Updates On Dad

Here are the updates mom e-mailed everyone today....

Update #57 - Friday, July 2, 2010

My husband was out of the biopsy by 9:30 am. Everything went well. Dr B. was able to get 6 tissue samples. The preliminary diagnosis is tumefactive MS. We will know more in 2-5 days. My husband is talking and doing well. He is actually able to speak more clearly than he has in several weeks. He is able to lift his right arm all the way now. He walked 100 feet yesterday with the walker and with the therapist beside him. Now we must continue to pray about following whatever treatment the Lord has chosen for us to follow. It's His plan. We just have to know what it is in order to follow it obediently. We trust Him completely for with man this is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible.

 

Update #58 - Friday, July 2, 2010

I found out that we will need to be watching for adverse reactions to the biopsy for the first 6 - 24 hours which seems to be typical when you are dealing with the brain.

Once back in the room after the biopsy, my husband started crying and saying something about "all the people". Then he was saying stuff like he "saw all the people" and "he saw the nations". I asked him if he meant the "lost people", people who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and he said "yes" and started crying more. I asked him if he would like for me to pray for the lost people and he said yes. Once I prayed, he stopped crying and talking about it. Some of you might be thinking he was just having a delusional moment from the drugs or the biopsy, but I personally believe that the Lord showed him a vision of lost people that need to be reached. I also prayed that the Lord would completely restore my husband so that he can preach the word to the lost people. We will keep praying about that.

My husband's head started hurting around 2:00 pm or so and they gave him a pain pill which he says helped.

Then about 4:00 pm he started crying again and said something like "shouldn't have to pay for it". I asked, "Pay for what? The biopsy?" and he said, "yes." I told him not to worry about that and he said, "He shouldn't have to pay for it." I said, "Who?" and he said, "D." who is his boss. I said, "Honey, D. isn't paying for your biopsy. He is paying for your monthly insurance." He said, "I know but he shouldn't have to." I said, "He doesn't have to. He's doing it because he wants to." Then he said something like "even though I can't go back to work now." This went on for a long time and he said, "But I want to thank him." Then he said, "I don't even see him any more." I told him that once he gets to feeling better we can go see him. I asked him if he wanted me to email him but I couldn't understand his answer. So, after giving it some thought, I decided maybe I should share this story with all of you and also say: D., my husband and I are both very appreciative that you have been paying for his insurance this whole time even though he isn't able to work now and even though he doesn't even get to see you any more.

That episode lasted for 45 minutes. Then he closed his eyes for about 15 minutes, and just now at 5:00, the TV came on as I was typing this email. I looked up and he had started using the buttons on the side of the bed. That is the first time he's even attempted that this whole hospital stay. That means he is getting more of his cognitive abilities back. Praise the Lord!

The plan is to continue steroids through the weekend and hopefully his symptoms will completely resolve with just the steroids. If not, they will consider doing plasmapharesis again which likely means an additional ten days in the hospital. Also on Monday they said we can take out the catheter to see if his bladder will work. Please, Lord, please let it work. And they are hoping the final pathology report will be back by Monday to confirm the diagnosis of tumefactive MS. They want to send him home on a tapering dose of steroids and said they want him to be on an MS drug by the time he's off the steroids. We still have a lot of praying to do about that. We are willing to do whatever the Lord wills. We haven't heard from Dr O. since Tuesday so we don't know if she will want to suggest a different course of treatment than before or suggest the same one which was taking the oral drug Imuran.

Thank you for all of your prayers and concern. Remember that with man this is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible.

Well, there you have it. I'm off to eat dinner. Thank you all SO much for the prayer!! =D

~Eldarwen