Dizziness - Day 64

Today I forgot it was July. A month behind I am.

Jim had his blood drawn today at MedLabs. Two people tried 4 times total before success came. A patient man. I would not be so. I can't handle needles ... once is too much for me!

He still talks about being off coumadin and hopes his cardiologist calls sometime soon with results of the Stress Test taken Monday and Tuesday. He wants to discontinue coumadin. He doesn't see his cardiologist until the end of September.

I was thinking today ... The Lord knew this was coming - the complication of AFib, the medicine to take, the blood draws. What is the purpose? Why did, does He allow it? What are we to learn? There is something. God always has something for us to learn. We are to trust Him, no matter what. He'll never steer us wrong.

Jim is improving daily. I pray that continues. He took the trash out to the curb today and started a load of laundry .. things I had been doing before this week.

He needs to be careful though. When he was downstairs, he said he was on the floor and in getting up, was dizzy, the room spinning. Perhaps he should begin taking his cell phone with him (turned on, of course), in case he happens to fall because of low blood pressure, or if he finds himself unable to get up. I probably shouldn't be thinking about this, but instead praying it won't happen, that the Lord will give him needed strength.

The doctor's office called around 5, Jim said, and his INR reading was 2.6. He's to continue with 3 mg coumadin nightly. He told the nurse he has been dizzy, but that didn't seem to faze her.

My writings ...

You walk with the Lord
-- you read and study and meditate
on His word daily
-- you listen to His instruction
and strive to be obedient to His command

The Lord carries you along paths
He has purposely chosen for you

He asks that you stay close to Him
to not become disenchanted
and follow your own thoughts, ideas and plans
Stay close
Look to Him for strength and direction
where He takes you will bring glory to Him

Perhaps we think
we don't need to be where we are,
but God has allowed it
He knows something we do not.
He has a reason

Someday He will share the reason
but not yet, not today

He wants us to learn something
perhaps obedience
no matter what crosses our path

Discard the anxiety, the frustration
Follow Him
Do as He directs
Seek wisdom and He will give you
what you need
you are weak, you are tired
Ask Him for strength
Ask Him for stamina
He will give you what you need
But you must ask
All that He has for you
remains hidden from you
when you do not ask or seek.
(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

"...My strength is made perfect in weakness.  Therefore most gladly I (Paul) will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong."   (II Corinthians 12:9b-10)

The stress of stress tests - Day 63

Yesterday Jim had the "rest" part of the two-part Stress Test at PCI Cardiology. He had his weight taken -- he is 4 pounds lighter, down to 129. Geez, I don't remember when I last weighed that!
The tech injected meds, then told him to get something to eat and be back in an hour. Jim thought we could walk to Wendy's rather than drive. He also thought it was closer. Walking over in the humidity wasn't too bad. Walking back seemed to take 3x longer, as I stopped frequently, but we made it back to PCI inside an hour. Then Jim had pictures taken with the gamma camera.

Today Jim had the "stress" part of the Stress Test. That required walking on the treadmill. The plan was to walk on it 5 minutes. His blood pressure before exertion was 82/52. The tech was somewhat concerned, because after injecting more meds, his BP would definitely drop. But he proceded, doing his best. He walked 1 1/2 - 2 minutes before getting light-headed and dizzy. His BP dropped to 68/41. He had to sit/lay down and it took 10 minutes or so before his BP rose to 90/51. The gamma camera was available, so pictures were taken then rather than waiting until later.

He hadn't been this dizzy until he came home from the hospital the second time, so we're wondering if some medicine he's taking is causing the problem. The only new one he is on is coumadin.  We checked that out on the Internet and discovered, yes, low blood pressure is a known side affect of Coumadin. Interesting.  The whole reason he is on Coumadin is because he acquired A Fib as a complication from his Esophageal cancer surgery May 12. His heart has stayed in rhythm since his second surgery June 11. 

Moving On - Day 61

It has been 5 days since I last posted anything here.  I didn't have much to report about Jim and I was wary of saying much about me.

Thursday, July 9, was D-Day .... Disaster Day I believe would be an appropriate title.

We had to get up early for an 8 a.m. urology appointment Jim had at PCI Urology. The appointment was two-fold -- one, to discuss issues he had with not being able to produce No. 1 or No. 2 (problems began late June 27 and rectified themselves to normal June 30), and two, a follow-up visit following his recent surgeries.

The visit did not go well. At least not from my standpoint. The problems began with a 45-minute wait before we saw the doctor, who didn't think an explanation was warranted. It continued when the nurse assumed Jim was a new patient, when he has been a patient of Hoxie's for several years. When the nurse asked for a current list of meds, which Jim provided, I said this list was very current. So she made a copy and then proceeded to ask if he was taking a baby aspirin ... are you taking a multi-vitamin -- meds that were not on the list. I repeated twice, "the list you have is current."

