Indigestion - Day 47

Today at 4 a.m. I woke suddenly, then fell back asleep. Jim also woke up, went potty and came back to bed. Then he got up again (something I didn't realize) and moved to the recliner, where he managed to fall asleep. When I got up at 6:30, I discovered all this and that he took a pain pill for back pain and indigestion.

I told him he needed to tell me when things were not right, rather than just think he could deal with it himself.  We can pray together.

He had several BMs yesterday and one was loose, so decided last night not to take any Senna.

I called his sister, Dianne, the nurse. She said he needed to take 1 Senna nightly and that a call should be made to UIHC on-call. After all he has had 2 surgeries. Jim didn't want to call. He didn't want to return to the hospital. But he finally agreed to let me call.

In talking with the thoracic fellow on-call, we have come to find out that foods with red sauces, like pizza or pasta with tomato sauce or red wines (that's not a problem with us, considering we don't drink alcohol) can cause more indigestion.

He asked if Jim was taking omeprazole. Well, he was taking pantoprazole before surgery, but was taken off it and had not resumed it. The doctor said he should be on it, as it helps with acid.  He was taking 40 mg twice daily, 30 minutes before breakfast and supper meals.

So, we found a bottle and he has taken a pill before breakfast. It's 7:30 now, and he has had another BM, which is good. He feels a little bit better.

Yesterday, he was hoping to make it to Sunday School today, but now that today is here, that appears very unlikely. His goal is church.

He has been resting since 8. It is now nearly 10. We will leave soon.

I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU UNTIL ... 
Yesterday's devotional writings were a result of readings in Psalm 143:8 and Genesis 28:15.

Psalm 143:8 says ...
"Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You." 

Genesis 28:15 says ...
"Behold, I AM with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to the land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." 

This last part particularly caught my attention - "I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you."

I thought on it yesterday periodically and again last night when we watched the Christian movie, "End of the Harvest."  God said this to Jacob in a dream. This is a promise made. ...

Is this also a promise to those of us who follow His Son in the current age? What do you think it means? Does it have to do with callings received from the Lord ... like being called to write a book,
to be a teacher, to preach His word ... in season, out of season, when it is convenient, when it is not. Or is it something else?

Today's devotional read was a reminder from Isaiah 55:8 -- "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord." 

and my writings ...

Do not doubt
Do not give in
to "me" thoughts and "me" ways
Do not give up
being aware of Me

Along every road block
I AM with you
whatever this life throws at you
I AM your protector
your refuge
your confidante

See Me
in the midst
of your pain-full days
and pain-free days
I will bring you
through it all

My Ways, My Thoughts
Do not doubt

Live and Love
and Proclaim My Truths
I WILL guide you.
(c) CMOL

GOD'S SIGN
I return to Saturday's devotional reading and read it again.

Rest in the Lord for a while
for you have journeyed along a path
steep and rugged
in days not long ago.

The days ahead,
the way,
is covered with uncertainty.

Wow, it dawned on me -
God was giving me a sign
we, Jim and I
we were to rest in Him
and not get caught up
in all that which draws us down
and away from Him.

The indigestion -
all the discomfort it brings -
and whatever else in its wake
is the uncertainty.
Trust Jesus in every step
He will lead us
through the valley
up and down the hills.
Pick us up Lord
Pick us up and carry us.
Give us strength
through every life moment.
Come to his aid Lord.
In your name I pray.
(c) CMOL

FIFTH SUNDAY FELLOWSHIP 
Through the Lord's intervention, I managed to get done with work shortly after 4:30 p.m., so Jim and I could go with friends Bob and Lorraine to the Fifth Sunday Fellowship at First Baptist Church, Dunkerton. We hadn't been up there since mid-February. The program started at 5 and we arrived at 5:30 p.m. Many FBC members we'd hoped to see were absent, but it was good to visit with those present.

Tummy ache problems erupted again for Jim and he wanted me to call UIHC on-call around 10. The doctor said he needed to give the pantoprazole time to work - a few days.

Jim also is having urinary problems again - not voiding very much and not getting intended results when self-cathing. The UIHC doctor said to drink water more frequently throughout the day.

And, when getting ready for bed, taking out his hearing aids and contacts, he had problems again with the left contact being up high behind his eye. This problem arose the last day he was in the hospital - June 17 - and was corrected with a visit to the eye clinic. This time, he went to sleep with the problem, hoping to get it corrected in the morning.

