Stories from the Week & Prayer updates

Hello...so I promised some stories...here you go...buckle up!! I was hoping to get some pictures posted but, again, the day has slipped away.

Thursday and Friday of last week I started feeling much better. I even put a few hours in at work on those days. Slow, but moving. The hard parts were when Steve would make me laugh, I'd have to sneeze, or watching Micah cry because I couldn't pick him up. It is fun having Micah back in the house. He continues to do lap after lap through our living room, dining room, & kitchen. He was always a lap or 2 ahead of me. The weekend was fun with "Uncle Nate & Emily" visiting. Micah quickly remembered them and it was like old times in DeWitt hanging out, watching sports, playing with Micah, and lots of laughs. It was really good to see them again...and hear of all their wedding plans. We're looking forward to their BIG DAY in September.

Monday I went back to work for a full day. Praise the Lord!! It was a little wild with Micah as our Day Care provider's son had a cold so Steve & I did the Micah juggle. I felt so bad at one point because Micah just wanted to sit in his mom's lap...it had been so long since he was able to do that. In the last day we've been able to add that to the list of what I can do. I still CANNOT lift more than 10 lbs. When it comes to putting the big boy in the car seat and bed is when I really struggle with that. I think I've been good at abiding by the rules thus far. Hoping for a good report when I go back to the Dr. Friday.

Thankfully my mom was able to come up for the week to take care of Micah. She's been a big help with him during the days & nights. It's helped Steve get caught up with his coursework & me more time to heal. She's even been able to get some raking done as Micah loves being outside. Tomorrow they're going to tackle the flower beds!

A little update on our friends that you have been praying for:

"Big Micah" goes back in tomorrow for a CTA and further testing. Last week they were able to diagnose a vision disorder which will require pretty intensive therapy. He will also be meeting with several doctors to help determine the best care for his NF and any other health concerns. Please continue to pray for Micah, his parents, as well as the rest of their family.

SuperJoey is in another week of Chemo. Continue to pray for strength & healing for him--as well as strength & endurance for the rest of his family.

Jim--his prostate cancer surgery was extremely successful. They believe they were able to remove ALL of the cancer and it looks like the chances of the cancer returning is 5%! Pray for him as he heals, his wife & daughter, and his recovery as he is looking forward to returning to their work in Mongolia in May!

Thanks for all your prayers for our friends and us! We are truly thankful for them and are amazed in the way God works through us & others. Thanks to our families and friends for all the cards, help, support, flowers, meals, playtime with Micah, and just being the loving arms of Jesus during some crazy times.

Another Tuesday Post

Wow...has it been a week already?!? Thankfully I am doing quite well...of course I'm trying to pace myself and NOT overdo. We have lots of crazy/wild stories from the last week. Because it's closing in on 11pm I should probably go to sleep and fill you in on them tomorrow!

Thanks so much for all your love & prayers...stay tuned for an update tomorrow!
goodnight

Tuesday Night

Yippeee...I'm starting to feel HUMAN again. AND...was able to have some ICE CREAM TODAY! Thank YOU JESUS...it's the little things in life! I got sucked into the DQ commerical for the Midnight Truffle Blizzard and refused to have to sit on the couch and watch it without testing it during another TWINS game! I was careful...only a few bites...and more in the freezer for later! At this rate, a small blizzard could last me a week/month!

Today I made it to work for a little bit to check mail & email. Then home to take a 4 hour nap!! Yikes...I didn't think I could sleep that long in the middle of the day. Steve has been wonderful to take care of me and my family has been fabulous in taking care of Micah. He's had many adventures in the cities: trains, stores, eating out, zoo, visiting family, baseball games, walks outside...he's lovin' it. I miss him terribly however! I can't wait to see his smile, hear his giggle, and give him a little squeeze!!! (emphasis on the little at this stage in the game!)

Thanks for your continued prayers and well wishes...we're makin' it! Pray that I can continue to get stronger and NOT OVERDO!
love...Barb, Steve, & our lil' traveler

Easter Sunday

All turned out ok for a pretty mellow Easter Sunday!
I'm praying the night goes ok as well.

