we think, say, or do that does not please God. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” But I’m glad it doesn’t stop there.

In Romans 10:9 the Bible says “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” It’s that simple!

God wants everyone to be saved so much that a child themselves can call on the name of the Lord and be saved.

So, here during the season of giving and receiving gifts, have you ever received the greatest gift of all? Which is the Salvation offered by Jesus through the blood that He shed on the cross. If not, this Christmas season would be the perfect time to accept that gift!”

With love and prayers,
Preacher Ryan Marlow

12/09/2024

Hey y’all!!
Update 12/8

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I have always loved the holiday season that runs fall through New Year’s Day. All the wond...
11/29/2024

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I have always loved the holiday season that runs fall through New Year’s Day. All the wonderful things about Thanksgiving and being with family and spending true time in reflection has always been something that has brought me a lot of joy. But this year has been a bit different. It’s been… hard.

Maybe you’re like the first version of me. Or maybe this year you’re finding it hard to press forward with an attitude of Thanksgiving.

Even with empty chairs at my family’s table today and hearts that were filled with sadness, I’m so thankful that our “thanks-giving” is not circumstantial. Meaning, it’s not based on our current life circumstances (whether they seem good or bad). But our “thanks-giving” is conditioned upon who HE is and how we relate to HIM!! (In other words, IF you are His child!)

It’s easy to be thankful when we are surrounded by family, food is plentiful and life is good. But it’s a lot harder to give thanks when looking at those empty chairs or when your heart is overwhelmed with cares of this life.

To keep a heart that can be in a state of Thanksgiving we have to remember that no matter whether times are good or hard, the LORD IS GOD – He is sovereign, He is constant, and He is always in control… and that’s something we can trust!

Psalm 100:1-5 KJV
“ Make a joyful noise into the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know, yet not the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful to him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good: his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

I hope to do an update on the last couple of weeks very soon. We came home from Disney and I immediately found myself on a fast track to pneumonia and in the bed for the last week and a half. But I’m getting back on my feet and hope to be able to share a lot with you soon! Thank you for your patience and most of all your prayers.
Happy Thanksgiving. We are very thankful for all of you out there standing in the gap for us!🩷💛

Love,
The Marlows

I’ve had a lot of people reach out in the last few days to check on how we are since they haven’t heard an update. As I ...
11/14/2024

I’ve had a lot of people reach out in the last few days to check on how we are since they haven’t heard an update. As I mentioned previously, we had some incredibly generous people send my family on a trip to Florida, specifically to Disney World. We are on that trip right now. And the picture below will show you how it’s going. 🤪Hope to share an update with you guys once we are back home and settled.

Hey everybody! So sorry it’s been a while since I posted an update. A comical but well-meaning text from a Preacher fri...
10/30/2024

Hey everybody! So sorry it’s been a while since I posted an update. A comical but well-meaning text from a Preacher friend asking if we were still on “this side” made me laugh and also realize it was past time for an update. (The length of this post will help you understand why I procrastinate with posting.😬)

These last couple of weeks have been some of our busiest yet. We have had a constant, and at times overwhelming, flow of doctors appointments and tests for Ryan. Mostly follow ups from his month-long hospital stay as well as new referrals.

Ryan was able to get his wound VAC taken off, two weeks ago. He is healing wonderfully to where now we don’t even have to follow up with the wound clinic. We are very thankful for it healing so well!

We had a couple hiccups with getting to the urologist he was referred to, but we ended up at an office in Winston and really loved the doctor that saw Ryan. He was very kind and down to earth and took time to understand Ryan’s situation. Thankfully, he was able to review Ryan’s scans and many tests from the last several weeks and determined that he sees no damage to his kidneys or prostate (which would have been taking place had he needed an indwelling catheter this whole time but has been without one). This tells him that Ryan is functioning well and does not need to keep an indwelling catheter. This was wonderful to hear as I have fought hard on this issue for Ryan since day one. It was very refreshing to have a physician hear us out and have our point of view on this issue. His next visit, Lord willing, it will be removed. As far as the two non-obstructing kidney stones and the piece of calcification in his bladder… they aren’t anything too concerning for him right now. This will be something we watch over the next few months but right now he is good.😊

Unfortunately, I have no new news to report on how his lung is absorbing the cerebral spinal fluid draining from the new shunt placement. He was supposed to have, a CT scan last week but for some reason, we have the most awful time trying to get things scheduled with the diagnostic center. I seem to always be chasing them down and trying to get things scheduled so here we are over three weeks out and we still don’t know what his lung looks like. I will say, his pain is gone🙌🏻, which to me is a very good sign. I’m praying this means that his body took over and started absorbing like it should, as we have had so many people praying on his behalf.

