Monday night

So it has been a good news-bad news day. In the overall scheme of things, Dan is progressing, albeit slowly. Please read on, but before you do:


Rom 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

From Dan:
monday, january 25, 2010

Just a little PO'd
If you read the last blog, you read that
1) another surgeon was going to consult on my case so that I could be assured a well-rounded decision
and
2) the plan was two days NPO, two days eating, decide from there TPN or not and go home.

Well, this morning the surgeon came in (who reminded me of my US History prof at Biola) and consulted. I kinda wish he hadn't.
He said that I needed to be NPO longer, though he was going to up my TPN so I wouldn't be as hungry. He wants to put a wound vac in tomorrow (which I think is a fine idea- I'm ready for the wound to close). He wasn't too concerned about the underlying hole- there's something they can cover it with and it won't be a problem. However, instead of a set timeline like McG gave me, now, I'll have to be evaluated at the end of the week. I suppose that could still mean a release date of Friday, but it could also mean I'll be stuck here longer. And even when I do get home, I'll be on TPN for sure, to be renegotiated by weekly meetings with the doctor.

So I mean, there's good news mixed with bad; I think the good news is marred by the fact that I'm still here. I even think the drain output went down. Maybe if it keeps going down, today's decision can get overridden and I can go home sooner. Maybe that's just wishful thinking.

Also, Ash just spoke with her nursing professor and needs to be down there a couple days a week to be able to graduate. So, pray for cheap flights and safe drives. This will be a long month.

What we do now is wait and see (surprise, surprise). Keep walking. Keep breathing. Keep doing something to pass the time. Pray for drains to stop. Pray to go home. Pray just because that's what you do in all situations.
Right now my goal is to be out by the Pro Bowl, of which I could write another entire blog, because of the timing and location change this year which the NFL will likely regret and hopefully reverse. But that's not what this blog is about.

Keep praying for us.
Dan & Ash

From Ashley:
sunday, january 24, 2010

A tardy update
As the night got later, I suddenly realized that neither of us had updated the blog. I apologize for the lateness. Our day was full of visitors.

This morning was basically the same as the past few have been. Early rising for a dressing change, rounds by the residents and waiting for McGreeky to come by. The wound is looking better, though there is a small hole in the fascia that will result in a hernia. Fortunately, the surgeons will be able to fix it during the next surgery very easily. The surgeon is going to consult another attending on the unit to ensure that it is safe for Dan to have the little hole for a few months. We're just hoping whatever they decide will not interfere with Dan's discharge. McGreeky mentioned another week, and I became uneasy with the repetitiousness of his time intervals. After he left, Dan and I talked about what was going on and decided that the issue of length of stay needed to be discussed.

I went out and caught the surgeon before he left, and he graciously came back into the room. Dan explained that it feels as though all he has been doing is waiting, and waiting is something he could be doing at home. He told the doc that being NPO for a week and being in the hospital was harming his strength and spirits. Dan told him that he wanted to do what was safe, but was tired of waiting for something that wasn't working. Accordingly, McGreeky decided that Dan will be NPO today and tomorrow. Tuesday and Wednesday, they will let him eat. If the drainage increases substantially, Dan will need to go home on TPN (which will need to be re-cycled through his body a couple days before d/c). If the drainage stays the same, Dan will go home on a diet and just wait out the drainage. The surgeon even conceded that there really isn't much being done for Dan in the hospital right now.

Having the doctor give specific days and plans and admit that Dan really doesn't need the hospital, gives Dan and I some leverage for negotiation. At the end of the day, Dan is the one in control of what's going on--it's his body. The doctor is here for Dan, not the other way around. I was so proud of Dan as he expressed how he was honestly feeling and only hope that he can continue to press the doctor to stick to his word. Being in the hospital is not helping Dan get better. He needs to go home.

After the doctor left, we got cleaned up and prepared for an onslaught of visitors. Lise finally made it to Stanford for the first time after arriving home from Rwanda on Thursday. She is our sister in all the ways that matter. Oh, it was so good to have her around.

Then, Katal arrived. She found someone (well, her husband found time) to watch her little rug rat, so she came to see us. It was so lovely to be able to hear about someone else's adventures and ongoings.

Finally, my parents, brother and grandpa showed up to keep us company, too. Mom brought clean laundry and a refill of food. Dad brought some homework, Nick brought some hunger and Papa C just brought himself as a buddy to watch football with. Amazingly, Dan didn't get too tired out with all the company. I loved having my family and my closest friends around me. Sometimes, a hospital gets a little lonely.

Now, the day is coming to a close, and I am perched on the edge of the hospital bed as Dan sleeps. His arm around my waist keeps me warm and reminds me of something very important: 'home' can mean very many things. As much as we want to be back in our little apartment in La Mirada, we are home as long as we have each other. It seems so strange that we have only been married a year and a half. Feels like a decade at least. We have surely seen some good times and bad times in our relationship. Yet, standing upon the Solid Rock, we are safe.

Prayer Requests:
* Healing of the wound without any new infection or complication (no additional surgery necessary)
* Healing of the pancreas leak
* Approval for Dan to be able to go home on a real food diet THIS WEEK
* Wisdom for the doctors and an understanding of the benefits of home
* Discharge home BEFORE SUNDAY (so I can go to my first day of classes)
* No need for Dan and I to be separated during recovery (he wants to go to LA after d/c)
* Supernatural intervention and healing

Praises:
* Wonderful friends and family
* Patient doctors
* Resolution of infection
* Energy from the TPN