Surgery went well and I am past the 2 weeks recovery time. My thyroid was double normal size but all benign. I am so glad I had the surgery.
I followed Dr. orders to not lift more than gallon of milk for two weeks and we still finished for our target date to list our house on August 16. After discussing price with our realtor it was listed a few thousand above what our realtor recommended at 11:30am. We figured we would try a little higher and we could always lower the price. It was shown at 1:30pm and our realtor called us with an offer at 6:30pm. The offer was slightly above asking price with buyers that have already sold their house and are anxious to have closing and get in soon. We praise God it sold in 7 hours! The few thousand above what our realtor thought pays for the repairs we made this summer before we listed it. The realtor never finished making flyers and never had the scheduled open house. Our neighbor was upset that he never saw our house online before the listing was pulled for "sale pending". God had all the details worked out for us-even with several other houses in our neighborhood for sale and the sale so close to school starting. We are so thankful for this house profit.
We are currently resting at Ram's parents and then will go "home" to pack up the moving truck from the storage area. Then we will drive to IN to begin the new chapter of our lives. We are getting excited about this new chapter!
Showing posts with label surgery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surgery. Show all posts
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Monday, February 9, 2015
December Pictures
Our whole family went to the hospital for a tour before Lamb 2's nose surgery in December. Lamb 1 was too "cool" to do some of the activities but Lamb 2 and Lamb 3 enjoyed the tour. Here are a few pictures we took that day.
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| All 3 Lambs weigh a total of 175.8 |
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| Lamb 2 and Lamb 3 got a hair net and mask to practice with and keep It was so nice of the hospital to let the Lambs know what to expect on the day of Lamb 2's surgery. They do surgery tours by appointment and I was glad that we asked for a tour. Lamb 2 had a checkup in January and the doctor thought everything looked good. He had to continue the nasal spray for one more week after his appointment. Then he was finished with Dr. appointments and medicine. He seems to take less breaths while talking. I am very curious how swim lessons go for him this summer after this surgery. I am glad we had the surgery for Lamb 2 now. |
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Lamb 2 Update
Lamb 2 had his one month after surgery check up last week. I expected him to need to go for several checkups over the next few months. I was really surprised that it only took that one checkup. We had been very faithful about nose spray three times a day and the Dr. could tell. She recommended one more week of nose spray. So on Monday he did nose spray for the last time. He did not like nose spray but we knew it was important to do. We praise God that he is healed after surgery.
There was more happy news about this checkup. His surgery was free to us because we had met our deductible in 2014. This checkup was considered follow up to his surgery so it was also free. That is good because we have not even started to meet our deductible in 2015.
We have been trying to do small tasks like OT recommended. The Lambs have played a lot of board games recently. I have also spent lots of homeschool time with Lamb 2 working on learning to read. I am trying some new approaches that I never did with him before. I am teaching him some sight words along with phonics. I figure he has such a good memory that perhaps it would be good for him to have some words memorized so he doesn't have to sound out every single word. We also keep plugging away at The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. I realize his February checkup at Vision therapy is going to come very quickly. We hope that he has maintained or improved his reading speed during his break from VT.
There was more happy news about this checkup. His surgery was free to us because we had met our deductible in 2014. This checkup was considered follow up to his surgery so it was also free. That is good because we have not even started to meet our deductible in 2015.
We have been trying to do small tasks like OT recommended. The Lambs have played a lot of board games recently. I have also spent lots of homeschool time with Lamb 2 working on learning to read. I am trying some new approaches that I never did with him before. I am teaching him some sight words along with phonics. I figure he has such a good memory that perhaps it would be good for him to have some words memorized so he doesn't have to sound out every single word. We also keep plugging away at The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. I realize his February checkup at Vision therapy is going to come very quickly. We hope that he has maintained or improved his reading speed during his break from VT.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Lamb 2's Surgery Update
Yesterday Lamb 2 was allowed to have liquids until 11:30 and nothing after that. We were blessed with a child that loves broth. I had some leftover homemade chicken noodle soup that I planned to strain the broth for him. He wanted store bought. :) For breakfast he drank two cans! At 11:30 I took everyone to the park to get their mind off of eating. When we were at the park he had to go to the bathroom twice after all that broth. When we returned home he was thirsty but it was almost time to go to the hospital. Ewe, Lamb 1 and Lamb 3 ate lunch after they left for the hospital.
The surgery went well and he returned home doing better than I expected. Lamb 1 had a piano recital so Ewe, Lamb 1 and Lamb 3 went to that. When we returned home Lamb 2 was home. The first thing he had to tell me was he had 6 popsicles.
