Wednesday, June 30, 2010

P.T.

We leave this morning for another physical therapy session for Margie. Ted Bowman, visiting with us, will accompany us and I will show him around Lynden, WA. It's been a long time since he was in that town. Yesterday Margie visited with Ted while I did Shepherd's ministry work. The weather has been great. Last night Margie did not sleep quite as well as previous nights but she is not complaining. (Some have told me they don't know how to use the "COMMENT" at the bottom of this blog. You click on it, then click "annonymous", write in the "box" above, then click on "publish comment" That comment will be sent to us via email. It's a great way to communicate. Please give it a try. You might even want to give your first and or last name so we can figure out whose writing it.---thank you.)

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Visitor

We had the pleasure today of welcoming Ted Bowman, a long time friend to our home. He needed a place to stay while delivering some equipment he sold. We have stayed many times at his parents place (Archie & Sylvia) in Spokane, Washington and it was delightful to have an evening of fellowship with him. He has done mission work for several years in Kenya, is married to a Russian and will be returning there in August to pursue more mission ministries. Margie had a good night and today believe it or not we DO NOT have a medical appointment. Last week we had three. Margie did not suffer any set backs after her very busy Sunday for which we are thankful.

Monday, June 28, 2010

A blessed Sunday in Ferndale

It was a big day with church and the Doris Harder funeral service. Gina sent food for our noon meal and we had part of Rawlie's family and a guest for the meal. Gina was at the church kitchen helping prepare for the funeral reception. I had to stay after church to get instructions from the audio technician about the service,so for the first time in about 6 months, Margie drove our car home without any problem at all. We were glad for her to break that barrier. She also drove it back to the church for the funeral because I had to go earlier with Rawlie. She did fine and it was great, she said, to drive and was not nervous at all. The funeral went well and we rejoice in answered prayer. There were MANY in attendance. In fact we did not print enough programs. By the way, Margie had a wonderful night last night. We rejoice in this. Thanks for praying.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

A busy day

Sunday. What a great day of the week. We are looking forward to attending church this morning.
Our son Rawlie and wife Gina and their family will be here for lunch. This afternoon is the Doris Harder funeral service at our church-3PM. Doris is our son's mother-in-law, Gina's mother. I will be conducting the service. But others will help me for which I am grateful. Rawlie will help also which is a blessing. Margie & I had good nights last night for which we are thankful. Margie had a very busy yesterday, helping with things I normally try to do to help her but I was involved in preparation for the funeral. I am so thankful she is stronger now and desires to do these things.Thanks so much for praying. We will advise you tomorrow how things went today.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Pain Clinic

Margie had a follow up appointment at the Mt. Baker Pain clinic and was given the choice to do another procedure using radio waves to subdue the nerves that are apparently in contact with muscle and or bone which causes the pain. This will be a three part process and begins July 6. Again, this is only an attempt to help control the pain level in her neck and shoulder area. We pray it will be successful like the first one done which greatly helped. Margie had a good night last night and no wonder.She broke the barrier as far as work is concerned.She did all the washing, drying, folding of clothes and even part of the ironing. And she did much more than I have mentioned here. This was a first in 5 months for her. She was trying her best to help me. I was involved getting the folders for the Doris Harder funeral service ready, plus continue my ministry responsibilities with Shepherds. It all takes time. We are pleased to see God's answer to prayers in many ways

Friday, June 25, 2010

Culprits in the diet

Yesterday Margie tested for allergies in Redmond, WA. The old dreaded MSG raised its ugly head again and she rated the highest on it - # 10. Other tests were made and she has to return for more. It was this type of allergy testing that discovered the MANY offenders in Margie's diet when we returned from Brazil years ago. Periodically she is retested. Generally speaking she has done very well without medication except for this attack two weeks ago. We are thankful for such reliable medical help. Thanks for your prayers, Margie slept pretty well last night with a little "nudge" from medication.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Allergy testing

