Ebenezer II

It's been a year since I last posted. I don't even know if those of you who were following are still following or whether you will see this posting or not. But I figured with the significance of this date, I could not let it go by without shouting out to the glory of God.

It is 2 years today that I had open heart surgery at the Cleveland Clinic where cardio thoracic surgeon Dr. Eric Roselli stopped my heart, stopped all the blood flow through my body for between 7 to 15 minutes, and not only fixed my defective bicuspid aortic valve but also replaced the root of my aorta which had a 5.1 CM aneurysm.  I cannot say enough good about Dr. Roselli and the gifting God has given him.  He is an amazing surgeon.

I praise God for Dr. Roselli. I praise God for the people at the Cleveland Clinic that worked alongside of him for the hours that it took to accomplish this. I praise God for the people that cared for me after the surgery. I praise God for all of you who prayed for me and family.  I praise God for my family who were there to help.  I praise God for my son's (Caleb and Joshua) who stood strong for their mom and sister and stood in defense of our family and home in my stead, when I could not. I praise God for my daughter (Abigail) who not only kept me smiling but waited on me whenever I asked.  I praise God for my wife who loved me like only a fabulous Godly woman could... who took care of me when I could not... who helped me put on my clothing... who stood strong in Christ to encourage and challenge me like only she could... all, most times at the expense of her own sleep, strength and health. God has been so good to us!

Last week we took our annual trip to the Cleveland Clinic to have tests and see Dr. Roselli.  After all the tests we sat down with Dr. Roselli for his evaluation of the results.  To God's glory, Dr. Roselli told us that everything looked as good as it could possibly look.  The replacement aorta, which is a composite material, looked as it should.  In addition, he advised that the bicuspid valve, which he repaired so that it would not leak, had the look and character of a valve that was going to last a ver long time!  The report could not have been better according to him.  God is so good!

Our family has unofficially adopted a song as "our song".  We have sat in the car after returning home from somewhere multiple times and listened to this song together.  It is called "Never Once" by Matt Redman.  Here is a link for the song with the words on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1bXG4WIesA .  Here is a sampling of the words:

Standing on this mountaintop
Looking just how far we've come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us

Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You've done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

NEVER ONCE, DID WE EVER WALK ALONE! 

I'm reminded of so many examples in the Scriptures where God was there when all seemed out of control.  When Noah sealed the door on the ark, when Abraham stood over Isaac on the mountain, when David faced Goliath in battle, when Moses stood at the edge of the Red Sea, when Joshua lead Israel into battle for the promised land, when Daniel stared into the eyes of lions, when Peter stepped out on the Sea of Galilee, when Paul picked himself up from the dirt after stoning and most of all... when Jesus hung on a cross at Calvary, was killed and buried in a sealed grave.  When all seemed lost, God was there and Jesus walked out of the tomb triumphant over sin and death! Wow! If that doesn't fire you up, I don't know what could.  God was there, he was in ALL of it!

So, I say add my name to the list.  Add my family.  We look back at the mountains, the battles, the struggles and certainly the scar (I see it EVERY day), and we say - never once, did we ever walk alone.  God, You are faithful, You are so faithful!

Friends, family, whoever you are... if you are reading this please know that all I am, all I have, all that is good in me, is because of my God and Savior Jesus Christ.  I was 17 years old when I accepted what Christ did on the cross as payment for my sin.  It's the best thing I ever did.  If you have never received Christ and want to find out how, please reach out to me.  

To God be the Glory!

As good as he could have hoped for.

Those were the surgeons words. He said in looking at the tests, that thing looked as good as he could have hoped for. He said everything looked great and nothing had changed since the tests in January. He said his hope is that the repaired valve will last the rest of my life. 

As for the boys, we received equally as good news. The results of their texts indicated that there's have even gotten "better" from the perspective that they have "grown into it". In other words, their bodies have grown but their heart and aorta has not which leaves them in the normal range for their body size. 

So all around, good reports. 

God is good.

Ebenezer

One year today!

A year ago this time I was in surgery and my family was working through all that involved.

Wow, God has been so good to us. This scar that runs down the middle of my chest is an Ebenezer, a monument, that reads "God is so good".  Not a day has gone by in the last year  that I haven't looked at it.  Everyday it shouts out "God is so good.  Next time you see me, or we talk, that's what you should say... Just say "God is so good" and we can celebrate His goodness together.

