Where to begin? What a full weekend! Brianne, Allison, Nicole, and Liz (school friends) made their way all the way over here to see me! I was thrilled to say the least! They came down on Friday, and we were able to catch up with each other that evening, sharing quite a few laughs. Oh and I might add that I noticed (I don't know if they noticed) I no longer go into those body racking coughing fits while laughing! OH YAH!
The next day the girls went on a very successful shopping trip (so i am told), joined up with me later in the evening. During the afternoon my sister Katie came over (on a rare day off) and we did some errands, Katie was looking for thread for her needle point project, my dad needed to go to Home-Depot and Canadian tire. So the evening rolls around and the girls make it back...and we decide to order some pizza... online. I have to admit, I don't know about you but this was the first time I have ever ordered pizza online, kind of a odd thing to do on the internet. Well we ate pizzas, we watched an episode of Ugly Betty online, then afterward we tried to help a certain someone find a certain item online, for a certain someone else.
After a while this certain someone found the certain item but didn't have the means to get the item...I hope this mysterious certain someone has it now! We also enjoyed a few pixar shorts including Scrat "No time for nuts", Jack Jack Attack and "For the Birds".
Later on, we took out some of my daily equipment and tried it out...they all tried the Blood pressure cuff (they're all in good health, turns out) and also the fancy bathroom scale, which requires you to wet your feet so that it can calculate your total water percentage as well as your total body fat. As it happened, they were slightly dehydrated...I think it must have been the shopping. I'm not sure if it was that night or friday but I showed them the pictures of my old and new lungs, which the surgeon had taken and emailed to my family...some were a little taken aback by them but also kind of intrigued...I'm not sure what to make of them, but like my mom said its kind of satisfying seeing the old lungs, seeing these things that caused all the problems over the years. We talked some more, which I really enjoyed/missed, I mean facebooking/emailing is great and all that but it isn't the same as a good visit in the flesh!
Sunday the ladies hit the road again, and I met my sister and her hubby and his parents for lunch at Tony Romas...MmmMmm good! I had myself a steak burger and fries, my first steak in a long while. Delicious! I think it helped contribute to my weight gain ... I think I am now around a healthy 61.6Kgs or 135.2lbs, which is my highest weight ever and well on my way to my doctor's goal of 145 lbs. After a great lunch we headed over to Futureshop to check out a TV package I'm eyeing up. We got ourselves some help right away, CRAZY right away for Futureshop! It must be because of the Christmas season... anyway this salesman was very talkative, knowledgeable and overall a very good salesman...but we didn't end up buying anything, we got ourselves a price quote and continued shopping elsewhere in the store. But here's the kicker, the salesman later finds us and offers us a flyer that says something like "we beat all competitors by 10%", thats not the kicker, its this, he smells like alcohol. Badly. Steve, you need help!!! No sale for you!
So that was my action packed weekend. I was able to spend some quality time with great friends, take in a great lunch and rest up in one weekend!
Thank you girls so much!
Love,
Donovan
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Up. up and away...
Donovan's pulmonary function is up again! His FEV1 (a measure of lung function) is now a whopping 81%!!! I give him an "A" for that! Just had to brag about those new lungs! And yes, I'll admit I was a little silly to worry about the "crackle" in his lung last weekend. After 20 years of dealing with CF lungs, I guess worry has become a habit I'll have to work on breaking.
So, with numbers like that, I'm going to let myself get excited about the possibility of him coming home earlier in December rather than later. Donovan has some tests scheduled for Dec. 4, and discharge from Edmonton is pending results of those. Let's all pray Dec 5 is the date! Thanks!
Yoga is now a part of Donovan's occupational therapy. Balance, muscle tone & strength...it all gets worked on with yoga, and gives him a break from the usual routine. I'll have to get him to show me some poses when he gets home!
Katie called today to report she heard hiccups from her baby. The doctor was getting the heartbeat with the doppler, and baby had hiccups at the time which could be heard along with the heartbeat! How exciting for her...wish I could have been there...Less than 3 months to go...
Mom is still struggling in hospital, mealtime, physio, it's all difficult for her and she is constantly exhausted. We're hoping her IV and catheter will be gone soon, and hopefully that will make things a little easier. Improvements are very slow in coming, and although her 'numbers' are good, she still seems very short of breath. We'd appreciate prayers for mom.
Well, off to bed with me! Blessings everyone!
Beth
So, with numbers like that, I'm going to let myself get excited about the possibility of him coming home earlier in December rather than later. Donovan has some tests scheduled for Dec. 4, and discharge from Edmonton is pending results of those. Let's all pray Dec 5 is the date! Thanks!
Yoga is now a part of Donovan's occupational therapy. Balance, muscle tone & strength...it all gets worked on with yoga, and gives him a break from the usual routine. I'll have to get him to show me some poses when he gets home!
