Thursday, July 31, 2008

What's goin' on???

There has been a whirlwind of activity in the Nordell household over the last week.

Ron is doing VERY WELL, enjoying his clear liquid diet but ready to progress to full liquid diet (which will include puddings, sherbet, cream soups, skim milk, etc). He's a little tired of the same old broth, jello, popsicle for breakfast, lunch and dinner, although he does not take for granted these pleasures! The deciding factor on when he can progress is that he has to go 24 hours without having to unclamp his gastric tube. He has gotten a little bloated/nauseous feeling a couple of times at which he unclamps the g-tube and allows gastric juices to drain. Please pray things continue to progress well and that his body will absorb and process the nutrients from the food he is eating (drinking!).

Ron continues to have swelling in his calves, ankles and feet and it is difficult to keep them elevated all day; which makes for being stuck in one position. Between the swelling and the heat wave here in Texas it's been hard to find a time/place to get in the walking he needs to be doing to help with recovery.

His next scheduled appointment is August 11 with Interventional Radiology. As long as all goes well, he will have the gastric tube (g-tube) removed at that time. They plan to leave the PICC line in and have him remain on TPN for a little while after he has progressed to full eating to make sure he is getting proper nutrition as his body adjusts to the natural process of digesting and absorbing food.

We still do not know how functional his remaining pancreas will be; whether or not he will be diabetic. This will play out over the course of months; as will the regaining of strength and muscle tone. He still tires very easily but is improving greatly.

On to other news:

Most of you know Aaron and Kristin were praying fervently about moving to Lubbock. Aaron had been contacted about a possible job prospect and it looked like Kristin would be able to finish up her bachelor's there at Texas Tech. Aaron gave his notice at work and their lease on their apartment was up today so plan was in action to move. They were very excited about the move; until Ron was hospitalized again. Amidst their doubts, the job fell through and they found out Tech would not allow Kristin to come in as a senior after all, and it would take a minimum of 2 more years for her to graduate. They really believe God has closed the door there and are very much at peace about staying in this area. Plan B was University of Texas at Dallas. After talking with UTD and going through the application process, they found Kristin should be able to graduate sometime next year. After Aaron finds a job, they will move to the Plano/Richardson area. Obviously they will be much closer which will allow them to be a part of Ron's recovery time, being about an hour away instead of 5 (and if we need to make an unexpected trip to Presby, they'll be able to beat us there!!)

In the meantime, as of today, they are moving in with us! In 10 months time we have gone from empty-nesters to a full house, plus one! Crazy, how God's plans work out! It will be chaotic for a while but they have been over here most days since Ron has been home anyways, so not too different. I have spent the last couple of days cleaning out closets (which I try to do each summer anyways) and rearranging "stuff" in order to give them some space. I am so thankful Ron has his warehouse to store all their furniture and other household belongings, basically all they will bring are their clothes and toiletries.

Please pray for Aaron as he pursues a job in the Dallas area; for Kristin as she gets her schedule worked out and begins the hour (+/-) commute to school beginning August 21 and for their apartment search

Ryan and Stacee are busy with work, wedding plans, finding their niche in their new church home (First Baptist Euless) and spending time with the family. They are also in the housing market, looking for a place to live once they get married in November. (Ryan has been living at home since moving back and Stacee has an apartment right around the corner from us.)

I know Ron missed having the boys around, but I keep telling him there were probably easier ways to get them back! But honestly, this has been such an incredible bonding time for our family. We have all grown so much in our walk with the Lord, individually as well as together. Our prayer is that no matter the circumstance we have been faithful to exhibit total trust in God

"...the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps His covenant for a thousand generations and constantly loves those who love Him and obey His commands....If you listen and obey faithfully, the Lord Your God will keep His covenant of unfailing love with you, as He solemnly promised...He will love you and bless you..." Deuteronomy 7:9, 12 NLT

Our job is to be passionate about our faith, and to pass it on!!!!

"We will not hide these truths from our children but will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord. We will tell of His power and the mighty miracles He did...so the next generation might know them--even the children not yet born--that they in turn might teach their children. So each generation can set its hope anew on God, remembering His glorious miracles and obeying His commands." Psalm 78:4, 5b, 6-7 NLT

Thanks for joining in the journey!

Monday, July 28, 2008

Home sweet home!

So this first part was supposed to go out Saturday, but somehow we got busy and it never happened! Sorry!!