We got to see a brand new cornea specialist yesterday in Greensboro and he was wonderful. He let us know about some amazing technology dealing with nerve regeneration that is in the works. New things with technology can happen overnight or it could be another several years but it’s definitely not in the elementary stages. This is hopeful and promising news for people who would benefit from this type of research. His advice to us was to continue to doctor and care for his right eye as opposed to having it removed and a prosthetic being put in its place. As we try to fight and preserve the eye the prayer is that science catches up and there will be a new technology soon that can help Ryan, be able to save that eye and restore nerves to his face. Of course the Lord can touch and heal with no notice or reason, but we also know that God can use medicine and those who He gives wisdom to bring things to light to help people. He also unstitched a few of the stitches in his left eye so we are getting close to having it fully reopened again. (It was partially closed October of last year due to an ulcer.) We are very thankful for this but also very cautious and want to make sure it is took care of and remains healthy. So we will follow up closely with our amazing local Opthamologist.

Today we followed up with his physical medical and rehabilitation doctor. Ryan will be having Botox injections this Friday but only in his hamstring(s). His spasms and muscle tone have come back with a vengeance since having his pump removed, and this has been a major battle over the last few weeks. Sleep? What’s that? 🥴 We are thankful for the opportunity for this Botox and praying that it is extremely beneficial to him as we continue to look for different ways to help him in this area. It definitely impedes therapy and we are still far from where we have been but he will get there.

Ryan had a vitamin C infusion last week and I really believe it has been very beneficial to him. I had one too and I’m so thankful for chance to get it! My kiddos have been sick but I have managed to stay well! My biological meds deplete my immune system so I truly believe the Vitamin C helped me. We will continue to do this as it helps on many different levels, but definitely helps boost his immune system as well. That seems to be so weak.

Our baby girls celebrated their 5th birthday last Sunday. 😮 So hard to believe!! We had them a celebration and they had the best time. I had an opportunity to take them to build-a-bear the week before their birthday, and we celebrated and had the best time together, just me and my kids. I don’t get to spend a lot of time with them like that so they are still talking about that day. 🥰

My sisters and I decided that this year since it would be so tough without our parents for this first holiday season that we would take turns decorating each other‘s house together. Making Christmas goodies to eat and all that fun stuff. Just to be together and get through the times that we know will be so difficult. We chose to do my mom‘s house a couple weeks ago because that’s where we will all gather for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Lots of memories were reflected on. I’m super excited because my house is next and we will be doing it this Saturday!😆🎄❤️💚
My sisters have both celebrated a birthday in the last couple weeks, and I made sure that they had their favorite meal and cake that our momma would always make them. I’ve always heard that the first for all “the things” will be the hardest, but I have a feeling they will all be hard.💔

Levi has been doing so well with school. He really amazes me. I was so fearful that the time Ryan was in the hospital he was going to fall so far behind with me not being able to do his schooling. But thanks to his grandma Wanda and our sweet friend Deanna, he pretty much stayed on track and amazes me every day. I’m so grateful that they both worked so hard with him and took time to help teach him in my absence.
He has the deepest and most complex thoughts to be seven years old. He stops me in my tracks sometimes. Last week he said to me, “ I thought God was just going to reach down and heal daddy, but why is He letting him sit here for years like this?” 😳💔
This is a hard question to process as an adult let along a seven-year-old child. I do my best to explain, but please pray for his little heart. He has not been saved yet and he is so close and asks questions all the time… he’s just such an overthinker. I do not want anything that has happened in his short little life, especially over the last two years to harden his heart at all towards the Lord. Ryan and I pray that God use our situation to raise up our children to have great faith and know there is a God in Heaven that loves them and cares for them. Very deeply. And there’s more to this life than what is seen on the outside. There’s an eternity that we are running for. God help my children.🙏🏻

