Saturday, June 30, 2012

Strawberries

It's strawberry season here and I got some at the local store.  Margie had just a very few of them but they made her sick.  She went to bed sick last night.She was pretty depressed about her general condition.  She fears she will have to have hip surgery because of so much discomfort.  If it is not one thing it's another - as the saying goes. We appreciate those of you who are praying for us.  As I write this at after 8 in the morning, she is still in bed.  I think she had a good nigh but I will soon know when I go in to check on her. We are hoping she will feel well enough to attend church tomorrow. I know that is her desire. I checked on Margie and she hadn't slept for most of the night, that's why she was still in bed after 8:30l  Her hip is hurting so badly she is going to call the doctor this morning. Please pray. Later - she just went back to bed.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Eight weeks

Last night was the first time in 8 weeks we have been able to attend church.  It was prayer meeting and we were so hapy to be able to attend.  Margie finally felt she could get out and attend.  It was great.  Also she had a good night and slept well once she finally settled down.  Her hip is still hurting but it seems to be a little better than at first. I take her to the beauty shop today because she is hopeful of being able to attend church Sunday.  Thanks for your prayers.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Another good one

We are so thankful Margie had another good night.  Yesterday she was hurting with the hip and back pain but did OK during the night.  She has her last home therapy session this morning then next week starts our trips to downtown Ferndale for the others. Thanks for praying for us during these days of Margie's recovery.  We appreciate it.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Not sure

  I am sorry for the glitch in this blog.  I changed color and tinkered with it  but it always came out yellow on white background.  I said in that blog for the 27th that Margie did have a good night.  She went to bed with much pain in hip and back but made it through the night ok after all.  Thanks for praying. 



Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Another one

You who read these morning blogs surely must get bored easily with my endless repetition of sad tales. It is no fun thing for Margie to live in such pain.  Last night she was awake a lot with terrible hip pains.  If this persists we will have to have this checked.  I pray she does not have to have another surgery.  This one has really been major for her but I admire her determination and faithfulness at her exercises.  I yearn for her to be pain free and enjoy life but she lives with constant discomfort one kind or another.  Thank you for praying about these things with us.  We appreciate it.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Better

Margie had a good night and it surely is good to be able to report this.  She went to bed very sick and I feared the night would be long.  Thankfully she did well and got off to a good start this morning. she has two therapy sessions this morning so we are glad she is feeling better.  Our son and granddaughter are here now. Monique and Rawlie slept here last night.  Gina is on her way here now and has ordered a latte from me. I already made one for Rawlie.  Monique will be having her oatmeal along with her dad, shortly.  It is a beautiful day with bright sunshine.  Thanks for your prayers.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

We wonder why!

It is hard to figure out why Margie has so many unfavorable nights.  Last night she certainly did not do well.  She suffered pain in different parts of her body.  Yesterday was hard for her also  She would like to go to church but has a real fear of injuring here newly operated shoulder.  People greeting her may inadvertently give her a big hug and OUCH!  Well I know we are not supposed to do what my Greek teacher told us in college " Don't run uphill for trouble" , but she wants to be so careful.   We plan on staying home today.  After her bad night she is not in too good a shape for going.   Please pray and we thank you for it.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Optimistic

We are encouraged by Margie's progress.  Although the hip problem has nothing to do with shoulder surgery, it has intruded into her life and caused much discomfort. With three treatments she is improving and we pray that discomfort will disappear soon. Her arm movements are doing quite well . In fact last night she feared that oo much activity had caused the arm to pain.  This morning it is already better so we are relieved.
Our family is in Ferndale for about a week now so Rawlie will be staying with us and we will see the rest of them often as they come by for a visit. Thanks for your prayers on our behalf.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Thankful

We are always thankful when Margie shows improvement.  Her hip which has given her much pain lately is some better and she had a pretty good night.  Two therapists were here yesterday to give her treatments. They will be here next week then their service is over and we switch to a facility in Ferndale. Her headache and neck pains are practically gone for which we are so thankful.  Our family is partially here and the rest will come tonight.  We never get tired of thanking you for your prayer support.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Better

Although Margie had a very hard time walking yesterday because of her hip pain, toward evening she was better.  She had a pretty good night last night for which we are thankful.  Today she has two more therapy sessions with Home Health.  Soon this will come to an end we will be going to a local Physical Therapy store here in Ferndale. Christian Health Care Center is seeking to find the cause of Joy's shoulder discomfort.  They are trying some medication to see if it relieves her.  We are grateful for their care of her. Again, thanks for your prayers.  We appreciate it.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Each day a new adventure

In Margie's case, it is true, each day is a new adventure.  Her various pains are debilitating to her and it is so hard to witness.  Her hip is now in great pain and was very difficult to get to sleep last night.  Eventually she dozed off and we are thankful for a good night. The doctor prescribed a muscle relaxant and it did help her last night for which we are thankful. . Today she see her eye specialist about the macular degeneration and we pray for a good report on that.  Thank you for our faithfulness in pray for us.  We appreciate it so very much.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Home Health

Home Health has been so good to us, sending physical and occupational therapists to our home weekly. The help they have given Margie is invaluable.  We appreciate their dedication and way of doing business.  Today another is coming to work on Margie.  Margie got some muscle relaxant medication from her primary doctor and we hope and pray it will diminish her horrific neck and headache pains..  She is doing quite a few things now using her right hand and arm even though the doctors have prohibited any load bearing activity with it.  We fully understand.  Thanks for remembering us in your prayers.  We know Margie's recovery will take a long time.