Katie called today to report she heard hiccups from her baby. The doctor was getting the heartbeat with the doppler, and baby had hiccups at the time which could be heard along with the heartbeat! How exciting for her...wish I could have been there...Less than 3 months to go...
Mom is still struggling in hospital, mealtime, physio, it's all difficult for her and she is constantly exhausted. We're hoping her IV and catheter will be gone soon, and hopefully that will make things a little easier. Improvements are very slow in coming, and although her 'numbers' are good, she still seems very short of breath. We'd appreciate prayers for mom.
Well, off to bed with me! Blessings everyone!
Beth
Monday, November 17, 2008
weekend update. on monday ( a post by Donovan)
So here we go. Saturday. I had my first "sleep in" in 3 months. Because of my new medication routine (as of the transplant) I have to eat with scheduled medication every 12 hours. So I tried getting up at 9:30 (this is my normal wake up time on weekends), then I ate, took my meds.. .and went back to bed till noon. Although my body being so used to getting up and staying up the past 3 months, it was an up and down kind of a thing. I'll have to get better at sleeping in.
So after the "sleep in" I awoke with a crackle in my right side, of my new lungs. This is not something new, but a reoccurrence of something that I have experienced before in the hospital. It is best described as something like inflating a new balloon in your hand, the feeling of the plastic crackling and separating as you inflate it. This of course had my mom worrying straight away, despite my best efforts to assure her that in the hospital the doctors and team were not worried when it occured. We decided to wait till monday and go to clinic to check things out then, in the meantime to use the "slurpee" machine to try and stretch those lungs out. Along with this crackly feeling I ended up being extra worn out after I woke up.
Despite these few setbacks we, (Mom, Dad, my friend Chantal, her sister Chenoa and I) went on with our plans to meet up with PA friends Kath and Ali at city hall for the "official" lighting of the super huge christmas tree and downtown decor. We arrived quite early so we checked out a little shop, took in some art and had a coffee. Once Kath, Ali and friends arrived we hurried outside , claimed a spot on the square and after a long awaited introduction for Santa, the crowd counted down and the Tree along with decorations were lit. But wait! There was more! What was this?! fireworks set to music?! Yes, there were a couple of songs set to fireworks for all to enjoy! What made it even better was sharing it with family and friends. Tired and hungry we said our goodbyes and were off back "home". Plans to join my brother in law for the evening to celebrate his birthday were cancelled. One activity a day seems to be the limit for now.
Sunday. Nothing much happened sunday, it was mostly a much needed day of rest. Stayed in the pjs till 3... walked over to London Drugs to get a print, and made a long walk over to superstore and back. Besides the physio I'm trying to get a little more activity in the afternoon or evening, it usually consists of a walk to the store or around the neighborhood. These walks are progressively becoming brisk walks.
Today! WOW WHAT A DAY! OHMIGOSH!!!!! Well actually it was a regular monday really. Up and at em' at 7, hospital at 8:30 for blood work, to the gym at 9-10:30, OT 10:30-10:45 (cut OT short today to go to un-scheduled clinic), to the pulmonary function and x-ray, labs from 10:45 -11:30 AND THEN to check out the crackle we went to clinic. Turns out the Doc was unconcerned, he says sometimes you just get weird sensations, his suggestion was that it could just be the lung rubbing against the wall or vice versa...See mom! nothing to be worried about!... although he did say that it was good we came by and got it checked and make sure nothing was going on , which was why we did the pulmonary and xray prior.
OH and YOULLNEVERGUESSEDWHATHAPPENED!!! We tried to thank everyone in a previous post but as people continue to give support, more thank yous are in order.
Special thanks to: Dad's cousin from Albertville, Marie Gobeil & familly, and Mom's cousin fro Ontario, Greg Demaine, for their very generous financial support.
We also just found out support was even given from friends of my aunt Jewel in Allan, SK. Pius + Bea Brossart. This is truly remarkable that even people that we have not yet met are supporting us. Thank-you for the lovely card, gift, thoughts and prayers.
Thank you also to Gloria White, a co-worker of my mom for her gift. You are incredibly generous. And Thank you also to our church family, Prince Albert Alliance, who continues to support us. We appreciate all of you so much! Thanks also to the Hagel Family for taking in Stephen so Mom could be here for the week, it is so special to have friends who generously help us out when we are in need.
Well that pretty well sums up one of my most exciting weekends in a while, thanks to christmas lights, fireworks, family, and friends.
So after the "sleep in" I awoke with a crackle in my right side, of my new lungs. This is not something new, but a reoccurrence of something that I have experienced before in the hospital. It is best described as something like inflating a new balloon in your hand, the feeling of the plastic crackling and separating as you inflate it. This of course had my mom worrying straight away, despite my best efforts to assure her that in the hospital the doctors and team were not worried when it occured. We decided to wait till monday and go to clinic to check things out then, in the meantime to use the "slurpee" machine to try and stretch those lungs out. Along with this crackly feeling I ended up being extra worn out after I woke up.
