Passing

Today's theme is Passing.

Passover is today (I think?), when God spared the children of Israel right before His mighty deliverance from Egypt.

This morning, I caught the end of To Kill a Mockingbird on TV, including the immortal moment when everyone stands and the old black man says to Scout, "Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passing."

I am passing gas.

I am also passing through the contrast from yesterday's test.

Therefore, this morning, the doctor passed on the surgery option.

You read right. No surgery today. Hopefully no surgery at all.

The doctor said that my study looked normal. He even showed us the images. Neither he nor the radiologist nor I could see any dilation. Combined with me passing gas and contrast out of my system, he felt like surgery was not necessary for fear of opening me up, running his hands all over my intestines, and finding zilch. We're kind of relieved, since the surgery is a big deal, but also a little nervous that the food trial will yield the same result as last time. We'll take it slow, though, and pray that everything works fine.

Is this what we've been waiting and begging for? After months of prayer coming back seemingly answered with a 'no' or 'not yet', is God saying yes? The only thing that could have stopped the surgery was a clean study, and that's what I got. Will this last, or will it be only a moment of triumph? I don't know, but I'm going to flood God's inbox with e-mails asking that this be the end of my complications. So to speak. I hope you will do the same.

This, too, shall pass.

Pray for:

Successful food trial (no more need for hospitalizations or surgery)

Safe travels for Ashley (who is going back to school for a few days to pick up some much-needed clinical hours)

My release from the hospital by Easter

and thank God that I won't be in surgery in 4 hours as was thought.

The Surgical Option

After 2 weeks of trying to get rid of the bowel obstruction with NPO and an NG tube, it looks like this obstruction won't move without some surgical help. McGreeky ordered a test to be done today, but the resident who put the order in the system put the wrong order in. So, Dan had a GI test that showed part of his bowels, but not the part that is obstructed! I tried to convince the radiologist that McGreeky wanted something else, but he wouldn't budge. Of course, when McGreeky paid them a visit in radiology he changed his tune.

So, we're now waiting for the real test he wanted to be finished. The surgeon really wanted to make sure Dan needs this surgery before doing it, but he is fairly positive that he'll be operating tomorrow. The surgery is scheduled for 3pm tomorrow...but it could go earlier or later depending on the other cases in the OR. Basically, all we know is that sometime tomorrow Dan is having surgery. Considering his last operation took 15 hours, we're thinking this one should be shorter. :)

Prayer is certainly necessary. It is not a complicated surgery, but there are all sorts of things that they could find or that could happen. Obviously, we have no control over that at this point, but we can pray to the One who does have control.

Look for updates tomorrow.

Prayer Requests:
* A safe and successful short surgery...with no complications
* Rapid recovery...with no complications
* Wisdom and skill for the surgeons
* Ability for Dan to eat normal food from here on out without pain or problems
* Peace for the family and me
* Ability for Dan to come home with me very soon
* A night of rest
* NO COMPLICATIONS

Tentative Tuesday

Not much has changed since yesterday. NG is still draining, bowel sounds are still present but quiet, and not much is passing through. On a good note, Dan's belly pain is gone (unless an unruly resident presses too hard).

McGreeky came in and told us he has put Dan on the tentative surgery schedule for Tuesday. He still doesn't want to do surgery, but feels like it's nearly inevitable. The final decision will be made after the results of Dan's GI study (he'll drink some contrast and they'll take x-rays every hour or so to see how far the contrast goes in the small bowel) are seen. The GI study i scheduled to start ASAP today or tomorrow morning, but radiology is pretty slow on Sundays.

We've been told the surgery isn't complicated, but will still involve a new incision in Dan's belly and risk of infection and more adhesions. To date, Dan hasn't had a surgery without complications before, so we're hoping this surgery will be the first quick-healing-no-complication-fix-the-problem-without-making-more-problems surgery.

Obviously, our prayer is that Dan wouldn't need surgery at all, but the requirement for that is for Dan's GI study to be "stone cold normal." Accordingly, that would only be in God's domain of healing. God is powerful and can heal Dan in a second, it's just a matter of whether or not that is in His will to do. We cannot coerce God to do anything, but we can plead and plead until He gets tired of hearing us and grants our request. As there are probably hundreds of people praying everywhere, I'm hoping God is getting close!

Today we wait. My parents are visiting after church to bring me some more food for my "hospital pantry" and just to say hello for a while. Otherwise, we just wait.

Prayer Request:
* Completely normal GI study showing complete resolution of obstruction
* No need for surgery...miraculously
* If surgery: no complications, no infection, no muscle problems, no digestion problems
* A week of healing and successful recovery
* Ability for Dan to go home with me very soon...and not return to the hospital for A LONG TIME
*Lots of encouraging and excellent news to report this week

Alrighty then

After discussing it between ourselves, Ashley and I thought that surgery was a better option than trying to wait out my obstruction only to be obstructed again and need surgery. So we were going to wait for the doctor to come in and let him know how we felt. The only game-changer would be if my morning x-ray looked impeccable.

I did not get a lot of sleep last night. NG tubes do not let you get really comfortable. Just to let you know.