Recovery Continues - Day 46

Today must be a sleepy day. We got up and had Bible study and breakfast. Jim checked his email and soon after, said he was tired. So he has spent most of the morning in his recliner zonked out.

It is interesting.
Today's devotional read said this to me ...

Rest in the Lord for a while
for you have journeyed along a path
steep and rugged
in days not long ago.

The days ahead,
the way,
is covered with uncertainty.

The journey ... Jim's journey, our journey together?

Aren't most days uncertain

Only death is certain
and
Only if you be a child of the Holy King,
is it certain
He, the Lord, is with you.

Plans are made
We pray what we hope will be
will be the Lord's will as well
He directs our steps

The uncertainty
will not make us fearful
if we keep the Lord
close to us
Being aware of Him
Listening for
and hearing
His song of lovingkindness
in the morning Light
Knowing
and understanding
deep within our soul
the way, the steps
to be taken.

In You, Lord
we place our trust.
(c) CMOL

Recovery Continues - Day 45

The morning was uneventful.  Bathroom duties continue to have good results. Blood was drawn this morning and later in the day, Dr. Butler's office called with INR readings - which are up again at 3.3. Another recheck on Monday morning. A weekend reprieve.

Dizziness struck mid-afternoon, the first time soon after he talked to his sister and then again, about an hour later. I thought maybe his blood pressure was low, but when he took it, the reading was 90/59, which is normal for him. He thought maybe he just got up from the recliner too fast. Don't know. Hasn't happened since.

We had pasta for supper with cheese bread. At some point, Jimmy got a tummy ache. I think he might have ate too fast. He said it didn't feel the same as before when his tummy was cramping. I drink ginger tea when digestion gets the best of me. Perhaps we should get some ginger ale for him - he doesn't like tea. Pray the tummy ache eases and he can get a good night's sleep.

It appears Craig, our house guest, did not leave today. He doesn't quite have everything done he needs done before his departure.  

Recovery Continues - Day 44

Today was mostly a quiet day. Bathroom duties are more regular. Jim snacked throughout the day, as did I, while he watched TV shows and I did Gazette work. Tonight was the first time he prepared the evening meal from start to finish, and although we didn't eat all of everything he fixed, it sure was delicious.

Today is our house guest, Craig Horning's last day with us. After 6 weeks, he heads home to New Mexico on Friday afternoon. He will be missed.  

Obviously we should have prayed first before filling out a survey on our opinion of UnityPoint at Home (formerly known as St. Luke's Home Care) because three-quarters the way through it, Jim tore it up. That was primarily because he considered many of its questions none of their business. The initial conversation with UnityPoint at Home was not a positive experience. Too bad. 

Recovery Continues - Day 43

We both slept well, waking at 7:10 a.m. Jim had a small BM this morning and said more is coming. He takes a stool softener for this - has been taking it since his first stay in the hospital. He also takes Milk of Magnesia and started taking Senna last night. At nearly 9 we went to MedLabs, where Jim had blood drawn, then came home. I will soon start Gazette work for the day.

It was a hectic day for me, with work and all sorts of phone calls - most work-related, but also medical re: Jim's appointments or bills billed to the wrong place, and then one that was spam.

Dr. Butler's office called with INR readings. It is now 3.0, so he's to take more Coumadin tonight, less tomorrow night and then he visits the lab on Friday morning. He is glad he doesn't have to go anywhere tomorrow morning.

Dr. Li's (cardiology) office called too and said his thyroid level was up a bit. Thyroid problems are one of the side effects of taking Amiodarone, so for the next 2 months, he'll be taking one-half tab of it and then have it rechecked.

Recovery Continues - Day 42

Jim had blood drawn again this morning. He is getting very tired of this. It is nearly 3 p.m. now and we have not heard back from the doctor's office on what his INR readings are. His doctor did say he could resume taking generic Allegro for his allergies.

The project Jim and Craig worked on yesterday with the kitchen light switches was continued this morning, and later after Jim and I left to go to my eye appointment, Craig got it working. It certainly was not an easy fix.

We visited Miss Anna, who was very glad to see Jim, but we didn't stay long. He was really tired and his incisions were hurting big time. Now that he is home and in more comfortable clothes, he's going to take a pain pill and rest.

