Monday - Still Waiting!

Samuel is doing okay. He is not in much pain and sleeps comfortably. We were told they would be taking him back to surgery this afternoon, but now it sounds like they may not do it until tomorrow.  It seems like one of the tubes is out of place.  We haven't heard the results from the blood tests yet. That may take a little longer. We don't really know anything other than they are postponing the surgery another day. Please continue to pray. 

Sunday's Update on Samuel

Samuel is still in the hospital, but his pain is under control and he is able to rest peacefully. We still don't have any answers. During the night he developed a high fever, but it is now under control and they are running cultures to find the cause of the fever. Please continue to pray for good results, continues pain relief and complete healing. We are thinking he will stay at least one more night and probably have another surgery tomorrow. I will post another update when we know more. 

Saturday's Update on Samuel

Samuel is heading to surgery. They are not sure what is wrong. They had a long night in the ER, but were put in a room at 3:45 this morning. They have Samuel on morphine for the pain. We are very frustrated with Memorial Hermann and with Samuel. Apparently Dr. Kozar is not there anymore because no one even knows who we are talking about. One of tubes from Samuel's kidneys hasn't had much of an output on three days and he's never mentioned that at all. He has not been in the best frame of mind the last few weeks, which is why I haven't posted an update. He has definitely been exercising his rights as an adult and doesn't think he needs to listen to us when we feel that he is overdoing it. He hides his pain, but we see him wrenching when he thinks no one is looking. We are now in control of all his meds because he was not taking them right.  He is obviously in deep depression and we are all just trying to hold it together until his big surgery in Baltimore on May 2nd. I think we've been in survival mode for so long that we can't even remember what life was like before the accident and all that followed.  He has been sleeping in a chair in his room for a month now, and says he can't sleep in his bed because of the pain.  I guess in some ways being at the hospital is a blessing because it will force the doctors into re-evaluating his situation and hopefully give us some direction in trying to get him back on the right track. I understand that he just wants his life back, but he is so medically fragile right now that he just can't really be taking any risks. He wants to go to the shows and see his friends, to go the movies with his brothers and sisters, and to teach youth group without being in pain. Unfortunately that isn't happening and his body is telling him to slow down, which in his case might mean stopping for now being that his life is already very slow paced at this time.  The May surgery seems like an eternity to him now, but he has to take care of himself for them to even be able to do surgery then. When Samuel was in STICU, the doctors explained that we may face times like this, especially since he wouldn't have the major surgery until the fall.  Well now he isn't having that surgery until one full year after the accident and I think it is really taking a toll on him.  Please keep all this in your prayers.  I will post another update when we know more. 

Last Friday - Samuel

Samuel and our family need hour prayers tonight. This evening we got a call from Samuel saying he wasn't feeling good and needed to come home early. He was at a show in Rockdale with his brothers and sisters. It didn't sound urgent, so we thought he was just tired and probably hurting like he does when he sometimes over does it. When he got here, he was in severe pain and could not stop moaning and crying. Jay took him to the emergency room at Memorial Hermann Hospital - Trauma Unit. He is complaining that he is having severe pain in his kidneys. I've only seen him in this much pain a few times, and it is awful to see. He says it hurts so bad that he can't even feel any of the other pains in his abdomen that he feels daily right now. I have not heard from Jay since they arrived at the hospital. When we know more, we will post an update. Please keep Samuel in your prayers. 

