Tuesday, March 12, 2013

ER Trip/Arkansas

Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
 but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.  

--Isaiah 40:30-31

We were all weary and tired before this week started, and yet God has entrusted another tiring and hard week to Kristi and her Care Givers.  We are counting on God's promise in Isaiah and holding onto the fact that God never grows weary or tired and He can sustain us all.   (Isaiah 40:28)  

We "were" having a good week.  Alyssa was baking in her easy bake oven for her Mom and all of us, the kids came in after school and were telling Kristi about their day, and I was organizing all the food those of you have so generously helped provide for the Wright Family.  Then we got the dreaded phone call from the home health nurse.......
"We would like you to go to the Emergency Room"
Kristi had a flare up with her partial blockage in her intestine on Sunday and has continued to produce more fluid from her drain tube  as well as producing evidence of an infection in the fluid.   I called her local Dr first thing yesterday morning to get an appointment, but after the home health nurse came and talked to Kristi's Dr. in Houston and Springdale, it was determined we needed to take her to the Emergency room for cultures and scans.  I knew she feared this happening and being away from her Dr.'s and MD Anderson.  I called the Dr. right away to make sure the ER was the necessary route.  It was!!!  We both wanted to cry!!!  And Kristi did some as the evening progressed.  She had another small loss to grieve.  I prayed with her and we set our minds in the necessary direction. 

Kristi was feeling so rotten, that the thought of even getting out of bed and getting ready to go to the ER sounded daunting.  I called Katy about coming to help me.  We were so grateful that my daughter Elise was with me.   She quickly rose to the occasion and kept her cousins so Katy could help me load her and take her and a neighbor helped with Isaiah and Alyssa until Elise could be home to help them get to bed.  Thank you!!   Billy and Josh left work and met us there to help get her into the hospital with all of her "equipment and loads of pillows" it takes for her to sit or lay comfortably.   Some friends brought us dinner and we said we would sing Happy Birthday to Josh as we ate our food at the kiddie tables in the ER.  He preferred we DID NOT!!! 

We did her CT Scan in the middle of the night and began moving forward with the Infectious Disease Dr.'s orders to start her on 4 antibiotics while we wait for the cultures to determine the exact source and type.  Her white blood cell count should have been high due to the culture from the drain tube, but it was normal.  I initially thought this was a good sign, but they said it isn't because she has an infection somewhere and her body is not showing signs of trying to fight it off.  She hasn't had a fever or elevated blood cell count.  This could mean there is a possible abscess of infection hiding out somewhere. She is very nauseous and uncomfortable and this is also discouraging.  This afternoon, she will have an MRI.  Dad came to stay with her so I could take a nap after being up most of the night.  They are still working to determine the source of the infection.  

Please pray that they will be able to locate the source and treat it here locally.  The thought of transferring her back to MD Anderson for treatment is overwhelming.  She wants to stay home.  The Dr.'s have said they need to be able to treat her in the least invasive manner due to her surgery.  Pray for this as well.  Pray that the blockage in her intestine clears up and allows her to eat.  She has now lost 20 lbs since her surgery (which she isn't really complaining about : )  ......just didn't want to do it this way!
Josh and Katy helped me get Kristi's wheelchair in that could recline so
I could maybe rest a little as we waited for her to drink two of those terrible 
bottles of liquid for her scan.  I really don't know why they bother putting pretty 
pictures of fruit all over the bottle.  It doesn't help AT ALL!!  She could only get down a small
amount due to intestinal pain and nausea, but they did the scan anyway.
Billy came by at 11p.m. after work to see Kristi and Pray for her.  He had to go home to rest for work and get the kids off to school in the morning.

We will keep you posted as we know.  

2 comments:

  1. Kristi and all...

    This is one of my favorite scriptures and creates an amazing visual too.

    With love and prayers of encouragement...

    Sue (JJ's Mom)

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  2. "Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not Yourself from my plea for mercy! Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my comlaint and I moan... But I call to God, and the LORD will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my comlaint and moan, and He hears my voice." Ps. 55: 1,2,16, 17

    Brian Hyde

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