Onward we go - Day 130

As Jim gets better (still has occasional dizziness and gaining weight is a very slow process), I have gone the opposite direction, trying to get out from under so much that is keeping me feeling rather poorly.

We enjoy the time God has allowed us to be at Wilton Baptist Church. We don't know how long that will continue, being the congregation does have need of full-time pastoral leadership.  During September Jim has preached there the 6th and will again the 20th. He is hopeful for following weeks as well as he already has sermon ideas. We plan to visit some of the folks in the hospital or recuperating at home in coming weeks.

In thinking of all the places where we have served and of all the events of this past year, I jotted down this prayer request -- "To be sent wherever God leads. To be used wherever needed. To recognize needs. To be open to staying places and filling roles for however long the Lord desires. To have those who desire our aid to be open, not hiding, not pretending, not being false or fake."

Jim was rather listless over Labor Day weekend. He has watched the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon for years - last year it was on TV only 3 hours and this year, not at all.  He didn't quite know what to do with himself. On Monday, Sept. 7, he remembered a DVD he put together last year from episodes that were on youtube.com and watched it.

AWANA at Immanuel began Wednesday, Sept. 2 - we started coming Sept. 9, bringing grandson Austin to participate in Cubbies, the preschool class, to learn about Jesus. I go in to work earlier and get off by 5:30 so we can all get to church on time and have supper too.

We took our second mini-trip to Northeast Missouri (LaGrange and Hannibal) Sept. 12-14, and it was enjoyable as always. We stopped at HLG and visited with Jim's friend, Ray Carty, who is vice president of something (LOL). He gave us a personal tour of the new science building that opened the end of August. We bought gas in Hannibal for $1.99, a huge decrease from the $2.29 we paid in Cedar Rapids before heading south.

On Tuesday, Sept. 15, Jim got a flu shot at HyVee Drug Town, and it apparently made him very tired, as he slept much of the afternoon, and we both went to bed early that night.

On Thursday, Sept. 17, Jim and I and Christina and our grandsons, Austin and James, went to Waterloo to attend the Cattle Congress fair. We weren't sure how the day was going to end up, being it was raining in Waterloo in the morning, then raining here and still raining when we headed north at noon. Fortunately, the rains stopped and the skies remained dry, although a little cloudy, the rest of the day and into early evening. We saw lots and did lots of things, everybody (except James) got in lots of walking ... and Jim has more stamina ... and I think Austin had fun. I'll include some photos at the end of this post.

Today is Saturday, Sept. 19. A nice sunny day, a bit on the cool side, but considerably better than Friday's downpour. This morning Jim and Rocky worked for an hour or two on cleaning the garage -it's a vast improvement.  Jim printed off his sermon - 11 pages - guess God gave him much to talk about!  His message for Sunday is "Be All You Can Be" and Scripture is I Peter 1:10-16.

 Upcoming appointments: 

• Friday, Oct. 23 - 3 p.m., Jim meets with Dr. Bailin, a cardiologist at UIHC, for a second opinion re: use of coumadin for surgery-related afib.

• Tuesday, Oct. 27 - 10:30 a.m., Jim has colonoscopy with Dr. Gerke at UIHC

• Friday, Oct. 30 - 9:30 a.m., Cathy meets with Dr. Gerke re: digestive issues begun Aug. 5

Photos taken at Cattle Congress in Waterloo: 

Improvements continue - Day 115

How the days fly by ... 115 days now since Jim's cancer surgery.  He is getting stronger and he does not have as many dizzy spells.  Perhaps the Coumadin is more agreeable to his system  -  he has been taking it for nearly 4 months.  But of course he still has the lower than normal blood pressure.  We have not yet heard  from UIHC re: seeing a cardiologist there for a second opinion.

Tuesday, Sept. 1, was a tiring day  -  probably all those pain pills he took following oral surgery  -  so he slept, and when he wasn't sleeping,  he worked on his sermon.

Wednesday, Sept. 2, was the first night for Awana at church and they were offering a group for grandson Austin's age group  -  Cubbies.  We were hoping to take him, however, a few things prevented that ....

One, my sister, Helen's mother-in-law, Lorraine Snell, passed away on Sunday, and we decided to go to the visitation Wednesday after I got off work.