As I mentioned in my last live, we are preparing for a big trip to Florida. Disney World actually. Some very generous folks are sending my family for a week. Originally my parents were also going but sadly they won’t be going and we will miss them very much. But my sisters and their families are going, and there will be plenty of people and hands to help. We are very excited, especially for the kiddos. We will be leaving on the 9th of November. We have the sweetest lady who has helped plan the entire trip and has gone above and beyond to make things special for us. I will share more about her later.😊
Just help me pray as I work to get everyone organized and packed that nothing will be forgotten. It’s such a big intimidating trip to take when everyone’s healthy but to take Ryan in his situation adds a whole other level of anxiety. But he is looking forward to it, and is excited for our children. We were actually planning to go in October of 2022. Saved for over a year. But as you all know, he was in a coma. These sweet folks sending us now are helping us make memories I didn’t think we would get to make. They won’t look like I thought they would… and that will be emotional… but they will still be precious.

Anyway, I apologize for the lengthy update so those of you that stuck with me this long, I appreciate you taking the time to read about SOME of what’s been going on. And most of all for you taking the time to pray for Ryan and our family. ❤️❤️

10/09/2024

Update 10/8

Good morning everyone. First of all, we are praying for all those people that have been affected by the devastation that...
09/28/2024

Good morning everyone. First of all, we are praying for all those people that have been affected by the devastation that hurricane Helene has left behind. It is absolutely mind blowing the historic flooding that has taken place in our area of the state (Western NC). It’s heartbreaking to hear the stories coming in. With that being said, what we are going through is NOTHING compared to those that are trapped and in terrifying situations or who lost their homes or life. The number of people trapped or death tole is impossible to know right now because so many areas are still cut off from civilization. Many places are only accessible by air. 💔

There was some damage to property here, lots of limbs and trees down in our neighborhood, water in my basement and those types of things. We lost power early yesterday morning and we have no idea when to expect it to be restored since there are hundreds of thousands without power in our area. Thank the Lord we have a Generac so we are able to power all of the things that Ryan needs like his vent and other machines. I am praying that the propane supply we have gets us through until Duke can restore power. Please help me pray for that. We also have no Internet. I can stand on the edge of my deck to bounce off the Wi-Fi at my sister‘s house. She is also without power, but with her generator running, her Internet provider is still up and running. Honestly if you’re on Facebook complaining because you don’t have Internet… Take a couple minutes and look at the pictures below or read stories about people trapped on rooftops and watching their loved ones get swept away in the flood. 💔 Wi-Fi is nothing.

Now an update on Ryan.
Ryan has improved very slightly since getting home Monday night. He has moments where he’s more perky than he has been in a month. Still struggling to respond briskly or sometimes at all, but I know he’s trying. His pain level is better. Still getting around the clock IV antibiotics. His therapy resumed this week which consisted of lots of stretching as his body is quite contracted from losing the baclofen pump and laying in a hospital bed for so many weeks. It will take us a while to recover from this.

I truly don’t think people realize how sick Ryan was. I praise God that he spared him from death… A second time. His body was fighting multiple infections from a very stubborn and serious bacteria. Infections in his brain, abdomen, urinary tract, blood stream and meningitis on top of all that. The Pseudomonas bacteria he has colonized is the culprit for all of this. The motility that it has allowed it to travel through spinal fluid and his blood. The terrifying thing is that the bacteria remains in his body at all times because it is colonized. It just goes to sleep and wakes up when it wants to. I hate to think that we could walk through that again so I am doing all the research and things I can do to do my part to keep him well and trusting God for the rest.

Thank you ALL for praying❤️❤️

09/24/2024

WE ARE HOME!!🙌🏻😭🎉🙌🏻

After 26 days… Five surgeries… a long list of sicknesses… And a ton of prayers… We are finally back home. (Maybe one day I can go live to tell a bit more about it all) There was a few days I wasn’t sure if I would get to bring him back home BUT glory to God we are here.

I got to tuck all three of my babies in to sleep tonight. Throughout this hospital stay has been the longest I’ve ever been away from my children. It was so incredibly difficult, but I am thankful for the amazing people I had back home taking care of them and getting schoolwork done! I want to just sit and watch them sleep tonight because they are so precious and I am so thankful that we are all together again. Well… Who am I kidding? I’m definitely going to try and get some sleep. The hospital recliner is not for the faint of heart! 🤪

Ryan definitely has a lot of ground to cover to get back to baseline. And now that we are without the baclofen pump… The spasms will make things very difficult again. Just help us pray as we navigate the next several weeks. Pray for wisdom In treatments and things that we can do for Ryan to help with his spasms. As usual, I don’t know why things happen the way they do, but we trust in a Sovereign God, who has a better plan than anything we can try to concoct ourselves.

