John wasn’t able to have the drains put in today. Unfortunately, unless there is a cancellation, he won’t be able to get them until Monday. At least his pain is under control and he is able to rest. His fever that he had last night is gone too. They moved him to the inpatient surgery unit this morning and are keeping him on a diet of ice chips so he will be ready just in case there is a spot to fit him in. Thanks for all your messages of encouragement and prayers. They mean a lot. Please pray that God will make a way for him to get the procedure he needs, that Lord-willing he can come home to us sooner rather than later.
Back in the hospital
John seemed to be doing so well last week, but over the past couple days the pain in his belly increased unbearably. Tonight, an emergency CT scan revealed that he has a 12-inch abscess in his abdomen, something that the ER doctor said tends to present itself around this time, two weeks post-surgery. It basically means that a great deal of pus is accumulating in his belly as his immune system mobilizes to fight infection. The pressure from the pus is causing his pain. Tomorrow they will drain it and likely give him antibiotics. He will have to stay in the hospital for four to five days. While I can’t say we’re thrilled about this, it is a relief to know the cause of his sudden severe pain and that they can fix it soon. I’m also thankful that he didn’t have to wait very long in the ER this afternoon. He went in around 2 and had the CT scan around 7:30. In the meantime, he got to be in a private room with his own bathroom and they gave him morphine to cope with the pain. The kids and I got to FaceTime him while we ate our supper (still no visitors allowed obviously). Please keep us in your prayers as we get through the rest of this week!
John is home
Great news, everyone! John came home from the hospital today. He is still quite tired and sore, as to be expected, but the surgeon said the stoma reversal went well. Praise God!
Post-surgery Update
I know many of you were praying for John today. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! His surgery got delayed by over two hours, and when he woke up about two more hours after that, he texted me to say, “I am alive.” What a welcome message that was. He was able to call and say hi to the kids too. Since visitors are still not allowed at the hospital right now, I’m glad we can stay connected through our phones. Tonight he was tired and in a bit of pain, but otherwise “great,” eating jello and drinking clear liquids. Lord willing, he should be discharged in a few days once he is eating a normal diet and his bowels start functioning again. Our daughters both have birthdays coming up in the next couple of weeks (turning 5 and 3) so it would be the best present of all to have Daddy home. Whatever happens, I know we remain in God’s hands, and as always we are immeasurably grateful for your prayers.
“Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”
Psalm 33:22 ESV
January Update
It’s almost time to mix up this drink again! John’s CT scan is happening Monday, January 27. He has a follow-up appointment with the oncologist booked for the following Tuesday, February 4. As you may recall, the doctors are hoping to find out how much cancer is left in his liver, and where, so they can decide what to do about it. After that, the colorectal surgeon will discuss reversing the stoma and reactivating his colon.
Many are asking how John is doing. He is keeping busy as usual with his software development/consulting work. The fact that he is able to work from home has been such a blessing, and it meant that he didn’t have to take much time off after the surgery. He is still slowly gaining back all the weight he lost in the hospital. He says it still hurts a little to cough but other than that he seems to have fully recovered from the surgery. Let’s put it this way: he got the all-clear to lift small children and shovel snow again. (Yay!) He’s getting used to having the ostomy bag, and all that entails (changing and emptying it as needed). At first it was a two-person job but now I don’t even notice when he gets up in the middle of the night to empty it. I guess he would say it’s a minor inconvenience. There are much worse things.
It was almost a year ago when I first sent my desperate prayer request to as many brothers and sisters in Christ as I possibly could and John created this blog to keep everyone updated. Thank you for sticking it out with us for this long!
In summary, John is alive and well right now and we praise God for that. Thank you for continuing to pray for us, as God continues to provide abundantly for all our needs. You can expect another update from us after we talk to the oncologist in February. Until then, may God our Father surround you with His grace and peace.
Life Without A Colon
It’s been three weeks since John’s ileostomy and we are adjusting to his new (hopefully temporary) lifestyle. As the stoma nurse put it, his colon has been put on holiday for awhile (she guessed about six months) until his rectum heals from the two surgeries. That means that for now, all his food is passing through his small intestine then exiting his body through an opening in his right side called a stoma. There is a sealed bag around his stoma that has to be emptied several times a day. He must add extra sodium and potassium to his diet and drink lots of water to make up for what is not being absorbed by his colon. For the time being, he also has to avoid certain foods that might increase the risk of a blockage which could land him back in the hospital.