It is very early in the morning as we write this. We leave momentarily for Redmond, WA
(Microsoft country) where the specialists' office is located. That will take up half of our day, we are sure. While there, I will be doing Shepherds correspondence on my computer as I sit in the car waiting for Margie. I will also be doing some work for Sunday's funeral service for Doris Harder. Margie did not sleep as well last night but who knows, it may be because of our trip this morning. If you get this in the morning, we appreciate your prayers for this trip and the testing.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Warmer weather

It's amazing how warmer it actually got after the first day of summer arrived. It's also hard to believe that days start getting shorter now as we countdown to fall and winter. The year truly goes by quickly. Margie's night was blessed with peaceful sleep. Yesterday afternoon however she felt like a migraine was approaching. She connected the small hand held TENS machine which gave wonderful relief and consequently she had a very good night. We are so thankful for that machine which she discovered as a result of the physical therapy sessions she has each week. And speaking of physical therapy, we are off for her weekly session in a short time. Thanks for praying.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Funeral arrangements

Our son and his wife spent the good part of their day working on the arrangements for Gina's mother's funeral. Gina really wanted her mother's friend to attend but she and her husband were in Hawaii. We were able to call a friend there and last night the lady called us. Oh the marvel of cell phones. Rawlie & Gina came by the house to bring Doris' Bible which I will use during the funeral message. The service will be at 3 PM Sunday,June 27 at First Baptist Church in Ferndale. Now to Margie: We rejoice that she had a good night. One of our appointments this week will be to check her allergies again after 10 years. Thanks for your prayers.

Monday, June 21, 2010

The Joy of Service

I was so privileged to be able to minister this last weekend. To give the message at the memorial service was an honor and also to preach in our home church yesterday meant so much to me.Our pastor has a bad back and I substituted for him in the pulpit. We pray he will soon be better.
Margie's night went very well. We rejoice in this. Today, our son and daughter-in-law will be in Ferndale making arrangements for the Doris Harder funeral service. Doris died Saturday afternoon after a long bout with cancer. Thank you for praying for Margie and these other concerns.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Busy Weekend

Yesterday I was honored to give the message at the huge memorial service for our dear friend Rod Brudwick. The Ferndale High School auditorium was packed. Our son came up to help celebrate Father's Day, but upon arrival here, his wife phoned to say that her ailing mother, Doris Harder died at 3:15 PM Saturday afternoon. We urged our son to return to Stanwood and we would celebrate later. Details of the funeral will be forthcoming. He returned right away. Margie experienced some discomfort with pain at the start of last night but finally got to sleep. So we are thankful for the rest of the night that went well. Prayer means much to us.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Memorial Service

Our friend, Rod Brudwick died last Monday morning. He was well known in our community and his wife Marianne, is our church pianist. They have three children. He was only 48. I am honored to bring the message today at the Ferndale High School. It is being held there because our church could not accommodate the crowd. Our son and granddaughter arrive today to attend that service and also be here for Father's Day. We are anxious to see them.
Margie reported this morning that she had a good night. It's always good to hear those words from her. And we are always grateful for your prayers.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Another Good Day

We rejoice in Margie's continued improvement. Each afternoon and/or evening she uses the TENS machine (described in an earlier blog) which stimulates muscles and nerves and really helps her sleeping. She had a wonderful night last night for which we are so thankful. Yesterday I had a man take away all the limbs I had cut from about 9 trees in our side and back yards. It surely does look good around here and now I can mow the lawn without "breaking my back" and cracking my head on protruding limbs. I have a part in the Rod Brudwick memorial service tomorrow and preach at First Baptist Church on Sunday so I'm studying, meditating and praying about these ministries. Thank you for praying also. We appreciate it.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Consultation with allergist

