March 17

A quick note to cry out for prayer tonight. We're very concerned that there is a serious issue with Barbara's stomach brewing. She cannot hold down anything - even meds put in her stomach tube come up rapidly. She is nauseated all the time and very distressed over this issue. Thanks for your prayers and thoughts.

March 16

It's difficult to think of things to say when I'm as frustrated as I've been this week. Actually, I thought things have gone quite well with the move to the nursing home. However, Barbara is a complete wreck emotionally, and that takes a toll on all of us.

She has now taken up residence at Miller's Merry Manor in Hobart. She will only be there 20 days, as that is what Medicare will pay. Beyond that, she'll be coming home one way or the other! Her room is nice, and as nursing homes go, Miller's is a very nice facility. I've also been pleased with the nurses and aids for the most part.

Yesterday, after they put Barbara in a chair, I wheeled her around the facility to see her environs. She seemed to be suitably impressed. We were also quite blessed to have Karen Johnson, our nurse practitioner who've we've seen since living up here, stop in to evaluate Barbara and serve as her overseeing physician. I am so extremely grateful that she was willing to do this as she is a very caring and prayerful Christian lady who we trust a great deal.

I don't know what to say about Barbara's depression, though. She has no appetite, and is still throwing up quite a bit. Please make this a big part of your prayers for her today. Also pray that her time at Miller's will help her to be able to function well once returning home. I dreamed (again) last night that Barbara just got up on her own and started walking. I'm reminded that this is not an uncommon miracle. I hope the Lord will strengthen my faith so that I can allow Him to work His wonder and grace through us more fully.

Moving Again...

Barbara is quite pleased that she has been accepted at Miller's Merry Manor in Hobart (just off I-65 on Ridge Rd.). She worked for Miller's at Hope, IN, in years past. This is the nursing facility that she most wanted to go to if she had to go at all. We checked it out and found it to be very nice. She will be moving some time on Wednesday.

What day is it?

This is Jackie live from Indiana. And I would title the post as the current date, but my couple of days away from normalcy has rendered me unable to establish what date it is. I guess hospitals have that disorienting effect on me.

I praise God for the progress that Mom has made since I last saw her. She can do so much more with her hands and arms than she was able to do before! She can now do things like brush her hair, scratch her nose, hold a drink cup by herself, and I even let her peel her own banana today! I have found myself in a deep state of gratitude to God for bringing her through these trials of late and allowing her to be a living testimony to God's grace and glory. I have been realizing more and more the seriousness of what happened to her and how medically it is amazing that she is still here.

While she is in many ways much more like Mom than the last time I saw her, I am also struck by how different she is. I can see the emotional effect these seemingly endless string of days in the hospital have had on her. While on one hand I see in her the renewed will to live and gratitude for being alive, I also see the deep depression that has gripped her. She understandably is discouraged but frequently needs to be reminded of just how far she's come. These couple of days have been wonderful being with her, but also somewhat painful because of the circumstances.

I have gotten to take care of some wedding planning/ tasks in Mom's room this weekend. It was good to have her present while the invitations were being assesmbled, but we both agreed that it would be so much better if we were at home at the kitchen table, baking cookies, while she was able to help me put them together. We've been able to discuss our hopes and fears about her being there for the wedding, we've laughed, and we've cried together. It's been so good to see her.

Besides praying for her emotional health, I would ask that you keep her digestive system in your prayers as well. Over the last few days she's been complaining of nausea, stomach cramps, and not being hungry. The nurses nor we have had luck trying to get her to eat. They were concerned enough to do an X-Ray of her stomach today and ended up finding what they suspected. She has some minor blockage which have been causing the complications. They have ordered her not to eat (she won't be having problems with that) for the next 24 hours in hopes that with some medication it will clear up. Please pray that this problem gets solved so she can get her appetite back so as to build strength. It really is important to her being able to participating in physical therapy, which is the only way she will keep improving.

The nurse says that the stomach blockage could possibly be a blessing in disguise since medicare is deciding not to pay for rehab after Wednesday. If Mom has some kind of medical problem such as this, she will be able to stay there in rehab a bit longer to receive more therapy. The other thing is that we don't have a clue where she'll be going after she is done with rehab. I think it has proven difficult to find a nursing facility that will offer the level of care she needs as a short-term interim between rehab and home. Pray about one specific facility in the area that is sending someone to evaluate Mom this week to see if their facility would be appropriate or not. So far we have been impressed with them. The best thing would be for Mom to be able to stay a little while longer in the rehabilitation unit she's currently in, but we know that God will work however He chooses. Please keep that situation in your prayers though. Thanks!