Philippians 4:6-7
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
As threatened, Dad finally moved off the ICU floor up to a luxurious suite on 16. That may sound sarcastic, but with wood floors, a lovely dining table and a private bathroom, this is the good life--a far cry from the dark, loud, community ICU. He is unhooked from most monitoring devices, but has a few tubes left to pump fluids and the all-important pain medicines. The hospital gown is gone in favor of cotton t-shirts and pajama pants and on his head, the Texas Tech baseball cap. Still tucked in a bag are the New Balance 991s...maybe for another day.
Although some things like clothes seem more "normal," the pounding headaches continue. As the nurses warned, this is definitely a rollercoaster of up and down moments. Dad has tried to describe the head pain, but says it's something pretty indescribable...like pressure is just building up behind his eyes with no relief. When he gets the right combination of medicine, it seems to work, but often leaves him so woozy and "out of it" that it seems just as bad. Ugh.
Dad is still within the critical 14-day period, so this is what to expect. Each day the doppler reveals that the vasospams are non-existent, so this is good, but somewhat confusing to be in so much pain without spasms.
We covet your prayers for God to ease Dad's pain. As Dad said, "Let's keep the hammer down on the praying." As family and friends, we keep wanting to hear the official "We're out of the woods," from the doctors...but those words have yet to come. While everything looks overwhlemingly positive, the doctors remind us that there are no guarantees. Of course, that's true for everything in life, but it is a different reality when various medical professionals are using those words every day.
The blessing of God's promises through his Word have sustained us. The morning of Dad's hemorrage, Mom wrote down and prayed the verse at the top of today's blog. Feeling anxious about several situations, she prayed through each one and surrendered them to God. Little did she know that God was preparing her for the ride of her life. Still, it's amazing how quickly we want to choose to worry about bumps in the road instead of continuing to trust God. We are really learning how faith and trust are renewed every single day and how trust is a choice.
We know you are praying and for that we are so thankful. As with all rollercoaster rides, there are moments of delight, terror, confusion and anticipation...and moments you feel them all at once. Thanks for riding the rollercoaster with us and thanks again for lifting Dad before the Lord, who does all things well.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Ready, Set...Sit
John 1:16
From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.
Much to our surprise, when Mom and I walked into Dad's room this morning, he looked almost odd without the brain drain. That's right...no more tubes pouring directly out of his cranium. Now we just see the attractive shaved head, stitches, and blue Sharpie markings. (Between you and me, it's not a great look).
The doctor came in at 8 a.m., pulled that ventric out and put a couple of stitches in to close some holes. He is confident the headache pain is coming from some lingering blood, but he isn't concerned about the cranial pressure anymore. This is good news. The CT scan was clear (thanks for your prayers!) and for that we are most grateful.
We're also very hopeful that tomorrow Dad might leave the ICU. He is reminded of his blessed condition every moment as he is the only patient in several dozen beds who is conscious in this unit. We have seen many families leave in tears, never to return. It's been a humbling, tough, but necessary place to live for the past 11 days.
The doctors are adamant that Dad needs a quiet, slow recouperation. As you know, this is in contrast to his gregarious personality, but we are all observing that even a few minutes of activity is extremely tiring. For example: Dad sat on the side of the bed today--his first upright movement in quite sometime. There is significant dispute whether the time on the side of the bed was 15 minutes or 1 minute. Mom and I checked with the physical therapist and her report was on the very short end of that scale...in contrast to the 15 minutes Dad reported. Hmmmm...
We've been impressed with his patience in taking one day at a time. Other than when he first woke up, Dad hasn't asked how long the hospital stay, recovery, and restricted activity will be. I know he his probably chomping his lip to resist asking, but his restraint alone is a testimony of God-given contentment in this uncomfortable situation.
We thank you again for your prayers and love. That encouragement is lifting Dad's spirits when it's easy to be low. As he becomes more alert and has fewer hours of severe pain, he seems to have more time to contemplate where he is and what recovery will look like. And as we all know, thinking too hard can get you in trouble.