Micah seems to have had a great day with all grandparents and aunts/uncles. Sounds like they kept him busy and we will see how tomorrow goes. Praying he comes back soon as it's been a bit of a quiet house. I was glad he wasn't here when I was trying to keep myself together this morning. A little hard to explain to a 2 year old I think. Now I'm just trying to keep food down and my left shoulder/back from flairing up.

Steve has been taking good care of me...we did have to have a short discussion about watching the Twins game on TV today. I told him that if he was going to get mad if they were losing, we wouldn't be able to watch. He did much better than yesterday. The Twins didn't--but he did!

It was weird to not go to Church on Easter...but we checked out some of the "church channels" and found a few good ones to watch. I offered for him to go to church today but he was afraid to leave me alone...I was glad he stayed. Not sure how I'm doing yet as it varies from hour to hour.

We had a friend stop by with some food today which was awesome. Steve is really liking the variety he's getting. I usually try a few bites but tend to go pretty bland/basic with food. Another fun visit was from my aunt & uncle that were up in the area visiting friends. It was fun to see them...it had been a long time!

After that I crashed for the evening...now it looks like it's time to sleep again. I'm trying to keep food down as my stomach feels a bit qweesy again. Maybe another nap would be best.

Thanks for your prayers, emails & calls...we'll keep you posted!
love...barb, steve & micah

Quiet Saturday ended in the ER

The day got worse...not better. My back had some incredibly sharp pain in it that would wrap around to my shoulder. They recommended we return to the ER...so 10pm there we went. After tests they determined it wasn't anything major...thankfully. They did give me a shot for pain...which helped. So off we went. I slept until about 4am...then woke up and threw up...UGH... so not good when you're trying to hold incisions together!

So...today we're praying for a better day. Looking back, sooooo thankful that Micah went on a mini-vacation.

Thanks for your prayers...laying low today and praying healing & relief come soon.

Happy Easter...Jesus Lives!

It's turned into a Quiet Saturday

Thankfully I was able to sleep again last night. I can't say that afternoon/evening went so well...but we made it. Today I have been laying low...again. For some reason the pain has moved into the left shoulder and back on the left side. Hmmmm. Again, I continue to watch the clock and look forward to keeping on a tight regiment of pain meds...every 4 hours.

One of the toughest parts of today was watching my little boy leave with Grandma & Grandpa for a few days. After much thought and prayer, we thought it best for him & Steve if he takes a little vacation. It would give him a chance to be with his cousins & play with the trains for a few days. It would also free Steve up from trying to take care of both of us for a few days. It might give me a little more time to heal without feeling bad that I can't play with my lil' guy. So...praying I get better quickly and for safety with Micah on his own little vacation. I'm hoping he'll be back on Monday or Tuesday. Time will tell how I'm doing.

Thanks again for your prayers...
Blessings for a Peaceful Easter and a time to bask in the incredible love of Jesus!
Barb, Steve & Micah

Not so Good Friday

As expected...I'm in PAIN. I slept pretty well...just got up one time. Today has been problematic...much pain...so trying to keep up on the pain meds. I've been trying to walk every hour or so...that about does me in, then it's back to the bed. Even sitting on the couch was a challenge...so it was back to propped up in the bed.

My parents and Steve have been awesome at helping. Steve frustrates me at times because he'll do things to make me laugh...not really even trying...and that's brutal. How sad to not be able to laugh.

I felt so horrible this morning when Micah came to me and wanted to crawl onto me. He just doesn't understand what's going on...so he ended up bawling...then I was crying. UGH. I know we are on the road to recovery...but it seems to be a slow one today!

Thank you for your continued prayers.

Today's Surgery..quick version

Thank you JESUS....I was able to experience the "in-n-out" surgery! (Of course I would much prefer the In&Out Burger from SoCal).

As you can tell...I'm a bit drugged. Feeling ok...but word is that tomorrow and Saturday could be a bit dicey. There is much to tell about my day in the Fergus Falls Hospital...but I'll save that for a later time.

Micah had a great day with Grandma & Grandpa. He didn't quite know what to think when Grandpa fell asleep in the recliner. He kept tapping his knee and saying "mom-mom." In fact, he seems to call everyone Mom...except Daddy!

They brought Micah to see me at the hospital...that lasted less than a minute as he wanted to climb on me, so Grandpa took him exploring instead.