Ryan’s white blood count was down to a normal number this morning for the first time in four weeks. He’s getting IV antibiotics here at home e and still has another seven days left of his regimen that was picked out by the infectious disease. Doctors.. The neurosurgeons said that the adjustment to Ryan’s shunt yesterday morning helped and we will follow up with them in two weeks to have the staples removed from Ryan’s head and get a CT scan to check on things.
We are so encouraged by all of the wonderful messages, care packages, cards, etc., that we received while we were in the hospital and here at home. I’m also thankful for the wonderful doctors and nurses that the Lord used in helping treat Ryan over the last few weeks. We met some really great people and I won’t forget them! And again thank you to family and friends who pulled together like a village and rallied around our babies while we were away. I sure missed my mama and daddy during all of this something terrible but God put so many people who love my family in our path.

Tonight, I am just thankful.

09/23/2024

Good evening everybody! Ryan has continued to hold steady as we just wait to make sure his brain responds well to the new shunt and are giving his body more time to be cleared of infection. His CT from last night showed that his ventricles were much smaller and draining too much CSF so the neurosurgeon adjusted his shunt this morning to drain slower. He has a new type that allows them to use a magnet on the outside to make any adjustments. It’s very neat. The plan was to continue watching him through the day and do another CT early Monday morning at around 5a.

But we had a scare earlier today where Ryan stopped following commands but still wide awake. They rushed him to CT early and thankfully the results showed that his scan actually looks better than it did the night before. So praise the Lord for that. Ryan likes to keep me on the edge of my seat pretty much around the clock.😬😅 Unfortunately at the same time all this was going on I was having a terrible flareup with my auto immune disease and my eyes specifically. I could not see, but he has the sweetest nurses that take great care of him but made sure I had what I needed during that episode. Please pray my body continues to cooperate with me because I need to be at my best to help Ryan.

I’m not entirely sure what tomorrow will hold, but we are crossing our fingers and praying awfully hard that Ryan will be able to to be discharged. I will let everyone know for sure on Monday, but for now just keep praying we can continue to go in the right direction. We want to make sure his new shunt is at the right setting and he is safe. Ryan will go home with a wound vac and IV antibiotics, both of which I have been trained on this weekend so we are ready to roll.

09/19/2024

Ryans surgery went well! THANK YOU for praying. They were able to put in a new shunt successfully and now instead of draining into the abdomen, it drains into the pleural cavity. I thank the Lord for watching over him during that procedure! Help us pray that he has minimal pain and recovers quickly! No more complications and a discharge to the house would be wonderful!😬

09/19/2024

**UPDATE- 9a-he’s in surgery now

Hospital-Day 21

Hey everybody.
I JUST finally signed consent paperwork at 11pm for Ryan’s surgery to place the new brain shunt. He has to have a CT scan first at around 4a and surgery should take place maybe around 7a or 8a. So whether you see this tonight or in the morning, please be in much prayer for the surgery and recovery. The same risks that he was facing with the surgery he had here on the 7th for the EVD, are the same for this surgery as well. The new shunt can no longer drain into his abdomen because of the infection so it will drain into/around the pleural cavity. (Lung)

WBC was down to 11.6 today. (But back up to 12.9 tonight 🤦🏻‍♀️) His abscesses in his abdomen and around his kidney and liver are now half the size they were! So the treatment is helping there, thank the Lord!! After surgery tomorrow we will be one huge step closer to going home. Ryan is still very sluggish and not responding much at all. He has been through so much in the last four weeks. He is getting wonderful care here and we have met some amazing people. Thank you for praying.❤️

09/16/2024

Hey everybody!
I want to give an update on Ryan. Several days in a row his white blood count fluctuated back-and-forth between 15 and 16 and just weren’t seeing very much progress. Which is why I have not done an update. It has just been an exhausting and frustrating process. Still had a fever and around the clock pain meds.
BUT Ryan has now been fever free for 48 hours and his white blood count is down to 14 as of this morning! All of the cultures of the cerebral spinal fluid that has been drawn the last three times in a row have come back clear of infection! So we praise the Lord for the steps of progress. He is getting ready to go for an abdominal CT now so that they can take a look at the areas of infection and where he had the liver abscesses so that they can make plans for where the new shunt will drain. We have been waiting to make sure all the infection was clear so he can have surgery and have his shunt re-implanted. That will be the last big step before Ryan gets to go home! Help us pray for continued progress and clear scans. And most certainly be praying for a safe and successful surgery. I will update whenever that gets scheduled. Thank you so much for praying and for all of the encouragement that has been sent our way. It’s been a long and difficult 19 days.