Despite these few setbacks we, (Mom, Dad, my friend Chantal, her sister Chenoa and I) went on with our plans to meet up with PA friends Kath and Ali at city hall for the "official" lighting of the super huge christmas tree and downtown decor. We arrived quite early so we checked out a little shop, took in some art and had a coffee. Once Kath, Ali and friends arrived we hurried outside , claimed a spot on the square and after a long awaited introduction for Santa, the crowd counted down and the Tree along with decorations were lit. But wait! There was more! What was this?! fireworks set to music?! Yes, there were a couple of songs set to fireworks for all to enjoy! What made it even better was sharing it with family and friends. Tired and hungry we said our goodbyes and were off back "home". Plans to join my brother in law for the evening to celebrate his birthday were cancelled. One activity a day seems to be the limit for now.
Sunday. Nothing much happened sunday, it was mostly a much needed day of rest. Stayed in the pjs till 3... walked over to London Drugs to get a print, and made a long walk over to superstore and back. Besides the physio I'm trying to get a little more activity in the afternoon or evening, it usually consists of a walk to the store or around the neighborhood. These walks are progressively becoming brisk walks.
Today! WOW WHAT A DAY! OHMIGOSH!!!!! Well actually it was a regular monday really. Up and at em' at 7, hospital at 8:30 for blood work, to the gym at 9-10:30, OT 10:30-10:45 (cut OT short today to go to un-scheduled clinic), to the pulmonary function and x-ray, labs from 10:45 -11:30 AND THEN to check out the crackle we went to clinic. Turns out the Doc was unconcerned, he says sometimes you just get weird sensations, his suggestion was that it could just be the lung rubbing against the wall or vice versa...See mom! nothing to be worried about!... although he did say that it was good we came by and got it checked and make sure nothing was going on , which was why we did the pulmonary and xray prior.
OH and YOULLNEVERGUESSEDWHATHAPPENED!!! We tried to thank everyone in a previous post but as people continue to give support, more thank yous are in order.
Special thanks to: Dad's cousin from Albertville, Marie Gobeil & familly, and Mom's cousin fro Ontario, Greg Demaine, for their very generous financial support.
We also just found out support was even given from friends of my aunt Jewel in Allan, SK. Pius + Bea Brossart. This is truly remarkable that even people that we have not yet met are supporting us. Thank-you for the lovely card, gift, thoughts and prayers.
Thank you also to Gloria White, a co-worker of my mom for her gift. You are incredibly generous. And Thank you also to our church family, Prince Albert Alliance, who continues to support us. We appreciate all of you so much! Thanks also to the Hagel Family for taking in Stephen so Mom could be here for the week, it is so special to have friends who generously help us out when we are in need.
Well that pretty well sums up one of my most exciting weekends in a while, thanks to christmas lights, fireworks, family, and friends.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Bringing home the Gold!
A great day here in Edmonton! It was rise and shine & out the door to clinic...with nothing but good reports...Don't you just love Friday? The doc today was very pleased with Donovan's progress. His flows are up to the highest yet,(FEV1 of 76%) and he really encouraged Donovan to begin to "push it" with his cardio. Although we were told it would be unrealistic to expect 100% lung function, the theory goes that the harder you work, the more the lungs will give you...so we will definitely be pushing it. He confided that physio-rehab was for "old people"...(probably referring to this author's age)! Dr. Nader told us the story of twin girls with CF from his home in California who both had lung transplants in their 20's and went on to win Gold medals at the Transplant Games. Didn't know much about the Games, so will have to look into that. Donovan has told us he definitely wants to be able to run with Scout in the near future.
More good news...weight is also best yet, at 60.2 kilos. Prednisone is decreased to 15mg and will soon be at 10mg where it will remain for a year. The prednisone is giving Donovan the cutest little puffy cheeks, which I'm not allowed to pinch! It's also helping his appetite and we welcome that. They are talking about switching his diabetes management to "carb counting" or estimating what you will eat at a meal and dosing your insulin according to that instead of following a scale depending on your blood sugar results. This will decrease the amount of insulin needed, and we're still hoping Donovan's tired old pancreas will kick in and we'll be able to do away with all the pokes...wouldn't that be great?
Still haven't figured out the problem with our microspirometer...that device used for home PFT's. It isn't broken apparently, but it's not giving accurate readings. This leads us to believe it's a technique problem. So, please pray Donovan will be able to enhance his technique for this very important part of his new lung management...he needs to record his findings each day...any decline of 15% or more over three days could mean organ rejection. It's vital that he be able to do this test accurately each time once we head home! Thanks!
Out to a Japanese restaurant today for supper with my friends Verla & Bernie, and Donovan's friend Chantal and her sister. Also shopping for my grandbaby to be with Katie who is starting to feather the nest for next Valentine's day...newborn sleepers, tiny little socks, cute little hat, can't wait!
