Jo had good day today. She was much more alert, which meant more interaction, but also more discomfort. She really likes that magic medicine button when the pain picks up.
The nurses have been keeping a close eye on her all day for signs of infection or other issues. Her nurse just came in and said that her red blood cell count has been pretty low since the surgery and that the doctor wants her to get a blood transfusion. This explains some dizziness she has had this evening, and will hopefully help with that as well as the rest of the recovery process.
Pray with us that God would cause her body to get along with the new blood and not have an adverse reaction to it. They will do all they can to make sure that doesn't happen before hand, but the risk is still there.
They will come back in an hour or so and begin the transfusion. They will take it slow at first to make sure it isn't being rejected, and then speed it up after a while.
So, this is an official "thank you" from Jo's family and friends to the individual who took time out of their day to donate blood. And it is a reminder to us all of the importance of donating blood. Jo had a transfusion a couple of years ago and it really helped. So we are looking forward to this, then a restful night.
And this is an official "thank you" to the one who gave his blood to cover our rebellion.
"To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen" Revelation1:6
Moore tomorrow.
C&J
Monday, March 02, 2009
Jo's Surgery Update #4
Jo had a good night last night. She was able to sleep for long periods, with only a couple of times when she woke up and needed to shift positions. The nurse said she used her magic medicine button a few more times last night than before, so there was some more pain discomfort than the previous night.
The doctor came in bright and early at 6AM today. He was really encouraged that she has no signs of infection and that she was able to sit up for longer periods and was practicing her deep breathing. He took off her belly bandage and looked at the incision. He liked what he saw and decided to leave the bandage off. He said that he will probably keep her in the ICU one more night because they do such a good job of watching her closely. I'm glad, because they really do a wonderful job in there of keeping their eye on her. Doc says she's still not out of the woods for an infection, but that each day that goes by lessens the chances.
She just now finished sitting up for 2 hrs straight in a chair and did really well. Getting in and out of bed is the toughest part because of all those sore stomach muscles, but she is a trooper. She's back in bed now and ready to sleep the afternoon away. She REALLY enjoys the ice chips she's allowed to have now and REALLY REALLY enjoys being able to get her teeth brushed and then rinsing her mouth. She likes to do 6 7 rinses because it feels so good. No food or drink yet. They want to make sure her tummy wakes up and is healed enough for food. So they may start liquids tomorrow or the next day. We will see.
Kay (Jo's Mom) and I are sharing the rotation today. And friends are dropping by at meal times to chat and refresh us. What a great thing!
We are praising God for his faithful provision of rest, healing, and minimal pain. The hospital staff are patient and helpful. Our friends and family have an unrelenting desire to bless us. What more could we ask.
God is great and greatly to be praised!
Clint & Jo
The doctor came in bright and early at 6AM today. He was really encouraged that she has no signs of infection and that she was able to sit up for longer periods and was practicing her deep breathing. He took off her belly bandage and looked at the incision. He liked what he saw and decided to leave the bandage off. He said that he will probably keep her in the ICU one more night because they do such a good job of watching her closely. I'm glad, because they really do a wonderful job in there of keeping their eye on her. Doc says she's still not out of the woods for an infection, but that each day that goes by lessens the chances.
She just now finished sitting up for 2 hrs straight in a chair and did really well. Getting in and out of bed is the toughest part because of all those sore stomach muscles, but she is a trooper. She's back in bed now and ready to sleep the afternoon away. She REALLY enjoys the ice chips she's allowed to have now and REALLY REALLY enjoys being able to get her teeth brushed and then rinsing her mouth. She likes to do 6 7 rinses because it feels so good. No food or drink yet. They want to make sure her tummy wakes up and is healed enough for food. So they may start liquids tomorrow or the next day. We will see.
Kay (Jo's Mom) and I are sharing the rotation today. And friends are dropping by at meal times to chat and refresh us. What a great thing!
We are praising God for his faithful provision of rest, healing, and minimal pain. The hospital staff are patient and helpful. Our friends and family have an unrelenting desire to bless us. What more could we ask.
God is great and greatly to be praised!
