a refuge from the storm

 "For you have been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat." -Isaiah 25:4

Sorry for the lack of update yesterday. We were a bit overwhelmed, between going to work and not getting back till late, bringing Gaige up, etc. Yesterday was a pretty rough day, I'll come out and say. Angi and I went to get some food before noon, and Angi felt confident that she could leave and it would be okay. We had a new nurse named Rob Anne, but we also had a pump nurse named Melissa who we've had a time or two before. We let them know we were leaving, and I dropped Angi off at the hospital at around 12:15. I got a very emotional phone call a few minutes later, and it took me a minute to figure out what was going on. Eventually, this is what I discovered.

Last night, when our normal night nurse Elizabeth left this morning, she noticed there was some sediment in his Foley (urine) catheter. The day shift decided to flush the catheter to get rid of the junk, and when she couldn't get it to flush, it slipped out. I don't know if she was panicked (I would have been) or not, but she tried to put it back in, and it wouldn't go in. In fact, he started bleeding profusely from the penis, and continued to do so for a while. Angi sent me a picture of it later, and it's not pretty. I'll spare you. The doctor came in and looked at it, deciding not to try to put the Foley back in. Elizabeth believes that the balloon that keeps the catheter in the bladder must have deflated. Furthermore, she said that she thinks there may have been some tissue buildup around it, which would explain its inability to be replaced, and they are discussing having an urologist step in for a second opinion. We strongly support this idea.

Jack is also still fluctuating in his blood pressure. This morning, the nurse was giving him a bath, and he got a little fussy. His blood pressure was normal before that, but when she put on his cd (which is great- piano and cello arrangements of hymns), and gave him a dose of fentenol (sedative), he went to sleep and his pressure dropped. We've noticed that when Jack rests, he REALLY relaxes, and his blood pressure drops. He is on a lot of medicine to regulate his blood pressure, which they have been able to wean down by half, so praise God! The problem is that while he is going up and down, they can't pull any extra fluid off of him, because it's too taxing on his body. He's maintaining a zero balance, which means they're able to take off all the fluid they're putting in via medicine and blood, but no more.

So! In all of this, we have new things to ask of in prayer. Please pray that Jack would heal and that lifelong function in his... body would be restored and secure. Pray that there are no blood clots or scar tissue in the urethra, and that he will continue to heal. The really nice thing is that Jack didn't seem to be in too much pain through all of this, and even now hasn't really shown too much discomfort. Pray too that his pressure would consistently normalize, and that they will be able to start pulling fluid from him again. And keep praying for Gaige, too. It's hard on him to be away from Angi, and he also doesn't have her discipline while he stays with his grandpa, and he can kind of be... well, a teenager.

Yet through this mostly downer of an update, I hope you don't think we have stopped praising God, because it's through His strength we are able to remain here with Jack. With his support through the Spirit we are able to count on each other, and that's a terrific blessing. I can't imagine what this would be like to someone who didn't have a devout wife like Angi with whom I can endure this. And without the strength of God, I would have given up long ago. And without family and friends praying for us and supporting us, how could we continue? So thank you, too, and God bless.

"Wait patiently on the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently on the Lord."

Tony and Angi