Two,  I had a sore on my right hip area that opened during the day.  So after visitation, we went to Urgent Care in Marion.  The doctor diagnosed it as a yeast infection, possibly a result of the antibiotics I have been on since Aug. 27 (for digestive issues) and the heat.  I have a cream to use twice a day.  After the first day, I noticed improvement.  But just because it is better doesn't mean I'm to stop taking it.  (On a side note, re: the digestive concerns, my primary doctor is working on getting me an appointment with Dr. Gerke,  the gastroenterologist at UIHC.)

Jim was really feeling better on Wednesday  -  he made meatloaf, mashed potatoes and veggies and homemade rolls (partially using the bread machine) for supper that night.

Jim will be preaching this Sunday at Wilton Baptist.  He has prepared a Labor Day message, "Laborers for Christ,"  taken from Ecclesiastes 5:18-20  and I Corinthians 3:8-10.  Communion will follow.

We are planning a 3-day trip to Northeast Missouri Sept. 12-14,  but  it may have to be postponed. We'll find out on Thursday, Sept. 10.  A co-worker's mother-in-law is having a procedure done in Indiana that day to shock her heart back into rhythm.  She has a heart condition and also cancer, and the cardiologist apparently won't allow the surgeon to operate until her heart is stable.

Prayers for that situation and for Jim and of course, probably me too, are very much appreciated.

God is good all the time -- Days 110-111

Sunday, Aug. 30, was Day 110.  We had a good night's sleep, most beneficial, especially when it is a day you are to deliver God's message to His children.  We hadn't been at Wilton Baptist since March 15, but were finally able to return today.  It was such a blessing for us and for them to see each other after such a long absence.  These are among the many who prayed for us, sent cards and visited while Jim was in the hospital.

Jim's message, from Hebrews 10:19-39, was "Are you a FAT Christian?" - FAT stands for Faithful,  Available and Teachable.

His sore throat, a result of summertime allergies, remained with him, although as he continued preaching, his voice got stronger.

A potluck was held after the service.  Such a tasty meal.  Afterward we were both ready for naps, but only one of us had the opportunity.  I drove back home and Jim, tired from preaching and eating, slept from Tipton to Cedar Rapids.

We are returning next Sunday, Sept. 6.  Jim is planning a Labor Day message, plus we will have communion.

Wilton reminds us of Immanuel, especially its friendliness.

Today is Monday, Aug. 31 - Day 111. Jim has oral surgery this afternoon to remove a molar, after complaining of left jaw pain on May 26.   His dentist said his left lower molar was internally dying and needed to be pulled.  It is good the pain of the first few days decreased and there has been no pain for months. The pain came after the tooth was pulled. From about 3:30 to 10 p.m., there was bleeding. He used gauze and moist tea bags to try to get it to stop and at one point, called the dentist, who said if things were not better in the morning, to come in and they'd have a look. He took hydrocodone Acetaminophen for pain.

Dr. Butler's office called. Jim's INR (blood drawn Saturday morning) level is 2.6. He is to continue on the Coumadin for 4 weeks, then have blood drawn again.

God is good, so good, all the time, even during those times we fail to see His goodness. 

Updates: Days 96 - 109

Sunday, Aug. 16, was Day 96.  Jim preached at First Federated Church in Lisbon for the third week in a row. Then we were told someone else would be coming Aug. 23 and it was unknown about Aug. 30. When we received a call from the church in July and again after the first service on Aug. 2 when we met with the pulpit committee, we were only told to let them know if we could not come.

Don't know what that is/was all about, but of course God does. Have to let Him control the reins and lead us in the way He would have us go.

So we called Ron at Wilton Baptist. Jim has preached there before, off and on, since last fall, and had called Ron in July letting him know he would be available to preach by August. Ron had called earlier in August asking, but by then, we were committed to First Federated. So we called him back, since we had August dates open. We were invited to come Aug. 30.

Thursday, Aug. 20, was Day 100.   Today was a day of rest. Jim went to the pet store and got dizzy just getting out of the car. He spent most of the afternoon sleeping.