The weekend is zooming along, and once again I'm feeling quite torn...it will be so hard to leave here on Sunday, but I also miss Stephen at home, and Amy who is usually there on weekends. Hopefully Donovan will get the green light for an early rather than mid-December discharge.
Good news from our friends with the daughter who had heart surgery yesterday. Everything is going very well, the surgery is a success and she is already sitting up and eating! Praise God!
Mom is up and walking a few steps with assistance at home in PA hospital, but still not eating. Bribing and coaxing are proving to do little, and she still has some unexplained vomiting. Her voice is little more than a whisper, which can only be explained by her profound weakness...please continue to pray for mom. Her lungs remain clear, so we are very thankful the congestive heart failure seems under control.
Off to bed for another busy day tomorrow...good night all!
Beth
More good news...weight is also best yet, at 60.2 kilos. Prednisone is decreased to 15mg and will soon be at 10mg where it will remain for a year. The prednisone is giving Donovan the cutest little puffy cheeks, which I'm not allowed to pinch! It's also helping his appetite and we welcome that. They are talking about switching his diabetes management to "carb counting" or estimating what you will eat at a meal and dosing your insulin according to that instead of following a scale depending on your blood sugar results. This will decrease the amount of insulin needed, and we're still hoping Donovan's tired old pancreas will kick in and we'll be able to do away with all the pokes...wouldn't that be great?
Still haven't figured out the problem with our microspirometer...that device used for home PFT's. It isn't broken apparently, but it's not giving accurate readings. This leads us to believe it's a technique problem. So, please pray Donovan will be able to enhance his technique for this very important part of his new lung management...he needs to record his findings each day...any decline of 15% or more over three days could mean organ rejection. It's vital that he be able to do this test accurately each time once we head home! Thanks!
Out to a Japanese restaurant today for supper with my friends Verla & Bernie, and Donovan's friend Chantal and her sister. Also shopping for my grandbaby to be with Katie who is starting to feather the nest for next Valentine's day...newborn sleepers, tiny little socks, cute little hat, can't wait!
The weekend is zooming along, and once again I'm feeling quite torn...it will be so hard to leave here on Sunday, but I also miss Stephen at home, and Amy who is usually there on weekends. Hopefully Donovan will get the green light for an early rather than mid-December discharge.
Good news from our friends with the daughter who had heart surgery yesterday. Everything is going very well, the surgery is a success and she is already sitting up and eating! Praise God!
Mom is up and walking a few steps with assistance at home in PA hospital, but still not eating. Bribing and coaxing are proving to do little, and she still has some unexplained vomiting. Her voice is little more than a whisper, which can only be explained by her profound weakness...please continue to pray for mom. Her lungs remain clear, so we are very thankful the congestive heart failure seems under control.
Off to bed for another busy day tomorrow...good night all!
Beth
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
To be or not to be....
That is the question my dear mother seemed to be debating the last couple of weeks. As mentioned in previous blog entries, mom is in hospital in Prince Albert following surgery to repair her broken hip, and struggling with heart complications. She was doing so poorly that the entire family was called in as we expected her to not recover. The last couple of weeks have been a roller-coaster and as you all know, I'm not a fan!!! Last week it was decided to institute palliative measures only, but within days of this decision, mom seemed to rally. Then, not so much, then the rally is on again, then off, and .... wait for it, on again. And so it goes....I was on and off again during all of this with my plan to come to Edmonton. I didn't feel I could leave with mom so sick, but desperately missed seeing Donovan, and being with Laurier as well.
So, Monday (Nov. 10) after mom was actually able to get up and walk with assistance of two physio people, I packed up and headed to Edmonton with Laurier, who had been home with me for the last 10 days while his sister came to stay with Donovan. I'm keeping in touch with home and my two sisters who are with mom. She continues to struggle, but I think some progress is being made. They were able to decrease the amount of oxygen she was requiring, and she's still at least talking about recovering, if not making steps in that direction. Yesterday she had a lot of nausea, so that was a setback.
So, here I am back with "my boys"! I hadn't seen Donovan in the flesh since the week of his hospital discharge, a whole month almost! And I have to say, he really looks taller, and his shoulders are wider! I'm not kidding! Whatever he's doing is sure working! He looks great, and is working so hard to stay in top condition and make those new lungs feel right at home. Yesterday was a rare day off from all things medical, but today we attended clinic and then hit the gym and occupational therapy.
There is a small concern with a tiny decrease in Donovan's "flows" so this will be looked into on Friday. We're also experiencing trouble with the home lung function test....that little gizmo that is very expensive and must be relied on to tell us where things are at with the new lungs. We'll take that in for a tune-up tomorrow! The good news is that we're starting to talk about getting out of here...not that Edmonton hasn't been great, but home would be even better! Donovan is scheduled for a CT scan & bronchoscopy on Dec 4, and may be able to go home the week following....how awesome would that be???