I had expected to need Lamb 2 to sleep on the couch, but he was doing so well he slept in his bed. I set my alarm to give him pain meds through the night. It reminded me of Ram's surgery. We had a difficult time waking him to take his midnight medicine, but he woke right away for his 4 am medicine and asked if he could get up yet. That's my early rising child!
I had a difficult time getting back to sleep after the 4am meds. Today was a day of giving medicine at the right times, doing dishes (especially the medicine measuring cups), and watching all three Lambs that they didn't ask Lamb 2 to do anything too active. We did everything well but I was exhausted by 2pm after not sleeping well last night. I was so glad Ram was working from home so I could take a nap at that point. I felt much better after a nap.
When I woke up Ram was defrosting meat for supper in a way that I didn't think was safe to eat. I hadn't thawed anything and our microwave is broken. So three lbs of meat went in the trash and he went for take out. I'm quite proud that this was the only thing we messed up on in the last few crazy days. We are definitely going by the "if in doubt, throw it out" rule and it's not the end of the world to need take out.
We have been blessed that the child that needed surgery is also our son that drinks the most liquids. He is getting plenty of water during this recovery.
I sent an update on Lamb 2 to his speech therapist as she has been very concerned about Lamb 2 after being his teacher for 2 years. She was so happy to hear that everything went well. We are glad to be done with therapy but we miss seeing our therapists.
We will continue the meds at the proper times and return for a checkup with the ENT in one month.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Lamb 2
Lamb 2 is scheduled for nose surgery on Monday. Today I went to the pharmacy to pick up his meds to be prepared for after surgery. The pharmacist was full of directions-how to mix the antibiotic since it is too early to mix it today, take antibiotic twice daily so he doesn't get an infection, take probiotic once daily because antibiotic is so strong, mix something like Neosporin with saline spray and spray that several times a day while he heals, etc.
We would appreciate your prayers for Lamb 2's surgery and recovery. I would especially appreciate your prayers that I get all his meds organized and given correctly! I'm sure once we begin it will become routine for 10 days. But right now it seems so important to get it right so he doesn't have complications or infection.
I must say that I was so thankful we have found a local pharmacy in this big city that still takes the time to explain everything to their customers. I thank God for them each time someone in our family needs a prescription. Plus they gave the Lambs candy canes today for waiting so patiently while the pharmacist talked to me. I was also thankful that insurance paid for the prescriptions and I only had to pay for the OTC stuff that went along with the prescriptions. I also thank God that medical advances have given us meds to help our children recover after surgery.
We would appreciate your prayers for Lamb 2's surgery and recovery. I would especially appreciate your prayers that I get all his meds organized and given correctly! I'm sure once we begin it will become routine for 10 days. But right now it seems so important to get it right so he doesn't have complications or infection.
I must say that I was so thankful we have found a local pharmacy in this big city that still takes the time to explain everything to their customers. I thank God for them each time someone in our family needs a prescription. Plus they gave the Lambs candy canes today for waiting so patiently while the pharmacist talked to me. I was also thankful that insurance paid for the prescriptions and I only had to pay for the OTC stuff that went along with the prescriptions. I also thank God that medical advances have given us meds to help our children recover after surgery.
Friday, November 26, 2010
A HUGE Unexpected Blessing
We received the bill from Mayo for Ram's surgery a few days ago. The total bill for doctor and hospital was over $66,000. We were expecting to be billed 20% of that. Ram opened the mail and handed it to me. It was UNBELIEVABLE, our portion after insurance was just $50! I'm sure there will be other bills and this bill from Mayo is not the end, but we were expecting a much larger bill for major surgery. The $50 was the copayments for two doctor visits! Lamb 2 needed a small filling the week before Ram's surgery and our bill for that was double what Ram's major surgery was. I have several stories of how God has truly worked out ALL the details before and after Ram's surgery, but this one is the best! Thank you, Jesus!
Friday, November 12, 2010
One of many blessings
1. I've been hesitant to post this because I'm afraid people will not understand what I am writing here. We have been very blessed through this experience. Please DO NOT send us money after reading this post.
2. There are many many stories I could tell about how God was with us through the whole experience of Ram's surgery. God truly worked out every detail-even working out details that I had not thought of. I do plan to eventually post many of the blessings because it was so amazing to me that I want to share. I haven't quite worked out what to call these posts. I haven't made a list of these blessings yet. #3 was so amazing that I had to share it now.
3. First, I want to explain that Ram had lots of expensive medical tests done this summer before they found the tumor. He had a physical in June that started the process. We lost count of how many blood tests they did and they were not just routine blood tests. He saw 2 different specialists plus his regular doctor multiple times. He had a bone marrow biopsy. He had a colonoscopy and endoscopy. He had 2 CT scans. All of that was before he went to Mayo.