Monday, June 18, 2012

We are hoping and praying things change for Margie.  Her migraines persist and they are so hard on her. Please pray she will get some relief somehow.  We are thankful she had a good night.  This morning the P.T. comes for more exercises on her arm.  She has another appointment in the afternoon.  We take it one day at a time.  This is easy for me to say but hard on Margie who has the suffering.  Thanks so much for praying.  We sincerely appreciate it.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Poor start better landing!

By the time Margie was ready to go to bed she was in much pain with multiple symptoms.  I felt so sorry for her and we are so helpless in such times.  Thankfully she got to sleep and after one more time awake and medication, finished the night fairly well.  Sleep is a wonderful gift and those who are deprived of it can only imagine how great it is.  Yesterday Margie was able to do some cooking while she gets accustomed to partially using her operated shoulder and arm.  She has to be very careful with the range of motion but in limited situations can do quite well.  She still has pain however so has to pace her self carefully. She had planned on attending church this morning but she just is not ready at this point to do so.  Thanks for praying.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Migraines

For some reason ever since Margie's surgery, and sling that protected her newly operated shoulder and arm caused pressure on the neck and resulted in migraine headaches which have persisted until now.  Last night she suffered so much. finally she was able to get to sleep and finished the night fairly well.  Home Health suggested a book that helps cope with this and other problems after surgery.  I will be ordering it today. Our son and grandson are here now so it is nice visiting with them in between their trips to the Vista house to work on it. Thanks for praying.  Margie certainly needs His touch and we pray He will take this headache away.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Out of the sling

Wow - Margie is glad the surgeon's assistant yesterday took an x-ray of her shoulder and concluded she could go without the sling.  The rule now is that she can have plenty of motion in her arm but is not to put any load on it.  Don't lift, pick up or have pressure on the arm.  The rest of the day she was free to move the arm and begin to use it which she did.  She had a little trouble getting to sleep last night but after another long walk inside the house, managed to get a good sleep. So we are happy for the progress and thank each of you for your faithful prayer support.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Sorry

We are so sorry Margie had a negative night.  Her headache persisted even with medication and sleeplessness was the rule of most of the night.  Today we see the surgeon's assistant in the follow up after her May 8 surgery.  We pray he will be able to give a good report of her progress and perhaps have some suggestions about the sling which seems to the aggravation point of her neck and headache.  Thanks so much for praying.  We appreciate the intercession.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Relief

What a relief it is to have a good rest at night.  This is the first in many nights.  We have a full schedule for today so I will make this short.  Yesterday Margie was able to fix her own breakfast, prepare fish for our lunch and it was encouraging for her.  She has stopped reading our journals, because reading gives her a headache.  We hope that passes, because she loves to read and she really help me get ideas from the journals for new material for the book I am trying to write.  Thanks you dear ones for praying.  We appreciate you.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

BLESSED SLEEP

Margie had a wonderful night.  These come so seldom that when they do happen, it is a blessing.  The Social
worker from Home Health was here yesterday and also the Physical Therapist.  She adjusted the sling in such a way as to relieve the pressure on Margie's neck  We feel this is what helped her get a good sleep last night  Another thing that helped was using the evaporation cooler in our bedroom.  I filled it with water and it ran all night and really cooled the room nicely.  We are praying Margie will have a good day today.  She is already in the kitchen preparing her breakfast.  For many days I helped her do that and still do when it requires her using both hands.  With an arm in the sling she is limited to do things with one hand.  She does quite well, but I try to help as much as possible.  I just finished a load of washing and will fold the clothes when dry and iron one shirt.Thanks for remembering us.  We appreciate the prayers.

Monday, June 11, 2012

NOT SO GOOD

Last night was not very good.  Margie went to bed with several symptoms that forewarned us she was not going to have a good night.  And we were right.  The severe headache persisted, and the restless legs continued (even with medication. So we don't like to have those experiences but they come anyway.  This morning she was able to sleep in some which was nice.  Today a social worker from the Home Health group will be here, probably to check on Margie's progress thus far with the therapy received from them.  Today it is beautiful with the sun shining brightly.  Yesterday the Christian Health Care Center called to get permission to give Joy some medication which will help her we pray.  They are so good with her, trying to find ways to make her more comfortable.  We are indeed impressed.  This week Margie sees the surgeon's assistant for another post operation evaluation of her condition.  We pray the report will be favorable.  She will be mighty glad when she no longer has to use the sling.  You have been so faithful in praying and we appreciate it. 