We saw our friend Lauren and her new lungs hard at work in the gym today...thanks so much for prayers on her behalf! Her cheeks were rosy and she was looking strong. I could so relate to her ecstatic mom! Don't you just love miracles! Thank-you God and all who prayed for this young lady!
So, a few prayer items....we need to figure out the mysteries of that home PFT device, and getting working reliably every time. We need to ask God to continue to breathe the breath of life into Donny's new lungs. No decreases on any tests...which could hail rejection....the dreaded "R" word.
Also, our friend Kristen...in desperate need of some slightly used "breathers".... we caught up to her as well today, and all I want for Christmas is new lungs for Kristen, please and thank-you!!!
Please continue to remember my mom in your prayers, that she would grow stronger with each day. She's really tiring of being so limited in her mobility, and it would be great to see her up and around again. Please pray she has no more episodes with fluid build up around her lungs.
One more item....we have a friend from Prince Albert with a rare but serious heart defect about to be repaired tomorrow, Thursday, Nov 13, right here at the good old U of A hospital. Please pray for Candace and her parents. She's a young woman in her teens....a very courageous girl! Thank you....
So good to know we are in the hands of Him, who is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine....so good to know you are right here with us...praying you will experience HIs peace in your life!
love,
Beth, back in Edmonton
So, Monday (Nov. 10) after mom was actually able to get up and walk with assistance of two physio people, I packed up and headed to Edmonton with Laurier, who had been home with me for the last 10 days while his sister came to stay with Donovan. I'm keeping in touch with home and my two sisters who are with mom. She continues to struggle, but I think some progress is being made. They were able to decrease the amount of oxygen she was requiring, and she's still at least talking about recovering, if not making steps in that direction. Yesterday she had a lot of nausea, so that was a setback.
So, here I am back with "my boys"! I hadn't seen Donovan in the flesh since the week of his hospital discharge, a whole month almost! And I have to say, he really looks taller, and his shoulders are wider! I'm not kidding! Whatever he's doing is sure working! He looks great, and is working so hard to stay in top condition and make those new lungs feel right at home. Yesterday was a rare day off from all things medical, but today we attended clinic and then hit the gym and occupational therapy.
There is a small concern with a tiny decrease in Donovan's "flows" so this will be looked into on Friday. We're also experiencing trouble with the home lung function test....that little gizmo that is very expensive and must be relied on to tell us where things are at with the new lungs. We'll take that in for a tune-up tomorrow! The good news is that we're starting to talk about getting out of here...not that Edmonton hasn't been great, but home would be even better! Donovan is scheduled for a CT scan & bronchoscopy on Dec 4, and may be able to go home the week following....how awesome would that be???
We saw our friend Lauren and her new lungs hard at work in the gym today...thanks so much for prayers on her behalf! Her cheeks were rosy and she was looking strong. I could so relate to her ecstatic mom! Don't you just love miracles! Thank-you God and all who prayed for this young lady!
So, a few prayer items....we need to figure out the mysteries of that home PFT device, and getting working reliably every time. We need to ask God to continue to breathe the breath of life into Donny's new lungs. No decreases on any tests...which could hail rejection....the dreaded "R" word.
Also, our friend Kristen...in desperate need of some slightly used "breathers".... we caught up to her as well today, and all I want for Christmas is new lungs for Kristen, please and thank-you!!!
Please continue to remember my mom in your prayers, that she would grow stronger with each day. She's really tiring of being so limited in her mobility, and it would be great to see her up and around again. Please pray she has no more episodes with fluid build up around her lungs.
One more item....we have a friend from Prince Albert with a rare but serious heart defect about to be repaired tomorrow, Thursday, Nov 13, right here at the good old U of A hospital. Please pray for Candace and her parents. She's a young woman in her teens....a very courageous girl! Thank you....
So good to know we are in the hands of Him, who is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine....so good to know you are right here with us...praying you will experience HIs peace in your life!
love,
Beth, back in Edmonton
Thursday, November 6, 2008
My answer to prayer.
Hello all! It's been a while since I posted here so I thought I would give you a little update.
So first things first. My health continues to be stable, so real big changes. My lung functions are holding steady about 75% I would like them to continue to climb but I'm not complaining. My insulin has been reduced again, so this is good news, hopefully as the prednisone is reduced it will allow my sugars to settle back down. I continue to get stronger with exercises I'm up to 30min on the treadmill at a 2% incline and 2mph, and big difference from the 5min I was doing at the beginning. I am also increasing the intensity of the O.T exercises as well for example I'm up to 6lbs biceps curls for 90secs, thats up from 1lb I was doing in the hospital bed for only 10 reps! With all these increases I'm up to 2hrs in the gym/O.T (Occupational Therapy) every morning! phew! But it's growing on me I'm finding I am enjoying myself...
Well there is not all that much to report from here, I am told that my Grandma continues to do poorly. So she really needs all your prayers right now, that would be greatly appreciated by all of us.