We chose to have the church move us from plan B to plan C insurance last year. We figured we were relatively healthy so it would save the church money to be on plan C. We had no idea when we made that decision that Ram would need major surgery. So copayments and medical bills are up from what we would have on plan B.
We had received bills for the first CT scan Ram had and the insurance statements matched up. God has provided for our medical bills so I wasn't worried, but I expected to see bills for his second CT scan that were equal to the first CT scan. He also saw a specialist that day that he had a second CT scan. So I was expecting to receive a bill for the specialist visit that day plus several bills for the second CT scan.
Last week we received a bill for the second CT scan plus the specialist he saw that day. I am amazed that the bill was for $25 copayment to see the specialist plus ZERO for the CT scan. This total bill was over $5000. After insurance we owe just $25. Now I know that there will probably be more than one bill for each CT scan. I know that insurance has not sent us a statement to verify this. But receiving a bill means more than a statement to me. It is AMAZING to me that our insurance paid almost $5000 for this day.
Thank you Jesus, that we received a paid in full bill for an expensive test before he got to Mayo.
2. There are many many stories I could tell about how God was with us through the whole experience of Ram's surgery. God truly worked out every detail-even working out details that I had not thought of. I do plan to eventually post many of the blessings because it was so amazing to me that I want to share. I haven't quite worked out what to call these posts. I haven't made a list of these blessings yet. #3 was so amazing that I had to share it now.
3. First, I want to explain that Ram had lots of expensive medical tests done this summer before they found the tumor. He had a physical in June that started the process. We lost count of how many blood tests they did and they were not just routine blood tests. He saw 2 different specialists plus his regular doctor multiple times. He had a bone marrow biopsy. He had a colonoscopy and endoscopy. He had 2 CT scans. All of that was before he went to Mayo.
We chose to have the church move us from plan B to plan C insurance last year. We figured we were relatively healthy so it would save the church money to be on plan C. We had no idea when we made that decision that Ram would need major surgery. So copayments and medical bills are up from what we would have on plan B.
We had received bills for the first CT scan Ram had and the insurance statements matched up. God has provided for our medical bills so I wasn't worried, but I expected to see bills for his second CT scan that were equal to the first CT scan. He also saw a specialist that day that he had a second CT scan. So I was expecting to receive a bill for the specialist visit that day plus several bills for the second CT scan.
Last week we received a bill for the second CT scan plus the specialist he saw that day. I am amazed that the bill was for $25 copayment to see the specialist plus ZERO for the CT scan. This total bill was over $5000. After insurance we owe just $25. Now I know that there will probably be more than one bill for each CT scan. I know that insurance has not sent us a statement to verify this. But receiving a bill means more than a statement to me. It is AMAZING to me that our insurance paid almost $5000 for this day.
Thank you Jesus, that we received a paid in full bill for an expensive test before he got to Mayo.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Prayer Request-UPDATED
My friend Gina, her son, John, received word that the organs he needs are waiting for him for his transplant. She blogged about the transplant here a few weeks ago. The surgery will be tomorrow. Thank you, Jesus, for providing the organs a few weeks after he was listed as needing a transplant.
Please pray for:
*Mark and Gina to have strength to be good parents through all this. I'm sure during recovery Mark and Gina will be separated while Gina stays at the hospital and Mark goes back home. Especially pray for Mark and Gina during the long waiting time of 5+ hours of surgery.
*John to be strong.
*The doctors and nurses to do their job well-both at the surgery and as they care for John after the surgery.
*The transplant to be successful.
*Their dog to be cared for while they are at the hospital.
*The family that was so generous to give the organs from their child at their time of grief.
*That ALL the details are worked out for them at both the hospital and at home during this time of surgery and recovery.
*That the financial details are worked out too.
*That they have spiritual care from a pastor near the hospital.
*Their church members while their pastor, Mark, is at the hospital.
*Mark as he travels back and forth from the hospital to home. Good weather for Mark to travel.
*Their house and car to be safe and work properly while they are at the hospital.
*Mark and Gina to remain healthy while they take care of John while he recovers.
*Swift recovery and few complications during John's recovery.
After Ram's surgery I have a better understanding of surgery since I never had surgery before. I still can't even imagine what Mark and Gina are going through during this. Please join me in praying for them.
11/12/10 8AM UPDATE: I should have posted this sooner, but it was a crazy day for them yesterday. They traveled to the hospital on Wednesday and the surgery was scheduled for Thursday. The organs were too damaged to use. John was released from the hospital. They wait for God's perfect timing.
