...the Hands and Feet of Christ.
In addition to witnessing God's healing hand repeatedly over the past few days, we've witnessed a willingness by so many to be used by Him, for his goodness!
This is another one of those post that I'm writing for me to remember things that we experienced in those scary times. If you chose to read it, I hope it blesses you; if not, I hope you will continue to pray for our family and these precious men and women who served us!
When we arrived at this hospital, all that was going through my head (besides these people have got to get me better and fast!) was where on the earth are they taking me? We're in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee at the Fort Sanders Sevierville Medical Center. Where? I know. They rolled me into the ER, and I had not a clue what kind of care I would get! Would they have the proper equipment? Would they know how to fix me?
If the paramedics were any indication of the quality of care I was going to receive, then I was in good hands. Andrew and Aaron are cousins. Andrew was the one who couldn't find my pulse but didn't panic. He held my hand as I sat on the bathroom floor throwing up. He kept me talking even though I didn't want to. They put me in a medic chair to carry me up the stairs. Andrew carefully got me onto the gurney, started my IV, checked with the OB on an anti-nausea drug I could take. He stayed with me until the ER nurse could come in. And later that morning, he found Paul in the middle of my surgery, when he was all alone in the OR waiting room. He sat with Paul through my surgery and prayed with him. This complete stranger brought such comfort, allowing himself to be used as His hands.
My first ER nurse, Will, had more energy than Addie! He went 90 miles an hours. But he was the one who stayed after his shift had ended to get me ready for surgery. He changed my IV bag after IV bag (which was apparently a total of 8 before surgery, with one going in each arm). He pumped me full of anti-nausea medicine and antibiotics for surgery, just in case. He told me that he was ready for my fingers and toes to not be purple! He came and visited me in the ICU after my surgery.
Then there was Dr. H. He was my first ER doctor. He was so patient and gentle. He ordered the tests, consulted with several other doctors, including the next ER doctor on call and my doctor from home. He called in the team of doctors. He held my hand before they took me out of the ER to surgery. I could see tears in his eyes. He came to see me early the next morning in the ICU and brought me a personal note and a beautiful wooden angel.
Dr. B was the next ER doctor that came on. He has 7 children. He had this calming voice, reassuring yet realistic. He always winked at me when I'd glance over to get his reaction of what was going on. Paul asked him if I was going to be ok. Calmly but reasonable he replied, "Sir, we are going to do everything we can for her."
Dr. P is the Chief of Staff. I didn't find this out until later. He's also the best surgeon on the planet in my eyes. He's the one who demanded the 2nd surgical team come in to save my life. He's quick and sharp yet steady and calm. He's a surgeon. He drained my belly of blood, checked my stomach, intestines, kidneys and liver. He cut me open and sewed/stapled me back up.
Dr. P's brother is a CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist). He was in an emergency c-section, where Dr. P paged him, texted him, and called him (something he apparently never does all 3 of). He wanted him in the OR for me. He got him in there, and he watched my levels. He made sure the medicine they gave me would not harm my babies. He made sure I got through the surgery. He offered his home for Paul to come take a shower or stay in.
And then Dr. A. I really think she's an angel without wings. She stood by my bed and would talk gently to me. Giving me the possibilities of what she might have to do. Reminding me that I was in good hands. Carefully monitoring all of my babies, even the one that almost took my life. When she smiled, her eyes would light up. Before she did the ultrasound to check to see if the twins were even still alive, she prayed with us. She prayed for God's comfort, for His presence. And she rejoiced with us when we saw those kicking, wiggling, babies with amazing heartbeats. She prayed with us agian, thanking our amazing God for shielding these babies from harm.
Dot was the nurse in ultrasounds/radiation. She rubbed my feet and figured out how to prop my hips up without pain shooting through my body. She squeezed my hand and told me I was doing a good job. She called our babies little peanuts and marveled at how perfect they were! She came and visited me before I went into surgery, rubbing my back as I was getting sick. She came back to the ICU after my surgery, held my hand, and told me how happy she was for all of us! And she came to our room, the night before we were discharged, to wish us the best.