So to the reason I was going to write this post. I was talking with a friend on FaceBook and we got to talking about what I have experienced lately and how I was with God through all of it. Then that got me to thinking about my testimony. Most of you know that I was baptized in the ICU in Saskatoon. I was going to be baptize with my brother but obviously God had other plans for me, I ended up in the hospital. I was awake one night in the ICU and I kept thinking I should get baptized, I tossed and turned and couldn't shake the thoughts "you should get baptized, no time like right now to do it, believe and be baptized" So the next day I told my parents "you know what? I still want to get baptized, I mean I know I am going to get better but i would like to do it now, you never know what's going to happen I mean look it I was supposed to get baptized but now I'm in the hospital but I still want to do it" It probably wasn't in that many words I was really short of breath but the idea is there.
My testimony I had prepared to read was as follows:
Hey I’m Donovan and this is how God has been working in my life. At a very early age I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. In short Cystic Fibrosis is a terminal disease that mainly affects the lungs, causing the lungs to be plugged and infected constantly. After many infections the lungs become scarred and useless.
I was privileged to be raised in a caring, Christian home. I remember accepting Jesus as my Lord and Saviour as I prayed with my father at the end of his bed when I was just 4. I remember a feeling of a huge weight being lifted off me and a feeling of becoming brand new.
As time went by I knew God was with me as I went through the good times and the hard times But as the years progressed and as I got older, my faith became comfortable, but I slowly became independent of God.
Through junior high years my health and faith dwindled hand in hand. I was going through the motions of being a Christian outwardly, but never communicating or setting time aside for God, I guess you could say I became spiritually idle.
Summer of gr. 11 at plunge (a bible camp for teens) one of the last nights the speaker had an alter call. So that night I gave up walking on my own knelt and prayed, and just explained to God exactly what I felt, I felt numb, joyless and I couldn’t deal without him any longer and I wanted him back.
Since then I have started a closer walk with God, even though my faith was renewed it wasn’t near perfect or easy. Near the end of Gr. 12, I became very sick and during this time God had a plan to test my faith. While I was in the hospital I began to cough up blood. I quickly made my way to the sink and spat it out hoping it was a small amount, but quickly I could feel my lungs fill and begin to rattle with blood again. Collecting my thoughts, I began to slow my breathing and praying to God, “please God slow this down” After praying I felt this big sense of peace and comfort. Soon after notifying the nursing staff, I was transferred to Saskatoon Hospital, and although the bleeding episodes continued for 4 days, I was never worried or afraid and I just felt at peace knowing God had his hand on me. If I felt any fear or worry I would close my eyes and start praying.
I am going to be starting a new journey in my life as I begin the stages of preparing for a lung transplant. I know that it will get very tough and there will be a lot of uncertainties but as it says in Gods word, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. This is a promise that has kept me going when I feel overwhelmed or like giving up. I stand here before you not knowing what my future holds but I can tell you that I am ready to obey the Lord and be baptized. Although I am not sure of what lays ahead, I know I am ready to accomplish whatever God has planned for me.
Okay. . I basically told God, I am ready, take everything, I am ready to move forward. I now believe not only did he answer that prayer, but hey he threw in lungs with that answer. It may not have been in the fashion that we would want or expect. But I was in his hands the whole time.
The past few years of my life have been on hold. Mainly because of my CF. Frequent illnesses, hospital stays and 24hr fatigue prevented me from moving on with my life. I was unable to go to school, although accepted because frequent illness would not allowed me to complete classes, frequent illnesses didn't allow me to go out and live. But like I said before God has answered my call, gave me a miracle and has allowed me to begin to move forward.
Here is something else I recall, another answer to prayer. Another miracle. The night that I began to fail quickly was the night I started to cough up blood at RUH. It was another sleepless night, with a low fever, I started to cough....and like in my testimony I knew right away this is blood. I spat it out , called out to the nurses and they quickly came...but I knew something was wrong right away,... there was lots ... and frequently I was quickly filling up the cup I had in my hand, so they got me a kidney basin. I began to cough more violently filling up that basin and moving on the next one...I spare you the more graphic details...
Once I realized how much I was coughing up and how frequently I asked for my parents to come... and the staff was able to get them... This was the point that I was wondering if this was going to be it. Am I going to do right now? This is a lot of blood and its not stopping... God are you going to take me now? I made no deals with God, nothing like " if you let me live i will do this and that" I didn't do any of that, I did look back on what I did for him decided that I was happy with that, and Told God if this is it it's okay, if I'm not done your work let me continue.
Well contemplating all this my parents showed up, at this point I was shaking, they started 4 IV lines, were giving me tons of fluids and taking my BP and sats continuously ... I remember taking my dads hands asking him to pray with me, he prayed asking for peace and for the bleeding to stop... I prayed with and him ... and it stopped. almost instantly. a few extra coughs with no real amount to them... after that I was wheeled downstairs for an emergency bronch.
Looking back, I can't believe that I was at peace with what was going on, sure it was scary to be thinking this is it, but I was o.k with it, I was ready to go if that was his will.