As you approach the throne of grace to find mercy & help (Hebrews 4:16) please pray:
*Dad will be patient to rest quietly
*He will have a positive attitude
*Decreased pain
From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.
Much to our surprise, when Mom and I walked into Dad's room this morning, he looked almost odd without the brain drain. That's right...no more tubes pouring directly out of his cranium. Now we just see the attractive shaved head, stitches, and blue Sharpie markings. (Between you and me, it's not a great look).
The doctor came in at 8 a.m., pulled that ventric out and put a couple of stitches in to close some holes. He is confident the headache pain is coming from some lingering blood, but he isn't concerned about the cranial pressure anymore. This is good news. The CT scan was clear (thanks for your prayers!) and for that we are most grateful.
We're also very hopeful that tomorrow Dad might leave the ICU. He is reminded of his blessed condition every moment as he is the only patient in several dozen beds who is conscious in this unit. We have seen many families leave in tears, never to return. It's been a humbling, tough, but necessary place to live for the past 11 days.
The doctors are adamant that Dad needs a quiet, slow recouperation. As you know, this is in contrast to his gregarious personality, but we are all observing that even a few minutes of activity is extremely tiring. For example: Dad sat on the side of the bed today--his first upright movement in quite sometime. There is significant dispute whether the time on the side of the bed was 15 minutes or 1 minute. Mom and I checked with the physical therapist and her report was on the very short end of that scale...in contrast to the 15 minutes Dad reported. Hmmmm...
We've been impressed with his patience in taking one day at a time. Other than when he first woke up, Dad hasn't asked how long the hospital stay, recovery, and restricted activity will be. I know he his probably chomping his lip to resist asking, but his restraint alone is a testimony of God-given contentment in this uncomfortable situation.
We thank you again for your prayers and love. That encouragement is lifting Dad's spirits when it's easy to be low. As he becomes more alert and has fewer hours of severe pain, he seems to have more time to contemplate where he is and what recovery will look like. And as we all know, thinking too hard can get you in trouble.
As you approach the throne of grace to find mercy & help (Hebrews 4:16) please pray:
*Dad will be patient to rest quietly
*He will have a positive attitude
*Decreased pain
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Hold On
"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot, and hang on." Franklin D. Roosevelt
Dad is definitely hanging on today and actually suggested the above quote...the morning was pretty low-key, but the infamous headaches were back this afternoon in full force.
This morning came a somewhat unwanted "T" party--OT's, PT's, ST's...all pestering Dad to make sure everything is still working. He is able to do his speech & physical therapy, but as you can imagine, he's very weak. Despite that, when the therapists all say they can't believe he's 61, he is good to go for another hour.
The neurosurgeon came by this afternoon, hoping to remove the brain drain. However, Dad was right in the middle of some intense head pain, so instead the doctor drained 20 cc's of fluid right before our very eyes. Who knew he had so much to spare? The headache pain didn't decrease, so the doctor decided to wait another day before setting dad free. The brain monitoring is what's keeping Dad in the ICU, so getting that removed brings hope of a normal room and disconnecting a few thousand cords.
Tomorrow morning we await the results of another CT scan. The doctors are making sure there is no water, spinal fluid, or blood in places it shouldn't be. Some kind of steriod was ordered to break up what might be left of some blood remnants in his brain. I guess blood can be pretty irritating when it hangs out in the wrong places.
Dr. Bidiwala emphasized agan that Dad has had 2 gold-standard angiograms read by the best radiologists in the business, so he is quite confident that a re-bleed is unlikely at this point.
DISCLAIMER: I want to reiterate again that we are not medical professionals. We are trying to relay info the best we can, but if you know more than we do, don't get worried until you call and clear things up.
We are relying on God for patience and perseverance today. Thanks for your prayers and please pray:
*headaches will lessen
*CT scan will come back clear
*again, rest & peace of mind and body
So many of you have shared this verse with us...it is our prayer.
