Sunday, March 18, 2007

Day of Rest

But now, this is what the Lord says - he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel; "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." Isaiah 43:1-3

Well, the fabulous news is that Dad had another day with no spasms. WHOO HOO! This is amazing news and we feel so fortunate. Although still critical, each day that passes without incident is positive. We had prayed specifically for this and God has blessed dad with quiet blood vessels.

Also, dad has had an increased appetite...requesting chocolate milkshakes & Mexican food (to no one's surprise, I'm sure). Although the quantites he eats are small, any sustinance at this point is great.

It seems that after 6 days of draining blood, it is mostly out of his brain. From our understanding, the spinal fluid washes out the blood. He's averging about 130 cc's (however much that is) of spinal fluid drain each day. The doctors regulate the speed & pressure at which it drains through his blowhole (the doctor actually said that). They will keep the pressure gauge in for awhile as it continues to return to normal pressure and drain out any straggling blood cells.
We are learning on a whole new level how complicated and intricate the brain is. There are so many nuances and reactions that doctors don't fully understand. Dad's doctor today was a Greek guy from Chicago, so we figured he had something going for him even if he couldn't answer all of our brain questions.

Dad also slept for about 2 four-hour stretches last night...far more than he's gotten all week. He looked more rested today and *almost* seemed chipper (it's all relative, I guess!) We sneaked a cell phone in for him to say hi to Brad...I think it made both of their days.

So tonight, we go before the throne of our Merciful Savior and are thankful for all of you who echo our hearts. Please pray:
*for a good attitude
*that he would take one day at a time
*the doctors would have wisdom to come up with an effective plan

Not to be overlooked...Dad's wonderful physical therapist is named Lazarus.

7 comments:

gwynne said...

Wow...Mexican Food and Lazarus...who can beat that!

This mornings verse...Fear not: peace [be] unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.

We are strengthened each day to read of progress...and we'll keep bombarding heaven on behalf of Chris and team Galanos...Love Gwynne and Don

Unknown said...

Praise God! 2 four hour stints of sleep is awesome! How are the headaches coming along?

miss you! and love you!

Emma - your favorite younger (as opposed you being my favorite elder- hee-hee!)

Janet Matthews said...

Chris,
I am praying for a speedy recovery. It is quite shocking to have something so quickly zap your health. Just as I recovered from breast cancer, I know you will recover fully from this aneurysm. You are much too valuable a person to NOT recover FULLY.
I remember you from the old Intracorp days and here we are both at Fiserv. What an asset you are to Fiserv.
My prayers are with you daily.
Keep smiling because God is smiling down on you right now!

Kari said...

Hi Papa! It's me, Rylie. Mom and I are praying together for you at each meal and before naps and bedtime...lots of times a day! I know Jesus loves you just like Mom sings to me, and will heal you. Get better quickly so you can come and chase my animal train with me! I love you and miss you!!! XOXO- Rylie

singer said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
singer said...

HI Chris!

Jim and I stopped by to see you today, but were happy to hear that you were resting :) We left some more cards for you to laugh about- just enough to get you through next Sunday. All your friends from IBC send their love and prayers. If you actually get to read this then I was able to pass through the blog maze successfully. I guess I'm one of those "of a certain age" that's not up to speed on this website stuff :)

Your sister in Christ,

Julie

Unknown said...

Chris,

Wow. Well, even after working with you for only a couple of months, it's obvious why so many family, friends and co-workers love and respect you. You are blessed, as I'm sure you know.

Thank you to your family for this blog. We've been trying to get updates on you since we heard on Tuesday last week, and now we can get them any time we want! Very cool, and very appreciated. We've been pretty bummed around the office not knowing your status and so relieved now to know you're doing so well.

I won't hog the screen real estate here since we're newbies in your life, but I wanted to pass along that we're with you in spirit, positive thoughts and in prayer.

I am confident in your full recovery. It's so comforting to know you're in good Hands.

We believe.

Looking forward,

Kevin Lofgren and the Farstar Team