ANNNNNDDDD to the woman who decided it was a good idea to message me and scold me for not allowing Ryan to die during this process… You should be ashamed and disgusted with yourself. It always amazes me how people will message me and claim to be a Christian and be so ugly and nasty. Do not message me… Or anyone else for that matter… and claim to come in the name of Christ and spread your hate. Do that in your OWN name. I was told that the humane thing to do (actually she said “humanitarian thing”… Clearly not knowing the correct words to use🙄) was to have just let Ryan die with the infection. That his body‘s been through enough and she’s tired of following my story. By all means UNFOLLOW. But why on earth would any decent doctor or healthcare practitioner allow someone to die unnecessarily when they have an infection that can be treated? That would be the opposite of humane. That would have been neglectful of me to do that. And when I read your nasty message to my husband…he reminded me that he loves his life even with all his limitations because it is a gift from God. I was also told I was trying to play God by making him stay (getting treatment) here instead of letting him go to Heaven. I guess that means next time you have a critical illness you’re just going to stay at home and see what happens, right? 🧐
I’m so glad God gave me a brain. 😑
And remind me to never let you come advocate for me when I’m sick.😳

Rant over. 😑

Yall have a blessed day. Because it is a gift AND God is good.

09/11/2024

With so many people praying I wanted to give an update before you guys went into your church services tonight. This morning’s labs and spinal fluid that was tested show a very slight decrease in infection markers. All the numbers are still high, but I will take a slight decrease over an increase any day! They changed his antibiotics yesterday and gave him a dose through the actual EVD so it went straight into his brain. He also had his trach changed, his wound VAC changed, and the indwelling catheter removed.PT came by today and got him sitting on the edge of the bed, which felt really nice to Ryan after 14 days straight in the hospital. He’s still running a fever, but it’s not gotten above 101.2 today. He continues to have a pretty bad headache most of the time. Pray these antibiotics will knock this infection out once and for all. Until his body is completely clear, he cannot have a new shunt placed. And then he has to recover from that surgery. Still no end in sight.

Please pray for Ryan’s inner man that he be encouraged as this is so hard on him. And please keep praying for our kiddos. We miss them something awful!

Also pray for my brother-in-law CJ who fell 8 to 10 feet yesterday and ended up in the hospital with a small brain bleed and they were worried about a spinal cord injury. So far the bleed has not gotten any bigger and they feel like he is doing good, but just help me pray that he continues to improve. We thank God for His hand of protection. 

09/10/2024

Hey everybody. Just wanted to give an update on Ryan from the last couple of days. We finally got cultures back from the shunt, the abscesses that were drained in his abdomen, and the CSF that was drawn from the shunt. All of it is positive for pseudomonas. An extremely nasty, complicated and hard to get rid of bacteria. I’m not happy that it grew this, but I’m happy that we finally have a specific bacteria. Thankfully, Ryan’s already on the right treatment for that bacteria so his body has been getting what it needs. These infections just take time. We’re unsure if the fevers and infection are still from his body fighting the pseudomonas or if perhaps the abscesses in his abdomen are worse. The doctor still have an answered questions.
He’s had a CT scan on his head every day and so far everything looks good. The fluid he’s draining is OK and he’s not having any swelling or bleeding on the brain. Praise God for that. The abscesses around his liver cavity have gotten slightly bigger and we may end up being able to drain from those, I should know more tomorrow. He had two CTs today and an MRI. Just trying to check him all over. He still has inflammation along his spinal column, which is the meningitis. He is still running a fever and has a terrible headache we can’t seem to control with medicine, so please pray that his pain subsides soon and that his immune system will be stronger than ever and continue to fight this bacteria. We all want to go home so badly but there’s not an end in site right now. Ryan a trooper and a fighter. We’ve certainly learned that in the last two years. Just keep praying. We are so grateful for all of you sending up prayers on our behalf. Help me pray Ryan gets some much-needed rest tonight and that all his medicines can keep him comfortable and out of pain.
And please pray for our babies too.