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
That goes for all of you, too...
He is with you, He is your God, He will strengthen, help, & uphold you in whatever you encounter each day, no matter how big or how small. He is God. He can do it.
We love you all...dearly. You are God's vessels (hopefully without vasospams).
Carla, Nicole, Brad, Mark & Kari
Dad is definitely hanging on today and actually suggested the above quote...the morning was pretty low-key, but the infamous headaches were back this afternoon in full force.
This morning came a somewhat unwanted "T" party--OT's, PT's, ST's...all pestering Dad to make sure everything is still working. He is able to do his speech & physical therapy, but as you can imagine, he's very weak. Despite that, when the therapists all say they can't believe he's 61, he is good to go for another hour.
The neurosurgeon came by this afternoon, hoping to remove the brain drain. However, Dad was right in the middle of some intense head pain, so instead the doctor drained 20 cc's of fluid right before our very eyes. Who knew he had so much to spare? The headache pain didn't decrease, so the doctor decided to wait another day before setting dad free. The brain monitoring is what's keeping Dad in the ICU, so getting that removed brings hope of a normal room and disconnecting a few thousand cords.
Tomorrow morning we await the results of another CT scan. The doctors are making sure there is no water, spinal fluid, or blood in places it shouldn't be. Some kind of steriod was ordered to break up what might be left of some blood remnants in his brain. I guess blood can be pretty irritating when it hangs out in the wrong places.
Dr. Bidiwala emphasized agan that Dad has had 2 gold-standard angiograms read by the best radiologists in the business, so he is quite confident that a re-bleed is unlikely at this point.
DISCLAIMER: I want to reiterate again that we are not medical professionals. We are trying to relay info the best we can, but if you know more than we do, don't get worried until you call and clear things up.
We are relying on God for patience and perseverance today. Thanks for your prayers and please pray:
*headaches will lessen
*CT scan will come back clear
*again, rest & peace of mind and body
So many of you have shared this verse with us...it is our prayer.
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
That goes for all of you, too...
He is with you, He is your God, He will strengthen, help, & uphold you in whatever you encounter each day, no matter how big or how small. He is God. He can do it.
We love you all...dearly. You are God's vessels (hopefully without vasospams).
Carla, Nicole, Brad, Mark & Kari
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
"The Longest Day"
We are still basking in the grace of the mysterious, negative, no-sign-of-anything angiogram from earlier this morning. Little did we know what a blessing the news would be to help Dad cope with the incredible pain he's been in today. Seems like after having the dye blasted through his body, being clamped to a bed, and immobile for a few hours he's just having a tough day. Knowing that his brain is, on some level, okay seemed to make the physcial hurt somewhat bearable.
When I asked him what to call the blog tonight, he suggested "The Longest Day." He is still taking plenty of pain medication but discomfort, lack of sleep, and the intensity of the angiogram attributed to feeling low. He said he felt like he took two steps back, which the nurses assured us is normal.
The recovery from a brain anuerysm (which is what we're calling it for simlicity's sake...telling people that his brain just bled and we have no idea why freaks them out a little) is more like a rollercoaster than a steady climb uphill. He should expect to have plenty of great days followed by terrible ones--just the nature of the beast.
Mark should be up here soon to encourage dad and hang out by his side until he falls asleep. He takes pride in being the King of the Night Shift. Kari brought Rylie up earlier & Dad got to squeeze her adorable one year-old hand. True joy.
The thought of God's intervention in such a serious situation still takes our breath away. Our hearts are humbled each time another doctor (many of dad's colleagues in the healthcare field included) write or email to tell us dad has defied conventional medicine. God's grace is enough.
Please pray:
*relief from the pain
*rest for the mind and body
*wisdom for the doctor in determining the next steps
Following is the verse that Dad had been praying for our family regarding the sale of our house. I am far more privileged to share it with you in light of Dad's health.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!