Wednesday, Aug. 26, was Day 106.  Jim worked in earnest on his sermon for this coming Sunday. His message will be "Are you a FAT Christian?" FAT stands for Faithful, Available and Teachable. Scripture is from Hebrews 10:19-39.

Thursday, Aug. 27, was Day 107.  Jim had an early morning appointment with his cardiologist, Dr. Li, at PCI. His blood pressure was 80/46 and his weight, 132.3 pounds. His weight seems to fluctuate within a pound every time he sees any doctor. Who knows what his real weight is. Also had an EKG. He told Dr. Li he wanted to get off Warfarin/Coumadin. Her recommended alternatives to being off the blood thinner was to monitor blood pressure and pulse rate daily.

Side effects Jim has from taking the Warfarin/Coumadin are dizziness and lower blood pressure. Dr. Li said it is rare for Coumadin to lower BP. She suggested drinking more water (60 ounces verses the 24 ounces he currently drinks - and that is more than he has ever drank!) or gatorade and increasing salt intake would help to raise his BP.  She said the dizziness could possibly be prevented if he moved his legs up and down before walking.

We both believe the Coumadin is the primary cause of these problems. He didn't have dizziness before taking it and his blood pressure was usually in the 90s to 100s, never as low as 80 or less.

Dr. Li said we could get a second opinion. Jim told her no, it wasn't necessary, but when we talked later, he said he was going to looking into it down at UIHC in Iowa City. We are currently waiting for a return call on a referral.

Thursday evening, after I got off work, we had dinner with a friend, Joan. Jim took care of her husband, Bill, more than 8 years ago when he worked for St. Luke's Home Care / Hospice. It was a very enjoyable evening.

Saturday, Aug. 29, was Day 109.  This morning when Jim woke up he complained of a sore throat. His voice has been deeper in the last couple days and apparently his throat was somewhat sore during the week, but this morning it was more bothersome. At first we thought he had developed a cold. But then I remembered his allergies were not just seasonal, but also mold and mildew (which is present indoors and outdoors) and we have been around mold much of this week.

Since he had to go to MedLabs to have blood drawn  (he has to stop Coumadin today because he's having oral surgery on Monday), I suggested he also stop at Urgent Care in Hiawatha. The result of that visit indicated he didn't have a cold or strep throat, but allergies. Allergies that cause sore throats, as mold and mildew can. So he has two meds - Flonase nasal spray and a mouthwash that he says tastes awful. Worse than the hot tea (Throat Coat) with slippery elm, licorice, etc., with a teaspoon of honey in it that I gave him this morning. He says the Flonase appears to be helping.

Our prayers are for answers to the Coumadin issue, getting that second opinion, getting necessary rest, gaining weight and more strength in body and voice.

Day 95

I sometimes think, albeit wrongly, the road traveled is ours alone. No one knows the trouble I / we've seen, and perhaps that is true, but we all have known trouble, for God said it would be so. From the days when Adam and Eve lived in the Garden and chose their own way over obedience to the Lord, trouble has been a constant.

This morning I reviewed previous posts ...

• Today Jim commented his right elbow hurt. It has hurt before, not constantly, but now and then. The last time he mentioned it that I noted it was a month ago on July 15. Before any of the surgeries he complained of it too and his primary physician called it tennis elbow.  Who knows why it hurts. When sleeping, he keeps his arm on a pillow and that helps.

• The dizziness continues. That has been a bother since May 22 -- 10 days after his cancer surgery. Getting up from bed, from the chair, from the floor or just turning around can bring on dizziness. He has mentioned it to countless medical personnel, and although it is listed as a side effect of taking Warfarin (Coumadin),  no one seems to think it is any big deal. NOTE: Jim acquired AFib as a result of the May 12 surgery; his heart did not return to normal sinus rhythm until June 11, the day of his bowel obstruction surgery.  

•  In conjunction with the dizziness is the abnormally low blood pressure. Jim has always had a low BP, and when we first married, both of us had the same systolic reading at 110 (I don't remember what the lower number was). For the last 15 years or more, his readings have been in the 90s/50s. However, since starting on the Coumadin, his BP has been much lower, with the lowest reading taken at 68/30.  Of course Coumadim can't be the culprit. It doesn't cause low blood pressure -- that's what we hear!
  