To her I was being rude. To me she was not listening very well. So when we left I apologized for stating facts. There are obviously some doctors and nurses who believe they can do or say no wrong.

By the time we left the doctor's office and the building, it was after 9, and I wasn't doing very well. Didn't feel well, was frustrated over the top. I called it a melt-down, maybe it was something else. Jim just held me.

 I was going to post on here, but I thought who would want to know what's going on with me. I was going to post on Facebook and decided not to. I told Jim no. I don't know what to say. If he wanted to do anything, it was up to him.

He did do something. He sent a prayer request to Immanuel folk just for me. I didn't know if anyone saw it because I didn't see it. But by sometime Friday, I was feeling better. I decided even if no one saw the email, God heard it, and He was answering my need. I could feel calmness settle over me.

This is Jimmy's request:
Please lift Cathy up to our Lord in prayer. She will be returning to the Gazette building to work this afternoon. Cathy has been taking care of me and my needs since my first surgery on May 12. So much has been on her, at times it seems to be overwhelming. I myself love her and fully realize all she has been through. We are reminded of God's love for us, and She needs an extra dose of His love and the power of His grace to be heaped upon her.
I appreciate the prayers that have been said for me. But please pray for Cathy.

That afternoon was my first back at the downtown office. I have been working from home since mid-May. I couldn't find a  place to park nearby with a 10-hour meter, so ended up walking four blocks after finding a 4-hour meter. I was exhausted. My ankles hurt because of arthritis, my balance poor because of painful bursitis. I considered turning around and going back home to work.

I got through the day. When I left, I found 10-hour meters so I wouldn't have this same problem on Friday. I was glad to be home.

Friday was a better day. Jim had blood drawn in the morning.  On the way home I stopped at CVS to pick up prescriptions and other meds that cost a small fortune. At the house, the Cooks were here, we were having spaghetti, Rocky was mowing the yard, we took pictures, and in the mail was a card from Ron and Carla Dunnahoo / Wilton Baptist Church. The card was perfect. A picture of Jesus with children .. the verse said -

"One of the greatest privileges of knowing

 Jesus is going to Him in prayer.

There's never a question about 

whether or not He's listening -- He always is.

There's never a question about 

whether or not He has our best at heart -- 

He always does."

Thank you so very much for sending this card to us at this time.

Today is Sunday. A fellow Christian brother was gone because his own brother had passed away, so Jim stepped up to the plate -- from 8:30 a.m. for choir practice/sound check to 9:30 Sunday school, filling in as substitute teacher, to 10:45 worship in the sound booth. He even warmed up Sunday dinner (made meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans on Saturday). He was tired and fell asleep this afternoon while I worked, but he is getting better.

Tomorrow we have a busy day. Three appointments, including the first part of a stress test from 11:30  a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The second part of the stress test will be on Tuesday. 

Slow going - Day 56

Jim IS getting stronger, but he struggles.  He feels he is always tired and sometimes when he is very tired, he gets frustrated and confused.  But don't we all?   He wants to do things, and we are doing things.  But then he doesn't understand why he is so tired.  He is tired of being tired.

Our second adopted grandson, James David Cook, was born Monday afternoon, July 6, at UIHC.  We were there with our family.  Jim loved being there, holding his new grandson, his namesake, when he was only 2 hours old.  A special feeling he has for this little boy, just like the special bond he and firstborn grandson, Austin Lee, share.  He is glad, we are glad God brought us all together. 

I am tired of not knowing what is going on with Jim.  He fails to share or when he finally does, I am nearing frustration myself.  I have told him we need to trust the Lord. Look to Him and not ourselves. When we only look at ourselves, we become discouraged and depressed, and we don't need to go there.  I know the Lord will take care of us;  He showed us so much during all that time Jim was in the hospital.  He will continue to show us, if we're paying attention to Him and following His instructions. 

We need to stop feeling sorry for where we are not and go with whatever God gives us.  God gives us every ounce of strength we need to face whatever comes.  We must rely on Him alone.

Isaiah 41:10 -- "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." 

I Chronicles 16:11 -- "Seek the LORD and His strength; see His presence continually!" 

Isaiah 40:28-31 -- "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." 

PHOTOS FROM JULY 6, 2015

Papa Jim and Grandma Cathy

with second adopted grandson, James.

Papa Jim and James

Our adopted grandsons, Austin and James

Today in the mail we received a check from Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield for use of the ambulance Jim required June 7.  The check was for $689, which we delivered to Area Ambulance Service.  We now owe them $413.  We plan to appeal the claim from Wellmark. 

Another thing that only adds to our frustration is the bill we received for the emergency room service at UnityPoint - St. Luke's on June 7. The bill went to Medicare instead of Blue Cross because UnityPoint - St. Luke's does not pay attention to what we have repeatedly told them. 