This morning Margie will be on the phone with the doctor determining if she has to go for more testing concerning MSG. We think it was an allergic reaction that caused Sunday night's flair up.
Margie had such a good night last night. We are grateful for your prayers and concern for her. We were actually able yesterday to make a couple of visits which is always a blessing for us. Prior to this Margie has just not been able to get out like this very much.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Physical Therapy

We leave within the hour for Lynden, WA where Margie continues with her physical therapy. We are so thankful our insurance allows these sessions. She really benefits from them. Thankfully, Margie had another good night. Yesterday she scheduled a telephone consultation with her allergist to determine if we should go to his office in Redmond, WA for more testing. After the horrendous episode of Sunday night, we are concerned and certainly don't want to repeat it. Thanks so much for praying.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Green grass

When people remark how green everything is in this part of the country, I always respond with "the price of greenery is RAIN". Yes, it's raining again today. Lawn mowing is determined by the weather forecast. Our grass is very green and TALL, because instead of mowing it last week I cut limbs off of about 8 trees to make it easier to mow. A man is coming Friday to take the limbs away. Now let's talk about Margie. How happy we are that she had a good night. The episode of the night before did not reoccur and we are SO THANKFUL. She may call the allergist today to determine if she should be retested for MSG. Thanks for following our goings on in the blog and praying.

Monday, June 14, 2010

A midnight call for help

I have heard it before. Margie calling desperately for my help because she can't breathe. Wheezing and gasping for the next breath of air she awakened me and I rushed to the medicine cabinet to get an Alka Seltzer Gold packet, put the two tablets in a small amount of water and she painstakingly attempted to get that liquid down through all the gasps. It works. You probably never heard of Alka Seltzer GOLD. Neither had we until years ago an allergist explained it sometimes helped parents with children suffering from asthma attacks and similar allergy related situations as they were en-route to the hospital. But we don't know why, after 10 years of freedom from this "plague",it returned last night at midnight. MSG was the culprit THEN. Maybe it has resurfaced. We just don't know. But you can rejoice with us that Margie, after that episode, slept well and she's in great spirits this morning. We just step from one health issue to the next, with God's help in each situation. We are grateful for His leading and your prayers.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Another Lord's day -- they ALL are.

We look forward to church this morning. Margie is still only able to make it to one service. We are glad she can do that. She had another good night. We are so thankful. Yesterday was DIFFERENT - to use one of Margie's expressions. I had intended to mow the lawn but in the morning was still too wet for the mulching mower to handle. I decided I needed to trim many of the trees because it was impossible to mow under them with all those protruding limbs. So I trimmed 6 large evergreen trees, a lilac bush, rhododendron and a small decorative evergreen bush. All I know is that at the end of that task, I was ready to STOP. Now I am faced with a truckload of branches to dispose of. I am grateful I have the strength to do the job. The Lord is good and He is to be praised.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

A lesson learned

For a month we have been on a new phone system and during that time I tried repeatedly to get on their automatic renewal plan but the web site would not allow it. Late last night I suddenly realized that the deadline was TODAY. Again the web site was worse, this time under construction and their phone service could not handle my problem. So I called Walmart where we bought the service and rushed down there and purchased new cards and the kind cashier activated both cell phones for us right there. I got home a few minutes after 11 PM. So much for that lesson. Now I'll do my homework and not repeat that process. Margie had a wonderful night and this morning is doing her hair (with a little help from me -ha!) It's a beautiful day and the temperature should reach 70.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Dental apppointments

Yesterday and today we visited the dentist. Mine is past, Margie goes today. With our former busy Shepherd's schedule, we were rarely here for our normal dental checkups. Now that we are home, we are getting those things taken care of. Margie surely had a good night last night. She still uses the TENS (nerve & muscle stimulator machine) in the daytime especially for an area in her back. But the main former annoying pain that plagued her for many months has not returned. We are truly grateful for that Thursday treatment a week ago.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Physical Therapy