Stats from Saturday's bloodwork:

White blood cell count is normal!!!! Not just within normal range, but normal! Amazing! Hemoglobin is 9.9 (virtually normal) and has been there since they "filled his tank" last Sunday night after surgery.

Dr. Shires also had a chance to look at the CT and says it looked "remarkably good"; showed small flat pancake of fluid where hematoma had been, but still says he has to wear binder for the next 3 weeks. He can take it off to shower but cannot bend or twist while it is off so, poor baby, I have to continue to bathe him. I know he's sad about that! haha

Now, Monday's update:

We are home again!!!! Ron was discharged yesterday afternoon. First thing we did was get Ron a glass of juice!!! Yes, it's official....he has begun the eating process (well, drinking for now). The look on his face was priceless! AND, last night we ALL sat down together as a family for dinner; Ron enjoyed a bowl of chicken broth and a glass of peach tea!! Praise GOD! We all had tears in our eyes and praise on our lips that this long-awaited day had finally come! It's amazing to realize the things many of us take for granted are monumental blessings to others.

He will go back to Presbyterian in 7-10 days for Interventional Radiology at which time they hope to remove g-tube; as long as eating process goes well. He will remain on TPN for a while to ensure he receives proper nutrition (since he will be eating such small amounts and his body has to basically relearn what to do with food)

Please pray:

Ron's body will begin to absorb food in a normal way
that his entire gastro-intestinal system will continue to heal
vitals will continue to be stable
there will be no diabetes issues (not sure how functional remaining pancreas will be)
for rest
for smooth adjustment to being home

I'm sure there is more, but I've been very busy since we arrived home so I'm headed for a nap!

Much love,
Christie

Streams In the Desert

"By faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope" Gal 5:5

Waiting with hope is very difficult; but true patience is expressed when we must wait even for hope. When we see no hint of success yet refuse to despair...when we have an empty place in our heart yet will not allow it to be filled with anything less than God's best.

Dear Lord, You have taught us that Your will should be accepted, simply because it IS Your will. You have revealed to us that a person may see nothing but sorrow in his cup yet still be willing to drink it because of a conviction that Your eyes see further than his own. ...Father, give me Your divine power...Give me the strength to wait for hope...Even when my joy is gone, give me the strength to stand victoriously in the darkest night and say, "To my heavenly Father, the sun still shines."

I will have reached the point of greatest strength once I have learned to wait for hope. George Matheson

Friday, July 25, 2008

YIPPEE!!! Good news!

Today, Dr. Shires removed the 2nd drainage tube and as of this afternoon, Ron is no longer on bedrest! He also had a CT scan and went to Interventional Radiology so they could change the dressing on his g-tube. Dr. Dittman says he doesn't need to see him again for 2 weeks.

Dr. Shires wants to watch him for the next couple of days to make sure there are no signs of infection (or any other problem). Plan is to go home Sunday barring any complications. He will have to wear the binder 24/7 for the next 3-4 weeks or so, not as tight though. And, of course, he'll still be on TPN and steroid injection once a day...no Lovenox (blood thinner) for a while which causes concern for blood clots to develop since he is prone to them; but the risk of bleeding issue recurring outweighs benefit of Lovenox at this point. I'm thrilled, that's two less injections a day I'm responsible for giving.

Last night they began clamping his g-tube. This process is to slowly get his body used to having his digestive juices flow naturally through his system in preparation for the next stage, which is eating! Hallelujah! No word yet as to when they will introduce liquids.

Enjoy your weekend!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Tuesday's news

Ron was up 'til 2AM this morning!

Since he had slept most of yesterday, he couldn't sleep last night. But, he's done well not to sleep too much today. Dr. Shires was in this morning and removed one of the drainage tubes from the surgical site and said he will most likely remove the other drain Thursday or Friday.

His blood count looks good and kidney function is down a little (it had been elevated for a couple of days). He continues to be on strict bedrest, necessary, but hard for him. He is still sore so unable to move around much and having to lie flat on his back (other than elevating his head) is causing him to get very stiff and achy. But, his spirits are good and he's being patient about the postponement of eating.

Please continue to pray for the "flap" to scar/heal down. Also against edema (swelling); being on bedrest and getting extra fluids is beginning to cause fluid retention in his legs. And pray against blood clots...he is off the Lovenox for a while and we certainly don't want more blood clots to form.

