Stop, Breathe, Pray
6/29 Update:
It’s hard to collect my thoughts and write out a summary of what is going on, when everything I know is pretty much second hand information. I can’t see David, I’ve only spoken with him a couple of times, and the majority of information I’ve gotten is from his nurse, over the phone. This is such a hard time to be sick. I know how much my heart is aching right now, and I know so many other families are in this same position, where their loved one is sick and they just have to wait, never knowing 100% what is going on. On that note, though… David’s nurses and doctors have been so patient and so kind to answer my questions, and to get him set up on the phone to talk with me. I know this isn’t an easy time for our healthcare workers either, and it means so much to me that they are taking the time to make sure I know as much as possible about David’s care and try to connect me to him, when able.
So David’s Covid test results aren’t back yet, so unless urgently needed, all his scans are put on hold until those results come back. They are expecting those results any time now, so hopefully by morning they will have them and can move forward with his care.
His sodium levels are low. This is something he’s been struggling with since January, so I’m not surprised by this. They are working on slowly raising it (if they do it too fast, it could cause swelling in his brain). The doctors that are working on that are from the same office as his nephrologist, so there’s some comfort there, knowing that they can consult with his doctor easily enough.
He hasn’t had any other seizure-like activity, so that’s a relief that the meds they started him on are doing their job. They do believe that his seizure was caused by the leptomeningeal disease… which is frustrating, but not surprising.
I spoke with David twice today. This morning he was sounding a little better, but still quite confused. It’s hard to hear that over the phone and wonder if he understands why I can’t be there with him. Tonight he sounded even better, so that’s really encouraging. He still wasn’t totally clear in his thinking, but he was able to follow our conversation better and give me details from his day.
David’s radiation oncologist plans to see him tomorrow. Even though he isn’t under any treatment from her right now, after getting my update on him, she said she would be willing to go visit him and assess how she believes he is doing. This is a HUGE relief to me. As much as I appreciate everything the doctors and nurses are doing for David right now, they are still just meeting him. They know his history through his chart, but they don’t KNOW him. She’s been with us on this journey since December and I have so much peace in knowing that she will be able to get me a true feel for how he’s doing. SUCH a blessing!!!
As of right now, we are looking at a couple more days in the hospital, at a minimum. I hate being away from David this long, but I know he’s being watched over and I’m praying that he is able to get the healing rest he needs while he’s there. It’s encouraging that every time I speak with him, he’s sounding better, I pray that this continues in these upcoming days and that he gets discharged in even better condition than he was this past week.
To be honest, right now I have now idea how this set back is going to effect our plan with Houston. I’m praying it’s just a hiccup and it could delay it, but not cancel it. That’s a bridge that we will have to cross later, though.
This journey continues to show us again and again, that we only have today that we should concern ourselves with. Many times it’s not even a full day that I can focus on, but rather a moment. One moment at a time. There’s been so many times that I’ve just had to stop, breathe and pray. God knows how badly I’m hurting right now. He knows how much I miss my husband. He knows how the one person I long to be comforted by, is the one person that I can’t see right now. He knows how my heart is breaking even more when I see my kids missing their daddy and not fully understanding why he can’t come home. God knows all these aches and hurts, and he comforts them. He gives me peace and hope and strength when I focus my eyes on Him and not the chaos and pain going on around me. I am so thankful, above everything else, for my faith. I fully know that it is a gift from God and I can’t imagine going through this without it.
Thank you for caring enough to read these long-winded updates and for always being so willing to encourage, support and pray for us. It is 100% felt by us and we are beyond grateful for the outpouring of love. THANK YOU.
Prayer requests:
-For complete healing of David’s body
-For wisdom for the doctors as they care for David
-For patience, peace and strength for all of us
-For our children
-For all of our faith to grow in this difficult situation
-For joy to be present, despite the circumstances