Another Hospital Update

Okay.  Today is Wednesday and I will be discharged from the hospital this afternoon.  I was admitted last Monday night so I guess that makes 9 nights in the hospital.  Let me just say I am ready to go.

Currently the insurance company is working on getting us back to Oregon.  It looks like we will be arriving in Portland Thursday afternoon as we have been planning.

From there I will meet with a doctor in Eugene on Friday morning to continue the recovery process from the clots.  Fortunately, I will not need to be in the hospital from here on out and I able to get around the house just fine.

Additionally, we are planning on doing more screening in an attempt to identify the cause of the clots.  Please continue to pray for this as it is the biggest concern/mystery still hanging out there.  Pray that the doctors would be able to figure out the cause and that it would be easily treatable.

Otherwise I am doing well.  As mentioned above I can get around the building/house without much fuss or discomfort.  The pain level in my legs has diminished to the point where I do not need pain killers during the day and only a minimal dose at night.  The doctors expect me to recover 100% from the clots within the next few months.

Upon returning to Eugene, Sydney and I will be staying with the Mitchells (Sydney’s parents) and continuing to offer any services possible to Extreme from Eugene.  Trust me, we both have big roles with the organization and do not like being away.  We hope that we are able to return to Peru in June to aid in the big project there at that time but that all depends on a lot of factors.

Thank you all once again for all your prayers and support.  I guess at this point I will end it with a couple of the most pertinent prayer requests:

   -For us as we transition to the USA, recover, and search for a cause of the clots

   -For Extreme Nazarene Ministries as they prepare for a key month if June without us

A Note From Mike

I wanted to take a moment to do a couple of things.  First, I would like to say thank you to everybody out there that has been praying, calling and sending get well wishes.  It makes all of this so much more tolerable to know that we have such a massive support group out there for us.

 

Secondly, I wanted to give a bit of an update on my condition.  The doctors are happy with how my body is responding to the treatment for the clots.  My legs are now basically back to normal size, I no longer have an IV, and the doctor is even allowing me to walk around a bit.  Still, my legs (especially my right) are not working correctly as there is a lot of extreme tightness and inflammation.  The doctors expect me to fully recover from the clots but that will be measured on a scale of months rather than days or weeks.

The question right now is why my body decided to make all these clots.  A condition such as mine is extremely rare for somebody my age.  The doctors here have methodically and thoroughly put me through every imaginable blood and imaging test in an attempt to figure that out.  Unfortunately, they have been unable to identify the cause.

Nonetheless, we continue to wait as we see what God is trying to teach us.  The doctor expects to discharge me from the hospital sometime next week.  Where we go from there depends on what he recommends.

In the meantime we covet you prayers for the following issues:

-That whatever caused this condition will be identified and effectively treated.

-That Sydney and I would receive guidance on where to go from the hospital in Lima.

-That the pain in my legs would be diminished.  It is currently just enough to make it difficult to sleep without medication.

Thank you all once again.  Please keep in touch and we will try to do the same.

Update from the Hospital

Last night, Mike’s problem was finally diagnosed.  He has serious blood clots in his legs and up through his abdomen.  The right leg is fully clotted while the left is clotted partially.  He was immediately hospitalized to begin blood thinners.  They will also continue tests for many days to see what caused this, as none of the field experts have ever seen this so seriously in someone so young.

We are definitely feeling everyone’s prayers, but we are also scared and tired.  Fortunately, the blood thinners all night have decreased Mike’s leg pain significantly, but he is still on complete bed rest.  Please continue to pray for this situation.  We are fully trusting God to lead us through this difficult time.

Our Latest Trial

Okay!  For those of you who have not heard from our other channels of communication, Mike and I have had a bit of an adventure, to say the least, over the last couple weeks.

Short Story: Mike has been unable to walk due to fierce back and leg pain.  The first doctor largely misdiagnosed it as a double herniated disk that needed months of an archaic form of treatment, while the next two, much more qualified, doctors both agreed it was some sort of serious infection, probably contracted from something he ate or was bitten by in the jungle.  We have spent several days in Lima visiting doctors, taking lots of medicine, riding in wheelchairs, resting much, and even slightly improving.  Mike has talked with the doctor (in English) over the phone every 12 hours or so and reporting the changes in his symptoms and also receiving results on the latest blood work that was finished.  We will meet with the doctor one more time tomorrow before leaving on Tuesday for back home to Arequipa, but more than likely it is just a yucky viral infection that has to be waited out.  He is finally feeling a bit better internally, but the pain in his constricted leg muscles still makes him unable to walk.  He is on regular ibuprofen and muscle relaxers; however, the doctor is pleased with his progress and also with his blood results.  We will try to keep everyone more updated on this than we have.  Everything else in our lives basically stopped as we tried to work through this small crisis in a third-world country in which we will never perfect the language or culture.  Please continue praying for Mike and his healing.  We serve a MIGHTY God and our full trust is in him.

Longer Story:  if you want the detailed details, email me by clicking here. I've been documenting it.