Many of you have asked how we are doing and get an update on Seth since it’s been a while.
The past couple of weeks, Seth has had difficulty swallowing liquids as well as having digestion and constipation issues.
Monday, he had a Modified Barium Swallow test which showed a potential weakening of the swallowing muscles. The purpose of the Baclofen pump is to be more efficient in relaxing muscles and to help in spasticity so swallowing complications are an uncommon but understandable side effect. Right now, the Baclofen pump is set at 388.7 micrograms, delivering 16.2 micrograms an hour into his spinal fluid. It’s still a small amount considering some people can have their amounts in the thousands.
Fyi- deglutition, the act of swallowing, is such a complicated act, and requires split second timing and coordinated effort of dozens of muscles, the central nervous system, and five cranial nerves. What a marvelous process God created in us!
An esophagogastroduodenoscopy (say that 10 times fast) aka exam of the upper GI track will be done on 12/2 to see what else may be going on to affect his esophagus or other issues. After the results of this, we hope to have an official discharge date and be home very soon!
Sunday’s sermon message from Mark 2 was about four men that lowered their paralyzed friend from the roof to be healed by Jesus. Before healing the man, the first thing that Jesus did was to forgive his sins. It wasn’t to minimize the hurt of earthly or bodily problems as those might be temporary but the problem of sin had an eternity consequence and that was Jesus’ mission before anything else.
And in thinking of the men that carried their friend who couldn’t carry himself to Jesus; we should consider everyday a Thanksgiving for those in our lives who bring us closer to Jesus and carry us spiritually, emotionally, and even physically when we are weak.
For those wondering how things will be when he comes home, Seth will need a lot of help from us. He will come home in a wheelchair. He will need help in just about every aspect of daily living. He will need continued therapies for his body. He will need his family and friends to keep him motivated and encouraged for the next phase of recovery.
For all the prayer warriors here, please pray for a friend’s relative, Josh who had a golf ball sized glioblastoma removed from the center of his brain this summer. Recovery is long and tough in so many ways and we pray for strength and healing through this.
Also, an urgent request to pray for a young woman, Onnikka. She works on a ranch in Nevada and Tuesday she was in a horse wreck while working and has suffered significant brain trauma. She was life-flighted to a hospital in Reno. She just turned 21 last week. She has multiple brain bleeds and remains unresponsive. The brain bleeds are so deep they cannot drain them. The family is in the 72 hr waiting period which we know too well is terrifying and gut wrenching. Please be with those caring for Onnikka and for the life-saving procedures that she’s going through right now for she needs miracles upon miracles that only God can provide.
This has been a hard year for us and for many, many others. Life can change at a moment’s notice, so please take THIS moment to share these words with those you know:
I’m glad you’re in my life. You matter to me. Thank you for who you are. I love you.
To adapt Mother Teresa’s words- Simple words, but they leave echoes.
And for those going through anything and everything, we reflect that:
Love becomes more urgent.
Kindness becomes more meaningful.
Gratitude becomes more natural.
And the people we care about become even more precious.
(Author unknown)
I am thankful for all of you who have followed Seth’s progress, for hospitals and doctors and nurses and therapists, life, and continued healing cell by cell, neuron by neuron.
-Darcy
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