After he was released from the hospital, the hospital called that John had an infection. They had the choice of going back to that hospital or going to their hospital closer to home. They know the staff and doctors at the hospital closer to home so they chose to go there. I don't do Facebook so I don't have a more up to date update, but the last I heard they were traveling to that hospital closer to home and they expect John to be in the hospital for at least 4 days.
They did a lot of traveling the last few days. They have had a lot of emotions getting ready for the surgery and then not having the surgery and then he is sick. They have to wait longer for the transplant. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.
Please pray for:
*Mark and Gina to have strength to be good parents through all this. I'm sure during recovery Mark and Gina will be separated while Gina stays at the hospital and Mark goes back home. Especially pray for Mark and Gina during the long waiting time of 5+ hours of surgery.
*John to be strong.
*The doctors and nurses to do their job well-both at the surgery and as they care for John after the surgery.
*The transplant to be successful.
*Their dog to be cared for while they are at the hospital.
*The family that was so generous to give the organs from their child at their time of grief.
*That ALL the details are worked out for them at both the hospital and at home during this time of surgery and recovery.
*That the financial details are worked out too.
*That they have spiritual care from a pastor near the hospital.
*Their church members while their pastor, Mark, is at the hospital.
*Mark as he travels back and forth from the hospital to home. Good weather for Mark to travel.
*Their house and car to be safe and work properly while they are at the hospital.
*Mark and Gina to remain healthy while they take care of John while he recovers.
*Swift recovery and few complications during John's recovery.
After Ram's surgery I have a better understanding of surgery since I never had surgery before. I still can't even imagine what Mark and Gina are going through during this. Please join me in praying for them.
11/12/10 8AM UPDATE: I should have posted this sooner, but it was a crazy day for them yesterday. They traveled to the hospital on Wednesday and the surgery was scheduled for Thursday. The organs were too damaged to use. John was released from the hospital. They wait for God's perfect timing.
After he was released from the hospital, the hospital called that John had an infection. They had the choice of going back to that hospital or going to their hospital closer to home. They know the staff and doctors at the hospital closer to home so they chose to go there. I don't do Facebook so I don't have a more up to date update, but the last I heard they were traveling to that hospital closer to home and they expect John to be in the hospital for at least 4 days.
They did a lot of traveling the last few days. They have had a lot of emotions getting ready for the surgery and then not having the surgery and then he is sick. They have to wait longer for the transplant. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.
Friday, October 15, 2010
I'm so spoiled...
I'm spoiled because most days Ram is home. If he's not home most of the day, with the exception of a few days a month, he is at least able to give me short breaks from the boys. He's usually here to hold Lamb 3 when he wakes up from his nap. He usually changes a few of Lamb 3's diapers. He usually gives the Lambs their vitamins. He usually reads to each of the Lambs at bedtime. He usually leads devotions at lunch time. He usually cooks supper and then I just warm up leftovers for lunch the next day. He makes all our bread in the breadmaker and yogurt in the yogurtmaker. He tries to make hummus or guacamole or black bean dip regularly.
When I heard he was going to be recovering for 6 weeks after surgery, I immediately thought of the things I just listed. What I didn't plan on or remember was that in addition to all that, I still had to do the tasks that I do around the house (mainly laundry, cleaning, bookkeeping the family bills, and thank you notes/other correspondence) AND be his nurse AND take care of the Lambs.
Yesterday was so busy that I can't even list everything I did. My dad was gone at the monthly pastor's meeting most of the day so he wasn't here to help. My dad needed directions to the places he was going yesterday. Ram needs pain medication every 4 hours, Tylenol every 6 hours, and another medicine every 8 hours. I set the alarm to give him medicine at night. I didn't plan on Ram needing different food than us so I made him some food for lunch and the boys and I something else so I could try to use up some veggies from our garden. I felt like I was nagging the boys all day to pick up-their bathroom, bedroom, and living room especially. Ram is moving very slow and he doesn't need to trip over toys when he is going to the bathroom. I walked to the post office with the boys and then sorted snail mail for us and the church. I wanted to make granola but we were out of honey. I called around to try to get honey with no luck. I regret not buying honey at Costco last week. I wanted to freeze tomatoes from our garden, but I never got that far. I made bread in the breadmaker and it turned out. I believe I only had made bread in the breadmaker once before. I made Ram coffee. I believe I only had made coffee once before too. I did a lot of dishes yesterday. I tried a new recipe for supper and everyone (even Ram) ate it. I began to organize the medical bills as I know it will be important to keep up with them as they arrive. We have already received many medical bills from his tests this summer. I wanted to get that organized before I added in the major medical bills from his surgery.