We would appreciate your prayers for our family. Many decisions to make and changes taking place over the next few months.

"Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?" John 18:11

In order to have a sympathetic God, we must have a suffering Savior; for true sympathy comes from understanding another person's hurt by suffering the same affliction. Therefore, we cannot help others who suffer without paying a price ourselves because afflictions are the cost we pay for our ability to sympathize.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Happy Monday!

Ron has been sleeping most of the day; he's pretty tired since they were in and out quite often last night...they gave him 2 units of blood starting after midnight because his blood count was in the 7 range (should be above 10+). They weren't surprised, since they drained a liter off yesterday morning. He still has some pain; but much less compared to what it had been Saturday. Dr . Shires says he will continue to have pain for a few days but it will slowly get less severe.

Good news I failed to report yesterday (in the midst of all the craziness): when they looked at the CT they could see the intestines and everything else looks good. This hematoma has nothing to do with all the previous stuff; just a complication from being on Lovenox injections. It will set him back a few days on feeding process, though. Wouldn't be a good idea to try to introduce food when he has the binder tightly wrapped around his abdomen.

As I was looking at the calendar, I must confess I got a little anxious. It's less than (4) weeks until I start back to work...YIKES! And here we are, still in the hospital. It just isn't feasible to think we can do things the same as last year. And the beginning of the school year is an exceptionally busy time for my department. Please pray against worry and anxiety. I know God has a plan in place and He will reveal it in His perfect timing.

And, at some point, we will need to do something about another vehicle. We sold my vehicle last November to help cut as many expenses as possible, but as we look toward school starting and as Ron progresses in his recovery and his need for the truck, we realize something will need to be done. .

We've been told for every day Ron's been "down" we can count on it taking 3 days to gain back...so if this holds true; it will be quite a while before he's back 100% to where he was prior to this illness. Although we know he will never be able to go back to the physical labor of the job and are very happy he is already able to do some of the paperwork. Again, I know God's timing is perfect and His provision sufficient for all our needs. It's when I take my eyes off Him and start trying to figure things out on my own that I get overwhelmed!

One day last week when we were home, I was transplanting some plants. One of the plants was especially root bound therefore I had great difficulty with it. I first tried to gently unwind the roots; then progressed to tugging & ripping trying to pull them apart. I finally got the small hand shovel and really had to start whacking at the roots to get them broken up. The whole time I was thinking "am I doing this plant any good or am I going to end up killing it?" I knew how important it was for the roots to be able to spread out and establish in new soil but they were so tightly bound it was almost impossible! Suddenly, I was struck by the thought that this is exactly what the Bible refers to when talking about God needing to prune us so we bear more fruit. I pictured God having these same thoughts about us; are we going to allow His pruning to "kill us" or are we going to "root" into deeper soil? And was reminded how important it is that we need His living water as well as His word to quench and nourish us.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Here's the scoop

Dr. Shires came to tell us everything went well and Ron will be in recovery about an hour. His blood pressure took a little dip but they were able to get it back up with dose of meds.

Disclaimer: following are the graphic details; not for the weak, so stop here if you can't handle gore easily!

He said once they made the small incision about a liter of bloody fluid "spewed out" over his shoulder and onto the nurse! This should greatly relieve the pain. (Kind of graphic but think of it as squeezing a pimple--when it gets popped it releases all the gunk and relieves the pressure thus decreasing the pain). The area was stretched so thin that a huge blister had formed as well.

Faint-hearted can now begin reading again!!!

He placed 2 drains in which should keep area well-drained and allow it to dry out so the internal flap (that occurred as pocket formed due to fluid build up) will heal back to itself. They have also put a binder on him to keep pressure on the area to promote this healing process and hopefully prevent further bleeding. He will be on bedrest for the next 24 hours and then they will get him up and moving again!

He will most likely be here another 4-5 days.

Dr. Shires said as always Ron is not the norm. Things like this usually happen in skinny little old ladies who have no fat to inject into. The Lovenox injection may nick an artery right under skin and, being that it is a blood thinner, it causes continued bleeding to occur.

Things to pray:

against further bleeding.

against infection. Any time you have openings in body you increase chance of infection, he now has 3 new openings...as of this morning white blood cell count was good indicating no signs of infection before surgery

for rest and healing

for good spirit...they will have to delay the clamping off of g-tube; since he will have binder on that's too much pressure on belly and would most likely cause vomiting and/or other gastric problems; so that delays process of beginning to eat which he was sooooo looking forward to tomorrow

I'll try to update later this evening or tomorrow after I've been able to see how things go with Ron.