Denise was my ICU nurse. She is actually Andrew, the paramedics, wife. She finally found a pain med and dose that would ease my pain. She was so patient. She gave me a bath and brushed my hair out (which is a feat in of itself!). She got me ice cup after ice cup. She heated my first meal, grits, and found me some butter and a spoon. She talked with Paul, reassuring him that things would be alright. She walked us out when we were discharged, and we left her with the beautiful purple flowers Diane and her family sent me. She was another angel without wings.
What I love about each of these doctors and nurses is their confidence in their colleagues. Each one reassured me about the other. Each one had something positive to say about the next one. They saw the fear in my eyes of the unknown and worked to calm me. I firmly believe that God put them at that hospital that morning. They added to the peace that He gave me. They recognized not only their gifts but that our God, the Greatest Physician, was the ultimate one in control. That glorified Him with us, which made me respect them all the more.
They were the hands and feet of Christ.
Showing posts with label miracles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label miracles. Show all posts
Thursday, October 22
Another Perspective
Here's Paul's experience...
Totally worth the read!
Make sure to comment to encourage him to continue blogging!
And a quick update:
we are home and being cared for in so many ways--food and cleaning and any childcare we might need. We are keeping Addie on her regular schedule as much as possible and near to us. She seems to be slowly adjusting. She's been through a lot! I'm moving around more than even yesterday. The pain meds are doing their job, thankfully! Paul is resting today instead of heading back to work. Life will slowly return to normal!
I get my staples out Monday, and we'll get to see the babies again on ultrasound then as well!
Please continue to pray for the health of these sweet babies, my physical healing, Paul's emotional healing, and sweet Addie to just be able to readjust to things! Thank you all for your precious words of encouragement and many prayers! Our God is so good!!!!
Now I'm going to take a nap!
Totally worth the read!
Make sure to comment to encourage him to continue blogging!
And a quick update:
we are home and being cared for in so many ways--food and cleaning and any childcare we might need. We are keeping Addie on her regular schedule as much as possible and near to us. She seems to be slowly adjusting. She's been through a lot! I'm moving around more than even yesterday. The pain meds are doing their job, thankfully! Paul is resting today instead of heading back to work. Life will slowly return to normal!
I get my staples out Monday, and we'll get to see the babies again on ultrasound then as well!
Please continue to pray for the health of these sweet babies, my physical healing, Paul's emotional healing, and sweet Addie to just be able to readjust to things! Thank you all for your precious words of encouragement and many prayers! Our God is so good!!!!
Now I'm going to take a nap!
Tuesday, October 20
Quick Update
I've tried to get the energy up to do a quick update before this, but it just hasn't happened.
Yesterday, Monday, was great. The pain pump meds were still in my system as I transitioned onto oral meds. I got up and took a shower with Paul's assistance. I walked the halls, twice. I ate dinner sitting in a chair. By late last night, I was hurting. Hurting something serious. There's a lot that goes on in your body after surgery. Things I've never had to experience, thankfully! Bottom line, it stinks! I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
My incision goes from the base of my rib cage down. There are three layers of sutures, two with stitches and the top with staples. Paul counted 35 staples. I think it's about 7 inches long. I wasn't ever big on wearing two piece bathing suits, but I will never wear another one now! There is nothing pretty about this incision!
When I stand up, it feels like someone has attached an anchor to my stomach. But the more I move the easier it gets! The pulling and tugging is unbelievable. There's swelling and bruising, but nothing, and I mean nothing could compare to the pain I was in early Saturday morning. So I give thanks!
We got to see the twins again this morning (Tuesday). What a sweet sight. Precious heartbeats. Wiggling arms and legs. We think they are perfect.
Here are some Specific Prayer Requests:
When my mom had breast cancer, we came face to face with the possibility of her dying. I fully believe that God provided the doctors and nurses here on earth to treat and cure her. He is the Greatest Physician.