It was my turn to serve Ladies Aid last night and a member volunteered to do that for me, but I asked her to make sandwiches and I would do dessert. My dad went to Ladies Aid and took my dessert. I had made ice cream in our ice cream maker and homemade chocolate sauce earlier in the week. I was so glad I had done that before Ram got home and it got so busy. They made their own tin roof sundaes and they were a hit.
The Lambs have been well behaved, they just want someone to play with them. In between his two meetings yesterday, my dad helped the Lambs build a big train track in the living room. They enjoyed his attention. I read a few extra books at bedtime. They liked that and it sort of made up for our crazy day.
I know that things will improve as Ram recovers slowly. Yesterday was probably the worst because my dad wasn't here to help and I wasn't quite prepared for such a busy schedule. I will get used to being wife, mom, daughter and cook, maid, nurse, teacher, babysitter all at one time. I'm thankful that normally I'm spoiled. After 6 weeks Ram will go back to his tasks and I'll go back to mine and some tasks will be shared again.
When I heard he was going to be recovering for 6 weeks after surgery, I immediately thought of the things I just listed. What I didn't plan on or remember was that in addition to all that, I still had to do the tasks that I do around the house (mainly laundry, cleaning, bookkeeping the family bills, and thank you notes/other correspondence) AND be his nurse AND take care of the Lambs.
Yesterday was so busy that I can't even list everything I did. My dad was gone at the monthly pastor's meeting most of the day so he wasn't here to help. My dad needed directions to the places he was going yesterday. Ram needs pain medication every 4 hours, Tylenol every 6 hours, and another medicine every 8 hours. I set the alarm to give him medicine at night. I didn't plan on Ram needing different food than us so I made him some food for lunch and the boys and I something else so I could try to use up some veggies from our garden. I felt like I was nagging the boys all day to pick up-their bathroom, bedroom, and living room especially. Ram is moving very slow and he doesn't need to trip over toys when he is going to the bathroom. I walked to the post office with the boys and then sorted snail mail for us and the church. I wanted to make granola but we were out of honey. I called around to try to get honey with no luck. I regret not buying honey at Costco last week. I wanted to freeze tomatoes from our garden, but I never got that far. I made bread in the breadmaker and it turned out. I believe I only had made bread in the breadmaker once before. I made Ram coffee. I believe I only had made coffee once before too. I did a lot of dishes yesterday. I tried a new recipe for supper and everyone (even Ram) ate it. I began to organize the medical bills as I know it will be important to keep up with them as they arrive. We have already received many medical bills from his tests this summer. I wanted to get that organized before I added in the major medical bills from his surgery.
It was my turn to serve Ladies Aid last night and a member volunteered to do that for me, but I asked her to make sandwiches and I would do dessert. My dad went to Ladies Aid and took my dessert. I had made ice cream in our ice cream maker and homemade chocolate sauce earlier in the week. I was so glad I had done that before Ram got home and it got so busy. They made their own tin roof sundaes and they were a hit.
The Lambs have been well behaved, they just want someone to play with them. In between his two meetings yesterday, my dad helped the Lambs build a big train track in the living room. They enjoyed his attention. I read a few extra books at bedtime. They liked that and it sort of made up for our crazy day.
I know that things will improve as Ram recovers slowly. Yesterday was probably the worst because my dad wasn't here to help and I wasn't quite prepared for such a busy schedule. I will get used to being wife, mom, daughter and cook, maid, nurse, teacher, babysitter all at one time. I'm thankful that normally I'm spoiled. After 6 weeks Ram will go back to his tasks and I'll go back to mine and some tasks will be shared again.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Home Sweet Home
Ram came home today. My dad met his parents at about the halfway point and they handed Ram off to my dad. They arrived home in time to eat supper with us. Ram is moving really slow and taking his pain medication as prescribed. I'll set my alarm to get up and give him medicine every 4-6 hours. His parents were tired after a few nights of this. I know he'll gradually improve. It's amazing how well he is doing only one week after surgery.
Today is Ram's mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Ram's mom! We gave her a card from us, but she'll have to wait until she gets home to open up her presents that are waiting at the post office!
My sister made it to South Korea with all her luggage. She has already been blessed with some unexpected things. She is currently in a hotel until the teacher she is replacing leaves. That teacher was able to stay to help her the first week. She is at an elite elementary school and highly respected as the only native English speaker on staff. She is having all kinds of new experiences. It will be fun to hear of her adventures this year.
Today is Ram's mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Ram's mom! We gave her a card from us, but she'll have to wait until she gets home to open up her presents that are waiting at the post office!