We hope it is clear, but we'll say it every chance we get: To God be the glory!
When I asked him what to call the blog tonight, he suggested "The Longest Day." He is still taking plenty of pain medication but discomfort, lack of sleep, and the intensity of the angiogram attributed to feeling low. He said he felt like he took two steps back, which the nurses assured us is normal.
The recovery from a brain anuerysm (which is what we're calling it for simlicity's sake...telling people that his brain just bled and we have no idea why freaks them out a little) is more like a rollercoaster than a steady climb uphill. He should expect to have plenty of great days followed by terrible ones--just the nature of the beast.
Mark should be up here soon to encourage dad and hang out by his side until he falls asleep. He takes pride in being the King of the Night Shift. Kari brought Rylie up earlier & Dad got to squeeze her adorable one year-old hand. True joy.
The thought of God's intervention in such a serious situation still takes our breath away. Our hearts are humbled each time another doctor (many of dad's colleagues in the healthcare field included) write or email to tell us dad has defied conventional medicine. God's grace is enough.
Please pray:
*relief from the pain
*rest for the mind and body
*wisdom for the doctor in determining the next steps
Following is the verse that Dad had been praying for our family regarding the sale of our house. I am far more privileged to share it with you in light of Dad's health.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!
We hope it is clear, but we'll say it every chance we get: To God be the glory!
Negative, Ghostrider
Just wanted to give a quick update to share an answered prayer.
Well, the staff whisked Dad into his angiogram around 8:30 this morning. After several "shots" the radiologist couldn't find "anything." He wasn't even able to find the exact location of the vessel structure where all this drama occured. The radiologist said the vessels might have clotted themselves and the excessive bleeding was due to dad taking a baby aspirin every day. Lest you think this blood is a figment of our imagination, the CT scans from Baylor at Grapevine displayed copious amounts of blood. and we did watch it drain out of his head for 6 days.
At that time, they determined the bleeding originated near the top of his head, as opposed to the brain stem, which provides a more hopeful prognosis.
Dad is conscious, but in quite a bit of pain (after being clamped to the bed) after the angiogram. He is unable to get comfortable or really sleep, so please pray these would be short-lived side effects. His head is very uncomfortable as he can't really move, so we are praying for rest. They are monitoring his blood pressure, other meds, etc.
As mom and I ran dad's route around the pond before dawn, she reminded me of something Tony Evans shared with her seminary class. "Instead of telling God about your problems, try telling your problems about God." We told that angiogram (and any ducks who were listening) that our God is much bigger than it and He is soverign over everything.
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Well, the staff whisked Dad into his angiogram around 8:30 this morning. After several "shots" the radiologist couldn't find "anything." He wasn't even able to find the exact location of the vessel structure where all this drama occured. The radiologist said the vessels might have clotted themselves and the excessive bleeding was due to dad taking a baby aspirin every day. Lest you think this blood is a figment of our imagination, the CT scans from Baylor at Grapevine displayed copious amounts of blood. and we did watch it drain out of his head for 6 days.
At that time, they determined the bleeding originated near the top of his head, as opposed to the brain stem, which provides a more hopeful prognosis.
Dad is conscious, but in quite a bit of pain (after being clamped to the bed) after the angiogram. He is unable to get comfortable or really sleep, so please pray these would be short-lived side effects. His head is very uncomfortable as he can't really move, so we are praying for rest. They are monitoring his blood pressure, other meds, etc.
As mom and I ran dad's route around the pond before dawn, she reminded me of something Tony Evans shared with her seminary class. "Instead of telling God about your problems, try telling your problems about God." We told that angiogram (and any ducks who were listening) that our God is much bigger than it and He is soverign over everything.
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Monday, March 19, 2007
On Deck Circle: Angiogram
"To live by faith means to have a quiet reliance upon God to provide a solution, a firm assurance that God planned this for me and that he could stop it at any time, a constant surrender to God even when everything looks bad, waiting for God to act, without saying, 'How long?' "
A dear friend emailed us the above quote that Dad shared with her many years ago. How fitting that she was able to encourage him with the same words. God is good.
