Going For A *Walk*

I know we've blogged already today, but I had to share the good news...Donna is going on a "walk" today! Aunt Dix and Uncle "Kingly" are getting Donna gathered up in a wheelchair and are taking her outside for a walk!! This will be Donna's first visit outside since December 1, 2008. Wow...Simply amazing.

Lift High the Name of Jesus!!

With all the good news coming from Durham, this song has been on my heart for days...

1 Chronicles 16:23-25a: Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise!

Following is an update from Jan:

As Bev already told you so well, Mom, Jeff and I just got back from a FANTASTIC visit with big sister! Donna is just so on her game that the docs and her body are going to have to run fast to catch up to her mindset. She wants to get out of Duke (no offense to Duke), and get about the business of healing. We had hour long chats, giggles and planning sessions (how to get out of Duke, of course), she is definitely a flight risk for them right now. She even tolerated our rolling her back and forth across the bed several times very well. That is a long story, but I'll just say that GG is going to have to retake some Nursing 101 courses.

Donna will be spending the week with our Aunt Dix and Uncle Kingly (as our cousin Sherry has named him, appropriately). Uncle Kingly ALWAYS gets what Uncle Kingly wants, and right now he wants Donna to eat lots of protein.

As Bev told you in an earlier blog, our wonderful Aunt Dix is a 12 year cancer survivor and she can share things with Donna that most of us can only imagine. She also can cook like there's no tomorrow and already served potato soup last night, which Donna ate a whole bowl of. I'm a little insulted because she would not eat my spaghetti, but I will get over it.

Back to business--we do not currently have caregivers lined up after this week. Donna's days are filled pretty much right now with lots of work to heal. And getting out of the hospital is becoming a very real possibility. In the meantime though, if there are bloggers & friends in the Roanoke/Floyd area interested in driving down for brief visits (1-2 hours), or spending a day or two in Durham, we would love to hear from you. You can email Janet at pennjl@comcast.net -- that way we can try to help manage the calendar.

Donna does want everyone who has been faithfully praying for her to know that she knows you are there and appreciates all of the support everyone has given. We are praying God will bless Donna with easier days and praise Him for his goodness and mercy today.

~Jan~

How Great Thou Art!

I can barely contain myself long enough to write an update today. Mom and Jan are in Durham with Donna and the news coming from there is nothing less than outstanding, and all the glory goes to God! Even the doctors are amazed and astounded at the improvements in Donna.

Medically, Donna is making great strides. She is still very weak and needs assistance to get up and move around, but that is improving. The doctors are starting to see some resolution in the DAH...Praise God!! It's still there, and they are very honest in saying that they don't really know why it's showing signs of resolving but they are going to continue with the current treatment regimen and see if it resolves even more. Today they are going to start tapering her steroids. Keep this in prayer as tapering the steroids is what has caused the DAH to flare up in the past.

Attitude-wise, Donna is on top of her game. She is ready to leave Duke and is determined to fight to get out of there! Right now, the key to her discharge is to improve her nutritional status and to get stronger. She asked the doctor today what he thought about her prospects for discharge. He told her that if she continued on an upward course, improved her nutritional intake (they want a minimum of 1500 calories a day), and improved her strength, then he would guess that in the next 2-3 weeks she could leave the hospital, barring any setbacks with the DAH and/or TTP.

Donna and all of us are well aware that this fight is far from over and that we can expect future setbacks, but today we thank and praise God for all the blessings He continues to shower down on Donna.

THEN SINGS MY SOUL
MY SAVIOR GOD TO THEE

HOW GREAT THOU ART!

God Is Great!

Following is an update we received from Donna's caregiver of the past few days:

...Her oxygen has been turned back to 4 and her saturations were holding at 98 & 99%. She is trying really hard to work on the food thing. She ordered a grilled cheese today, but when it finally arrived (long after the soup), it was toasted and not grilled. She did eat about 1/4 of it anyway. She also has eaten 1/2 of a canteloupe in the past 2 days. She even mentioned that she should try vegetable soup.

Donna seemed to enjoy my reading to her. Yesterday & today I read to her from her Bible. Today I also read a cute story from a book I had taken down. I thought she might drift off to sleep, but each time I looked up, she was grinning at something I had read.

I am sitting here this morning with tears in my eyes thinking of how wonderful our Lord is. Even when we allow doubt to creep in, the Lord doesn't budge and stays right by our side. How awesome is that?

Just a week ago Donna was downgraded to an oxygen mask and was on the verge of another ICU visit. We all prayed and not only did God sustain Donna and keep her out of ICU, He also brought her spirit up to levels we have not seen since...well, since this entire journey began. What an awesome God we serve, and what an obedient, faithful servant Donna is...an example for all to follow!

GOD IS GREAT! SING HIS PRAISE!

Update From Jan

Donna apparently has been so busy roaming the halls and munching that she doesn't have time to get on the phone! I did try to call a few times today but she was either walking or otherwise busy (I think her and Jeanette might have been having a party there). Joel did talk to Donna and she sounded good and did tell him she had walked the halls today.

For prayer request, please keep Donna in your prayers Thursday and Friday as she will not have a visitor until we arrive Friday evening. We do know Donna is going to be just fine in the care of the great nurses, and she might even be looking forward to a little quiet time--but the prayers will be appreciated all the same. While she still has a bit of struggle with the phone we will be touching base with her and will have an update Friday morning.

And we know she really isn't alone, our God who has sustained her (and all of us) is right there by her side.

Working Hard

Donna had a pretty good day on Monday. She is now off the oxygen mask and back on nasal cannula. Her oxygen requirement through the cannula is higher than it was a couple of weeks ago, but being on the nasal cannula versus mask is a step in the right direction. Donna's spirits continue to be on the upside. Seems she has decided it is time to leave Duke so she is working very hard, even through days where she doesn't feel like it, to get discharged. She is still very weak, but was able to push herself to walk a little bit yesterday and spent over 4 hours sitting up in the chair.

On the downside is that Donna's caregiver who was scheduled for Wednesday through Friday has come down with a cold and, therefore, will not be able to stay with Donna. The current caregiver is going to stay an extra day on Wednesday, but we don't have anyone available for Thursday or Friday.

If anyone lives close enough to Durham to make a day trip and can stay Thursday or Friday, or both, please let us know. You can contact Jan through her email at pennjl@comcast.net or me, Bev, at baw2b@comcast.net. If you can do both and would like to stay overnight in Durham you can stay in the apartment. It is only 6 miles from the hospital and is a 2-bedroom, fully furnished apartment.

Being "caregiver" at the hospital is really just being a visitor for Donna and keeping her company, and of course being her encourager--especially when it is medicine time and she has to swallow down 13 pills! Bring your pom-poms and cheer her on...LOL Seriously, though, you do not need to do anything physical with her, such as lifting or anything of that sort.

God is Good

God answered prayers and kept Donna out of the ICU this weekend!! Her lungs and the DAH are still not good--she still has low oxygen levels and difficult breathing, but we are praising God for lifting Donna's spirit above the discomfort in her body to enjoy one of the best weekends emotionally that she has had almost since admission to Duke 2 months ago.

I am reminded of lyrics from the song God Is Good.

God is good all the time
Through the darkest night
His light will shine

If you're walking through the valley
There are shadows all around
Do no fear He will guide you
He will keep you safe and sound

I dare you to listen to this song and not feel lifted...I don't think you can!