Clint & Jo
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Jo's Surgery Update #3
Hi all,
Joanna had a good day today. The surgeon came by and was happy to see how she was feeling and looking. He ordered her out of bed twice every 24 hrs. So, with some help, she got up this morning and sat in a chair upright for a couple of hours. Then, just now she did it again. Other than that she has been sleeping most of the day in between hand and footrubs from momma, Sara, and me.
Not too much pain today. And she hasn't had to use her pain medication too much either. Overall it seemed like a good day of rest and healing. Thanks for praying for her. We are indeed blessed.
The doc also wants her practicing deep breathing every hour or so for 10 mins. This helps her lungs stay healthy and free of pneumonia. Doc says infection is the main risk right now so rest is important. She's been able to whisper in order to help us know how to make her more comfy.
Please pray that she would have another comfortable, restful night. And that tomorrow would bring more healing. They've let me sleep on a chair/couch here in her ICU room, so that is nice. And her nurses have been greatly patient and helpful. They will probably keep her one more night in ICU (tomorrow) and then move her to her own room.
Thanks for helping us and praying for us. We are so thankful for the clear grace (unearned favor) of God through his people to love and care for us.
Moore tomorrow.
C&J
Joanna had a good day today. The surgeon came by and was happy to see how she was feeling and looking. He ordered her out of bed twice every 24 hrs. So, with some help, she got up this morning and sat in a chair upright for a couple of hours. Then, just now she did it again. Other than that she has been sleeping most of the day in between hand and footrubs from momma, Sara, and me.
Not too much pain today. And she hasn't had to use her pain medication too much either. Overall it seemed like a good day of rest and healing. Thanks for praying for her. We are indeed blessed.
The doc also wants her practicing deep breathing every hour or so for 10 mins. This helps her lungs stay healthy and free of pneumonia. Doc says infection is the main risk right now so rest is important. She's been able to whisper in order to help us know how to make her more comfy.
Please pray that she would have another comfortable, restful night. And that tomorrow would bring more healing. They've let me sleep on a chair/couch here in her ICU room, so that is nice. And her nurses have been greatly patient and helpful. They will probably keep her one more night in ICU (tomorrow) and then move her to her own room.
Thanks for helping us and praying for us. We are so thankful for the clear grace (unearned favor) of God through his people to love and care for us.
Moore tomorrow.
C&J
Jo's Surgery Update #2
Hi all,
Joanna had a restful night. Laying down in one place for so long has its irritations of course. I talked to the nurse this morning and he says sleeping is the best thing for her right now. They are watching her close to make sure she doesn't get any infections from the surgery. We are rotating to keep her company (mom, Sara, and I) and our main tasks are giving her a wet swab stick for her mouth and keeping her hand rag wet and cool for her mouth and forehead. Other than that we are reading, praying, waiting, and encouraging her to rest all she can.
Again, if you are looking for a practical way to bless us right now, it is to feed us (so that we don't have to stop with Jo and think through how to make lunch or dinner happen).
So if you'd like to help out with this, please shoot Meghan an email at mlmucher@liberty.edu or call her at 505-506-5971. She is helping by coordinating this.
We love you all and praise God we have such an amazing group of family and friends around us.
Moore to come.
C&J
Joanna had a restful night. Laying down in one place for so long has its irritations of course. I talked to the nurse this morning and he says sleeping is the best thing for her right now. They are watching her close to make sure she doesn't get any infections from the surgery. We are rotating to keep her company (mom, Sara, and I) and our main tasks are giving her a wet swab stick for her mouth and keeping her hand rag wet and cool for her mouth and forehead. Other than that we are reading, praying, waiting, and encouraging her to rest all she can.
Again, if you are looking for a practical way to bless us right now, it is to feed us (so that we don't have to stop with Jo and think through how to make lunch or dinner happen).
So if you'd like to help out with this, please shoot Meghan an email at mlmucher@liberty.edu or call her at 505-506-5971. She is helping by coordinating this.
We love you all and praise God we have such an amazing group of family and friends around us.
Moore to come.
C&J
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Jo's Surgery Update #1
Hey everyone,
Just a quick note here to catch everyone up. Joanna had some pretty severe abdominal pain after dinner last night. It kept getting worse and worse with no relief. We headed into the ER about 9PM Friday night. After running tests, they decided that it was not an obstructed bowel like before, but that she did have some foreign fluid in her abdomen. Long story short... their last resort was an exploratory surgery to find the source of the fluid and fix it up.
