Living In Grace

Prayers Please

There is an urgent need for prayer over at Heather's.

If you could click here and let her now you're standing with them.

Could you, would you ...

... hop over here and leave a few words of comfort and encouragement?

Thanks so much.

Speak Peace

As we end this week, and move onto a new one, my spirit is heavy and my heart aches. I'm afraid, and am fighting hard not to face it. Reality and the unknown collide in this place of uncertainty and possibilities.

Lord, I need you to calm the raging tides that are threatening my sanity. I know I'm not alone in this pool of frustration and fear. Give us all strength and peace to take it one step at a time. Help me remember you've ordained all this from the beginning, so none of this is news to you. Mend my heart. Hedge my family.

Caught up in a place
I thought I’d never be
Fear and isolation
Have got a hold on me
I struggle with the silence
Waiting desperately
Will you
Would you

Speak peace
Speak peace
Speak peace to me
I am weak
Oh, Jesus, speak
Speak peace to me

I don’t know how much longer
I can carry this pain
I need You more than ever
To get me through this thing
I’m past the point of breaking
It’s more than I can take
Will you

Speak peace
Speak peace
Speak peace to me
I am weak
Oh, Jesus, speak
Speak peace to me

- Ginger Millermon

Recovery

Between pain pills for her and checking on her every 30 minutes for me ... It's been a long night, and even longer day around here... but she's doing much better.

Sleep in a good thing around here right now.

Especially when tradition dictates that when someone is sick, everyone drags their mattresses out to the living room for a family care session :)

Thanks everyone, for your prayers.

I hope to be back in regular mode soon, once things settle down around Casa de Living Grace.

My Baby Girl Has A Booboo

We just got back from a day at the dentist. Kati broke her tooth, to the point the they had to surgically extract what was left.

And get a bone graft.

And she'll need an implant.

Which takes a whole, stinking year to get done - step by step.

She's in alot of pain, and trying to eat so we can medicate her and put her to bed.

She's abit freaked about the whole implant process :

First, we wait 6 months for the bone graft to grow...

Second, they will drill a metal pole thing into the bone graft...

Next, we wait 6 more months for that to "take...

Then, finally- they will put a crown on the pole in the graft.

(and the green grass grows all around, all around and the green grass grows all around).

Ahem.

Can you be praying for my baby girl?

She has alot of pain and a doozy of an infection in her jaw.

We also need to find an oral surgeon who's on our plan, not 4 hours away in Phoenix or Los Angeles (we had to drive 2 hours just to find a dentist on our plan) and will work with us on the after-insurance costs- with a smile on his face and a song in his heart :) 

A perfect ending to a perfect week.

Prayer Requests

Here. For the safe return of a missing son.

Here. For the safe, uneventful birth of a new child tomorrow.

Here. For a successful surgery, and speedy recovery and peace of mind.

Here and here. As two hearts continue to adjust to a new place.

Here. As a young man, and his family, begin a new path.

Here. As a sweet gherkin continues her fight.

Here. A young warrior continues his fight.

Here. A devoted wife and mother contiues her fight.

Could You Be Praying?

There are conversations you never want to have with your kids. Today, we had to have one of those conversations with Kati.

Our kids belong to a relatively small youth group here. There are about 50 kids that belong, from 7th to 12th grade. While at work yesterday. one of John's customers came in. His daughter belongs to the same youth group, and had been notified that one of the boys in their group had committed suicide after a fight with his dad. From what we understand, his father found him when he got home from work.

Kati is completely torn up about the whole thing, and I'm sure they will address it a t youth group tonight.

When I was in high school, three of the guys from our choir played Russian Roulette, with deadly consequences. I can still remember the impact it had on all of us our senior year. Kati is a really sensitive, loyal friend and her heart is just broken.

We don't know what his relationship was with God; we do know only that the family was heavily involved in the church. The parents and family must be devastated beyond words. I can't imagine.

Would you all be praying for the family, our church, the high school, the youth group? We are in a relatively small, isolated town. Things like this will hit really hard.

Time to Lift Up

Many of you have been praying for the Farley family.  Today, Copeland went home to be with her Saviour.  Would you please go over and leave a comment of support for her family?

Quick Update

Hey, hey peeps!

It's been abit quiet around Case de la Pasteurella ... sorry about that. I've been really wiped out the last few days, so I've taken the opportunity to just rest. Lots of naps, going to bed early and laying down watching TV. Let's hear it for DVR! I'm trying really hard to rest up so I'm on my feet next week when our family arrives from out of town. We only have three days with them, and want to make each moment count.

In medical news, we have located the Infectious Disease guy. What a nightmare- but, now hopefully my doctor will be able to get the info form him needed to ensure I get over this quickly, and most importantly, completely. I'm still fighting a cold and cough (sorry for all the hacking on the phone today Shalee), but this too shall pass.

Otherwise, it's business as usual. Trying to get great dialysis, get over the anemia and rest. Rest, rest, rest.  On a good note, mom and Sandy are having someone come in the day before they get here and do a top to bottom clean on the house. Woohoo! What a gift! I can't keep up with it and the cleaners really get to me, and the kids are fully immersed in school now and electives start in two weeks. So, needless to say, they have a full load, too.

Well, that's abit it from here. Thank you for all your cards, phone calls, emails and everything. It's such a huge, huge blessing :)

Good, Great, EXCELLENT News! *Updated*

*Updates:

• My blood counts just came back. My red counts are back down again. So, at least it explains why I'm so tired and crabby. Epogen is my friend. Transfusions are not.


• I finally made a call to the attending nephrologist that saw me in the hospital last week to try and get the name of the Infectious Disease guy. He won't talk to me. He's evidently still bent that I wouldn't agree to surgery and hemodialysis or staying in the hospital for absolutely no reason an extra 5 days, just because he said so. So now, on Monday we'll call the attending Internist that was in charge of the case, and see if he knows the name of the ID guy. Then we'll call him, and have him call my team in Phoenix. And then? I'll take a long nap.


• And the really good news? The insurance just informed us they approved 2 days in the hospital. I was there 4. Yet another dragon to slay Monday.

Happy, happy, joy, joy.

But, I'm home and frankly at this point, that's all that matters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finally, finally got a call from my nephrologist. We never did hear from the Infectious Disease guy (ugh) so he did his own research.

At this point, I'll stay on both antibiotics indefinitely. I'll need blood-work every other day to make sure my levels stay out of the toxic range (no biggie, it gets me out).

But, and it's a BIG but ... if my dialysis bags stay clear I won't need to have surgery.

YEAH!

We will re-test my bags each week for signs of pasteurella. The plan is we should see weaker and weaker showings each time.

I will still have to be extra vigilant about exposure to alot of things, but for now the pets stay (although we cage everyone before we set up dialysis) and by next week if my blood counts are up and my white counts are down, I can leave the house for short periods of time. If I stay level, I can work up to longer times out and about!

This is great because mom and Sandy are due here the 2nd of next month and we really want to take a day trip to Sedona and show them around.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get back on the list for transplant in a few months. The last thing we can do is think about that while this silly bug is living well inside me.

So the current plan is continue on both antibiotics, gets lots of sleep (I'm taking 3-4 hour naps every day) and get better. Oh, and stay out of the hospital - cause that is no place to get a bit of rest.