By all accounts, today was a good day. Dad's neurosurgeon even used the word "good" when talking about his progress. On that note, he ordered up an angiogram (http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/Angiogram) for tomorrow. We are interested to see the results...whether they can find the anuersym, a different source of the bleed, or anything. It is starting to seem like spontaneous combustion of some kind (our editorial thoughts) and we are learning that every answer to any question about the brain is "There's a lot about the brain we don't know." Luckily, Dad refrained from asking the doctor why he went to medical school.
The headaches still come and go (more coming than going) but it seems like the doctors are figuring out a good pain medication regimen. Nothing eases them completely, but dad has more good moments than he's had in days. It's dad's third spasm-free day...much praise to God!!
Before we arrived this morning, the speech pathologist came in to perform the cognitive testing. After Dad whizzed through the first few questions, he hijacked the test by insisting they discuss her favorite Chicago restaurants (I guess she was a native). From what I understand, he navigated her all through Little Italy and Greektown...with a stop by Morton's. She got the picture and decided he didn't have to explain how to make change from a dollar. Kidding aside, we completely realize that Dad seemingly has lost none of his mental capacity (insert joke.) Statistically, this is unheard of and we can only point to God's goodness and grace as the source of this blessing.
The brain catheter is officially clamped, meaning that he is now regulating cerebral pressure on his own. His numbers have looked very normal so far...yea!!! If the angiogram comes back without anything alarming, it's possible that the brain drain could be removed sometime later this week.
Dad is sleeping okay...not great, but it is the Trauma ICU unit after all...not exactly sleep conducive conditions. He is cared for by the most amazing team of doctors and nurses whom we've come to adore. (Kari is giving them all Easter baskets, which we're hoping helps continue his excellent quality of care.)
I cannot say it enough times...each email & post bring Dad joy beyond what you can imagine. As I hope you can tell, his sense of humor is intact and he is hanging tough. God is using each of you in the blogosphere to lift his spirits, remind him of his Savior's promises, and provide him with a tangible source of love. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and may God richly bless you.
As you lift up Dad before the Lord, please pray:
*no complications with the angiogram
*doctor's wisdom in reading the angiogram
*good rest
"When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet." Proverbs 3:24
A dear friend emailed us the above quote that Dad shared with her many years ago. How fitting that she was able to encourage him with the same words. God is good.
By all accounts, today was a good day. Dad's neurosurgeon even used the word "good" when talking about his progress. On that note, he ordered up an angiogram (http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/Angiogram) for tomorrow. We are interested to see the results...whether they can find the anuersym, a different source of the bleed, or anything. It is starting to seem like spontaneous combustion of some kind (our editorial thoughts) and we are learning that every answer to any question about the brain is "There's a lot about the brain we don't know." Luckily, Dad refrained from asking the doctor why he went to medical school.
The headaches still come and go (more coming than going) but it seems like the doctors are figuring out a good pain medication regimen. Nothing eases them completely, but dad has more good moments than he's had in days. It's dad's third spasm-free day...much praise to God!!
Before we arrived this morning, the speech pathologist came in to perform the cognitive testing. After Dad whizzed through the first few questions, he hijacked the test by insisting they discuss her favorite Chicago restaurants (I guess she was a native). From what I understand, he navigated her all through Little Italy and Greektown...with a stop by Morton's. She got the picture and decided he didn't have to explain how to make change from a dollar. Kidding aside, we completely realize that Dad seemingly has lost none of his mental capacity (insert joke.) Statistically, this is unheard of and we can only point to God's goodness and grace as the source of this blessing.
The brain catheter is officially clamped, meaning that he is now regulating cerebral pressure on his own. His numbers have looked very normal so far...yea!!! If the angiogram comes back without anything alarming, it's possible that the brain drain could be removed sometime later this week.