We are headed back to Cleveland Clinic for my follow-up and for the boys follow up's also. We would appreciate your prayers as we go.

God is so good

El Shaddai, El Elyon, Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Nissi.... and so much more

Well, we made it home. A four and a half hour journey that took six and a half.... because of weather like this...

But it's okay, because we made it. One more testimony to the Lord's goodness and protection.

Now, as for the title:  El Shaddai is a name of God in Hebrew meaning "Lord God Almighty".  El Elyon is a name of God meaning "Most High God". Jehovah Rapha is a name of God meaning "The Lord who heals" and Jehovah Nissi is a name of God meaning "The Lord my banner".  Our God has shown Himself mighty in all these ways to us, specifically over the last 3 months.  He has shown that He is indeed ALMIGHTY and SOVEREIGN.  He has proven that He is most high and over all things and greatly to be praised.  He has shown that He heals in amazing ways... physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally.  And He has indeed shown that He is our banner, that is our source of hope, encouragement and victory! How can we not love Him more today than we ever have, given His proving of Himself to us in such tangible ways? Is that not what deepens our love for those we have our closest relationships with?  It is when we get to know them better and more closely than ever before that we see who they are and our love is anchored more deeply. We certainly have known and treasured that experience of our God, wrought by the deepest and strongest waters we have know so far in our short lives. Oh, how we pray that you could say the same only without the waters. 

I said in my post on Tuesday that we did not want to make any worthless trades.  What I meant was from Psalm 106.  No matter what news we received, we didn't want to trade our honoring of the Lord in faith, for something worthless like worry, anxiety, fear or faithlessness.  We prayed for that many times on our trip our to Cleveland and I believe our hearts were ready for whatever the Lord had for us.

Thankfully God had great news in store.  Dr. Roselli, who is amazing by the way, said everything looked great and he very much liked the way all of the test looked.  He said everything healed nicely and he released me to return to work, full duty and no restrictions, on Monday January 9th! Just as we had hoped! Thank you Dr. Roselli, thank you to all of you who have followed along and prayed and Thank you to our faithful God!

I started this blog because so many of you out there were interested in following our story and had asked for updates and a way to keep up.  I said in the beginning I wasn't a blogger and I still contend that is true.... it feels strange to say otherwise.  That said, some of you have asked me to keep writing.  I'm not sure about that but I will think about it.  At very least, I'll give things a little more time of being back at work and see if anyone still holds interest in what might be said here. 

So, for now, I'll leave it at that and plan for at least one more summary and/or conclusion post. 

Praise God for what He has done.... and for some of you, I'll see you Monday!

sunny Cleveland????

Not so much.

 Jokes on me I guess...

No worthless trades.....

  They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image.
  They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass.

           ~Psalm 106:19-20 

Well, Thursday is the big day. Tomorrow we head back to the Cleveland Clinic for Thursday appointments for the first time since October 20th when we left after being discharged.  This will be the 3-month follow-up since surgery.

 Our hope is that the doctor will find everything to be very good and that I will be released fully to return to work. We would ask that you would pray for us as we travel and that you would pray for the appointments. We hope everything is perfect... or as perfect as it can be.  You can pray for that with us. But, we would also ask that you pray for us in the event that it is not "perfect".  I have no reason to believe that things are not as they should be and so our thinking does not come from that angle. But what we do know and one thing for sure that we have learned in all of this, is that God sees a much bigger picture then we do.   We believe and trust that whatever God chooses to do in this, he is good and right and that he does it for our best and for his glory.  It is our sincere hope and concentrated effort that we do not trade the opportunity to glorify God in our circumstances for something worthless, for something far less valuable, like worry or anxiety or distrust.

There is an interesting paradox in this past 3 months.  It's that the time seems to have flown by in one way but in another way it seems like it's been forever.  Time is interesting that way isn't it? It is a good reminder that even in challenging circumstances life is like a vapor, it's here one moment and gone the next. Treasure each moment.

Thank you for praying and thank you for continuing to follow this blog even though recently my updates have been sparse.

The next post will be from warm and sunny Cleveland.... well, Cleveland anyway!

Where do I even begin?