So i guess the reason for this post is to say, God is real, he is with you and me. He can answer your prayers and give you peace. Just ask. He listening.
So first things first. My health continues to be stable, so real big changes. My lung functions are holding steady about 75% I would like them to continue to climb but I'm not complaining. My insulin has been reduced again, so this is good news, hopefully as the prednisone is reduced it will allow my sugars to settle back down. I continue to get stronger with exercises I'm up to 30min on the treadmill at a 2% incline and 2mph, and big difference from the 5min I was doing at the beginning. I am also increasing the intensity of the O.T exercises as well for example I'm up to 6lbs biceps curls for 90secs, thats up from 1lb I was doing in the hospital bed for only 10 reps! With all these increases I'm up to 2hrs in the gym/O.T (Occupational Therapy) every morning! phew! But it's growing on me I'm finding I am enjoying myself...
Well there is not all that much to report from here, I am told that my Grandma continues to do poorly. So she really needs all your prayers right now, that would be greatly appreciated by all of us.
So to the reason I was going to write this post. I was talking with a friend on FaceBook and we got to talking about what I have experienced lately and how I was with God through all of it. Then that got me to thinking about my testimony. Most of you know that I was baptized in the ICU in Saskatoon. I was going to be baptize with my brother but obviously God had other plans for me, I ended up in the hospital. I was awake one night in the ICU and I kept thinking I should get baptized, I tossed and turned and couldn't shake the thoughts "you should get baptized, no time like right now to do it, believe and be baptized" So the next day I told my parents "you know what? I still want to get baptized, I mean I know I am going to get better but i would like to do it now, you never know what's going to happen I mean look it I was supposed to get baptized but now I'm in the hospital but I still want to do it" It probably wasn't in that many words I was really short of breath but the idea is there.
My testimony I had prepared to read was as follows:
Hey I’m Donovan and this is how God has been working in my life. At a very early age I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. In short Cystic Fibrosis is a terminal disease that mainly affects the lungs, causing the lungs to be plugged and infected constantly. After many infections the lungs become scarred and useless.
I was privileged to be raised in a caring, Christian home. I remember accepting Jesus as my Lord and Saviour as I prayed with my father at the end of his bed when I was just 4. I remember a feeling of a huge weight being lifted off me and a feeling of becoming brand new.
As time went by I knew God was with me as I went through the good times and the hard times But as the years progressed and as I got older, my faith became comfortable, but I slowly became independent of God.
Through junior high years my health and faith dwindled hand in hand. I was going through the motions of being a Christian outwardly, but never communicating or setting time aside for God, I guess you could say I became spiritually idle.
Summer of gr. 11 at plunge (a bible camp for teens) one of the last nights the speaker had an alter call. So that night I gave up walking on my own knelt and prayed, and just explained to God exactly what I felt, I felt numb, joyless and I couldn’t deal without him any longer and I wanted him back.
Since then I have started a closer walk with God, even though my faith was renewed it wasn’t near perfect or easy. Near the end of Gr. 12, I became very sick and during this time God had a plan to test my faith. While I was in the hospital I began to cough up blood. I quickly made my way to the sink and spat it out hoping it was a small amount, but quickly I could feel my lungs fill and begin to rattle with blood again. Collecting my thoughts, I began to slow my breathing and praying to God, “please God slow this down” After praying I felt this big sense of peace and comfort. Soon after notifying the nursing staff, I was transferred to Saskatoon Hospital, and although the bleeding episodes continued for 4 days, I was never worried or afraid and I just felt at peace knowing God had his hand on me. If I felt any fear or worry I would close my eyes and start praying.
I am going to be starting a new journey in my life as I begin the stages of preparing for a lung transplant. I know that it will get very tough and there will be a lot of uncertainties but as it says in Gods word, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. This is a promise that has kept me going when I feel overwhelmed or like giving up. I stand here before you not knowing what my future holds but I can tell you that I am ready to obey the Lord and be baptized. Although I am not sure of what lays ahead, I know I am ready to accomplish whatever God has planned for me.
Okay. . I basically told God, I am ready, take everything, I am ready to move forward. I now believe not only did he answer that prayer, but hey he threw in lungs with that answer. It may not have been in the fashion that we would want or expect. But I was in his hands the whole time.
The past few years of my life have been on hold. Mainly because of my CF. Frequent illnesses, hospital stays and 24hr fatigue prevented me from moving on with my life. I was unable to go to school, although accepted because frequent illness would not allowed me to complete classes, frequent illnesses didn't allow me to go out and live. But like I said before God has answered my call, gave me a miracle and has allowed me to begin to move forward.
