Country Chatter

Being home is so wonderful for both of us. I was weary, not really tired, just weary of all that goes with a hospital and rehab stay. It is so much easier now that we are home. But it is still hard, very hard and maybe the most challenging part. Gene so much wants to be better, for it just to magically disappear. Being patient is hard and his energy tank empties very, very quickly. Sitting up, walking across the room is an instant drain on his tank and fatigue immobilizes him.

But we are improving. Today he had his first shower in a month. It felt sooooooooo good! The drainage of bile from his side has almost stopped. He sits up to eat and can feed himself. The big acheivement this morning was getting him in the car and driving around the pasture to see his cows. In case you don’t know it, driving over a field even at the slowest of speed is rough on an abdomen that has endured five surgeries. Four of the beef steers go out this week so we drove down to the corral so that he could see and tell Jill pm how to capture and control them until Steve can haul them out on Wednesday morning. It was a big “field trip” and qualified for a good physical therapy session.

We are settling into a routine, getting meds organized, and physical hygiene figured out. The doctors assure us he will get better but it will take time, patience, hard work, endurance, and lots of healing.

I was reminded this week of Jesus personal invitation to the crowds of weary, sick, and crippled people who were coming to hear him speak, “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. Even today his arms are stretched out inviting and calling to the tired, weary and those carrying heavy burdens…..Come, come to me. Give me your burden, give me your cares, give me your hurts, give me your weariness and I will give you rest in your soul. Can I fully put my faith, hope and trust in Jesus? He invites and I respond.

A month ago we would never have dreamed we are at this moment in time. Almost a week in ICU, a week on the stepdown floor and two weeks in rehab. It has been a journey and the longed for day finally arrived. I was suppose to be at the hospital between 10-11 a.m. to pickup him up. At 9:30 he calls. “Are you here yet?” When I said I was just leaving, he said, “Please hurry!”

Gene was so ready to be home. Home to his sofa, homecooked food, and windows that look out over the farm. His recovery is going to take a while, probably all summer. When the medical staff refers to what happened they say, “You were very, very, very, very sick.” It was a close call but God was merciful and spared his life here on earth. We are so grateful.

When we got Gene in the house and he sat down on the sofa, he let out a huge sigh of relief. He was home.

There comes a time when one is weary; weary of the waiting, going, sitting, poking, sticking, pain, interrupted sleep and even the healing process. You are just ready to be done. Healed. No pain. Home. Sleep. Good homecooked food. Working and seeing at it all in the rear-view mirror. I am as ready to be done as Gene is. It is at this point where discouragement nudges its way in, impatience strangles the mind and weariness saps the strength.

This morning I thought of the verse, “Those that wait on the Lord, will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary” (Isaiah 40:31). There is that “don’t want to think about word” wait. The promise that if we wait on the Lord, his timing, his mighty power, our strength will be renewed, we can soar emotionally as an eagle and the stamina to exert energy will come. This is my prayer for today.

One of the things I did when we got to rehab was put up cards on the wall in his room to help him keep track of the days. They had given us a projected stay of 14 days in rehab. We are now at day 9.

By the time this is over it will be a month of hospital and rehab. It is hard for a patient to figure out what day of the month it is much less the day of the week. Each morning we take down the previous day. The end is in sight (hopefully) and we are having to endure. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. I remember a children’s story about Thomas, the little train that was chuggin up a mountain, and the going got tough…..I think I can, I think I can…… Lord give us the grace to endure and chug this mountain. I think we can, I think we can, I know we will.

So much is happening and happening at an amazing rate of speed. I started a blog post and didn’t get it finished and now I have to start over.

This week I started coming home for the night because I felt like I could. He wasn’t needing me for anything during the night that pushing the red call button on his remote wouldn;t take care of. For days he couldn’t push the call button, hold a cup to drink or use the cell phone. That really started changing this week.

Tuesday afternoon our Pastor and a friend came in and prayed over him and anointed him with oil. That is a scriptural teaching from James 5:14-15.

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 

In the sermon on the mount, Jesus said, “Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open to you.” (Matthew 7:7) Jesus wants us to petition him. He is ready and wanting to help. It is important to acknowledge our need of his healing care.

Wednesday morning I called to check on him and he answered his cell phone. His voice sounded so much better-almost like normal. He said he felt so much better. It was a change he could see and feel. I heard hope and a lift in his spirit. All I could say was thank-you Jesus. Thank you for your healing touch. A little later he called me which means he could figure out how to make a call and get it to work! He was sitting in a chair which is a part of his therapy.