But this is different, for me at least. I'm now the one that just came face to face with death. As Paul's wife. As Addie's mother. And the Great Physician held me in the palm of His hand. It was His choice whether I would live or die. It was His choice whether the twins would survive. He gave the knowledge to the doctors, the wisdom of what to search for, and the steady hand to remove from my body what was killing me without causing more damage. I don't know why God has chosen this path for me or these babies. I can only rest in the fact that He's got it all under control and has beautiful things planned for our lives!
It changes your perspective. What was once an ordeal is just trivial to us. What we once cared about, seems insignificant. It isn't that we don't care, it's just that our little family has bonded even closer over the past 5 days. I've had to rely on Paul for so much. But most importantly, I've had to rely on the strength from our God to literally survive.
Yesterday, Monday, was great. The pain pump meds were still in my system as I transitioned onto oral meds. I got up and took a shower with Paul's assistance. I walked the halls, twice. I ate dinner sitting in a chair. By late last night, I was hurting. Hurting something serious. There's a lot that goes on in your body after surgery. Things I've never had to experience, thankfully! Bottom line, it stinks! I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
My incision goes from the base of my rib cage down. There are three layers of sutures, two with stitches and the top with staples. Paul counted 35 staples. I think it's about 7 inches long. I wasn't ever big on wearing two piece bathing suits, but I will never wear another one now! There is nothing pretty about this incision!
When I stand up, it feels like someone has attached an anchor to my stomach. But the more I move the easier it gets! The pulling and tugging is unbelievable. There's swelling and bruising, but nothing, and I mean nothing could compare to the pain I was in early Saturday morning. So I give thanks!
We got to see the twins again this morning (Tuesday). What a sweet sight. Precious heartbeats. Wiggling arms and legs. We think they are perfect.
Here are some Specific Prayer Requests:
- travel safety: we will be making the 6 hour journey home tomorrow, which will probably take about 8 hours. Please pray for safety, limited pain, and lots of patience on all of our parts!
- healing for my incision and limited pain at the incision site as the twins begin to grow
- protection for the babies from any stress they endured, procedures that I had done, and medications that I have to take now
- Addie: she needs her Mama, and I can't meet all of her needs right now. There are very few people that we're releasing her to, for her benefit, not ours. Please don't be offended if we ask you to come to us or help in an altogether different way. It isn't that we don't trust you, we're just trying to maintain as much consistency with her as possible; and right now, that has a lot to do with her proximity to us. Please pray that people will be receptive to this and still willing to help our family.
- Paul: for inexplainable energy and peace! He's exhausted but wants to care for both me and Addie. He's been an amazing rock for me, never budging. Please pray for his strength and ability to juggle more than he's used to handling. He's already done such a good job balancing things!
- That, as a family, we would continue to draw closer to our Heavenly Father. We want to first and foremost rely on His strength and then on each others. That every word we speak and thing we do would bring glory to Him. He is the reason we are here.
When my mom had breast cancer, we came face to face with the possibility of her dying. I fully believe that God provided the doctors and nurses here on earth to treat and cure her. He is the Greatest Physician.
But this is different, for me at least. I'm now the one that just came face to face with death. As Paul's wife. As Addie's mother. And the Great Physician held me in the palm of His hand. It was His choice whether I would live or die. It was His choice whether the twins would survive. He gave the knowledge to the doctors, the wisdom of what to search for, and the steady hand to remove from my body what was killing me without causing more damage. I don't know why God has chosen this path for me or these babies. I can only rest in the fact that He's got it all under control and has beautiful things planned for our lives!
It changes your perspective. What was once an ordeal is just trivial to us. What we once cared about, seems insignificant. It isn't that we don't care, it's just that our little family has bonded even closer over the past 5 days. I've had to rely on Paul for so much. But most importantly, I've had to rely on the strength from our God to literally survive.
You have turned my mourning into dancing, Lord
Now my feet are filled with your praise
You have clothed my spirit with a robe of joy
You've cast my sorrow away
Now my feet are filled with your praise
You have clothed my spirit with a robe of joy
You've cast my sorrow away
Monday, October 19
Detour
I know I promised to at least attempt to take some beautiful pictures on this trip of ours, but you know what they say: the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry! My camera has not even made it out of the bag!