Sunday, June 10, 2012

DIFFICULT DAYS
I wish things could be easier for Margie.  The sling for her shoulder surgery gives her "fits". We will be glad when this phase of the program is history. She finally got to sleep last night after medication and a readjustment I made on sling, to eliminate pressure on her neck.  Our grandson Nathan blessed us this morning by bringing me a latte.  How nice of him. I am not certain of the timing, but for those who read this AND our web site, there will be a period of blackout while we are transitioning to another system. 
We have a full week of appointments - with the therapists and her surgeons assistant on the 14th.  Thanks for praying.  Pray Margie willl be able to do her maneuvers sufficiently to gain strength in her arm. Thanks for praying

Saturday, June 9, 2012

>UPS AND DOWNS<
We wish that Margie's conditions would always be "Up", but life isn't that way.  Yesterday she had an appointment with her doctor who said she is doing well from her viewpoint.  Margie is plagued these last few days with migraine headaches, something she hasn't experienced for many years.  We pray they will cease. Another P.T. came and taught her a new series of exercises to help her as she recovers. Our son and grandson are back in Ferndale and it is nice having them around. This morning I made lattes for them.  They really like them. Thanks for praying for our day to day situations.  The Christian Health Care Center called to report that Joy's dental exam went well and  now they are trying to discover what is causing her discomfort in the left shoulder (or whatever it is). Her inability to communicate with words makes it difficult, but also challenging, and the Center is really going all the way to help Joy in every way possible.  We are grateful.

Friday, June 8, 2012

THANKFUL Yesterday, two therapists came to work with Margie and it was very practical.  They went through different exercises she can do each day to strengthen her wrist, arm and shoulder. They adjusted the shoulder sling trying to make less pressure on her neck which was resulting in migraine headaches. Margie slept well last night. We haven't heard yet from the nurse about Joy's dental appointment.  As soon as we hear will inform you. We sincerely thank you for praying.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

HEADACHE: Unfortunately, Margie was plagued with a headache again yesterday. Years ago she had these all the time but in the last many years they ceased. We suppose it is the surgery that has aggravated this to happen.Yesterday she had a bath in our new bathroom set up.  She really enjoyed it. We haven't heard how Joy's dental appointment went. When we hear, we will report. Thanks for your prayers.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Better today

We are grateful Margie had a better day yesterday.  And she had a good night.  She was faithful doing the physical therapy maneuvers the therapist left for her.  The sling for her shoulder and arm have aggravated her neck quite a bit and we are sorry about that. I am still investigating web hosting possibilities, because I need to change our website from our old laptop to the new.   The new one does not accept the version of hosting I presently use (and have for a long time).  Thanks for praying for us.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Not a good night.  After her therapy session yesterday which started with pain at the base of and on her neck it never did let up and gave her a lot of trouble even during the night.  She was pretty discouraged because she had several days of relative minimum pain. The therapist did give us some good pointers about therapy and we were helped greatly by her visit.  Please pray her pain will be minimal and she can enjoy her day without the discomforts. It is hard to live 24 hours a day with that sling on your arm.  It can only be carefully removed for bathing, dressing and therapy.  We heard that Joy now has a dental appointment so we should be hearing more about that in the next few days. Thanks for your faithfulness in praying for us

Monday, June 4, 2012

Start a new week

This is the start of our first full week at home after Margie's rehab.  We are hoping the physical therapist will come today.  Margie needs to move that arm more.  I am expecting the therapist to help me learn how to do some of this.  Margie is doing more and more on her own now, which is an improvement. For you who follow our website, we are trying to move it to our new laptop but the program was not designed for Windows 7 so we have to seek another. If you have any suggestions, please let us know on the "comment" section of this blog. Thanks for your prayers.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Physical therapy

A week (almost) without physical therapy prompted us to call Home Health, the next phase of Margie's care.  Yesterday a P.T. came right away and gave her a treatment.  We were relieved.  This week things should get back on track.  She had a good night and today we are watching programs on the TV.  That will have to be our "church" today.  Thanks for praying.   We appreciate it

Saturday, June 2, 2012

5th day home

Things are going pretty well for the first 5 days at home after Rehab.  Margie did have a concern about her hand "going to sleep" in the sling.  We called our resource center for counsel and they will probably be in touch with us today.  She regularly exercises her hand with the the special ball to squeeze and also the "silly putty" to use to strengthen her fingers, etc.   She had a good night for which we are thankful.  I am having serious computer problems in that the Sitebuilder program by Yahoo became inoperative on my old laptop and will int install on the new one.  I guess Yahoo didn't design it for the newer computers. I hope some are able to read this blog to keep up with us. Thank you all for praying.

Friday, June 1, 2012

One day at a time

Margie had a good night.  Yesterday the nurse from Home Health came and put in motion the help we will receive  from them.  This will be good as the physical therapy will continue at home. Thanks for your prayers.
We are having computer problems so no web page today unless the techs get it going for me.