09/08/2024

Ryans surgery is over and he did good!! 😭😭🙌🏻🙌🏻 The doctor said the biggest risk for bleeding would have been when he pulled the old shunt out. There was no bleeding so he felt that was a good sign. He says we are not out of the woods yet, but it was reassuring that there was no blood initially. I CANNOT TELL YOU the sense of relief I felt hearing that. Ryan was able to sign to me that he loved me and follow basic commands. Please keep covering him in prayer that he continue to improve through the night. The last time he had an EVD things went way south hours after and that’s when Ryan had his hemorrhagic stroke. So prayers appreciated for my nerves as well.🥴 But here’s what I know… “God’s never failed one yet… and He won’t start with me!” 😭🙌🏻

09/07/2024

They are taking Ryan to the OR right now to remove his shunt and place an EVD. Obviously there is a risk of him hemorrhaging (like before) so please PLEASE cover him in prayer along with the doctors and nurses and all that will be working with him over the next couple of hours.

09/07/2024

Good afternoon. I talked to the infectious disease doc this morning and he said even though the numbers were showing infection in the CSF collected yesterday, overall the numbers look BETTER than they did six days ago so that tells him something is working. Also we finally got something to grow. No specific bacteria yet, but the CSF did show gram negative rods, which is really huge in knowing what type of antibiotic is best to use. Ryan’s fever has been lower than yesterday. So far the highest it has gotten is 99.8. Which is not “normal” but fabulous compared to 103!
Right after that, I talked to neurosurgery and since the CSF from the shunt tested positive for a gram negative rod...She wants to take the shunt out just to be safe. If we leave it, we risk the infection hurting his brain like it did two years ago. Dr said if someone has an infected pump it will not get better unless it comes out. So, it’s coming out. We are currently still waiting for surgery (2p) .
They will place an external ventricular drain that will come out of his skull just like he had back when he was in a coma two years ago. It will have to stay that way until the infection in his body is completely clear and gone. At that point they will reassess and place a new shunt. So unfortunately, our hospital stay (currently on day 10) is appearing to be getting much longer.

While we wait. I’m just watching Ryan closely to watch for any changes in his mental status while we praise God for answers along the way and for doctors who have wasted NO time trying to get to the bottom of this terrible infection. 🙌🏻
Please keep praying!!

Address

Wilkesboro, NC

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Ryan's Recovery posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Videos

Hey y’all!! Update 12/8

Update 10/8

Update 9/5 Pray for a transfer quickly!!!

Update on Ryan, post emergency surgery

Update 7/24 Post Baclofen Pump & Inpatient Rehab

Update 5/18

It’s Ryans Birthday!!! Update 5/1

Update 4/14

I filmed this little video yesterday. Olivia asked her daddy if he wanted to watch a movie with her. He said yes, and she told him he could choose. So being the sweet daddy he is, he spelled, Cinderella. Olivia squealed with excitement and wanted to climb up in his lap. And there she sat and watched the whole movie. Ryan played with her hair and enjoyed the snuggles. Just wanted to share this because in spite of Ryan’s limitations, he still has the same heart for his children. He’s always been such a wonderful daddy and he still is. He may not be able to get out and teach Levi how to fish or run around and chase his little girls, but he prays for them. And that to me is priceless. Please don’t take your children for granted. If you are healthy and able-bodied to spend time with them, show them affection… PLEASE DO. LOVE to a little one is actually spelled TIME. Ryan is doing much better since the last time I did a live a couple of weeks ago. I decided to start back the medication we had been weaning from for a few weeks and within hours I could tell a difference. He’s responding like normal again and so much more like himself. Unfortunately, I don’t have a physician that manages this medication as it was given to help him wake up from a coma. Definitely not meant to be long-term but the last doctors that managed this were the stroke rehabilitation doctors in Atlanta. It’s very difficult to navigate where to go and who to find for help. Just please help us pray for wisdom and guidance. Ryan has his initial appointment regarding the baclofen pump this coming Tuesday. Prayerfully we can get things moving quickly! He did not get to have any type of therapy this week. So that on top of his extreme muscle tone has left him curled up and in pain all week. We are praying that this pump holds a lot of answers for Ryan and his body and can jumpstart his next phase of recovery

Update 3/10

“WORK like it depends on you… But PRAY like it depends on God!”

Update 1/15

Shortcuts

Share

Category