Friday, March 16, 2007

10 Days of Prayer

Jeremiah 32:27
"I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?"

The doctors are still unsure if dad's bleed was an anuerysm or another kind of brain bleed. But it is classified a subarachnoid hemorrage (http://www.webmd.com/brain/tc/Brain-Aneurysm-Topic-Overview) and days 4-14 are critical.

We are on Day 4 of this journey and the vasospams (i think i spelled it wrong in another entry) tend to peak during this time. Most likely, they will peak & then drop off, at which point they can clamp the catheter in Dad's brain. At this point, the neurosurgeon says dad needs to stay put another 10 days until there is no threat of spasms. The vasospams can cause more bleeding, which we want to avoid. All that to say, the next 10 days are critical.

They are still going to repeat the cerebral angiogram early next week to try to determine if the bleeding resulted from an anuerysm or something else.

We asked Dad's nurse, Julie, how to pray and here's what she said. Pray that:
*he wouldn't have the vasospams
*he would avoid infection during a lengthy hospital stay
*all his medications would be effective
*he would remain encouraged and his spirits would be up (it's a little isolated & interesting down here as most ICU patients aren't even conscious)
*dad would sleep soundly

Dad is very conscious, alert, and joking like usual. He knows all the medical staff's names and all about their families. He watches NCAA basketball games, but got a little down when Texas Tech bowed out early.

6 comments:

MeMeJZ said...

Dear Carla, Chris, and your dear precious family,
I want to begin with this verse: Psalms 27.1: The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?
Those words are very precious and ring so true for me because I, too, have a loved one with a brain injury. I know that we can all have hope, comfort, and peace when we rest in the one true creator GOD who created all these things.
Please know that Chris is in my prayers. Carla, you and your children are also being lifted to the arms of Jesus for peace and strength.
I marvel at what God can do and it is so grand to sit and watch what ONLY GOD can do. What a testimony to His greatness and power. Chris, I see your smile on your face in the picture on your blog and am so thankful that we can. I know that you will be running and be back to work in record time.
Dear Father God, I lift my brother Chris up to you. I ask you take charge over his brain, his total body, and restore him to perfect health. Father God, I pray that Chris' med's will work as they should, that his headaches will cease and that all his scans will come back clear. I pray that no infection will be allowed in his body. I pray that a perfect hedge of protection will canvas his body so it cn heal to its perfection. You are the God of perfection and I pray your healing from his head to his toes. I pray Father God for wisdom, for your guidance, and sure hands for all the Dr.'s and other care takers involved. I pray that each and every one around this family sees Jesus in this son of yours and witnesses true miracles and healing being preformed in his body now. I know that this family has placed you in the center of their lives and I pray that they are now in the center of your will. I thank you Father God for what you are doing right now to heal Chris. It is in the strong name of your precious son, Jesus Christ that I pray. Amen
Psalms 27.1: The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?

Dana said...

Dear Galanos family,
Thank you for making this site so we can hear about Chris and how to pray. I think it is amazing how God is working to heal Chris. I know all the nurses are happy to have such a nice patient that would care to ask about their families when he is in pain.
I am praying that God would continue to go before Chris and your family and provide healing for Chris and rest for your family.

Deuteronomy 31:8 " The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Love you all,
Dana Weart

wwharton said...

Chris and Carla,
Thanks for this blog so we can share with you in this crisis. Chris I hope the exercise didn't aggravate your condition. I just came from the Wheaton Sports Center and miss seeing you and Carla there. We pray that this is a one time ocurrence and that your recovery goes smoothly.

Unknown said...

Chris-
You always amazed me and now you are amazing many more people! Dan Pappas and I are taking a New Testament Survey course at CF on Saturdays so of course you were our topic of conversation before class. Dan claims to be internet challenged so Terry Goff and I brought him up to speed. He and Betty have been also praying since day 1 but he wanted more info.

He said how he was always impressed with your desire to witness and your call to us to witness to anyone we came in contact with.

Well, my friend (and favorite Elder), God must have someone special at that hospital that he wants you to touch with the Gospel. Looks like God is giving you 10 more days to make that impact for the kingdom!

So don't think of your time in the hospital as time that you can't work, or workout, or whatever --instead think of all the things that you can do there.

love, smiles and hugs-
Emma (your much younger sister in Christ! ha!)

jjackson said...

Chris -- Way back in 1998 you walked into my office one day and you shared with me what's become a favorite verse -- Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see..." - So turnaround is fair play, although I'd rather have the opportunity to visit you and share this in person.
We are all praying and pulling for you. If I have learned anything over the years, it is this -- God has a plan for you, there is a purpose in this, and He will make His will known in due course, so you must have faith, strength of mind and courage (which you have always had in spades) and patience (you probably have to work on this last one) to see you through the next days and weeks. But try to take it one babystep, one hour, one day at a time -- if you try to look too far ahead into the future it can sometimes be so overwhelming as to be unproductive. My Dad was hospitalized with a life-threatening infection for 2 weeks in January, and staying, living in and for the moment during that stressful period helped Dad and our family through his ordeal (he's doing much better now).

It was during my own treatment for cancer that I came upon a quote that made me laugh, and I share it with you because you will similarly understand -- "When you're going through hell, keep going!!"

I am so heartened to know that you are surrounded by the love and warmth of family and friends. And I'm grateful for the updates through this blog. You all are in my prayers, and I will make sure that several churches (on both coasts) will pray for you, your recovery and return to health as well as for Carla, your kids and Grandkids. God bless and keep you -- Jill

kschulman said...

Chris,
I recently heard about your "incident" and called a co-worker begging for information and she was kind enough to forward this blog to me. Thank you to your family for taking the time to keep everyone updated on your progress. There are so many people here at Fiserv who care about you and are praying for a quick recovery for you. It doesn't surprise me one bit to read about your miraculous strength and faith and how you've defied the odds during this awful challenge that has come your way. Please know that I am thinking of you often and praying for relief from the pain and peaceful sleep for you.
Take care, Karyn Schulman