Update from Hospital

Fear not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yea, I will help you; yea, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.   Isaiah 41:10

Hi everyone. . as I type this I'm sitting on a cot in Bryan's room. . .he's waiting for the 10 p.m. vitals to be taken, then he wants to try to take another walk before we try to get a few hours' sleep .  The next vitals are taken at 2:00 a.m..   His oxygen levels aren't 100% but they're better than they have been for the past few days. . so that's good news!

Today he was taken off the morphine drip....not because the pain has subsided, but because the Dr wants to let him go home tomorrow. . .so they have to get Bryan off that IV pain meds.   I would like to say that he adjusted fine and dandy to that.  But, it has been a rough go of it.   Around 5:00 p.m. his pain was so bad that he could barely whisper and was just shaking.  thankfully the pain pill kicked in. . .and he was able to rest for a little bit.

The DR said that he thinks Bryan can go home tomorrow sometime, so maybe he'll be able to actually rest at the house, as opposed to being here in "Grand Central Station" (that's what this hospital wing sounds like---even on the midnight shift.)   As a side note, Bryan said to share with you that he and this bed are not getting along very well.  The SICU had a nice air-adjustable mattress that adjusted every time he would try to move. . now that we're on the regular floor, he said it feels like he's sleeping on the floor.  LOL

Okay....it's time for our last walk til 2:00 a.m.    Just wanted to say thank you to each of you!! 

I'll be in touch, and thanks again for praying.  Your thoughts and prayers and been such an encouragement to us both!!  We could not have made it this far without the strength of the Lord each and every day.  . and we know it's because He's answering prayers from everyone on our behalf.

I'll be talking to you all soon.

Until then,

Goodnight from Sentara Norfolk General.

Update from hospital

Hi everyone.  
Yesterday was surgery day . . . Bryan went in around 11:40 and they called from the OR around 12:30 to let me know they had begun.   I didn't get to see him til about 8:00 p.m. last night though.

They were able to save 85% of his kidney and only remove the mass.  Pathological reports show that it was cancer. . .although we won't know the exact kind for several weeks.  More than likely was renal cell carcinoma, since that's the most common renal tumor. . .but I won't speculate at this point.  If it was RCC, we can be thankful that God allowed them to catch it in time!!  That particular cancer doesn't respond to treatment once it spreads out of the kidney.  The Dr said the margins came back clear. . so that means they got it all.   So...we can look back and thank the LORD for Bryan having kidney stones last summer.  that allowed them to do a CT scan and find the cancer early!!

The surgery went as smoothly as possible.  The recovery was a bit rough though. Due to the pain, and Bryan having sleep apnea, Bryan was not able to take deep breaths and that caused his oxygen levels to be too low.  he was in recovery for several hours, and they never let me go back to see him.  Once he was stabilized, they transferred him to a step down unit (unit below ICU, but more intensive care than a regular floor room).  Due to the incision size and site, his pain has been bad.  He's okay as long as he doesn't move.   However, the DR wants Bryan up and out of bed today.  so our goal is to have him sitting up and in a recliner between the noon and one o'clock hour.  He has asked for prayer re: that, due to the pain.  He is high risk for blood clots . . so we want to try our best to prevent that. . .at least Bryan is willing to try.   He'll do his part, and you all can uphold him in prayer, and we'll trust the Lord to strengthen and enable him.
We may be in the step down unit for a day or so, then to the regular floor through Sat. or Sunday.

We both thank you so much for your prayers.  I can tell God has been with us the entire way.  In fact, before we left the house yesterday, I drew a promise card from my "Bible Bread Box" and asked the Lord to give us a specific verse to claim for Bryan.  I went to pick one card, but saw a pink one sticking up, so I grabbed that one.  It said, For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD."  Jeremiah 30:17. 

What better promise could we have asked for.  It was as if the Lord sent a direct phone call to our hearts!  :) :) 
By the way, I was able to get internet access here in the hospital, so that's why I'm updating this blog. . but that means I have to do homework now.  BOO!!!   :)
Thanks y'all for your prayers, phone calls and emails!!  My class has been taking care of us for meals this week too.  They've been a blessing to us too!
Will be in touch soon.

Surgery: One week from today

Hi everyone.  .just a quick note.  Bryan's surgery is one week from today.  .  .The surgery is supposed to begin at 12:00. . . we are to arrive by 10:00.   The DR told him on last Thursday that he really wants to try and remove only a portion of the kidney, but there's a risk of him not being able to stop the bleeding, so if that happens, he'll have to take the entire kidney.  He said that Bryan really is going to need two kidneys. . .  .so . . . that makes me wonder. . . but anyway, I don't know if I'll be able to do any more updates before next Tuesday because I have four big tests: one tomorrow, one Friday, and two big ones on Monday.  And honestly I have not even studied for the last three. . only tomorrow's.  I also have a huge presentation to prepare for that is next Friday. . .strength is needed.

There are so many people who are  going through difficult storms and hurting. . . and one thing that this situation has taught me is:  I get so caught up in the storm, and our difficult circumstances, that my eyes have neglected to truly see the burdens of others  to an extent that I could make a difference in their lives, regardless of what we're going through.  I definintely need God's help in keeping everything in the proper perspective.   . . . and a few hours sleep would probably be nice too.  ;o)

Thanks everyone for your prayers.

I'll be in touch as soon as I can.

Much love

Tammi