My sister made it to South Korea with all her luggage. She has already been blessed with some unexpected things. She is currently in a hotel until the teacher she is replacing leaves. That teacher was able to stay to help her the first week. She is at an elite elementary school and highly respected as the only native English speaker on staff. She is having all kinds of new experiences. It will be fun to hear of her adventures this year.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
My hubby...
Ram in the hospital courtyard with his parents today. Ram was able to get outside in this beautiful weather.Ram may be leaving the hospital tomorrow to go to a hotel for a few days. We may go get him as early as Wednesday. We'll have to see how his recovery goes. He is doing so much better than even when I saw him on Friday. He is eating more normal foods, doing nearly everything without help from the nurses, and is not hooked up to anything any more. I'm so glad to get the update that he is doing so well. He'll move really slow when he comes home, but it will be nice to be home again.
The doctor is going to mail us photos of the tumor. I don't know if I really want to see them, but I think it is cool they are going to mail them to us. It was the size of a football (18x10x10 were the exact measurements). I just can't imagine where he had that since he is so thin. Mayo is amazing to have photographers to take photos during surgery.
It is amazing how God has provided doctors that knew what to do to help Ram and that God has designed our bodies to recover after surgery. "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Home after a little set back
Wednesday night we had several phone calls in the middle of the night from the doctor which I will blog about later. The short version is Ram was put in ICU for a few days because of loss of blood. He was given several blood transfusions and he went back to a regular room on Friday afternoon.
I had planned to visit Ram on Thursday morning and go home. I didn't want to go home until he was released from ICU. I am now thankful that car problems caused me to stay on Wednesday so I was there to receive the phone calls Wednesday night and not at home feeling bad that I wasn't near the hospital.
So we visited Ram on Friday morning and came home on Friday. I took it slow with the Lambs and we got home about 9pm. I hadn't checked e-mail all week and had some phone messages too. Some people that expected me to be home already were a little upset that I wasn't answering the phone. I'm sure when I explain what happened they will understand.
Everything was going so well until Wednesday about 8pm. From 8pm Wednesday until now is a big blur to me. I'm going to bed now at 1am. Tomorrow morning I'm hoping we make it to our local early childhood event that the Lambs are looking forward to.
My dad made it safely to our house and has his sermon prepared for Sunday.
Please keep my sister, Hannah, in your prayers. She flies to South Korea Saturday night/Sunday morning. She is going there to teach English for one year. She is really looking forward to this new experience. Please pray for a safe flight and that she is able to manage her luggage and get to her destination safely.
The good news is that Ram looks a lot better and feels a lot better too. It is clear this is going to be a long, slow recovery, but we are so thankful that it was benign. We are also thankful for the excellent doctors at Mayo.
I will try to blog tomorrow and also send out a mass e-mail to our friends and family, but we'll see how tomorrow goes. I'm trying to catch up here after being gone for a week, trying to catch up on sleep (especially that which was lost on Wednesday night), trying to make phone calls that were too difficult while I was alone watching the Lambs, and trying to be a good single parent especially by taking them to this early childhood event tomorrow. A friend reminded me to take care of myself through all this and I'm trying to follow that advice.
Ram's parents are still there and plan to stay next week too. Ram will probably be in the hospital until Tuesday and come home on Saturday. I will blog more about that later too.
I had planned to visit Ram on Thursday morning and go home. I didn't want to go home until he was released from ICU. I am now thankful that car problems caused me to stay on Wednesday so I was there to receive the phone calls Wednesday night and not at home feeling bad that I wasn't near the hospital.
So we visited Ram on Friday morning and came home on Friday. I took it slow with the Lambs and we got home about 9pm. I hadn't checked e-mail all week and had some phone messages too. Some people that expected me to be home already were a little upset that I wasn't answering the phone. I'm sure when I explain what happened they will understand.
Everything was going so well until Wednesday about 8pm. From 8pm Wednesday until now is a big blur to me. I'm going to bed now at 1am. Tomorrow morning I'm hoping we make it to our local early childhood event that the Lambs are looking forward to.
My dad made it safely to our house and has his sermon prepared for Sunday.
Please keep my sister, Hannah, in your prayers. She flies to South Korea Saturday night/Sunday morning. She is going there to teach English for one year. She is really looking forward to this new experience. Please pray for a safe flight and that she is able to manage her luggage and get to her destination safely.
The good news is that Ram looks a lot better and feels a lot better too. It is clear this is going to be a long, slow recovery, but we are so thankful that it was benign. We are also thankful for the excellent doctors at Mayo.