Thanks for praying!

Love, Christie

"...let us hold firmly to the faith we profess...let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:14, 16

Love the New Living Translation of this verse

"Let us cling to Him and never stop trusting Him...let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it." Hebrews 4:14, 16

OOPS~~OR not IR

So, I was wrong.

He went to OR not IR. After speaking with Dr. Coker decision was made that the best plan of action was to go in surgically. Dr. Shires plan is to make a small incision, just large enough to stick a finger and scope in to get a look & feel. They will then suction out as much as they can and place a drain tube in. This should take about 15-20 minutes. Worse case scenerio, they will have to make a large incision, clean cavity and place wound vac on.

Continue to pray and I will update as I can.

I have been redeemed!

Lovenox injection was NOT in the muscle! WOOO HOOO!!! (still DO NOT want a career in nursing, though).

Dr. Shires came in this morning and decided to get a CT scan since the hematoma is still VERY large (think medium Nerf football size/shape). CT revealed hematoma is beneath the surface of the skin and not in the muscle at all. Good that it's not in the muscle but bad in that the skin is getting very thin, shiny and beginning to blister which means they need to get the pressure off. He is discussing with Dr. Coker (Interventional Radiologist on call) to see if they can drain through IR. Problem is, hematomas tend to be thick (jello consistency) and therefore can be difficult to drain. But, if at all possible, he would like to avoid surgery.

Well, here they are to get him for IR...will post when I know results! Please pray IR is successful and they will be able to drain without any problems and give him some relief.

Much love,
Christie

PS: Please pray against depression....Ron has been VERY melancholy today

Saturday, July 19, 2008

BOOO!!! HISSSSSS!!!! We are back at Presby!

As much as we love the people here, we hate that we had to come back, but, here we are. We are thankful to know Ron's in great hands so that makes it bearable.

It started out as just a small, pea-sized sore spot early on Friday. By around 6PM it had progressed to golf ball-sized and was causing quite a bit more discomfort at which time Ron finally told me by saying "I think we need to call Dr. Shires". Dr. Shires explained it sounded like a muscular sheath hematoma (basically a pocket of blood within the sheath of the muscle) due to a Lovenox injection I evidently got in the muscle instead of just the fat (like I can find any fat to inject into!). He told us to put pressure on the area for 15 minutes to stop the bleeding (it's all internal) and have Ron lay flat on his back for an hour; often this will flatten it out, slightly relieving the pain. That seemed to work. Another call to Dr. Shires for an update confirmed his suspicion. He felt as long as Ron stayed down it would resolve on it's own although it would remain painful for the next few days. Unfortunately, there is really nothing they can do for it except manage the pain.

Within a couple of hours the bulge was larger (think HUGE...larger than a softball). By midnight it was EXTREMELY PAINFUL; UNBEARABLE pain. The maximum dose of lollipops at the minimal intervals were not touching the pain. You know it's painful when Ron says we need to go to the ER! We arrived here at 2AM and were admitted to a room by 4:30. Unfortunately, they are booked here on 6West, so he had to be put in a semi-private room (at least until they have someone discharge from a private room). Poor guy, he's had no sleep due to the pain...it took until 10AM to get the right pain meds delivered and the interim pain meds just weren't cutting it. And then, his roommate has had a visitor that has talked very loudly, nonstop since 9AM.

Please pray for the pain to subside dramatically and for the hematoma to resolve. In extreme circumstances, they have to go in surgically but we do not want that! And they are not talking in those terms at this point.

Please NO VISITORS...as soon as we get him moved to a private room, we hope to get some much-needed rest!

Much love
Christie

PS: We remain very excited that he has been doing so well and know this is just a minor setback! His vitals remain very stable despite all of this mess. And we have set several new records:

1. longest time at home without returning to Presby for anything other than scheduled appointments
2. made it through 2 IR appointments without having to be readmitted
3. admission not due to dehydration!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Yyyooouuu'rrree ooouuuttt!

Today was our weekly trip to Presbyterian for Interventional Radiology. It was an early morning for Ron, he had to get up by 8:45 (poor guy...ha!) First on the list was abdominal and pelvic CT scan. They got him in right away but then the wait began. Dr. Dittman (radiologist) came out at 11:30 (Ron's appointment was at 11) and said "Well, good news and bad,...there is a critical case coming in; good news is you are not that critical one anymore...but that means their case is an emergency and yours will be bumped back." So the 11:00 appointment turned into a 2:00 instead.