  Just because these side effects are not common does not mean they should be buried and not considered at all.
   
• The tiredness remains. He needs to be mindful that recovery will take months, not just days or weeks. Often he will discover what his mind wants to do, his body is just not able. He needs to sit and rest. He thinks because he can drive again, he can go anywhere and do anything, but that isn't quite true. It was a blessing when we learned Ormal, Pat and Mike Williams were driving to Anamosa Wednesday morning to attend Art Baker's funeral service and that there was room for Jim. If Jim had gone by himself, the exhaustion he felt would have been much worse. As it was he slept much of the afternoon.
  
  Along those lines, I do wish he would be more specific of how he is feeling ... instead of  "just tired." 

Tomorrow, Aug. 16, will be week 3 at First Federated Church in Lisbon. It is a conservative Bible-preaching church with a small congregation, mostly age 50 and older.  Jim's sermon the Lord has given him is "The Blood of Jesus" from I Peter 1:17-25. Please pray for strength of body and voice.

Day 92

Jim is getting stronger, although still has moments of extreme tiredness and times when he doesn't sleep well through the night. The dizziness remains with him as does the lower than normal low blood pressure. So until one of his doctors believe his report that the coumadin is causing this (he didn't have dizziness and extra low blood pressure before he started taking this new medicine), it appears he is stuck with it.

Jim is back to cooking. On Saturday, Aug. 8, he froze 7 ears of sweet corn. When his sister came to visit on the 3rd, she brought a dozen big ears. We made our way through 5 ears and then decided we'd be tired of them before we got through the whole dozen. I suggested freezing them. So Jim did that while I did Gazette work. We should probably get some more, so we can have some this fall.

On Sunday, Aug. 9, Jim preached his second sermon at First Federated Church in Lisbon. It is not non-denominational, but rather Evangelical Bible. His message, taken from Hebrews 13: 7-16, was "Praise Be To God." We will be returning there in an interim role until the Lord determines otherwise.

For a couple years now we have talked about re-painting the garage door and other areas that needed it. On Tuesday, Aug. 11, it was finally accomplished through the efforts of Rocky and Christina. It was a busy afternoon, with the whole family here, working and playing.

Here are some photos:

Rocky and Christina painting first coat on garage door

 

Rocky and Jim scraping the trim by the front door; Austin is playing

Papa Jim (James) holding his adopted grandson and namesake, James

                                     

Papa Jim and firstborn adopted grandson Austin being silly 

The newly painted garage door. Looks great!  

On Wednesday, Aug. 12, Jim decided to buy some new jeans. For years he has worn size 33x36 or 34x36, but since he has lost so much weight since his May 12 surgery, he is now down to a 32x34. 

Day 87

Jim had his blood drawn this morning and although I don't know what his INR level was, he doesn't have to return to the lab for another drawing for a whole month! The exception is when he has oral surgery Aug. 31 - he has to stop taking Coumadin two days before and have blood drawn the day before. Otherwise, he will continue taking 4 1/2 mg Coumadin nightly until further notice.

Opportunities - Day 85

Today was my first full day at The Gazette office -- Jim took me and then drove to Central City to see Waldo, his hospice client. He has been visiting with him via phone since May. This is only the second day Jim has driven by himself.

Yesterday, Aug. 4, Jim had his consultation with Dr. Morio at Morgan & Morio Oral Dentistry re: pulling #18 molar. That event is now scheduled for Aug. 31. 

We have been attending Vacation Bible School this week at Immanuel.  Yesterday, just before supper we received a call from First Federated Church in Lisbon. It is non-denominational I think. They would like Jim to continue preaching - just to let them know when we wouldn't be available. What a journey the Lord has put us on this year. Up and down. And what a learning experience in faith and trust. 

We have 4 1/2 cases of Osmolite 1.2 cal nutrition drink that will be making its way to southern Illinois this weekend via friend Marla. She is taking it for possible use by her brother, Gene, who is battling stomach and esophageal cancer. If he's unable to use it and no one else is in need of it, she'll bring it back to us.