As most of you probably know by now, I ended up in the ER late Friday night via ambulance. What we thought was probably food poisoning, was far more serious.
I'm warning you, this post is long and full of TMI. But I need to write it down.
It all started with what I thought were gas pains. Then the vomiting started. The one thing we forgot when we left town was Gas-X. So my sweet husband got up at 1am, dressed, and drove down the mountain to get me some. As I was attempting to distract myself and avoid throwing up, I saw my friend Allison had just sent an email about her fun Christmas cards. I was praying that she was still up, so i sent her a quick email. We started emailing, and she encouraged me to call our OB on-call doctor, in perfect timing! The nurse said for us to head to the ER to get some fluids. So, being the overachiever that I am, I hopped up to get dressed and get upstairs to meet Paul when he got back so we could head to the ER. Biggest mistake. I blacked out on the floor in our bedroom, crawled back into the bathroom and continued vomiting, but now I was wringing wet with sweat.
Right about that time, Paul was trying to punch the key code in to get the door open. It wouldn't work. By the time he got downstairs, I knew I wasn't going to be making it back up them. He called the ambulance. They arrived shortly. The tech attempted to find my pulse. Nothing, although I clearly had one. I threw up again. Do you know how hard it is to throw up in front of someone else? My modest dignity was slowly fading and would only fade more throughout those early morning hours. After I was in the ambulance, he attempted to find my blood pressure. Nothing, which meant my top bp number was below 80.
He started pumping me full of fluids and zofran, and my pressure started to go up slowly. Some of my color returned.
We arrived at the hospital. That's when my blood pressure went back down, my lips, fingers and toes purple as could be, and the tests started: blood work, urinalysis, chest x-ray, ultrasound of gall bladder/spleen and ultrasound of our babies. They were trucking along, oblivious as to what was going on.
I was shivering uncontrollably, partially because I was on my 4th bag of fluids; but I later found out, I was going into shock. Then the acute pains began. It started around my belly (around, all four sides, of the babies). Then the spasms started. It was like my entire stomach, abdomen, chest and shoulder muscles would have sudden bouts of shooting pain, freezing up to the point where I couldn't breathe.
That's when I realized my husband had been pushed to the edge of the room; and I was surround by not only my ER nurse, but my original ER doctor, the ER doctor who was on call next, the Chief of Staff who is a surgeon, and the sweetest OB I've ever met. Their faces were attempting to hide their utter and complete fear for my life. I'm not exaggerating. But I could see it. They decided an emergency abdominal CT scan was inevitable, even with me being pregnant. My mentality by that point was, if you can't save me, then these babies have no chance at all! They threw out the idea of using a contrasting dye, because there was no time. Their words.
As they rolled me into the CT scan room, Paul overheard the surgeon on the phone, “I don't care if they aren't on call. The 1st surgical team is wrapped up. Get the 2nd surgical team here NOW. We've got to get this lady into the OR.”
What they found on the CT scan was pretty horrifying. The possibilities: a ruptured appendix, infected gall bladder, ruptured fallopian tube, ruptured cyst or a tear in the uterus wall due to one the babies implanting too high up. Before I knew it, there were 6-7 people surrounding me. Pushing the antibiotics in through the iv, speeding up my fluids, and prepping me for emergency surgery. They ruled out my appendix and gall bladder.
Forget laparoscopy, they cut me right down the middle from my diaphragm to my pelvis. The possible outcomes of this surgery (because now they were almost certain it was of a reproductive nature): cyst or ovary removal, taking one baby and repairing the uterus, removing a fallopian tube, or doing a full hysterectomy. I'm 31.
I had this peace. I looked up into the OB's eyes and had no doubt the severity of this surgery and that my life was at stake. The goal: save my life and then, if possible, save the babies. I remember thinking, "Lord, if this is my time to meet you, I cannot think of a greater honor. But if at all possible, I'd really like to stick around and raise our children with Paul." I had the most indescribably peace from God. He kept bringing scripture to my mind: I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. My God will never leave you nor forsake you. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart! And my God will meet all of your needs. And peace which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
Peace. Without fear. Complete trust. Faith in the Great Physician.