At supper tonight I asked Jim where his pain is that makes it necessary for him to take the pain medication. I said we had some narcotic meds that are not as strong as the hydromorphone, and he was all for taking them. The pain is primarily in his back. He said it burns. Sometimes his incisions hurt. He mostly lies on his back when sleeping. He tries to lie on his side, but then his incisions hurt, so he returns to his back. I don't know what causes the burning. 

Your continued prayers are appreciated. 

Recovery Continues - Day 54

Today was the first Sunday we made it to Sunday School and worship. We had planned it in weeks past, but it didn't pan out. It was nice to be there and to participate in the Lord's Supper as well.

Jim is getting stronger little by little and his voice is stronger as well. More of his preaching voice is returning.

I probably will not be posting daily updates going forward (I didn't post an update yesterday), unless there's something we think you all should know about.

He is still tired, but not as much so.  He still takes a narcotic pain med, but only needs it once a day. He is still having blood drawn .

I still work from home, but plan to start working weekday afternoons in the office beginning this coming Thursday.

Tomorrow we will meet our new grandson, James David Cook, who is to be born mid-morning in Iowa City at UIHC. Continued prayers for our adopted family, Christina, Rocky, Austin and James, appreciated.

Recovery Continues - Day 52

Today is Friday, but it seems like Saturday. Our house guest, Craig, left this morning. I made breakfast - eggs, bacon and toast - for the three of us, and then we took him to the bus depot out by The Eastern Iowa Airport. He is taking the bus to St. Louis and the train to Deming, N.M., with planned arrival at 3:18 p.m. Sunday.

Jim was energetic enough to work on a few projects, but soon tired after cleaning the lawn mower. Mind you, he didn't do any mowing. The Cooks had come over and Rocky mowed. Jim is resting now.

A tiring day - Day 51

Today Jim has been more tired. Perhaps it was all the activity of this week. He was often tired after just a few minutes of doing something and even when watching TV, would fall asleep.
So, outside of the extreme tiredness, he's been fine. No indigestion and no problems with regular bathroom duties.

Clinic Visit - Day 50

Today's Scripture readings were from Psalm 37:4-5.

Delight in Me, the Lord says
Commit your way to Me
Trust in Me.
His desires to become the desires of my heart
as I live in the light of His love
And He will give
And it shall be...
(c) CMOL


This morning Jim had blood drawn at MedLabs. Dr. Butler's office called at 12:40 p.m., with results - INR reading is 2.7. He is to take a 3 mg tab nightly the rest of the week and have it checked again on Monday.

We arrived at UIHC for Jim's 4-week clinic with his surgeon, Dr. Parekh, a few minutes early for our 2:30 p.m. appointment.
Vitals:
weight - 133.6 pounds (without shoes)
blood pressure - 91/53
pulse - 63

Dr. Parekh gave us 10-15 minutes of his time, which is doing pretty good for a surgeon. We were satisfied with the answers he gave to our questions.

When Jim was having problems with severe indigestion late Saturday/Sunday/Monday, June 6-8, and we ended up calling the thoracic fellow on-call at UIHC early Sunday, we were told Jim needed to be on pantoprazole (Jim was on this medicine prior to the May 12 surgery.). The on-call doctor said pantoprazole helps with acid reflux.

Well, Dr. Parekh said Jim didn't need pantoprazole. With the esophagectomy, there should be no heartburn or acid reflux problems. I think he said the glands were taken out that produce acid, so there is no point in taking the medication.

So we asked him about dicyclomine, another medicine taken before but not continued after surgery. Dicyclomine is for irritable bowel syndrome. Dr. Parekh recommended he resume taking it.

Jim asked what he could eat. The on-call doctor said to avoid red sauces because of the acid it produces. Dr. Parekh said it's not the red sauces, but things like bread. He said to avoid high carb and high starch foods. Jim will have to experiment with foods over the next few months to determine what he can or can't eat without getting sick.

And then we asked about AFib, that lovely little problem he acquired after the first surgery, when he was put on Amiodarone and Coumadin. His heart has stayed in rhythm since the second surgery June 11 for the small bowel obstruction and was in rhythm today when checked. Dr. Parekh said to stop the Amiodarone. No need to take that. He also thought there was no need to take the coumadin either, since his heart was in rhythm, but ordered an EKG. Preliminary results showed sinus rhythm normal, but left anterior fascicular block was abnormal - whatever that means. We are to go with whatever the cardiologist thinks, but also said if we wanted to change doctors, we could come to UIHC.

I remember when Jim first started seeing Dr. Li, the cardiologist, on June 22, she said Amiodarone can affect the thyroid and liver and that with longterm use of the medication, side effects increase. My thinking was then why is he taking it?!