Well the doctor finally came in, fairly late since it was a weekend, and told us that the x-ray looked better, and that he didn't want to operate on someone who was passing gas and other things (that would be me). Well, so much for our opinion. After a long talk with him and him showing us the scans, we decided to give it 'til Monday like we had said last night. The biggest factor was his strong hesitation to do surgery. It is a big deal, and doesn't guarantee no complications. And especially for me in my condition, since I'm not in an ideal state for surgery, he wants to avoid it if possible, and he feels like there is objective data to go with his plan rather than a hunch, which is what our plan was based on. Hopefully this time, it will resolve with no surgery and will STAY that way. The interesting thing is, last night Ashley prayed that the doctor would be strongly opinionated one way or the other; though she was expecting him to be strongly for surgery. We'll see. We'll pray.

Please join us in praying for:

resolution of the obstruction with no surgery (quickly!)

NG out soon and eating soon (as is safe)

wisdom for the doctors

out of the hospital soon, at least by Easter

no more complications EVER

What next?

McGreeky and the team came in a little while ago with CT results. The obstruction is definitely back and not resolving well. Though the doctor doesn't want to have to do surgery, but he feels that the odds of the obstruction healing on its own are getting much smaller. His gut feeling (pun?) is that surgery will be necessary. He's going to do an x-ray in the morning to see how things compare to today, but he is willing to wait until early next week to make a decision.

After they left, Dan and I talked about what he wants. It seems as though we are simply postponing the inevitable. Dan could start to feel better and look better, but the last time that happened, we were surprised by a re-obstruction. Our fear is that that will happen again or that we will always be on the look-out for a recurrence of the obstruction. Dan's life has been put on hold for quite a while now, and he (we) would really like to work toward healing finally.

The surgery is not without lots of risk, especially considering Dan's state of health. It would be a separate incision to reach the distal part of the small bowel. It could be a simple surgery (removal of adhesions or whatever is blocking the bowel) or it could be complicated (resection of any part of the bowel that has become injured or has died). Those things will not be known until surgery has already begun. Additionally, surgeries involving the bowel could cause more adhesions and obstructions. Then, there are the normal surgery risks: infection, pain, malnutrition, etc.

Dan and I need a lot of prayer tonight to help us make a good decision. If surgery has to be done, we would rather it be done tomorrow rather than next week. Yet, there is no way to know whether or not surgery is absolutely necessary. Dan made the point that God could heal him and end this situation, but how long do we wait on God for a miracle? Perhaps, the healing we are seeking from God is coming through the hands of a surgeon. We really don't know.

Please pray that God will be very clear with us. Pray that the surgeon will stew on the situation tonight and make a firm recommendation in the morning. Pray that if surgery is required, it will be successful and the recovery would be smooth this time. Pray that we stay in the safest place in the world: God's will.

Stay tuned. The next few days may be more exciting than we would like.

Second opinion

The gastroenterologist walked in while we were watching Grey's Anatomy (Dan's uncle was on it again last night!). He and the team did a brief history and exam and then gave their opinion...the agree with what McGreeky is doing. It's nice to know that the second opinion is the exact same as the doctor we've been trusting so far.

Basically, the GI doc said it is completely the surgery team's decision regarding surgery. Some people heal and get passed obstructions without surgery, some do not. Looking at Dan's last CT, this doc was almost certain that this is not a medical issue (not paralysis of the stomach or bowels) and could not be fixed with any medications they could prescribe. Accordingly, he feels Dan is best taken care of by the surgical team. He will join McGreeky in looking at today's CT, but feels confident they will concur.

Dan's still working on the CT contrast. Pretty much a champ. After he finishes, he will wait for 90 minutes or so before getting the CT. This will allow the contrast to work its way through his intestines to give the docs the best picture.

Perhaps, this is a 3 update day.

Keep praying!

Out of control

The night went smoothly. We both slept, though I had to get the NG running every now and again. It hasn't put out much since last night, which is encouraging. Some of the belly pain has persisted, but it's gotten better.

McGreeky came in and said he had been expecting to operate on Dan today. Then, he looked at the x-ray from last night and was pleasantly surprised. The bowels are slightly distended, but there is air in the colon, which means things are still getting through. My favorite part of the conversation: McGreeky asked if Dan was passing gas, and Dan answered by doing so in his presence. Ha. (Hospital humor). At this point, the surgeon still doesn't think surgery is necessary. Though, he has warned us that if another trial of NG suction doesn't resolve the obstruction, surgery will be warranted.

Dan is currently giving himself contrast through the NG in preparation for the CT. So long as the CT shows improvement, we wait. Otherwise, this may be a bigger weekend than we would like. Also, the gastroenterologist is coming in eventually (possibly after the CT) to throw his advice in. We're not expecting anything different from the new doctor, but I suppose it won't hurt matters.

This will be another two-update day, though I am hoping the next update is nothing more than "things are looking better." We are definitely not in control of the situation, though God is.

Prayer Requests:
* Complete resolution of bowel obstruction without the need for surgery
* Encouraging news on the CT scan
* Wisdom for the doctors (McGreeky and GI guy)
* Bowel movements and passing of gas (such a weird thing to pray for, I know)
* Disappearance of belly pain
* Ability for Dan and I to celebrate Easter at home
* Peace and confidence in God's control