Doctor's visit - Day 83

Today Jim had an appointment with his primary care physician, Dr. Butler. His BP remains on the low side, at 74/44, but his weight appears to be increasing. Fully dressed, he weighs 135, so I'm guessing without his shoes, he's probably at 132 to 133 pounds. Up is so much better than down.
His INR from Friday's blood draw was 1.4, so he's to take 4.5 mg nightly and be rechecked on Friday.

Dr. Butler and one of his nurses said coumadin (warfarin) does not cause low blood pressure or dizziness, but Jim and I have both read articles where low blood pressure and dizziness can be side effects of taking it.

A link on EHealthMe may be found here: Could Warfarin Sodium cause Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension)?

His blood pressure was low before taking Coumadin, but not this low. And he did not have dizzy spells before either.

Jim's sister, Dianne, who lives in Ankeny, spent the afternoon with us. We had a picnic at Ellis Park, enjoying foil dinners of hamburger, potato, carrots, onion and zucchini. For dessert, we had sweet and goey smores, with those giant marshmallows. It was such a splendid afternoon, low 80s, no humidity.

Updates - Day 81

More than a week has passed, being my last post was July 23, nine days ago.

On Friday, July 24, we received a call from First Federated Church of Lisbon re: pulpit supply. We learned the congregation's former pastor was let go because they could not continue to financially support him, and so were looking into other avenues. Hence, Jim was asked to preach Sunday, Aug. 2, and possibly future Sundays.  The worship service begins at 10:30 a.m. Jim's message is "The Knowledge of Salvation" and is taken from 1 John 5:10-21. When we returned this past Friday, July 31, from the Cedar Falls Bible Conference (CFBC), two of the 13 phone messages were from members of the church. One of them was an invitation to join them for dinner after the service.

We began 10 days of vacation on Sunday, July 26 (6 days off work). That day, before getting out of bed, we prayed the Lord would help us finish packing and be on the road by 9:30. We got that accomplished - the car was packed by 9:20 and we were on the road by 9:25! The morning service at the CFBC started at 11 and we arrived at 10:35.

Dizziness continued to be a daily problem through the week, but fortunately, it did not last long. He also had two episodes of indigestion after the evening meal - possibly because of either eating too fast or too much - but after a few hours, the problem subsided.

We stayed in a 2-story building called The Retreat Center, but it is like dormitory-living, and updating the mattresses is a slow process. So our room, with a double bed, had a very thin mattress, which made for rather sore backs.  The best part of our stay in the building is the fellowship. This is our third year to stay there and are among 11 residents. All of us are repeat attendees to the conference - I have been coming since 1989 or 1990 and Jim many years before that. Seven of us live in the Cedar Rapids/Marion area. Everyone brings their own food and also shares with others.

There was only one day (Tuesday, July 28) when the weather was very wet and very cold, which made the air-conditioning in the Tabernacle (events center) and at The Retreat Center seem even colder. Sweaters and sweatshirts were the garb of choice most of the time.

We enjoyed renewing friendships, making new friends and visiting with family - we had lunch with Jim's aunt Effie on Thursday, eating at the Golden China restaurant near where she lives.

Early on Friday morning, July 31, Jim complained of pain on his right side, so he moved to his back. He complained of the same early the next morning. We plan to wait and see if there are more episodes and if so, to possibly call the on-call thoracic fellow at UIHC to see if there is something to be concerned about.

We so enjoy going to the Bible Conference every year and are glad the Lord enabled us to do so this year. It runs for a full 7 days, Sunday to Sunday, and everything is accomplished through love offerings/donations. This year was their 94th year. I generally sing in the choir and this year was no different.

My chief complaint for the week was soreness - sore hip, sore thigh, sore low back, sore legs, sore shoulder, making balance issues front and center. Holding onto Jim's arm was of considerable help. I often wondered if I should return to using my cane or at the  very least, visit my doctor.

Our bunny, Bandy, stayed home during the week, and let it be known he was not happy we were gone. His aunt Jani came over nightly to take care of him and he was so contankerous - he refused to let her pick him up.

On Monday, Jim visits his primary care doctor, and then that afternoon, his sister, Dianne, is coming from Ankeny for a visit. On Tuesday, he finally sees Morgan & Morio Oral Surgeons for a consultation visit regarding another molar that needs to be pulled.