In the meantime, we did see Dr. Arslanlar (GI). He said blood tests look good; sugars are on the low side so plan is to decrease the insulin in the TPN; liver tests slightly increased but very mild, kidney function looks good.

We then went back to IR where I left Ron in the waiting area and headed to Dougherty's Pharmacy to get a refill on his lollipops; only place we could find that actually carries them. Since it is a narcotic, it cannot be a call-in refill, I must take the original triplicate prescription in and wait for it.

The fistula-gram did not take long and Ron came out with a huge grin...not the dopey "I'm on drugs grin" but the "WOO HOO, they took the drain tube out!" grin!!! CT showed the fistula (leak) was closed up with no indication of any cavity. And there had been absolutely NO output since they changed the tube last Wednesday. PRAISE GOD!!!!! The g-tube will stay in for a while.

The plan is:

Gastric-tube will be to gravity during the days and hooked up to suction device at night for the next 2 days (Wed/Thurs)

Then, g-tube will be to gravity the following 2 days (Fri/Sat)

On Sunday, g-tube will be totally clamped off.

Monday, HE WILL BEGIN EATING!!! (well, mainly drinking) Things will go slowly...fluids at first and then progressing over the next few weeks. Dr. Shires says, not having eaten since October, his stomach will be leathery and shrunken up dramatically. Basically, his body will have to learn to eat again and especially his intestines will have to learn how to deal with something (other than contrast!) progressing through them. Everyone is anxious to see how his body will respond...especially to see if his intestines will have normal function. He will continue on TPN to assure he is getting adequate nutrition throughout this process.

Next, we headed up to 6 West to celebrate with our friends there! They were so excited! Lots of hugs and laughing and plans to have a party when he progresses to a more regular diet.

We finally left Presbyterian at 4...just in time for the lovely Dallas traffic! We were both exhausted by the time we got home. Ron immediately headed for the recliner with a lollipop. Just as I brought in the last of the paraphernalia we drag with us everywhere we go, TPN and supplies arrived. After getting everything inventoried and stored away, I hit the recliner as well!

I cannot begin to tell you the JOY we are experiencing. GOD is so good!!! We know there may be some stumbling blocks along the way as the eating process begins but...we are finally seeing that there really is an end in sight!

Much love,
Christie

"This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" I John 5:4

Trusting even when it appears you have been forsaken; praying when it seems your words are simply entering a vast expanse where no one hears and no voice answers; believing that God's love is complete and that He is aware of your circumstances, even when your world seems to grind on as if setting its own direction...desiring only what God's hands have planned for you; waiting patiently while seemingly starving to death, with your only fear being that your faith might fail--"that is the victory that has overcome the world"; this is genuine faith indeed. George MacDonald

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Who's been sleeping in my bed?

YIPPEE! Yesterday the hospital bed was picked up! Ron has adjusted well to sleeping in our bed so we now have our bedroom back to normal; except for the 2 large boxes containing 540 saline flushes and the shelving unit that holds all the medical supplies. But at least it is now pretty organized. We can actually get around in our bedroom without feeling like we are walking through an obstacle course.

Our house is slowly getting back in shape, I've finally gotten all the bags and boxes from the many stays at the hospital unpacked and put away. With the exception of the medical files...the mounds are still scattered all over our extra bedroom/office. It will probably take me weeks to get all of it sorted out. Each time Ron has gone back to the hospital has been considered a separate stay, so I am in the process of organizing all the paperwork and placing in files for each of his 6 hospitalizations. And then add on the paperwork from each of the visits for Interventional Radiology. You would not believe the accumulation of paperwork! And on top of that; somehow on his last stay, his birthdate got put in the computer wrong and all the billing shows that we have to start over with new deductibles and out of pocket expenses...it's been a mess getting all of this straightened out! I'm so thankful it's summer and I'm home to be able to devote the time to work on it!

Ron's been a little droopy the last couple of days, no fever or anything, in fact, all his vital stats have been great, just a little sore from replacing the drainage tube. Consequently, he's needed more lollipops and they make him drowsy. But otherwise he's doing very well!