Well, settle in, this might be a little longer of an update as it's been such a long time since the last one and there is so much to say.   I want to talk about the physical recovery, some of the challenges and of course, all we have to be thankful for.  So many of you have been asking about an update and I am thankful for your interest and patience as you waited. 

So let me start with an update on the physical healing side of things.  Things are going well.  I feel good and am significantly stronger than I was.  I feel that strength returning a little more each day.  Though I still have some discomfort in the sternum, depending on what I'm doing, it feels pretty good.  The incision looks good.  One spot has been slower to heal that the rest but even that is almost completely scarred over now.  Another encouraging sign is my blood work is almost completely back to normal.  All the numbers except 3 have returned to normal and even those have been improving and are just slightly outside of normal.  All of which, according to my latest doctors visit, is completely expected at this point.  Today is the day that I get my first "release" to do certain activities.  I now get to drive a vehicle again, start some more formal exercise and maybe even shoot some hoops.  So, all in all, I'm doing well and really feeling the progress.  I'll have one more appointment locally on December 14, which will hopefully give me more freedom.  Then the big day will be January 5th, when we return to Cleveland Clinic to see my surgeon and Lord willing get my full release to return to work.  Pray with us about that day, please.

Not unexpectedly, this type surgery has a way of bringing a person face to face with your own mortality and the brevity of life.  I suppose that it would do the same for anyone.... if it doesn't maybe it should.  This has especially been true in light of a couple facts.  First of all, as I have learned more about the seriousness and extent of the surgery.  I've read the doctors surgical notes, talked with others who have had open heart and read a lot of information.  Many people have valve surgery, fewer people have valve surgery and aorta root replacement.  The latter is much more extensive.  I intentionally ignored this fact before surgery but have not done so since.  The second fact is that approximately 4 weeks after my surgery, someone I had begun to develop a friendship with over the last 6 months or so, had open heart surgery at a hospital locally.  She died from complications.  I thank God that she is with Him today and is experiencing only great joy and the ultimate love of her Savior but that is still a heavy fact.  Knowing that God chose that for her but not for me is just a reminder that He is the decider.  Six weeks ago today, I was laying on an operating table with my chest spread open, my heart was stopped and machines kept my flesh "alive".  That's an incredible thought, isn't it?  That for a handful of hours, my heart didn't beat and my organs were shutting down as if to die.  Yet, here is the amazing and powerful beauty of it all... although those things were all true, God was, and is, the decider on when my soul leaves my body.  You see, when we think of life and death, we think about our physical body.  We think that when our physical body stops functioning we die, and in one sense, that is true.  But what many fail to recognize is that no one dies for real until God decides it's time.  Hebrews 9:27 says, "It is appointed unto man once to die and after this comes the judgment".   Until God takes our soul from our flesh, we are alive and will remain so until He decides otherwise.  No man decides.  When my heart wasn't beating, I wasn't breathing on my own and my organs were ceasing function, God knew all along, what his plans were.  I didn't.  I remember praying before I walked out the door of our home on October 9th, to travel to Cleveland.  I was the last one out the door and remained alone a few minutes extra to walk around the house.  With a heavy heart, I asked God to let me come home. I prayed that those moments weren't the last ones I'd be there in our home.  Why? Because I was afraid of death? Because I didn't want to see my savior?  No, of course not.  And if God had chosen that to be my day, then I would have experienced the privilege and joy of seeing my God and Savior.  I wanted to come home for the same reasons all of you would.  Because God gave me this life and the family and relationships I have and I love them.  I celebrate them.  I experience joy in them.  There's no shame in that.... on the contrary I think maybe there might be shame if I didn't feel that way.  I want to be the best husband to my wife and father to my children that I can, for God's glory, until the day that He takes me to eternity.  I will treasure each moment of that and look forward to having years more as long as God allows. As I suspect you would too. God is so good.  I thank Him for having brought me through and brought me home. 