He did therapy well and when I went in after lunch I stopped at the nurses station to ask how he was doing. They were bubbling with excitement over the change, they could hardly believe it. I told them that he had been anointed the evening before and Jesus was healing him.

This morning (Thursday) I called in first thing and he said he had rough night. He said he tried to escape in the middle of the night. He got his feet and clothes all tangle up together, got confused, and I am not sure what all transpired, but they finally got him settled down and everything worked out. Apparently his “get out of jail” card didn’t work!!!

Today is evaluation day with doctors and nurses and then they will meet with us at 2 to give us an update on his progress, a targeted discharge date, and what to expect when he comes home. He is so wanting to come home but several goals have to be met first. I am ready to be done with the hospital also but want him to be physically ready for me to care for him.

Right now I am praising God for his healing and the change that has happened. I feel like we are on a good path right now.

This was suppose to happen on Monday but would you believe, it is happening today (Friday) at 5 p.m.-the big move to Sheltering Arms Rehabilitation Center. A bed became available so the surgeon snatched it and released him to go. He really is getting better!

He looks good today even with his almost two week growth of beard stubble. We are so grateful for God’s healing touch on his body.

He still deals with pain. He can take a few steps with assistance and his brain fog is getting better.

Our goal now is to regain strength, get him safely walking and able to take care of his personal needs.

I call it the “Pacer’s Speedway “. In layman’s terms it is a called a hallway. All rooms open to the speedway. It is where the wives of the patient go to talk on their cell phones. Incidentally I have never seen a man on the track!!!!

Pacers are easily recognized by their mindless intentional pacing from one end of the hall to the other, lapping again and again, with a cell phone glued to their ear. They usually are clueless to the other walkers, mostly looking down, intent in conversation about their loved one that is in a room that opens to the speedway.

Fellow members of the Pacer’s Club will identify with this marathon!

In the hospital all days blur together. It is hard enough for family but for the patient it is impossible. Gene is complaining about having to look all day at the nurses schedule board hanging on the wall at the foot of his bed. He usually enjoys watching TV but he has been too ill that it bothers and confuses him. I forget which day they moved him out of ICU but it was good to bid farewell knowing that we were making progress. The care he received there was tops. They had a nurse’s desk right outside the door where they could watch two rooms at a time. They were caring and professional even when their patients became dillusional and uncooperative.

Gene had four surgical procedures in eight days; the emergency surgery to remove his gall bladder and appendix, and three to put in a stent. Last Thursday they attempted to remove a gall stone that was in the bile duct and insert a stent by using a scope going through the stomach, into the small intestine and up into the duct. It was not successful. The next day they tried again by making a small incision in his abdomen wall, to laposcopically go through the liver and down into the bile duct. It was challenging but they were able get the stone and insert the stent. The stent was to cover the hole leaking bile into the abdomen, allowing it to heal and help redirect the bile into the intestine.

Last evening complications developed and things began going downhill fast. His white blood count soared to above where they were when he had emergency surgery. His kidney numbers, heart beat, labored breathing and liver all were signs of organ distress. We were concerned his organs were failing. This morning first thing they took him back into the OR and they went back in the third time to change the stent to a larger size to help reduce the bile leaking into the abdomen.

It didn’t take long to start seeing improvement and this evening I finally feel like we are really on the road to recovery. Family and friends are invaluable in times like this. A heartfelt thanks to Lauren who is becoming quite the farm girl. Tomorrow she gets to put on her cowboy hat and learn how to drive a tractor to feed hay. Wray, Tim, Steve, Philip, Dave, Luke, Jesse and Jamie for helping with the hay and Bob who went to Weyers Cave for more bale wrap. We had some challenges but they got it done just before the rain started. Then there is Summer who is keeping the store running, and Kevin who helped feed the cows hay. And what would I have done without Jill, Obe, Karla and Ryan. Passion Community Church has provided more food than we can eat! Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you EVERYONE. We have felt your love and care. You have been the arms of Jesus to us and your prayers have carried us through. There were some who have volunteered to help and we appreciate your care. This is going to be a long recovery, we just may need you yet!

I do not know when he will get to come home…. they are several physical goals he has to reach. Stay tuned for the next update.

Other Posts:

• Gene’s Memorial Day Medical Crisis
• Gene’s Medical Crisis-Part 2