I will try to blog tomorrow and also send out a mass e-mail to our friends and family, but we'll see how tomorrow goes. I'm trying to catch up here after being gone for a week, trying to catch up on sleep (especially that which was lost on Wednesday night), trying to make phone calls that were too difficult while I was alone watching the Lambs, and trying to be a good single parent especially by taking them to this early childhood event tomorrow. A friend reminded me to take care of myself through all this and I'm trying to follow that advice.
Ram's parents are still there and plan to stay next week too. Ram will probably be in the hospital until Tuesday and come home on Saturday. I will blog more about that later too.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Post Surgery Day 1
Ram's dad took our minivan to the fix-it shop this morning. This day didn't go as planned. Plan 1 was to visit Ram and go home today. We had to go to plan 2. Plan 2 was go to the fix-it shop, then go to lunch, then visit Ram, and stay another night in the hotel. We now plan to visit Ram in the morning and go home tomorrow.
Ram was doing as well as could be expected. 3 LCMS pastors visited him today. He was exhausted so we didn't stay real long when we visited him.
We are still praising God for the good news from yesterday.
Ram was doing as well as could be expected. 3 LCMS pastors visited him today. He was exhausted so we didn't stay real long when we visited him.
We are still praising God for the good news from yesterday.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
We Praise Thee O Lord...
Beautiful words by phone today...
BENIGN!
I took the Lambs to Rev. Loel and Kathy Wessel's home today. Ram's parents took Ram to the hospital and waited during the surgery. Kathy served a nice lunch with two kinds of soup, 3 kinds of bread, and homemade cookies too. The Lambs played with their two boys. Then we went to a park. We stopped to see Ram for a few minutes and ate supper before going back to the hotel.
They removed the tumor and the kidney. The tumor was probably growing for a long time. The tumor was all in the kidney and the kidney has probably not been functioning for awhile.
When we got back to the hotel our minivan had a small electrical problem. So in the morning we need to get that checked out before we can go home. We may be staying longer than we planned...
Ram will have a tough recovery but because this was not cancer after he recovers this is the end.
We are thrilled with this good news and thankful to the Lord.
BENIGN!
I took the Lambs to Rev. Loel and Kathy Wessel's home today. Ram's parents took Ram to the hospital and waited during the surgery. Kathy served a nice lunch with two kinds of soup, 3 kinds of bread, and homemade cookies too. The Lambs played with their two boys. Then we went to a park. We stopped to see Ram for a few minutes and ate supper before going back to the hotel.
They removed the tumor and the kidney. The tumor was probably growing for a long time. The tumor was all in the kidney and the kidney has probably not been functioning for awhile.
When we got back to the hotel our minivan had a small electrical problem. So in the morning we need to get that checked out before we can go home. We may be staying longer than we planned...
Ram will have a tough recovery but because this was not cancer after he recovers this is the end.
We are thrilled with this good news and thankful to the Lord.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Pre-Mayo Day
Ram and his parents went to a doctor's appointment today. I tried unsuccessfully to get the Lambs to take a rest time in the hotel room while they were gone.
We met with a pastor in this area for prayers.
Then we took the Lambs to a park with a nice playground to play.
We ate an early supper at a nice Indian restaurant. Lamb 3 had 4 helpings of rice and dal. Lamb 1 ate well too. Lamb 2 was too tired (because he didn't have a rest time) to eat very much.
Ram's parents were impressed with Ram's doctors here. Ram's dad will take him to the hospital early in the morning. The surgery will be tomorrow.
I am thankful for Ram's parents being here to help me with both Ram as he recovers and with the Lambs.
The doctor did suggest that after Ram is released from the hospital that he stays in the area a few more days before going all the way home just in case of complications. We hadn't thought of this so we are now trying to figure out a plan to do this so Ram could rest those few extra days without the Lambs bothering him.
First we need to get through the surgery. The surgery will tell us a lot about what to expect about his recovery. Then we'll have a few days to make decisions and plan for his recovery time.
We're trying to get to bed early tonight as tomorrow will be a long day for all of us. Thank you for your prayers and concern.
We met with a pastor in this area for prayers.
Then we took the Lambs to a park with a nice playground to play.
We ate an early supper at a nice Indian restaurant. Lamb 3 had 4 helpings of rice and dal. Lamb 1 ate well too. Lamb 2 was too tired (because he didn't have a rest time) to eat very much.
Ram's parents were impressed with Ram's doctors here. Ram's dad will take him to the hospital early in the morning. The surgery will be tomorrow.
I am thankful for Ram's parents being here to help me with both Ram as he recovers and with the Lambs.
The doctor did suggest that after Ram is released from the hospital that he stays in the area a few more days before going all the way home just in case of complications. We hadn't thought of this so we are now trying to figure out a plan to do this so Ram could rest those few extra days without the Lambs bothering him.