Let me share an honest struggle with you for a moment.  I have put off posting an update until now because, in part, I didn't know what to say to all of you. I wanted to tell you how wonderful everything was going but, to be honest, I was struggling with some things.  Though God was doing great things and He was as faithful as ever, I was struggling with things not going as "perfectly" as I had expected.  I was feeling pretty good most days but then would doubt my progress when I would have pain I didn't expect, when I would see a part of the incision that wasn't healing as I expected, when I would read a test report and draw conclusions or when I would google why my blood work results were looking as they were.  Let me tell you, don't do that.  Don't google that stuff.  As I had mentioned in the post I wrote on the day I was discharged from the hospital, I underestimated that challenges that would come after surgery and during the recovery.  I prepared well for the challenges before but not for after.  As a result I struggled with questions, doubts, worries and at times even a little fear.  I thought, "Would God let me come this far and come home just die now?".  Yeah, messed up line of thinking, I know.  Then God did what God does.  He taught me.  Through an unexpected source, God brought Romans 8:28-29 to me.  It reads, "For God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.  For those whom he foreknew, these he also predestined to be conformed to the image of His son".  I'm so familiar with that verse and yet I wasn't listening to it's teaching.  You see, those verses teach that God brings things into your life and causes those things, whether good things or bad things, to work towards your good.  That good isn't what you or I decide we want as "good".  The good is that those things are used to make us more and more like His son, Jesus Christ.  Since the beginning of all of this God has been using this experience to make me, my wife, my kids and even others, more like Jesus Christ.  But, for some reason, I wasn't letting that sink in after the surgery.  God was trying to use all the experiences and struggles I was having, to make me more like Jesus but I wasn't seeing it that way.  I was just seeing them as struggles and dwelling on the "pain" and difficulty of going through them.  Since being reminded of this, it has transformed the way I'm looking at this whole process.  It has helped me to see the after surgery recovery more like I saw the before surgery preparation. God is so good.

As I said early, today, Thanksgiving Day, marks 6 weeks since surgery!  That really puts a special flavor into Thanksgiving for our family.  We have so much to be thankful for every year, but this year it seems more real.  We are thankful to be alive, thankful for God's faithfulness, thankful for God's grace, thankful for God's sovereignty, thankful for Gods strength, thankful for God's love, for God's compassion, for God's teaching, for God's protection, for God's provision, for God's mercy, for God's forgiveness, for God's great deeds and for the the security of salvation in Jesus Christ.  That doesn't scratch the surface of all of what we thank God for.  In addition, we are thankful for each other, for our family, for our church family, for our friends and for what God has done in each of us through this experience.  God is so good... God is just so good!

We love and appreciate all of you so much.  Thank you for your love and concern for me and for all of us as we have traveled this road.  Thank you so much for the ways you have all ministered to us through all of this.  God is good to give us people like you in our lives. 

I'll try to give you another update after my next appointment on December 14th!

It's been a while...

Well, I've been home from the hospital for just under two weeks which means surgery was almost three weeks ago.  I haven't given you an update since arriving home and I know many of you have been asking about how things are going.  I was waiting to give an update until I had some solid information to give out after I see my cardiologist.  I don't see the cardiologist (actually she is a surgeon) until Wednesday, but I figured I give you an update until then. 

I feel good.  Almost every day I've been out walking somewhere.  Most days, inside someplace warm but each day for about an hour or two.  On the warm day that we had this past week, Ana and I took a nice mile long walk outside.  It has been nice to have that time with Ana.  I know this time has been as tough on her as it has on me so to get a little time together is nice.  I don't get winded or tired when we've been out walking.  On occasion, I do take a short nap when we get home.  I try not to because then I don't sleep well at night.  All in all, I'd have to say that I feel pretty good considering it's been less than three weeks since surgery. 

There are some things that I'm not sure about or used to at this point.  I suspect I'll have some better answers about them after seeing the doctor on Wednesday.  I suspect that most or all of the things I wonder about are normal after something as major as open heart surgery.  I'll update you on those things after I see the doctor on Wednesday. 

I've had some people ask me exactly what was done in the surgery and they've indicated some confusion regarding what was repaired and what was (or was not) replaced.  What was repaired was the aortic valve.  It's still a bicuspid valve but the surgeon was able to repair it so that it does not leak like it did before.  What was replaced was a portion of the aorta at the root where it meets up with the heart. That was what had the aneurysm and needed to be fixed before it ruptured or dissected.  It was major. Thank God for good surgeons who have the ability to do things like this. 