They went in, found that not only was a pregnant with twins, but in all actuality, triplets. The third baby had implanted in my left fallopian tube, growing right along with the other babies, and causing my tube to rupture. The surgeon took 1.5-2 liters of blood from my abdomen. We only have 3-4 liters of blood in our whole body! No wonder I've been sick for 3 weeks with all day morning sickness, probably due to the stretching of the tube! I haven't felt nauseous due to the morning sickness since the surgery!
I told the surgeon today that I knew it had been so serious. He looked at me and calmly said...you had about 2 more hours to live had the surgery not been performed!
God's.
Perfect.
Timing.
We had no idea the status of the twins after the surgery. I had already been through so much trauma that the OB decided to hold off doing another ultrasound until the morning. And I still had that peace! The concern for the babies was that my blood pressure had been so low for so long. When blood pressure drops for extended periods of time, apparently our bodies compensate by directing any and all blood to the major organs of the body (which is why my fingers, toes, and lips were so purple). So there was extreme worry that the babies had not received enough blood flow while I was losing so much blood, which would result in immediate death for them. In addition to a possible lack of blood flow, I had received an abdominal CT scan and general anesthesia. The blessing is that the radiation from the CT scan was in a range considered safe for babies in utero. The anesthesia was also a class B drug, as is tylenol, which is considered safe as well. Although none of these procedures, the surgery and CT scan, are something that are recommended for pregnant women, they are not directly harmful on a large scale either.
And God shielded these precious babies. They came up on the ultrasound screen, wiggling and kicking. Hearts beating perfectly. Dancing for us because, at the time, we couldnt! We heard their precious heartbeats loud and clear, for the first time! Seeing and hearing are so different! They were still oblivious as to what had occurred, and yet they are already fighters; fighters that have won a battle that few in the medical profession would consider even a possibility!
As most of you probably know by now, I ended up in the ER late Friday night via ambulance. What we thought was probably food poisoning, was far more serious.
I'm warning you, this post is long and full of TMI. But I need to write it down.
It all started with what I thought were gas pains. Then the vomiting started. The one thing we forgot when we left town was Gas-X. So my sweet husband got up at 1am, dressed, and drove down the mountain to get me some. As I was attempting to distract myself and avoid throwing up, I saw my friend Allison had just sent an email about her fun Christmas cards. I was praying that she was still up, so i sent her a quick email. We started emailing, and she encouraged me to call our OB on-call doctor, in perfect timing! The nurse said for us to head to the ER to get some fluids. So, being the overachiever that I am, I hopped up to get dressed and get upstairs to meet Paul when he got back so we could head to the ER. Biggest mistake. I blacked out on the floor in our bedroom, crawled back into the bathroom and continued vomiting, but now I was wringing wet with sweat.
Right about that time, Paul was trying to punch the key code in to get the door open. It wouldn't work. By the time he got downstairs, I knew I wasn't going to be making it back up them. He called the ambulance. They arrived shortly. The tech attempted to find my pulse. Nothing, although I clearly had one. I threw up again. Do you know how hard it is to throw up in front of someone else? My modest dignity was slowly fading and would only fade more throughout those early morning hours. After I was in the ambulance, he attempted to find my blood pressure. Nothing, which meant my top bp number was below 80.
He started pumping me full of fluids and zofran, and my pressure started to go up slowly. Some of my color returned.
We arrived at the hospital. That's when my blood pressure went back down, my lips, fingers and toes purple as could be, and the tests started: blood work, urinalysis, chest x-ray, ultrasound of gall bladder/spleen and ultrasound of our babies. They were trucking along, oblivious as to what was going on.
I was shivering uncontrollably, partially because I was on my 4th bag of fluids; but I later found out, I was going into shock. Then the acute pains began. It started around my belly (around, all four sides, of the babies). Then the spasms started. It was like my entire stomach, abdomen, chest and shoulder muscles would have sudden bouts of shooting pain, freezing up to the point where I couldn't breathe.