A thought to ponder...cobblestones at the hospital entrance/exit in a wheelchair after a surgery?

Thanks for your prayers...we could definitely still use them...especially over the next few days.
Good Friday...here we come!

Barb (the one who's trying to make a constellation with the 4 incisions around her belly)

Thursday's surgery

The time for the surgery has changed a few times. It is now scheduled for 11 am. My parents will come up in the morning and hang out with Micah for a couple days. I am trying to get projects up to date at work so I don't have to worry about that. Getting closer to having the big mailing done so hoping to be able to finish that in the morning before the surgery. I continue to pray it is the "quick & easy" version with no problems. Wouldn't that be Fabulous!?!

Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes...It means a TON to know people are praying. I know it's just a "routine" surgery...but those who have known me for a bit know that things never seem to be "routine" with me.

Happy Early Easter...in case I'm too loopy to remember what holiday it is after the drugs!
Much Love...
Barb

So Long Gall Bladder

UGH...the news we were anticipating has come to pass...I am to have my gall bladder removed on Thursday of this week. I have mixed feelings as I know it will be better in the long run...but the thought of anesthesia & the whole process makes me a lil' nervous. Not to mention the fact that they say I am not to lift more than 10 lbs for at least a month. Micah is 25+. I will also not be able to wrestle with him for the next month. Makes me sad. I love him to pieces & pray this all gets over quickly. I'm not sure how long I will be out of commission but again praying it is quick!

Thanks for your prayers.

No Pictures, but News

I always feel a little guilty posting a message without pictures...but I guess I will do it anyway. So..here's what last week held. Last weekend I was pretty wiped out with what I thought was the finishing touches of a migrane. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday I started to really pinpoint when & what seemed to be making me feel awful. It was everytime I ate. The clincher that made me call the dr. was when I was still sick hours after I ate ice cream. Ice cream RARELY has THAT affect on me! So, to the Dr I went on Wednesday. I didn't eat that day because I was tired of feeling rotten. They took a blood test, then scheduled me for an ultrasound on my stomach Friday. The Dr. was pretty sure it had something to do with my gall bladder. SO.....

Friday I go to the 8am ultrasound. First patient, young ultrasound tech, zig-zagged through the hospital to find it. By the time I got there, I realized it would have been less walking for me to have just walked from Home (we live a block from the Hospital)! After a long time of laying, turning, holding my breath, then we're done. As she's starting to clean the goop off of me, she runs out of towels...so proceeds to use PILLOW CASES to wipe off the gel. Hmmmm...seriously??!! Not too absorbant...and then says, "well, you should get a call from the dr. sometime next week." WHAT???!!

I leave the hospital and immediately call the Dr's office. By the afternoon I am contacted with the results that ther is "sludge" in my gall bladder and my liver levels are up. Hmmmm, they tell me I need to see a surgeon and are able to get me an appointment for NEXT FRIDAY! Ugh, after I get off the phone with them, I'm calling the surgeon to see if they have any earlier openings. By the afternoon I'm getting a return call saying they can take me at 3pm on Monday. So...for those of you who were not along for the ride when I was pregnant with Micah--I had an AWFUL pregnancy...many issues...but Praise the Lord it all worked out. I feel like I've been reliving my days of Cholestasis of Pregnancy where my gall bladder didn't work right and I was on a wicked NO FAT diet. So...the last 5 days have consisted of plain baked potatoes, applesause, fat free english muffins, rice, bananas, and an ocassional instant breakfast drink with FatFree milk. It really wasn't the type of diet I was planning to lose my "Fergus Falls 15" which I feel I've gained since moving here.

Tomorrow we will see what the future holds. I'm recalling the day they did an ultrasound on my gall bladder when I was pregnant and the tech saying..."you'll probably have to have your gall bladder removed some day when this is all over." I think that day is soon approaching. Your prayers would be much appreciated as I'm not sure what is happening, when, or how. Not to mention how all of this will affect me, Steve, & especially Micah.

I know...never a dull moment at our house! We just float from one form of crazy excitement to another!

Otherwise the weekend has been pretty low-key...attempting to make some headway on the laundry and reorganizing some rooms...both of which will fall short of being completed. More time was spent pushing toy trains around a wooden track and being tackled by an almost 2 year old...and I Loved it!!!