Here is something else I recall, another answer to prayer. Another miracle. The night that I began to fail quickly was the night I started to cough up blood at RUH. It was another sleepless night, with a low fever, I started to cough....and like in my testimony I knew right away this is blood. I spat it out , called out to the nurses and they quickly came...but I knew something was wrong right away,... there was lots ... and frequently I was quickly filling up the cup I had in my hand, so they got me a kidney basin. I began to cough more violently filling up that basin and moving on the next one...I spare you the more graphic details...
Once I realized how much I was coughing up and how frequently I asked for my parents to come... and the staff was able to get them... This was the point that I was wondering if this was going to be it. Am I going to do right now? This is a lot of blood and its not stopping... God are you going to take me now? I made no deals with God, nothing like " if you let me live i will do this and that" I didn't do any of that, I did look back on what I did for him decided that I was happy with that, and Told God if this is it it's okay, if I'm not done your work let me continue.
Well contemplating all this my parents showed up, at this point I was shaking, they started 4 IV lines, were giving me tons of fluids and taking my BP and sats continuously ... I remember taking my dads hands asking him to pray with me, he prayed asking for peace and for the bleeding to stop... I prayed with and him ... and it stopped. almost instantly. a few extra coughs with no real amount to them... after that I was wheeled downstairs for an emergency bronch.
Looking back, I can't believe that I was at peace with what was going on, sure it was scary to be thinking this is it, but I was o.k with it, I was ready to go if that was his will.
So i guess the reason for this post is to say, God is real, he is with you and me. He can answer your prayers and give you peace. Just ask. He listening.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Together Again!
After a separation of over 3 weeks, the longest in our 28 years of marriage, Laurier and I are together again!
Mom was doing quite poorly the last few days, and we wondered if her time was at hand. Lots of breathing problems, and increased weakness. After much deliberation it was decided I would not go to Edmonton as planned, but that Laurier would come home. His sister Alice and Katie took his place as Donovan's support people. It is so nice for us to be together again. We're taking it day by day, and if mom improves I'll go back to Edmonton with Laurier sometime next week. Stephen will come along until after the Remembrance Day weekend.
As well, my brothers Greg and Peter came in from BC, my sister Cathy from Regina and Jewel from S'toon district, and including my sister Ghislaine from town and myself, the whole family is together for the first time since my father's death in '95. I think the reunion has caused mom to rally. She is now much more alert, and breathing better. We're all hanging out at the hospital and taking shifts through the night. I'm sure we're making the staff a little crazy with all our fussing and doting on mom, who, by the way, is lapping up all the love and attention. It's hard to say which way it will go with her, but we are thankful for the time we have together as a family, and this chance to express our love for mom. Her hip is healing, but she is very weak and plays out quite easily. I thank you for your prayers for mom. God is again proving to be our faithful healer and provider.
Donovan is feeling well and now over 130 lbs, gaining a little each week. He had to restart his nightime insulin shot as his morning blood sugar was consistently high, but he was able to decrease his daytime insulin. A little side effect of the anti-rejection drugs is "pruney" fingers and palms, they appear to have been submerged in water for too long...but we can live with that! He continues to make gains in his daily physio regime, and his only problem these days is the beginnings of boredom with the whole "getting better" routine. We are so thankful for all his progress, so thankful for all the prayers for Donovan. Six weeks and counting till he comes home!!!
Off to bed as I'm on the early shift at the hospital...
God Bless,
Beth
Mom was doing quite poorly the last few days, and we wondered if her time was at hand. Lots of breathing problems, and increased weakness. After much deliberation it was decided I would not go to Edmonton as planned, but that Laurier would come home. His sister Alice and Katie took his place as Donovan's support people. It is so nice for us to be together again. We're taking it day by day, and if mom improves I'll go back to Edmonton with Laurier sometime next week. Stephen will come along until after the Remembrance Day weekend.
As well, my brothers Greg and Peter came in from BC, my sister Cathy from Regina and Jewel from S'toon district, and including my sister Ghislaine from town and myself, the whole family is together for the first time since my father's death in '95. I think the reunion has caused mom to rally. She is now much more alert, and breathing better. We're all hanging out at the hospital and taking shifts through the night. I'm sure we're making the staff a little crazy with all our fussing and doting on mom, who, by the way, is lapping up all the love and attention. It's hard to say which way it will go with her, but we are thankful for the time we have together as a family, and this chance to express our love for mom. Her hip is healing, but she is very weak and plays out quite easily. I thank you for your prayers for mom. God is again proving to be our faithful healer and provider.
Donovan is feeling well and now over 130 lbs, gaining a little each week. He had to restart his nightime insulin shot as his morning blood sugar was consistently high, but he was able to decrease his daytime insulin. A little side effect of the anti-rejection drugs is "pruney" fingers and palms, they appear to have been submerged in water for too long...but we can live with that! He continues to make gains in his daily physio regime, and his only problem these days is the beginnings of boredom with the whole "getting better" routine. We are so thankful for all his progress, so thankful for all the prayers for Donovan. Six weeks and counting till he comes home!!!
Off to bed as I'm on the early shift at the hospital...
God Bless,
Beth
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