I have been reminded by my wife, and through some other sources as well, that God is still in control.  I have fallen into the trap of wanting things to be better faster or to be perfect already.  Everybody wants the fastest recovery possible.  Everybody wants everything to go back to normal.  Being that I wasn't limited at all prior to surgery and I didn't have any symptoms, it's been especially hard because I want things to go back to the way they were as far as my activity.  But, that's not where I'm at.... and I need to accept that.  I guess it's more than "accepting" it actually.  It's more than just accepting it, it's trusting it.  God is in control now as much as He was before the surgery and during the surgery.  It feel like I have more control now, but that's just an illusion.  So, if He is in control, then these circumstances are divinely ordained by Him.  If they are divinely ordained then trusting God in the midst of them is the true response of faith in Him... and that's where honoring Him becomes a reality and not just a nice platitude shared among "Christians".  Maybe it's the difference between being a Christian in name and a Christ follower in living. 

There are a ton of things calling out for my trust through this. At times, I've given it.  At the end of the day though, He controls my destiny.  Through the ups and downs of recovery, I want to be found following Him. 

Thank you for your continued prayer and support.  I'll update you again after my appointment. 

Home..... ahhhhh.

Can you say UNDERESTIMATED?? ..... Boy was I wrong...

It's me.... I'm back.  Nearly 10 pounds lighter, some newer parts, much cooler scars and better stories to tell. But it's still me.

Now as for the title... I was so wrong and I seriously underestimated this surgery. I thought going in that the hardest things would be the days leading up to the surgery because anxiety levels would build and you inevitably have the "this could be the last time I ....(you fill in the blank) " thoughts.  I thought once I woke up I would be cruising on meds and gladness to be alive.  Well, I was SO wrong. I  did wake up, obviously,  and I did thank God.  But, let me tell you I hurt and since I have never been on hardcore drugs, i.e. oxycodone or fentanyl, I did not have clue what they would do to me. It wasn't pleasant. I don't even want to describe it to you. So I was relegated to less potent non narcotic meds. Once we figured the right ones and amount, things settle pretty quickly.

As for the surgery, the surgeon said it went great.  He grafted in a new aorta, repaired the aortic valve and said my heart was "perfect". He sees a lot of them and I know what he means, but I know my inner man and know it isn't perfect. There's a scar that's about 10-12 inches long that all the medical people keep calling "beautiful ".  I've never been called beautiful before, so I'll take it.

Now, what was I not wrong about. What did I not underestimate.
1. Well, first my God. He is good and faithful and loving and compassionate, through everything. He is my King and I'm so glad He is my savior.
2. My wife. Very few of you truly know what kind of woman she is. I'm not saying that to speak to anything about you but rather to everything about her. She is like granite in her walk with our God. As I read the titles of the blogs that she wrote when I couldn't write, my knowledge was renewed that she is twice the woman of God and wife and mother that I am a man.  Her posts were amazing testaments to her love relationship with our God.  I know she struggled with some things but I know her victory.  Not to mention her rock solid help of me. Don't let her fool you in her one post when she said "Jeremiah and I were reading Psalm 121 together". She was reading to me! She was pulling me up.   I was struggling and she held the hand of her Lord and reached out to rescue me.  She is amazing!
3. My kids. I found out more than ever how truly strong and capable and Godly those three are this week. To see them go through what they did this week and handle it as they did, you cannot miss what God has done. The Wednesday before my surgery, all three of them had appointments to get checked for the bicuspid aortic valve because it is so strongly genetic. We had previously been told by a local pediatric cardiologist that they were all fine but he was less than inspirational in is assessment.  So we had them checked in Cleveland by a clinic Dr. who deals with these a lot. Both boys have bicuspid aortic valves. Abby does not.  For Caleb this means his dream of being a Marine, is gone. For the boys future, for now, it just means tracking things.  But to see the way they all responded, was/is amazing.
4. My family. You all have responded in such awesome and varied ways, that have come along side of us and met needs and filled gaps that have been awesome.  From holding hands, giving hugs, having conversations, keeping steady to raising money, meeting needs, providing food and gifts. You have all been an incredible blessing.
5. My friends. This speaks at so many levels. Some of you are my closest friends and have met my family's needs in a variety of ways. You have done things for my kids that were so special and touching that I have been encouraged. Others of you, who I would still call friends, have done other things and met other need, especially financial ones, that have taken the load of having any worry about where it was going to come from.  It was so nice to know that when Ana or the kids needed something to eat or drink, or frankly just wanted it, they didn't have to hesitate, they could just do it. That meant a lot of stress relief.