And, there has been absolutely NO OUTPUT in his drainage tube since they replaced it last Wednesday! We are very hopeful they will totally remove it this coming Wednesday. That would be glorious! Decision will be made after CT scan and fistulagram...please join us in praying the fistula (leak) will have sealed over and the tract will have closed down.

Our days are pretty routine...well, as routine as it gets with the vitals 3 times a day, injections morning and night and TPN set up each night...but we'll take it! We also try to take a little time each day to play; our current favorite pasttime is Wii tennis and bowling and, when I'm busy, Ron practices his Wii golf! Can't keep a dedicated golfer down!

Enjoy your weekend!

Love, Christie

Saints of God have endured lengthy times of patient waiting with no reply, not because their prayers were prayed without intensity, nor because God did not accept their pleas. They were required to wait because it pleased Him who is sovereign and who gives "according to His good purpose". (Phil 2:13)

No prayer is ever lost, or any prayer ever breathed in vain. There is no such thing as prayer unanswered or unnoticed by God, and some things we see as refusals or denials are simply delays. Horatius Bonar

Unbelief looks at God through the circumstances; but faith puts God between itself and its circumstances, and looks at them through Him. F. B. Meyer

"But I am trusting You, O Lord, saying, 'You are my God!' My future is in Your hands." Psalm 31:14-15a

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

WOO HOO!!! We made it through outpatient Interventional Radiology without being admitted!

That's a first! Things went well, still leaking some. The drainage tube had actually migrated out of the cavity and was barely underneath the skin so they had to put a new tube in. The key now is for the tract from the leak to the drain tube to dry out and close down, so now, we no longer have to do flushes on the drain. One less thing! YIPPEE! He is scheduled to go back next Wednesday; they will do a CT scan of both pelvis and abdomen; as well as another fistula-gram. Each time he goes to IR he has to go through hospital admissions and the procedure itself can take a couple of hours, as well, so it makes for a long day.

After the procedure, we went up to 6 West to visit all our sweet friends. It was good to see them, but so thankful it wasn't because we were being re-admitted!

Dr. Arslanlar (GI) is pleased with all of his stats. Even though he has lost a pound a day, he is still doing very well...blood pressure, heartrate and temp are stable. And his blood work shows his white blood cell count is 11,000 (very good for him! and almost normal for the rest of us), albumin (protein in blood) is 3.1 (normal is 4 but his has never gone above 2.2 while in hospital and is usually around 1.9), and kidney function looks good, too. He will tweak Ron's TPN by decreasing the protein and slightly increasing water. Dr. Arslanlar says whatever we're doing keep doing it! Obviously, his body is responding well! Very encouraging!

Now, to catch up on what's been going on since we've been home:

Friday, 4th of July, we made a deal with the kids that we would make breakfast in exchange for help with some much needed yardwork. We made bacon and Belgian waffles (very patriotic with fresh blueberries, strawberries & whipped cream!) Ron actually insisted on being in charge of the bacon...I cannot describe how it felt to see Ron standing at the stove cooking bacon! Such a mundane thing but so incredible!! We talked about how awesome God is, how gracious He is....it was exactly 8 months ago (November 4) that we were told he wasn't going to make it, yet here he is standing in our kitchen cooking bacon (even though he can't eat anything) as if everything is normal! We spent alot of time gathered around the table reminiscing over these last months. The kids spent the rest of the day trimming hedges and bushes; you should see our girls....building up those arm muscles with the electric hedge trimmers as well as, weeding flower beds, while the guys were mowing, edging, cleaning the patio furniture, etc.

That night we went over to Ron's parents house to sit out in their yard to watch fireworks. It was great to be together as a family celebrating a holiday somewhere other than the hospital! Not only celebrating our country's independence but our freedom from the hospital!

We've spent alot of time with the kids catching up on family time: playing cards, watching movies and sharing meals most evenings. I wonder how long it will take for the newness of Ron being home and life getting back to normal to wear off.

We've gotten into a pretty good routine:

Ron sleeps in til 10 or so which allows me to get breakfast, do a little work in the flower beds, a load or two of laundry, take a shower or whatever else I need to do to get my day started. After he gets up it's time to get busy checking and recording weight, temp, heartrate, and blood pressure, then comes Lovenox shot, steroid shot, empty g-tube suction device and move equipment into living room where he'll settle in for a couple of hours after walking around the house for about 15-20 minutes (too hot for him to walk outside). Early afternoon he's ready to take care of some business paperwork and phone calls; after vitals have been taken again. Late afternoon he's ready to kick back in the recliner for a nap. The kids are usually here by about dinner time. While we're preparing and eating dinner, Ron piddles with his beloved salt water tank. PICC line has to be flushed and TPN has to be mixed and set up around 9PM. Then before bed, vitals are checked again and he gets his second dreaded Lovenox injection.