Yesterday was Margie's PT day. Those treatments really help her a lot. While she is in treatment, I do the shopping. We tried something different after her session. We stopped at Milt's Pizza because they serve gluten free items. Boy was it good. That is a break for Margie as we are always seeking new things to try that are gluten free. Margie slept very well last night. It is usually preceded by walking in our house hallway and family room, then she settles down for a good night's rest. We are so thankful. Thank YOU for praying.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

One day at a time

Margie paced her work around the house trying not to overdo herself on any project. She is slowly going through kitchen drawers, hall closest, pantry and bedroom closets and dresser drawers. I have been pleased to see her being able to do these things. Yesterday she polished all the silver items and they look great. She knows when to stop because she doesn't want those pesky pains to return. Thanks for praying. We take one day at a time and rejoice with every pain free moment.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Sweet Music

When I asked Margie what kind of a night she had, her answer was: " VERY GOOD". It is so good to hear these words. We pray today will be a repeat performance. The treatment she received last Thursday is certainly giving her some great results. We are very thankful. Thank YOU for praying.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Good news

It was such a blessing to hear Margie while praying, thanking the Lord she had no pain. She remembers reading in the literature after her special treatment last Thursday, that one of the possible consequences of it could be a touch of insomnia. Isn't that ironic given the fact that she has experienced this for years. Well at any rate for the present, the pain is gone and that's a blessing. She did sleep last night and we are thankful for that. Thanks for standing with us in prayer.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

The irony

Margie had a good day yesterday. She remarked to friends while making her customary Saturday phone calls, that the arm pain was only uncomfortable if she put too much pressure on it for lifting, etc. But after this good day, her night just was not as good as previous nights. We wonder why but trust that tonight will be better for her. We are looking forward to attending church this morning.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

A "different" night

Margie's night was different because she was awake several times. But as she says, "I slept" and this morning had no pain. What a blessing. Perhaps the Pain Clinic session has started to show some signs of "taking". We pray so. Thanks so much for praying. This is a day by day situation and we rejoice at every sign of improvement.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Experience at Mt. Baker Pain Clinic

As promised, we bring you up to date on yesterday's trip to the pain clinic. Margie said the process went smoothly and she was prepared for the important injection by kind attendants. The spot of the injection was approximately level with the shoulders but on her spine. The procedure took less than an hour and she was released. She took her medication (in the car as we left the clinic) and at home had breakfast. In the afternoon she was very relaxed and slept quite a bit in her Lazy Boy recliner. She feared she would not sleep at night but thankfully she had a wonderful night's rest. We rejoice in this. Now we wait to see how this special injection works out. Thank you for remembering Margie during this treatment.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Off to Mt. Baker Pain Clinic

Momentarily we leave for the Clinic for Margie to receive her first fluoroscopic guided epidural steroid injection with the hopes it will relieve the severe pain in her neck. Last night, as many nights, she suffered from one of them again. Because of the procedure she was allowed to only take enough water necessary to swallow a pill for the pain. In tomorrow's blog I will update you on how things went this morning. In the meantime, thanks so much for praying.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Prayer request

Margie requested I ask prayer for the procedure tomorrow morning at 8:30 at the Mt. Baker Pain Clinic that she will have. It is a fluoroscopic guided epidermal steroid injection. An anesthesiologist will administer this special injection into the neck or spine at the critical point to help diminish her pain. We had a good night and now are preparing to go to Lynden, WA for Margie's regular physical therapy. While there, I do some shopping. This morning it is raining again and I am SO glad I was able to get the lawn mowed yesterday afternoon.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Five months and counting

5 months ago Margie's major health issue increased to an alarming level. You have followed us on our web pages and now this blog with the saga of it all. We praise the Lord for improvement. The Lord has answered prayer in a wonderful way. We can only thank HIM and YOU for your help in prayer. Margie slept well last night. When she awakens early, she prays, falls back to sleep and repeats this cycle. It is wonderful to see her being able to get rest. In past days and years it was not this way. We are encouraged.