That's when I realized my husband had been pushed to the edge of the room; and I was surround by not only my ER nurse, but my original ER doctor, the ER doctor who was on call next, the Chief of Staff who is a surgeon, and the sweetest OB I've ever met. Their faces were attempting to hide their utter and complete fear for my life. I'm not exaggerating. But I could see it. They decided an emergency abdominal CT scan was inevitable, even with me being pregnant. My mentality by that point was, if you can't save me, then these babies have no chance at all! They threw out the idea of using a contrasting dye, because there was no time. Their words.
As they rolled me into the CT scan room, Paul overheard the surgeon on the phone, “I don't care if they aren't on call. The 1st surgical team is wrapped up. Get the 2nd surgical team here NOW. We've got to get this lady into the OR.”
What they found on the CT scan was pretty horrifying. The possibilities: a ruptured appendix, infected gall bladder, ruptured fallopian tube, ruptured cyst or a tear in the uterus wall due to one the babies implanting too high up. Before I knew it, there were 6-7 people surrounding me. Pushing the antibiotics in through the iv, speeding up my fluids, and prepping me for emergency surgery. They ruled out my appendix and gall bladder.
Forget laparoscopy, they cut me right down the middle from my diaphragm to my pelvis. The possible outcomes of this surgery (because now they were almost certain it was of a reproductive nature): cyst or ovary removal, taking one baby and repairing the uterus, removing a fallopian tube, or doing a full hysterectomy. I'm 31.
I had this peace. I looked up into the OB's eyes and had no doubt the severity of this surgery and that my life was at stake. The goal: save my life and then, if possible, save the babies. I remember thinking, "Lord, if this is my time to meet you, I cannot think of a greater honor. But if at all possible, I'd really like to stick around and raise our children with Paul." I had the most indescribably peace from God. He kept bringing scripture to my mind: I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. My God will never leave you nor forsake you. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart! And my God will meet all of your needs. And peace which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
Peace. Without fear. Complete trust. Faith in the Great Physician.
They went in, found that not only was a pregnant with twins, but in all actuality, triplets. The third baby had implanted in my left fallopian tube, growing right along with the other babies, and causing my tube to rupture. The surgeon took 1.5-2 liters of blood from my abdomen. We only have 3-4 liters of blood in our whole body! No wonder I've been sick for 3 weeks with all day morning sickness, probably due to the stretching of the tube! I haven't felt nauseous due to the morning sickness since the surgery!
I told the surgeon today that I knew it had been so serious. He looked at me and calmly said...you had about 2 more hours to live had the surgery not been performed!
God's.
Perfect.
Timing.
We had no idea the status of the twins after the surgery. I had already been through so much trauma that the OB decided to hold off doing another ultrasound until the morning. And I still had that peace! The concern for the babies was that my blood pressure had been so low for so long. When blood pressure drops for extended periods of time, apparently our bodies compensate by directing any and all blood to the major organs of the body (which is why my fingers, toes, and lips were so purple). So there was extreme worry that the babies had not received enough blood flow while I was losing so much blood, which would result in immediate death for them. In addition to a possible lack of blood flow, I had received an abdominal CT scan and general anesthesia. The blessing is that the radiation from the CT scan was in a range considered safe for babies in utero. The anesthesia was also a class B drug, as is tylenol, which is considered safe as well. Although none of these procedures, the surgery and CT scan, are something that are recommended for pregnant women, they are not directly harmful on a large scale either.
And God shielded these precious babies. They came up on the ultrasound screen, wiggling and kicking. Hearts beating perfectly. Dancing for us because, at the time, we couldnt! We heard their precious heartbeats loud and clear, for the first time! Seeing and hearing are so different! They were still oblivious as to what had occurred, and yet they are already fighters; fighters that have won a battle that few in the medical profession would consider even a possibility!
They are miracles!
To God be the glory, great things he has done!
Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord
Let the earth hear His voice!
"for i know the plans i have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11
Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord
Let the earth hear His voice!
"for i know the plans i have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)