It has been over eight weeks since this journey began and I will not even pretend it has been easy. There have been mountains to climb, rivers to cross and potholes galore. I sure wish VDOT would get them fixed! But, there have also been lots of encouraging passengers in our car, gas stations to refuel our tanks, and “sonshine” to brighten our path. The guiding voice on our gps has been non other than Jesus Christ our Saviour. We are trusting him to guide us every mile of the way.
My last post was July 6 and we had just came home from the hospital after a return visit for an infection in his abdomen. Things were looking up and doing well until this past week. On Thursday morning I did not like what I was seeing. His vitals were not good, he was running a fever and was too weak to sit or stand without help. After he collapsed coming out of the bathroom, I had to call the Rescue Squad to take him to St. Francis Hospital where he was admitted with another infection and dehydration. A day and half later he was recharged, back on his feet, and looking good. The next day (Saturday) he started having pain in his abdomen and by evening I again did not like his vitals. It is amazing how fast that can change. His blood pressure was 165/124 and his temperature 95.5. Our intuition told us we needed go back to the hospital.
After observing him for about six hours they decided to send him home. They were perplexed as something did not seem right and they really wanted to figure it out but the symptoms were not enough to guide them. They ran numerous tests but nothing really pointed to anything significant. They had done a CT scan 24 hours earlier and did not feel it warranted doing another one.
All day Sunday the pain increased and by afternoon he couldn’t keep anything down. Back to the hospital we went-three times in half a week! It felt like we were racking up frequent flyer miles with a reserved room at a high-end hotel! This time a CT-Scan led them to the source of the problem.
The 1 cm wide stent (about the width of the nail on my pointer finger) that they had put in about seven weeks ago to block a leaking hole (so it could heal) in the bile duct where it dumps into the small intestine had dislodged and was now traveling the depths of the small intestine highway! As of last night it was at a curve and could be blocking the intestine. They are monitoring the situation. They will do another scan in the morning to see if it is stuck or moving. It is currently halfway through the narrow, 22-foot long, winding small intestine. It is at a very difficult, almost impossible place, to retrieve with a scope and they really do not want to do surgery. Join us in praying that it will keep traveling and not stop to sight see. Once it gets to the broader, 5-foot long, large intestine it should be smooth sailing.
This incident is not unusal. They had Gene scheduled to remove it on August 8 but had frequently said that this could happen. Sometimes a dislodged stent can cause problems and other times they simply disappear and are passed without anyone knowing. Of course for Gene, it seems it is going to be the difficult way!!!
In my devotions this morning I was reading from Psalms 33 and was reminded of the sovereignty of our God in creation and history. I quote bits and pieces of several verses…
The Lord looks from heaven and sees all the sons of men. From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashions their hearts individually and considers all their works. The eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy. He is my help and shield. My heart shall rejoice in Him because we have trusted in His holy name. (Verses 13-15, 18, 20a, 21).
As you think of us, pray for strength for Gene and that God will completely heal his tired and weary body and that he will be able to stay focused on the goodness of God and not the potholes in the road.