Thoughts on a Friday Evening

Four years ago, when we found out we were expecting a baby, I felt like God had such a sense of humor!  With 16 years between our biological kiddos and at a time when I was in total heartbreak over watching some of the choices our oldest daughters made, I learned to realize that not only did He have a sense of humor, but He also knew what a blessing Gabriella would be to us. She has been that ray of sunlight in some of our darkest days.  I can't believe how quickly she is growing up. Tonight as I gave her a bath, she talked non-stop with excitement about riding by herself for the first time in tomorrow's rodeo. She told me she is going to "lope so fast!"  She told me how her hair will be blowing in the wind and that Catolena (her horse) will look so beautiful.  The excitement in her eyes was so refreshing.  It was a reminder of what a gift it is to have Gabriella, Sophia and Caleb. Yes, they keep us hopping and it is not always easy as we get a little older, but we are blessed to be their parents. The truth is that tomorrow Gabriella will probably walk Catolena through the barrels and poles, but we will be there to encourage her in her dream.  Sophia will enjoy lead line and will probably carry the ribbon she pulls off the goat all day.  Caleb will carry his rope everywhere he goes and if we aren't careful, he will rope our feet.  What a blessing!!

A Day of Appointments

First, I want thank everyone who has been praying for Samuel over the last nine months.  I have no doubt that God has answered our prayers over and over again.  If He hadn't, Samuel would not be here anymore. The Lord has a plan for him, and I hope that one day we see His plan in all of this. 

It was raining when we woke up this morning. Today it snowed, sleeted and rained, sometimes all at the same time. None of the snow stuck to anything. It is slushy and cold. Tonight it will be in the mid 20's. We are praying we can safely get to the airport in the morning.  

We are still at Johns Hopkins Hospital.  Samuel is having a CT scan right now.  The appointments went well. I think all the doctors are excellent and they seem to have a good understanding of what is going on with Samuel.  We discussed his current condition and what options he may have.  There's complications and side effects to any of the surgical choices. One of the surgery options causes cancer down the road, so for a 60 year old it might be a good option, but for a 20 year old, it's not such a great option.  It is a battle of "quality of life vs. quantity of life."  After some discussion, we basically decided that wasn't an option we should even consider at this time.  

The ultimate goal would be for Samuel to be able to return to his life as it was before his accident, but if that is not possible, we will settle for as close to that as possible. The CT scan will give the doctors more information about what can be done, but the final decision on what procedures they will do will have to be made in the operating room when they can physically see what they have to work with.  

The first surgery will be about 12 hours long, maybe longer depending on what they decide to do. They will be working on scheduling it, but it may be hard to fit it into all their schedules. They are going to try to schedule it for March if possible.  We want to do it as soon as possible.  He will need to stay in the hospital for about 2-3 weeks depending on what all is done. They said that plastic surgery may have to follow up with a series of surgeries to close his abdominal wall, but we won't know how many until the first surgery.  

I feel at peace about our decision to come to Hopkins. I feel like we are in the right place for the complications he has. I have to say that being here has also really given me more of an appreciation for the beautiful country lifestyle we sometimes take for granted. Two days in the inner city is more than enough for me.  I am looking forward to heading home tomorrow. I think Samuel is ready to be home too. 

Baltimore Bound!

Samuel and I are headed to Baltimore. Today is nine months since Samuel's car accident. We will be spending the day traveling. We have a layover in Charlotte, NC and will arrive in Baltimore around 4:20 this evening.  We will have appointments all day tomorrow. Please pray that everything goes well and that they don't cancel Samuel's appointments due to the weather. They are expecting up to six inches of snow tomorrow and they have already closed schools in the area. Tomorrow evening (if things go as planned), my dear friend, Kim Richey will be meeting us at our hotel and staying the night with us. We are really looking forward to spending a little time together. On Tuesday morning, Samuel and I will head home. Please pray for safe travel, for compassionate doctors, for complete healing and that the Holy Spirit prepares our hearts for whatever news we may get.  Pray for strength and endurance for Samuel as we travel...and for me. I had very little sleep last night because I was trying to take care of things for my family at home. Please pray for a clear mind so that I may focus on Samuel's situation for the next few days. Please pray for our family at home, especially the three youngest, who didn't want mommy to go and are struggling with how the accident has impacted our family during the last nine months.  I will send an update when we have something to share. Thank you for your prayers.  Blessings!