Lord willing, I'll be in the comfort of my own home tonight. Away from all the monitors and tests and noises and smells of a hospital. I was discharged at approximately 3:30 pm and we are closing in on Erie PA now. Only a few  hours to go to get home and start the long road of strengthening and complete recovery.   But God has brought us this far.

With all of our heart, Thank you to all of you ...

God's mercies are new every morning...

Great is His faithfulness. Boy, what a difference from yesterday and even the last week. The pain medication that he had been on that was making him feel really bad (cold sweats and hot sweats, dreams and hallucinations ) finally wore off. They were able to come up with a pain med recipe that has worked for him. He has walked today on his own; walking laps in our unit. He is also able to get up on his own. They say he might get discharged tomorrow. It is truly amazing.

I am trying to put into words all that is in my heart right now but I don't seem to be able to put the words together; maybe someday.

Again, thank you all for your love and support.
Ana

Praise the Lord!

Today he was moved to step down. What a difference. It is so much nicer.  The room is nice and private with a large window. It is quiet. I will be cable to stay with him at all times now. Other than trying to regulate his body temperature  (he's either  cold or hot) he's doing pretty good. They did say it was typical to experience that during recovery.  Hopefully a right remedy has been found for his pain medication.

God has answered so many prayers. I had a hard time leaving him last night so I stayed about an hour later than normal. I called in the middle of the night to check up on him (yes, we can do that) :) After that time I prayed and meditated on Scripture for most of the night til it was time to get up to go back to the clinic. I have a Bible on my phone and while in ICU my Bible was on one of the verses that I had prayed about during the night. Proverbs 15:30 "...good news refreshes the bones." The verse before it reads "...He (the Lord) hears the prayer of the righteous." It was encouraging to read those verses this morning after a night of prayer. The Lord has truly been our strength and I am so thankful for how He worked in moving us from ICU to step down today. Thank you all for your love and support.

Be still and know that I am God.

Today did not go as planned. We had a bed ready for us at step down but it was given away for an emergent. Not really sure what that means except our bed was no longer available. We then thought we would be next to move but they put a stop on transfers. Not really sure why. As discouragement set in we were reminded through our Scripture reading together that God is still sovereign and in control. God also blessed us with two great male nurses who were amazing and encouraged us in many ways. Tomorrow they will begin physical therapy with him and Lord willing be transfered. I know God is working in me to lean on Him as we go through this trial. The Lord is my strength and comfort. As the title of this post says my spirit needs to be still and know that the Lord is God.

Answered Prayer

I wanted to share with you how God has answered our prayers. His white cell blood count has been going down. He also has not had a fever today. We asked why the count would have been high and they said stress can do that. Also, the surgeon was pleased with the echo from yesterday. He did not have one today. They said that they can do it in step down if they feel the need to. He did have a tough night last night because of pain management. I arrived a little after six this morning and we were able to get a good schedule on his meds. He said today is the best he has felt since surgery. He us ready for step down but no beds are available tonight. Hopefully tomorrow. We truly thank the Lord and praise Him for his good day and the good reports.
Ana

My help comes from the Lord

Jeremiah and I read Psalm 121 together this afternoon as we looked to the Lord for comfort and strength. "I lift my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps you will not slumber...the Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand...The Lord will keepyou from all evil;  He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. "

Today was a little bit of a rough day. Last night he had a slight fever. Also,  his white blood cell count is high so they believe he has an infection. They are running tests to see what is going on and prescribe the right medicines for him. They also did an ekg and the Dr didn't care for one of the readings. They two echos which show his heart and repair look great. Tomorrow they will use a better imaging device to perform an echo and get more detailed imaging. During the day his fever went down but then it did spike up again this evening.  This morning was rough for him because one of the pain medication they gave him he did not respond well to. He was pretty dizzy and did not feel well.

On the upside; after the pain medication wore off he felt a lot better. He also has been able to manage the pain real well with one he can regulate himself. He told us and the Dr and nurses that today is the best he had felt. That's why this fever is puzzling because overall he has felt pretty good. Other positive news is that they really think he is ready to move to step down (we just need to wait for a bed to open up). They are hoping one opens up tomorrow.

The passage we read reminded us how the Lord is watching over us. He is our keeper and as we try to rest He is not sleeping but He is watching over us and keeping us. Truly our help comes from the Lord. Thanks again for all your love and support.
Ana