Dr. Parekh's nurse, Joan, will fax information to Dr. Li about changes in medication and EKG results. I think I will ask her to also send information to Jim's primary care doctor.

Also, on a side note, the doctor said some of his patients have lost as much as 30 to 40 pounds with this surgery -- Jim can't afford to lose that much! Pray he stops losing and starts gaining.

Jim is to come back in October for his three-month checkup.

Jim was able to produce No. 2 before bedtime.

A step forward, a step back - Day 49

Yesterday was a step back. Today appears to be a step forward. 

Jim went to bed with a headache, and after listening to the thunderstorm and watching the lightning flash across the sky for a while, we fell asleep.  When he woke at 7 a.m., he didn't have a tummy ache and he could do No. 1 of bathroom duties.  He hasn't felt sick all day. 

My devotional reading said to not worry about what was on the road up ahead, but to find your security in knowing Him. 

Jim's devotional reading was from 1 John 4:10, which says "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 

His thoughts ....

It is through joy and grace that one can experience Jesus' love that cannot ever be filled up but always overflows. This is indeed true love he has for us and you. Think about it for a moment -- His love cannot ever be exhausted -- His love is powerful! His love is everything. His love is greater than all of the stars in the heavens that cannot be counted. But the greatest fact of His love is it is free. All one has to do is to accept it by faith in the Lord Jesus as a free gift. Now there is no other love by which we are saved.

I worked till 1:30 p.m., then we had fun times with Austin until around 4. His mom had her last OB appointment before baby James David is born.

We went to Bever Park to see the animals - it is really a sad state of affairs at Old MacDonald Farm, nothing like when I was a kid or even when my nephew was young - of course, even that was nearly 20 years ago. I should have stayed with my memories and forgone revisiting it.

But Austin had fun ...and then on to the playground and later to a Splash Pad on 42nd Street NE. We took pictures - Jim took them all, because he was into sitting, and I was into playing. I'll try to post some of those pictures later. Jim was ready to go home and rest in the recliner.

Tonight Jim and I are going to the Voices of Hope Concert at New Covenant Bible Church. We invited our friends Bob and Lorraine and they accepted and then they offered to drive. Mighty nice of them.

Tomorrow morning Jim has blood drawn again to see if INR readings have dropped. Then he has a 2:30 appointment - his 4-week clinic visit with Dr. Parekh, his surgeon, at UIHC.

SEE SOME OF THE PHOTOS OF OUR OUTING WITH AUSTIN, TAKEN BY JIM 

A step forward, a step back - Day 48

Jim woke intermittently, beginning at 2 a.m. I thought it should have been later. We finally got out of bed at 7 a.m. He said his tummy felt okay. No BM, but he did have gas. He wondered if discontinuation/completion of the antibiotic for urinary tract infection had anything to do with  why he couldn't do No. 1. He had been able to go on his own for a few days prior to Sunday, but then on Sunday, he couldn't do much - on his own or using the catheter. Today, it remained the same.

He had blood drawn today at MedLabs, then went to Klauer Optical to see what could be done about his buried contact - the contact was removed and he is to rest the eye, putting the contact in later today or possibly tomorrow.

While at Klauer, I called his friendly urologist's office to see if his appointment with Dr. Logan Hoxie on July 14 could be sooner. We are waiting for a call back to see if that is possible. The urology appointment has been rescheduled for Thursday, July 9, at 8 a.m.

We had like 30-35 minutes to get to Lemstone Christian bookstore, which is closing its doors Tuesday, because its owners were retiring. This is the first time we'd been able to get there all month and there wasn't much left, but we did find some good buys. Items were 50 percent off.

And then off to the dentist to get a permanent filling on the tooth that was repaired with root canal on May 4 and to do a cleaning. Jim still has another tooth that needs pulled, but that appointment hasn't yet been rescheduled.

Today's devotional reading had to do with anxiety and how we should and should not handle it.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)

My writings ...

Anxiety looms
and dooms us
Can I handle it?
Don't ask
Forget the me in you,
my child.
Focus on Me,
My Presence in you
for I AM with you always
and it is through Me
you are strengthened.

The question
to ask
is not
what you can handle
but instead,
what you and I
can handle
together

for without Me
you are weak

without Me
fear and uncertainty and anxiety
are your compass

Focus on Me
Be aware of Me
Remind yourself
of My Presence
with you always

You, My child,
and Me, your Lord and Savior,
we can accomplish great things
when we do it Together.
(c) CMOL

Dr. Butler's office called with INR readings, which are up quite a bit, at 4.7. Jim is not to take any coumadin tonight or Tuesday night and then have a recheck Wednesday morning.

In today's mail, we received a bill from Area Ambulance Service - for $1,102.31. Wow!
We received a letter from them as well indicating Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield will send payment directly to us and we in turn pay the ambulance service. I hope there are no issues.