Upper GI

Tomorrow morning (Wednesday, October 15) Ron will have another upper GI with small bowel follow through. He will have to drink barium and have "pictures" (xrays) taken every 20 minutes to see how things are flowing through his system. We have to be at Presbyterian at 8:30 AM--UGH!!! Gonna be an early morning in the Nordell household. This is not typically done at Presbyterian on an outpatient basis (they usually have us go to someplace like HealthSouth) but Dr. A requested it since the radiologists there know his anatomy so well they'll be able to see even minuscule changes. It will be good to be able to see his anatomy without any extra tubes in him, the g-tube could have possibly been hiding something. They are looking for any place there might be a kink or narrowing or any abnormality.

Please pray we will get definitive results. Ron is beyond frustrated with the daily vomiting (or sometimes twice daily, like today) ; especially when it comes on so suddenly like it did early this morning waking him out of a sound sleep.

Also pray we will find favor with the billing department at Presbyterian. We had to fill out multiple forms and submit a mountain of paperwork in order to be considered a "charity case". Not sure yet when we'll hear anything and don't know if it will only cover hospital stays and other charges incurred before while hospitalized or if it will also cover expenses incurred each time we have to go there for a procedure. This will be the first time he's had any kind of procedure since our new insurance year began and I'm sure they'll require some kind of payment when we go to admissions. I'm a little anxious about all of this; but I know God will be faithful to provide, just as He has throughout this last year.

Yes, it's been a whole year! Ron was first admitted through ER to HEB October 8th, 2007; and he had his "simple, routine" gall bladder surgery October 10. He came home October 15 and then we were back at the ER on October 18th with complications...ERCP was performed October 20th and things went south from there!

But we have so many things to rejoice over, including:

.... this weeks blood work looks amazingly good! His white blood cell count is the lowest it's ever been at 8,500; and all the other numbers they look at including those for signs of dehydration and/or malnutrition look good as well (albumin, potassium, creatnine, hemoglobin, etc). Dr. A is baffled--numbers indicate he's doing well (except for the vomiting issue).

.... we have all of you faithful prayer warriors and encouragers

Thanks for listening and caring!

Christie



Today's devotion from Proverbs 31 devotions (online) is so appropriate for our situation. Thanks, Laurie, for sharing this with us!

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up."Luke 18:1 (NIV)Devotion:My oldest son Josh played offensive line on his football team when he was younger. Solid and strong, Josh's job on the line was to hold the opponents' defensive line back long enough for the quarterback to do his job. The offensive line isn't the most glamorous job on the field, but when they don't do their job well, everyone is quick to see the results. Normally, these steadfast players hold firm, protecting their guy.Sitting at the practices night after night, I noticed a common issue among the novice players on the field. They often stopped blocking too soon. Shouts of, "Block 'til the whistle blows!" filled the sweaty September nights, and time and again the tired players lined back up and tried again.The boys knew what they were supposed to do, but they often gave up when they thought the play was over. Sometimes they gave up because holding back a powerful defensive player was tiring. Unfortunately, the play wasn't over until the coach or referee blew the whistle. Until that whistle blew, anything could happen.The parallel to our prayer lives is astounding. Too often, I have given up praying about a concern, believing the play to be over. Perhaps I think God answered "no" when I don't see an answer in my timeline. Sometimes I see things with human eyes, and give up too soon. I wonder how many times we've stopped praying just shy of experiencing healing, freedom from addiction, or the salvation of someone we love. I'm thankful my family and I never stopped praying about my dad's salvation. He came to Christ two weeks before he died.Just as my son learned to block until the whistle blows, may we be encouraged to pray until the trumpet blows, revealing that Jesus has returned to earth. In other words - never give up!Heavenly Father, I praise You for Your power and majesty. There is nothing in the universe that is too big for You to handle. Help me to remember that You want to hear my prayers, and You delight in answering them when it brings glory to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.