Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Tuesday - busy phone day

As the day has progressed today, Mama has felt better and become stronger.  Her heart rate had been fast and erratic (arrhythmic) and blood pressure down (lower than what is necessary for her) for about a day and a half resulting in dizziness and sluggish feeling for her.  It's a mystery, but true to her pattern, this afternoon her heart began to beat at a regular and strong rate of about 59-60 bpm and her blood pressure returned to where it needs to be.  For all these improvements, we praise the Lord.  Well, we actually praised the Lord when she wasn't feeling so well, and we give Him the credit for answering our prayers and helping her feel better.

Don's mother is doing ok... very sore and brusied, but ok.  She had a doctor's appointment today, so will report on that tomorrow.

Our phones have been very busy today.  Snookie called me, from Idaho Falls, Idaho, after lunch and said, "LaVon, I need prayer."  Ok, so she's pulled this stunt before, so if she was serious, she knew she had to say something other than "I've got a problem and I have to talk to someone."  (remember that?) She knew that "I need prayer" would get my attention and it did.  I knew she was in distress.  Hubby Bob has been suffering with a post nasal thing for about a week or more and has been sleeping in the recliner, so he could breathe.  Sometime after midnight he woke Snookie up stating that he couldn't breathe, his left arm felt weird and his fingers were tingling.  Snookie said she bolted out of bed and they prepared to get him to the hospital.  At the time she called me, they had been up all night with the cardiac care professionals running all kinds of tests and xrays and they had not found anything wrong yet.  However, they were waiting on the MRI results and she would let me know as soon as they knew something.  With Snookie's permission, I prayed with her, for Bob, for the care givers, for her... she asked me to call Don and I assured her that I would and we hung up.  Don also prayed for Bob and the situation they were facing.  A few hours later, Snookie called me back with praise-worthy news.  Bob had been given the "all clear" with the doctor saying, "you are much to healthy to be in this hospital."  It seems that Bob had an allergic reaction to the pollen in the air that he had been exposed to during the past week and this was the way his body reacted.  We will take post nasal drip over a heart attack any day of the week, but we are praying that even the post nasal issue is taken care of.  Again, we are praising God for answered prayer and are so thankful that Bob is ok.

Another praise:  we have a plan "B" for Mama, should she require someone to be with her on a daily basis.  Leslie's mother-in-law, Billie, is a nurse, lives alone and has invited Mama Trudy to live with her if and when she needs to or wants to.  Mama Trudy loves Billie and Billie is just a natural born care giver with so much compassion and love for Mama.  Until, that time arrives, we are ordering, tomorrow, Response Link, an emergency medical response system that Mama will wear around her neck 24/7.  It's so worth the price for the peace of mind.  We love the fact that the EMT station is on about 1/2 mile from Mama's apartment.. takes them 5 minutes to get here.  Also, we have got the ball rolling toward "meal-on-wheels" for her.  Her therapist will continue to come twice a week for four more weeks, at least.  LaNae will be checking on her daily.  We're encouraged.  We're taking it one day at a time and will evaluate how she feels about continuing to live alone after I leave Thursday.  She's praying that knowing people will be checking on her everyday makes a big difference in her feelings of security, along with the med alert system.  She loves her apartment and how it is equipped in the bathroom for her and the independence that she feels here, so we are going to do everything we can to allow her to stay here.  And of course, plan "C" (Don and I will forego the RV ministry and park in Norman for as long as needed) is always and option, but Mama doesn't want us to have to do that if it's not necessary.

Judy, Mama's case worker, came about 6:00 this afternoon and was very, very helpful, especially with the Response Link information and referral.  She will also get Mama signed up for meal-on-wheels.

Don and I have talked on the phone numerous times.  There's lots going on in Branson that I will report on soon.  Please continue to pray for the CRM ministry there.

Leslie and I have talked on the phone.  LaNae and I have talked on the phone.  Billie and I have talked on the phone twice.  My brother called and we talked to him.  Don was experiencing the same thing in Branson.  If he wasn't on the phone with me, he was on it talking to someone.

I've got lots to do tomorrow, also, so will say "FROG," frog16 goodnight and God bless.  I miss you, hon, and love you more than the universe.

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