They operated on my hunny at around 11AM Saturday, and it took about 3 hrs total. Without getting into too much detail; they found the source and fixed it up. It was a pretty intrusive surgery, so her recovery time is going to be significant (1-2 days in ICU, 5-6 days in hospital room, then 5-6 weeks of recovery at home). Jo is resting now and has a constant supply of pain medication to help her rest.
Though it was a scary ordeal, God was faithful to love and teach us through this. We had some sweet times of praying and reading His word while we waited for the final decision to operate. We can never fully express our gratitute for all the love, hope, and prayers you all have shared with us, and we are humbled that God would have such grace on us through you!
So many of you have texted or called asking how you can help. Well, rather than just saying, ah, nothing for now... and leaving it at that, Meghan has volunteered to help organize folks dropping by at meal times to chat. Because quite honestly, if you are looking for a practical way to bless me and Joanna's mom right now, it is to feed us (so that we don't have to stop with Jo and think through how to make lunch or dinner happen.
So if you'd like to help out with this, please shoot Meghan an email at mlmucher@liberty.edu.
I can't promise you will be able to see Joanna (that will depend on her status and alertness, doc says lots of rest in the coming days for her) but I'm more than willing to chat and would love to pray together.
Besides coming here, the other most practical way you can help is simply by praying for Jo. Her body needs to heal up. And so does her heart. She's been through a lot, and it can get discouraging for her. Pray that God's peace and healing power would surround her as she rests. Please pray for endourance for Kay (Jo's mom) and I as we spend most of our days by her side. Pray that the way we (Jo, Kay, and I) handle sickness and health is a testimony to God's goodness through suffering. God is great, and Greatly to be praised!
Love you all! Can't believe we are so blessed.
Most updates from now on will be simply to say how her healing is progressing, and to share updated prayer requests.
Be strong in Christ,
Clint
Romans 8:18-39
Just a quick note here to catch everyone up. Joanna had some pretty severe abdominal pain after dinner last night. It kept getting worse and worse with no relief. We headed into the ER about 9PM Friday night. After running tests, they decided that it was not an obstructed bowel like before, but that she did have some foreign fluid in her abdomen. Long story short... their last resort was an exploratory surgery to find the source of the fluid and fix it up.
They operated on my hunny at around 11AM Saturday, and it took about 3 hrs total. Without getting into too much detail; they found the source and fixed it up. It was a pretty intrusive surgery, so her recovery time is going to be significant (1-2 days in ICU, 5-6 days in hospital room, then 5-6 weeks of recovery at home). Jo is resting now and has a constant supply of pain medication to help her rest.
Though it was a scary ordeal, God was faithful to love and teach us through this. We had some sweet times of praying and reading His word while we waited for the final decision to operate. We can never fully express our gratitute for all the love, hope, and prayers you all have shared with us, and we are humbled that God would have such grace on us through you!
So many of you have texted or called asking how you can help. Well, rather than just saying, ah, nothing for now... and leaving it at that, Meghan has volunteered to help organize folks dropping by at meal times to chat. Because quite honestly, if you are looking for a practical way to bless me and Joanna's mom right now, it is to feed us (so that we don't have to stop with Jo and think through how to make lunch or dinner happen.
So if you'd like to help out with this, please shoot Meghan an email at mlmucher@liberty.edu.
I can't promise you will be able to see Joanna (that will depend on her status and alertness, doc says lots of rest in the coming days for her) but I'm more than willing to chat and would love to pray together.
Besides coming here, the other most practical way you can help is simply by praying for Jo. Her body needs to heal up. And so does her heart. She's been through a lot, and it can get discouraging for her. Pray that God's peace and healing power would surround her as she rests. Please pray for endourance for Kay (Jo's mom) and I as we spend most of our days by her side. Pray that the way we (Jo, Kay, and I) handle sickness and health is a testimony to God's goodness through suffering. God is great, and Greatly to be praised!
Love you all! Can't believe we are so blessed.
Most updates from now on will be simply to say how her healing is progressing, and to share updated prayer requests.
Be strong in Christ,
Clint
Romans 8:18-39
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