Home health nurse comes on Mondays to do PICC line dressing change and blood draw to be sent to docs so they have results when we go to Presbyterian on Wednesday.

Wednesday evenings, medical supplies are delivered for the week...7 new bags of TPN mixture with all the vitamins & insulin for us to add each evening as we prepare, 14 pre-filled Lovenox (blood thinner) and 7 pre-filled steroid syringes, as well as needles, alcohol prep pads and batteries for TPN pump.

That's life in a nutshell for the Nordell's!

Things to pray about:

There will be no fevers as a result of the drain change
The tract will close down and the leak seal over
Weight will stabilize
Ron will continue to gain strength and stamina

Thank you for your support and encouragement as well as your calls, cards, and e-mails! One of my goals for next week is to get busy on some long over-due thank you notes!

Much love!
Christie

"We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." 2 Chronicles 20:12

Living a life of faith often requires us to leave things alone.

If we have completely entrusted something to God, we must keep our hands off it. He can guard it better than we can and He does not need our help. "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do no fret..." Psalm 37:7

Things in our lives may seem to be going all wrong, but God knows our circumstances better than we do. He will work in His own way and in His own time. Often there is nothing as godly as inactivity on our part, or nothing as harmful as restless working, for God has promised to work His sovereign will.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Still Home!

Just to let you know we are still home! YIPPEE!!! Ron is doing well; his vitals are stable and he looks and acts well, too.

I've been very busy caring for Ron and trying to get our house back in order; not too stressful, just busy. It's amazing how much stuff has been stacked all over the house as we've come home for such short periods of time and then had to leave in a hurry again; along with all the stuff that was packed away while home renovations were done. Slowly but surely it will get back in shape.

Ron has a fistulagram (check intestinal leak) tomorrow with Interventional Radiology. I will try to update after we return from Presbyterian.

Thanks for all your calls and e-mails...sorry, I haven't had time to respond!

Thursday, July 3, 2008

No Place Like Home!

There truly is NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!!!

Ron was discharged yesterday, (Wednesday, July 2) and we arrived home early afternoon. The day was spent getting all our supplies and charts organized and just settling in. Home health nurse came early evening to do assessment; Aaron, Kristin, Ryan and Stacee all came for the afternoon/evening and Ron's parents were also able to come for a quick visit thanks to Shar.

Ron decided to try sleeping in our bed instead of the hospital bed....huge milestone; we have not slept in the same bed since October 7! It will take him a bit to get used to sleeping totally stretched out instead of on an incline but hopefully it won't take long.

The day went well; Ron survived a steroid and Lovenox (blood thinner) injection from me already; has taken a shower, sat out in the back yard this evening for a very short time when it was shady and has enjoyed vegging in his recliner.

We have to be very careful he's not outdoors much...even in the evenings they want his time outdoor very limited; any amount of sweating can totally throw his delicate balance of hydration into a tailspin. In fact, we have to watch his weight very carefully...weighing him at the same time under the same conditions each day. If he loses more than 3/4 lb in a day Dr. Arslanlar (GI doc) wants us to call him, crazy!!

Many of you wonder why he's so fragile. Well, no one (including doctors) can replicate God's handiwork. Psalm 139 talks about how we are fearfully and wonderfully made and we have certainly seen this up-close and personal. Our bodies are truly miraculous; the detail of how intricately each and every part of our bodies work together is just amazing! Our human best cannot compare with God's workmanship. And since he is dependent on artificial nutrition and cannot take even water by mouth, has adrenal failure along with everything else his body has endured over the last 8 1/2+ months, it's no wonder he's so delicate.

He does seem to be in better shape this time than in all the other times we've been home so we're praying everything will continue to go forward. He goes back to Presbyterian on Wednesday, July 9 for Interventional Radiology.

Well, it's time for his next shot of Lovenox as well as drain flushes before heading to bed! Have a great Fourth of July.

It's here!!! Ron tells his story

Love it when my hubby shares!. Though a very condensed version, Ron eloquently shared with our youth group a few weeks ago. Below are his th...