Category: Prayer board for others

We don’t have an update on Seth yet. The night was spent controlling his BP and resting this morning. They said yesterday that they will do MRI today but they haven’t shared what time.

In the meantime, here is an update on our cousin Ellis. Thank you for keeping him in your prayers. -HC

6:15pm update – After seeing the EEG results from this morning after his seizure, Dr Hwang and Dr Teh advised us to move Ellis to the pediatric ICU (PICU) at General Hospital (GH). Ellis needs a continuous EEG which Island Hospital could not provide, plus both of these doctors are going on leave in the next couple of days. We agreed with their decision and Ellis was transferred by ambulance around 3:30pm – It was surreal to be riding in the front seat of an ambulance with the sirens on (unsurprisingly if you know Malaysia, cars were still not stopping). The drive between hospitals only took 2 minutes.

GH definitely has a very different vibe and has its pros and cons. The pros are all favorable for Ellis – here they have dedicated pediatric intensivists, several pediatric neurologists on hand, and the specialized equipment that he needed. The cons are that the PICU is an open ward and has strict visiting hours, and we can only see him from 12:30 – 1:45pm and 4:30pm-7:30pm.

We met with Dr Teh and the pediatric Intensivist, Dr Amani, when we arrived. Their plan is for Ellis to be fully sedated to rest his brain for the next 48 hours, continuously monitoring him on the EEG. They are going to be more aggressive in seizure control and put him on 4 different seizure meds. They are waiting from some prior test results from Island Hospital to come in to decide whether to begin immunotherapy. The question to be answered is why his seizures are still happening although his infection is gone.

Pray for:

• true rest for Ellis’s brain
• ⁠Seizures to stop
• ⁠his brain to heal and the injured neurons to stop firing. His EEG indicates too much activity specifically in the left lobe of his brain.

This was not the news we expected to have today. It’s been a difficult afternoon. The verses on my mind have been Psalm 139- “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” — Today was far too much for us to do in our own strength and I know God’s presence was with us and felt that He truly followed us here.

-Erin

photo of Seth and Ellis

From Erin: Reuben and I met with Dr Hwang, Ellis’s pediatrician this morning. His EEG indicates encephalitis. He responded favourably to his first small dose of Immunoglobulin (IVIG) so they will increase the dose and give it to him over the next four days. She said when she came into his room this morning he opened his eyes and looked at her (much better than yesterday, which means the seizing stopped, he is on antiseizure meds right now and for the near future). She wasn’t happy with him being that awake though and told the nurses to increase his sedation by a bit to help his brain rest. The MRI results from yesterday are good and indicate no swelling in the brain – a very good thing to hear. The nurses in the ICU told us we couldn’t be in the room with him but Dr Hwang said that that was nonsense and we can stay with him, but not for prolonged periods of time. Dr Teh, the pediatric neurologist, will be in around lunch time (which means 1-2pm here) to meet with us. He works at GH (the govt hospital) but comes here daily to see patients. So overall a relieving report for us as of this morning. Thank you everyone who has been praying and please continue.

Pray for:

– the IGIV therapy to work

– it helps fight the virus

– ⁠the antibiotics he is on to work

– ⁠the inflammation in his body to decrease

We will have an update on Seth later, but right now we need lots of prayers for our nephew, Ellis (age 11), in Malaysia.

From my sister, Erin: Ellis has been admitted to our hospital due to fevers since Monday evening. At first treatment with antibiotics he seem to be getting better but his fevers have been coming back due to some infection in his body. Tests have ruled out Covid, dengue and other common viral infections. Erin has been with him last night and reported that he has not been quite responsive and may have had a seizure and had received medication and been observed by medical staff. We’re not sure what he has. So we’re asking you to uphold him in your prayers. We trust in the Lord and the comfort in Him that He alone can heal and restore Ellis.