Dad is sleeping okay...not great, but it is the Trauma ICU unit after all...not exactly sleep conducive conditions. He is cared for by the most amazing team of doctors and nurses whom we've come to adore. (Kari is giving them all Easter baskets, which we're hoping helps continue his excellent quality of care.)
I cannot say it enough times...each email & post bring Dad joy beyond what you can imagine. As I hope you can tell, his sense of humor is intact and he is hanging tough. God is using each of you in the blogosphere to lift his spirits, remind him of his Savior's promises, and provide him with a tangible source of love. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and may God richly bless you.
As you lift up Dad before the Lord, please pray:
*no complications with the angiogram
*doctor's wisdom in reading the angiogram
*good rest
"When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet." Proverbs 3:24
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Blogging 101
I've been asked by many folks of a certain age group to explain a little more on how to comment and interact on a blog. I know many people want to leave comments and are finding it a little tricky, so I will give my best summary & hope it helps.
As a sidenote: we are reading all blog comments and emails you send us directly to Dad. Either way is fine...but I know some of you are wanting to interact on the blog, so this might be of aid.
Overview
Typically on a blog, an article is posted for all to read. Most blogs are accessible, like this one, by simply knowing the web address (www.chrisatbaylor.blogspot.com) . Readers don't directly chat with each other, but leave comments responding to the original article. As the comments grow in number, sometimes readers respond to other comments and many rabbit trails emerge. Probably not likely on this blog, but that happens on many other ones.
As you've probably gathered, the most recent articles are always at the top of the blog page...so scroll down to catch up if you are a few days behind.
Comments
If you want to leave comments, simply click on the "comments" link at the bottom of each blog entry. You will be prompted to enter a username & password. If you've never signed up with
Google, you'll need to sign up (not to read the blog, but just if you want to post). This is free & commits you to nothing. You will select a username (or "gmail" address) and password, fill out some basic info...and there you go. (If it's any comfort, Google has one of the best spam filters out there & in my experience, I have yet to get any).
Then, you will post the comment below whichever article/post you've just read. Someone said they didn't want to "hog the blog," but posting every day is not being piggy...it's just passing along a new thought/message each day...and trust me, Dad loves to hear them.
Comments can be short, long, or in between...so have at it.
Mom thinks I'm a "computer genius" which tells you where her computer abilities lie.
Thanks again for each word...you will never know how Dad smiles when I say "Guess who wrote in?" and share your precious thoughts. Seriously...thank you.
As a sidenote: we are reading all blog comments and emails you send us directly to Dad. Either way is fine...but I know some of you are wanting to interact on the blog, so this might be of aid.
Overview
Typically on a blog, an article is posted for all to read. Most blogs are accessible, like this one, by simply knowing the web address (www.chrisatbaylor.blogspot.com) . Readers don't directly chat with each other, but leave comments responding to the original article. As the comments grow in number, sometimes readers respond to other comments and many rabbit trails emerge. Probably not likely on this blog, but that happens on many other ones.
As you've probably gathered, the most recent articles are always at the top of the blog page...so scroll down to catch up if you are a few days behind.
Comments
If you want to leave comments, simply click on the "comments" link at the bottom of each blog entry. You will be prompted to enter a username & password. If you've never signed up with
Google, you'll need to sign up (not to read the blog, but just if you want to post). This is free & commits you to nothing. You will select a username (or "gmail" address) and password, fill out some basic info...and there you go. (If it's any comfort, Google has one of the best spam filters out there & in my experience, I have yet to get any).
Then, you will post the comment below whichever article/post you've just read. Someone said they didn't want to "hog the blog," but posting every day is not being piggy...it's just passing along a new thought/message each day...and trust me, Dad loves to hear them.
Comments can be short, long, or in between...so have at it.
Mom thinks I'm a "computer genius" which tells you where her computer abilities lie.
Thanks again for each word...you will never know how Dad smiles when I say "Guess who wrote in?" and share your precious thoughts. Seriously...thank you.
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