Dr. Butler's office called around 5 p.m. Jim's INR readings today are at 3.3 - they're going up, instead of down, yet doc wants him to continue with one 3 mg. tab of Coumadin and you know, do the blood draw thing again tomorrow. It's getting old for both of us.

Jim has reduced how much and how often he takes pain pills. He still has issues with bowel movement.

We have two prayer concerns at this point:
1) the INR readings level off and Jim doesn't have to visit MedLabs so often
2) become regular with BM

We may have to call UIHC again because of problems with the latter... however, he does have gas. Funny, how that can be a good thing. 

Appointments - Day 41

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a boy (or girl) healthy, wealthy and wise. ... tired is more like it.

Jim's first appointment was at 8:30 with Dr. WeiWei Li at PCI Cardiology. He weighs 135.6 pounds without shoes. His blood pressure was taken twice, 10 minutes apart -- first it showed 68/30 and then 80/50.

An EKG was taken. Some of the meds were discussed, particularly the Amiodarone, which is taken to help control the AFib. We were told the medicine can affect the thyroid and liver and with long-term use, side effects increase.

Dr. Li was not sure how long Jim would be on Warfarin (Coumadin). The doctors at UIHC said he would probably be on it for several months and if his heart stayed in rythym, he could probably go off it. Before Jim was released May 21 after his cancer surgery and through his second release  June 17 after a 10-day stint at UIHC, his heart remained in rythym. I got the distinct impression from Dr. Li that because Jim had an ischemic stroke 3 years ago, he might go in and out of AFib and never know it, and that might be reason enough to remain on the medicine. It makes more sense to me to pray about what God would have him / us do. Listen to the doctors and then determine.

Dr. Li wanted a pulmonary function test and nuclear stress test done - the pulmonary function test wll be Tuesday, July 7, at St. Luke's, and the nuclear stress test, July 13 and 14, at PCI Cardiology.

Next we attempted to make an appointment with Dr. Hoxie, his urologist. They are kind of booked up, so will call us to let us know when they can get Jim in. PCI Urology called back at 2 p.m. and we now have an appointment for Tuesday afternoon, July 14.

Third stop was MedLabs in Hiawatha.... for blood drawn for INR  readings and a thyroid check requested by Dr. Li.

Jim's second appointment and fourth stop was UnityPoint Clinic in Hiawatha to see Dr. Todd Butler, Jim's primary care physician. Dr. Butler et.al. manages Jim's coumadin, although he says the pharmacy or cardiology department could also manage it.  Blood pressure results were 88/58. Dr. Butler said he would appreciate knowing when Jim is off the coumadin. He wasn't too happy with communication from UIHC. We are to return for a follow-up visit in two months - Monday, Aug. 3.

Jim is feeling better, more energy, but still tiredness sets in. He is currently working with Craig trying to figure out why the kitchen light switch (es) aren't working. That project has bit the dust. The two of them decided it takes more know-how than they have.

He has not taken any pain meds since 10 o'clock last night.

Jane from Dr. Butler's office called and said Jim's INR level is at 3.0, so 3 mg. Coumadin tonight and another blood draw tomorrow.

Jim is eating more and the food is digesting fine.

On the Road - Day 40

Today is Father's Day. Jim wanted to attend Sunday school and church at First Baptist - LaGrange, so we did. We had a restful sleep, getting up at 6:30. We had lunch - delicious lasagna, and after I had a 40-minute nap, got the car loaded to head home. We had to rely on mostly other people to help us load and unload  the car as Jim can't lift anything more than 10 pounds for 4 weeks.

Just as we were about to turn the Mp3 on to listen to music, we discovered some bunny chewed the cable .... what it was doing on the floor when that is where Mr. Bunny was as well, is anybody's guess. I suggested to Jim that we pray the Lord would help us find the correct cable replacement in Canton - and we did, at Dollar General!

We are so grateful the Lord arranged it so we could spend a couple of days in NE Missouri with Larry and Dorothy who opened their home and their hearts to us and to Pammy and many others we haven't seen for months.

We got home at 5:15 p.m. to discover the heat was on. How is a good question. When we left, the air was on, but when we returned, it was 81 degrees in the house. Nearly 4 hours later, at 8:50 p.m., it is 78 degrees. A little more tolerable. Craig doesn't know what happened. He noticed the warmth this morning.