First we need to get through the surgery. The surgery will tell us a lot about what to expect about his recovery. Then we'll have a few days to make decisions and plan for his recovery time.
We're trying to get to bed early tonight as tomorrow will be a long day for all of us. Thank you for your prayers and concern.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Ram update
Monday we had a whirlwind trip. First to Saint Cloud (3 hours) for dentist appointments for the boys and then Ram visited a member in the hospital there that had a heart attack. His family was shocked to see Ram, but we were already going to the dentist. Then we drove to Rochester (about 3 more hours) and stayed at a hotel right by Mayo.
Ram had an 8am Tuesday appointment. We found Mayo to be large but many people available to help. We saw the scan that was taken last week and the mass is huge-you can't even see the kidney. They will not know if it is cancerous until it is removed. It doesn't matter if it is cancerous or not, it needs to be removed and the treatment either way is to remove it and watch it, watch it closer if it is cancer. There is no radiation or chemo that is helpful for this kind of kidney cancer. We had the impression that the doctor thinks it is benign, but he won't know for sure until he is in there. The biopsy will be done after it is removed. Most likely that kidney will be removed too. The doctor was leaving Tuesday night for a conference so the surgery is scheduled for next Tuesday. Ram's parents were waiting for their airplane yesterday when we called and told them the schedule change. Ram's dad had quite a time changing everything (flights, hotels, etc.) but they are staying in ID this week and will fly out next week.
I felt much better after talking to the doctor. The first specialist Ram saw normally sees people in their 60s and older so Ram was a little challenging for him. I was so glad to see a doctor at Mayo that regularly sees all ages. We are now at a point where we pray and trust the doctor to make good decisions once he opens Ram up.
We had to take the boys with us to the appointment yesterday morning and they were tired and grouchy. The doctor actually said their playing with cars (and they were becoming quite loud at that point) didn't bother him. It sounded like he's seen worse in the office. It was a relief that he wasn't annoyed that we brought them. We were not leaving our boys at home even if we could have found a babysitter when we were 5 hours one way away.
Ram will have a 6 week recovery time and he may be able to go back to visiting members and confirmation class, but he probably won't be able to handle 3 services at our tri-parish Sunday mornings for that whole time. Ram will preach this Sunday and then Ewe's dad is coming to preach after that. It's handy having a retired pastor in the family!
Thank you for all your prayers. This surgery will be major, but things could have been a lot worse. We have a lot to thank God for today and we're praying that on Tuesday we have even more to praise God about.
Next week I may not have very much computer time, but I will try to post to my blog first before e-mails, so check here for updates.
Ram had an 8am Tuesday appointment. We found Mayo to be large but many people available to help. We saw the scan that was taken last week and the mass is huge-you can't even see the kidney. They will not know if it is cancerous until it is removed. It doesn't matter if it is cancerous or not, it needs to be removed and the treatment either way is to remove it and watch it, watch it closer if it is cancer. There is no radiation or chemo that is helpful for this kind of kidney cancer. We had the impression that the doctor thinks it is benign, but he won't know for sure until he is in there. The biopsy will be done after it is removed. Most likely that kidney will be removed too. The doctor was leaving Tuesday night for a conference so the surgery is scheduled for next Tuesday. Ram's parents were waiting for their airplane yesterday when we called and told them the schedule change. Ram's dad had quite a time changing everything (flights, hotels, etc.) but they are staying in ID this week and will fly out next week.
I felt much better after talking to the doctor. The first specialist Ram saw normally sees people in their 60s and older so Ram was a little challenging for him. I was so glad to see a doctor at Mayo that regularly sees all ages. We are now at a point where we pray and trust the doctor to make good decisions once he opens Ram up.
We had to take the boys with us to the appointment yesterday morning and they were tired and grouchy. The doctor actually said their playing with cars (and they were becoming quite loud at that point) didn't bother him. It sounded like he's seen worse in the office. It was a relief that he wasn't annoyed that we brought them. We were not leaving our boys at home even if we could have found a babysitter when we were 5 hours one way away.
Ram will have a 6 week recovery time and he may be able to go back to visiting members and confirmation class, but he probably won't be able to handle 3 services at our tri-parish Sunday mornings for that whole time. Ram will preach this Sunday and then Ewe's dad is coming to preach after that. It's handy having a retired pastor in the family!
Thank you for all your prayers. This surgery will be major, but things could have been a lot worse. We have a lot to thank God for today and we're praying that on Tuesday we have even more to praise God about.
Next week I may not have very much computer time, but I will try to post to my blog first before e-mails, so check here for updates.
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