Hebrews 12:1-2a

"Let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which so easily ensnares us,
and let us run with Endurance
the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith."
Hebrews 12:1-2a
Showing posts with label Home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Home. Show all posts

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Home Again - Day 37

Today is the first full day Jim has been home from the hospital and it has been a busy one .. .

Jim woke up at 7 and I slept in till 8.

He is very tired so has slept frequently during the day. His appetite also isn't up to snuff. He didn't have any breakfast, had pudding after noon and the pasta at 4:45 p.m.

My devotional study this morning brought me to Jeremiah 29:11 -- "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."  

My thoughts --

Jesus sets the pace
Not us
We may have much to do
but first and foremost
we must focus on Him,
keeping our steps in line
with His
instead of us moving
on our own thinking.
That is not easy.
We have appointments
to keep
and new ones to make,
but along the way
we need to keep
our primary focus on Him,
so we don't become discouraged.
Discouragement comes
from our own way of thinking,
from our focus on things
other than Christ
and His goals, His mission,
for us
Discouragement is at the back door
moving to the front
when we think our plans
are the best plans
and they should not fail.
We need to keep in mind
who is in charge of all life.
It is not us.
(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

Our day --

I already had two appointments for today and made two more for next week before both of us (and Bandy the Bunny) left at 9:30.  Bandy had a 10 o'clock appointment for a nail trim. Then we went to MedLabs so Jim could have blood drawn. He's back on Coumadin for his Afib (a complication of his cancer surgery May 12) and will stay on it for several months to see how things go. The doctors at UIHC said that if his heart stays in rythym over a period of time he may be able to discontinue the Coumadin.

After I dropped off Jim and Bandy at home, I went to CVS Pharmacy to pick up 9 prescriptions for Jim plus stop at Klauer Optical to pick up and of course pay for the left contact he lost in the hospital over a week ago. Then there was a noon appointment for the car - just an oil change and tire rotation... Ha! It's not often you can take the car in for one thing and be done, so today was no exception. We needed two back tires which we got at a somewhat reasonable price, plus the free alignment. That whole process took 1 1/2 hours -- you'd think I would have the waiting process down by now.

By the time I got home Jim wanted to go to the Fareway grocery store to find things to take tomorrow morning for our mini-road trip to NE Missouri. And then we got some nutritional protein drinks to help put some weight on him. His current weight is in the 130s. And then we stopped at Zio Johno's for good tasting pasta, which we had soon after arriving home. Jim can't eat very much and he gets full rather easily, but I gave him 5 Tablespoons of mostaccoli (sp?) and he ate all of it, plus a small glass of apple juice.

It's now 5:15 p.m. I have meds to put in the pill container for the next several days and evening meds as well. A suitcase to pack, a car to pack. And the things I didn't get done today, won't be done tomorrow either; it will probably be Monday afternoon, after morning appointments.

Tomorrow morning we have to get blood drawn again at MedLabs. By 10 a.m. we hope to be on the road heading south.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Recovery - Day 9

Jim had a chest x-ray this morning. One of his doctors said maybe the pigtail drain could come out later.

Our bunny, Bandy, is up to no good. Looks for any good wood to sink his teeth into. He misses his daddy. He wants him home. The sentiments of many.

I remember the Scripture from yesterday - "But O my soul, don't be discouraged. Don't be upset; Expect God to act! For I know that I shall again have plenty of reason to praise Him for all that He will do. He is my help! He is my God!" (Psalm 42:11 TLB)

and from today - "Therefore I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me." (Micah 7:7 NKJV)

and I write.

Abundant life
Abundant living
To have all
that He offers
we must rely solely
on Him

Our thoughts
either bring us closer to His
or take us further away
down paths of selfishness

I will look to the Lord
I will wait
He will hear me
He will do
the Right Thing
at the Right Time
Not too soon
Never too late

Keep looking
Keep waiting
Keep the lines of communication
coming and going
Keep the door open
to Him
who gives us
Abundant Living.

Even in the midst of suffering
He is our safety net.
Our all in all

Do not enter the door
that leads nowhere
the door of stagnant living

Focus on the Lord
and He will guide you
along the Best Path always.
(c) CMOL

Jim had blood work this morning. Also chest x-ray of front and side view of chest at 5 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

A tube with a "whoopie cushion" in it is attached to the pigtail drain that will alert Jim if he is leaking air. Blood will be drawn every day for now because of the coumadin.

The scuttlebutt is that Jim is going home today. We have heard it from the social worker and his nurse, Sonya. At 2:15 p.m. one of his doctors, Jason Chang, came in and said it is true. He heard it from Dr. Parekh -- Jim is going home today.  Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

The pigtail drain remains in and is to be removed (as well as the whoopie cushion gizmo) next Thursday, May 28. We have to call Dr. Parekh's office on Tuesday and set up a time.

We left UIHC at 6:33 p.m. and got home at 7:15 p.m. Kayla, a visiting nurse from UnityPoint, came at 7:30 and left shortly before 9 p.m. He has enough nutritional drink to last 12 hours or slightly longer, so between 8 and 9 a.m. Friday, I'll be changing out the old with a new supply of Osmolite 1.2.  By 10:15 p.m. I had crushed all his night pills (3 total), mixed them with his liquid meds, and between Jim and I, we managed to do all the required steps to get them into his feeding tube heading to his tummy.

It is now 11 p.m. - he's in bed and I'm updating this blog.

So, that's all for tonight folks.

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