Rocky, Christina and Austin came over around 7, brought roasted chicken and mashed potatoes for us and Father's Day gifts for "PaPa" Jim - he got a T-shirt that says World's Best Grandpa No. 1, a handprint of Austin, a special Father's Day card from Austin, and Rocky told him Happy Father's Day. We enjoyed special time together, with Austin, Christina and I getting wet / dancing with the sprinkler.  We love our family. 

On the Road - Day 39

Jim slept pretty good, I woke intermittently. We got up around 7 a.m., did Bible study, had breakfast, and then then fell back asleep.

A Scripture verse Janice gave me last night - Zephaniah 3:17,  I re-read, including previous verses. It says -- 

"Sing, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem! 
The Lord has taken away your judgments
He has cast out your enemy.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
You shall see disaster no more.

In the day, it shall be said to Jerusalem;
Do not fear;
Zion, let not your hands be weak.
 The Lord your God in your midst;
The Mighty One will save

He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love;
He will rejoice over you with singing."
(Zephaniah 3:14-17)

I write --

Our God is faithful
He seeks our faithfulness
our trust
in Him, The One
who never leaves us
nor forsakes us
The One who saves us
who rejoices over us
with gladness, with singing
The One who quiets us
with His Love

The Lord, our God,
is in our midst
We have no reason
to be fearful
when it is His Army
we are surrounded by
in front as we move forward
in back as we fall
to the left and right
as we change direction

Be glad and rejoice
with all our heart
as He, The One,
who is glad and rejoices
over us
When we are one in The Spirit
One in The Lord.
(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

Reminds me of the song,  "We are One in The Spirit," written in 1966  by Peter Scholte.  Here are the lyrics:

verse 1
We are One in The Spirit,
We are One in The Lord.
We are One in The Spirit,
We are One in The Lord.
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored

Chorus
And they'll know we are Christians by our love,
By our Love,
Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love.

verse 2
We will work with each other,
We will work side by side.
We will work with each other,
We will work side by side.
And we'll guard each man's dignity
And save each man's pride

verse 3
We will walk with each other,
We will walk hand in hand.
We will walk with each other,
We will walk hand in hand.
And together we'll spread the News
that God is in our land.

A version found on YouTube.com

We have come so far.
Let us not forget from where God has brought us
and where He will have us go
Let us always look to Him
Let us make every effort
to seek His will for us
before we seek our own.

Saturday was a most restful day. Jim and I did things that were not on a must do, have to do list. And we did it at our pace. After lunch, we headed to Quincy, Ill., and shopped at Big Lots! and Kmart, two stores that are no longer part of the Cedar Rapids scene. I found skirts, Jim found a pair of lounge pants (look like torn jeans) that are much easier on his incisions, as the waist band on his regular jeans is too tight. We bought a few other things too, including a DVD of country western movies for he and Larry to watch. It was such a peaceful time, I could have done with 10 more Saturdays just like this one. We watched movies, or talked, or napped, or read, or had mini-massages.

Thunderstorms and tornado watches ruled the night hours. It was so still and humid beforehand, with temperatures in the 90s during the day.

Jim's pain is still present; he takes one pill in the early afternoon and then two at bedtime. His back hurts frequently when we're in the car, so he has a backrest, and he puts a pillow between him and the seatbelt to make the area of the incisions less painful.

We went to bed at 10 p.m.

On The Road - Day 38

We're taking a weekend road trip, leaving this morning. We both woke up early and got a lot done - Jim has a bit more energy,  but didn't exactly leave by the proposed 10 o'clock hour. Jim had blood drawn at MedLabs downtown and they were backed up, with only one person working. It will probably be closer to 11 before we actually leave.

We arrived in LaGrange, Mo., at 2 p.m. It took 3 hours - 30 minutes longer because we stopped 3 times. I was so tired, my eyes were heavy. 

We had supper at 6:15 p.m.  I reminded Jim often to eat slower ... you don't want to upchuck it. But I suppose sooner or later, that will happen anyway. Later, a mini-Bluegrass jam / practice session  that we thoroughly enjoyed. Larry Gillespie and his brother, Kenny, both played guitar; Larry's daughter, Pam Stewart, played the mandolin. Larry's wife, Dorothy, played bass, and Kenny's wife, Donna, played the accordion. Friend Janice Wieland, who writes poetry set to music by Dorothy, sang. It was so relaxing, restful.

Jim took a pain pill early afternoon while we were traveling - for his back and two more in the evening while listening to Bluegrass music.

We went to bed at 10:30 p.m.