Amos Ross Updates

Dear friends and family,

Thank you for praying for us over the last twenty-four hours. It’s been very full but very good overall. Thanks for your patience. Lots to report:

Yesterday Amos continued to do well with recovery and pain management after the surgery. By dinner time last night he was starting to take small sips of water and managed to eat some yogurt. That’s obviously important, not just because nausea is common (so far Amos hasn’t had any), but also to help in recovery.

After dinner, Kelli got some well-deserved rest at the hotel and I (Will) stayed here with Amos. Around 9:00 he was able to stand up to use the bathroom, which was so encouraging! He was having pain in his right arm, which we think was due to bruising that developed during surgery, probably due to the odd position he was in for several hours under anesthesia.

We did not get down to the CT scan until about 9:45pm last night, which was much later than anticipated. Thankfully it was quick and we were back in the room by a little after 10:00. We were both zonked by the time the CT was over. Other than waking up two or three times to get up (literally!) to use the bathroom, we both had a pretty good night of sleep — at least for the ICU. So that was a major blessing.

This morning was very busy with doctors rounding, child life visitation, and nurses in and out. We learned that the CT scan results were great! Then Amos managed to eat a fairly substantial breakfast (bacon and french toast) before physical therapy showed up. He was able to get up and take a lap around the hallway on his own steam, and without much help! He did have some mild pain in one foot while walking, but we are nevertheless amazed at his rapid progress. Those who followed Amos’s story ten years ago know how differently things happened then.

By lunchtime, the doctors had cleared Amos to move out of the ICU down a floor to the regular inpatient wing, where we are now. He was very glad to get some of the tubes and stickers and wires removed in the process! By the time we transferred rooms, Zazzy and Grandpop (my parents) had arrived to visit with Amos, which was a big encouragement for him and us.

Please continue to pray for Amos. His arm pain seems improved, which is great, but obviously his incision at the back of his head is still very uncomfortable. Today the pain has been tolerable, but his energy level and spirits are a bit low, so we are trying to encourage him amidst it all. Pray for his continuing recovery!

Around 3:15pm Amos went for an MRI, which will give us important information about how the surgery went, and that will dictate what steps we take from here. Please pray with us for excellent results, which we may know later today.

About an hour ago, the doctors began to talk about discharge. It is possible that Amos could be sent home as soon as tomorrow, which would be amazing. They want to make sure that he is steady on his feet, that his pain is manageable, and that he is eating and drinking enough — please pray for all of these things!

Below is a picture from Sunday at the prayer service held at our church for Amos. We are so thankful for everyone’s prayers and have felt God’s presence with us every moment this week. Thank you. (Also, how funny is Phoebe’s expression!)

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you. (Isa. 26:30)