Baby Christopher Jaimes

Here is a note from Dolly sent in this morning at 10am:


Right now, as I write this, Christopher is in surgery for the third time so the surgeons can repair his hernia. Could you put this on the blog and ask others to pray that the surgery is a success so that this will be the last time he will have to endure this pain. Thank you.



Pray for him, folks.


.

Update: Baby Chris

Last word was that Lil Chris went in for surgery early this week, and he'd be there for another week. He is otherwise doing just fine. I don't have any details, but that's what I know.


Here's a little note for all of us:

I heard that Renee, in an example of either gallows humor or true concern, questioned why almost each of her children as infants and toddlers have ended up with a hospital stay. If memory serves correct, Raquel had her intestines almost in a knot, they thought Ryan was going to need a spinal tap and threw around a meningitis supposition, and now Baby Chris with his lung and stomach thing. It was an interesting observation in any case.

But this isn't something about which to worry. On the contrary, it is a reminder of something more. Renee and Chris have great jobs at UPS-- Teamster jobs, well paying, and some of the best medical benefits offered by any corporation in the United States. Without that insurance, the kids may not have regular doctor visits which are costly, or access to medical care when supposedly small things arise.

How great it is that Renee and Chris are blessed with their jobs and the benefits that go with those jobs. Folks who don't have insurance sometimes avoid doctor visits, and when things go bad, avoid any medical care until they must ultimately go to the emergency room where care can be less than stellar. Instead of focusing on the hospital stays of the children, we should instead be glad for Renee-- she is fortunate enough to be able to take care of all of these problems that have come about with little worry.

I think we can all appreciate that, appreciate this glass half full.

Baby Chris in the Hospital

Hey, everyone.

Baby Chris, not even a week old, went to the hospital last night after vomiting repeatedly.

After a round of tests, Baby Chris was found to have his stomach or abdominal wall pushing on his lung, but the cause is unknown. Word is they will be performing surgery to deal with the problem.

Thank goodness this isn't life threatening. Nonetheless, surgery is always serious.

Thoughts and Prayers for lil Chris, and for Renee, Chris, Raquel, Ryan and the rest of the Jaimes family.

Uncle Larry Modlin Has Bypass Surgery

Uncle Larry Modlin had quadruple bypass surgery on January 7th. He is doing well, however, and should be home by now. Bypass surgery isn’t easy, and it isn’t fun, so wish him well.

Just in case you need it, here’s a refresher on bypass operations:

Coronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure performed to relieve angina and reduce the risk of death from coronary artery disease. Arteries or veins from elsewhere in the patient's body are grafted to the coronary arteries to bypass atherosclerotic narrowings and improve the blood supply to the coronary circulation supplying the myocardium (heart muscle). This surgery is usually performed with the heart stopped, necessitating the usage of cardiopulmonary bypass.

The terms single bypass, double bypass, triple bypass, quadruple bypass and quintuple bypass refer to the number of coronary arteries bypassed in the procedure.

A quadruple bypass means four vessels are bypassed.

A greater number of bypasses does not imply a person is "sicker," nor does a lesser number imply a person is "healthier."


Here’s the Wikipedia article in case you want to read up. And I’m sure Uncle Larry could tell you all about it. So could Joe Cook—with his quintuple (5), or was it sextuple (6), bypass a few years ago? Be careful mentioning SEX-tuple though, 'cuz he might get excited.

Get healthy, Uncle Larry, so you can come to Santa Barbara for another visit!

Let Us Pray

Recently, Auntie Marina felt some things that were out of the ordinary. She noticed she was having trouble focusing, her appetite was gone, she had headaches, and her speech was slurred.

When she went to her doctor, she explained her symptoms. She was directed into surgery. The doctor knew her symptoms indicated a swelling of a blood vessel located in her brain-- it was an aneurysm.

The surgery was successful, however, a second aneurysm was located. The doctors have decided not to perform surgery, but they are monitoring this second area of swelling.

Marina has been at home recovering. The Aunties and Uncle Martin have been helping her with the kids, and have taken dinner to the house each night. Ronny Chackel, and Marina's friend James have also been helping with the kids.

Here is a wikipedia article on Cerebral Aneurysms (click for article), including the symptoms, causes, types, and treatment.

Aunties, Uncles, Cousins: Let us pray for Marina, and for her children.