He doesn’t have a lot of energy these days but he manages to make it up and down the stairs at least once (sometimes twice) a day and he is able to walk to the bathroom and kitchen table for most meals. He has even been able to sit at his desk for short periods of time, allowing him to catch up on some work. He has a post-op appointment with the surgeon next Friday, so hopefully by then he will be ready to be out and about.
He definitely lost weight in the hospital; he’s about 20 lbs. thinner than he was before the surgery. He has not lost his sense of humour though. This morning one of the kids did something that made him laugh so hard it made his incision hurt. He’s glad to be home, glad to be alive. He asked me to write this update just to let you all know that he’s doing ok and to thank you once again for your prayers and support!
Home!
John is back! He came home from the hospital this afternoon.
His body still has lots of healing to do, but I’m glad he can do it in the comfort of our own home now.
Somehow we survived the past two weeks, but I couldn’t have done it alone. To all the people who brought us meals, babysat our kids, or visited John in the hospital, I want to say an extra special thank you! The words of Matthew 25:34-40 ring true: “I was sick and you visited Me [with help and ministering care]” (The Amplified Bible).
This blog has readers from far and wide who faithfully pray for us and send us encouraging messages. God often used your words to speak comfort and hope to me when I needed it the most. So thank you.
Our journey isn’t over yet, but tonight I am filled with gratitude as I look back at how far we have come.
“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.” Nahum 1:7 ESV
Day 11
Today was John’s eleventh day in hospital. Since the last time I wrote, he has been slowly recovering in the surgical ward. He is still working on strengthening his lungs with the spirometer. He still hasn’t been able to produce a real, strong cough yet, which is concerning. He also had a mild fever at one point last night. Because of these concerns, they are going to do another CT scan on him tomorrow (Sunday).
On the positive side, his ostomy started working so he was allowed to start eating again on Wednesday. After not being permitted to eat for a full week (since 11 am on October 29, to be exact) he is slowly regaining his strength. His hemoglobin levels have improved but are still on the low side. He feels quite exhausted but the pain is manageable. He’s no longer on intravenous drugs for that but is able to take oral painkillers as needed (which hasn’t been very often the past couple days).
Obviously, recovery will take some time. Unfortunately, no one can tell us exactly how long it will be until he can come home. Aside from the above-mentioned concerns, they also want him to regain a little more mobility before he goes home. He is able to get up and sit in a chair for his meals but hasn’t had the strength to go for a walk yet. The physiotherapist was hoping maybe by Monday he will have improved enough to attempt that.
John’s sister told me that her kids were asking when Uncle John will be able to come home. When she said we don’t know yet, one of them stated confidently, “God knows!”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Luke 12:6-7 ESV
Breathing
The past couple days have brought a few small changes. John has been working with the physiotherapists on sitting up in a chair again. It gets a little bit easier and he’s able to tolerate it a little bit longer everyday. Today they removed his nasogastric tube. Late this afternoon they moved him up to the surgical ward, so he is no longer in the ICU. That’s progress!
The only concern the doctor had was with his lungs. Due to the pain and tenderness from having two surgeries, he is having trouble taking deep breaths from the bottom of his lungs. It hurts too much. Breathing only from the top of his lungs puts him at risk for pneumonia so he really needs to get those lungs working at full capacity again.
The ICU doctor brought this fun little game for him to play (a spirometer). The goal for him is to keep the balls up by inhaling nice deep breaths.
Other than the breathing issue (please pray for that), the surgeon said he is doing fine when he checked his incision. John still isn’t allowed to eat or drink yet (ice chips are the highlight of his day) but maybe tomorrow he will be given the ok.
“The Lord gives His people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.” Psalm 29:11 NLT
Stable after second surgery
This morning I found out that John was going under the knife again. His condition had not improved and they suspected there was some intestinal leakage. I know many of you were praying at church this morning while the operation was happening. What perfect timing! I am so grateful for the outpouring of support.
The surgery went as well as expected. There was definitely some leakage and old blood from previous bleeding that needed to be drained. The surgeon de-functioned his rectum and gave him an ostomy. There is the possibility that an abscess could form so they will need to watch out for that. He’s back in his room in ICU B. He now has a PCA pump that allows him to control his pain medication with the push of a button.
The remainder of the day he was able to catch up on some much needed sleep now that the pain was finally under control. In between naps, his mom, sister and I were able to talk to him a little bit. His responses and joke cracking were slightly sluggish from the painkillers though. He asked for ice chips a lot.
I have nothing else to report, but I guess that’s a good thing. Watching him sleep peacefully and uneventfully was greatly comforting!
On the way to the hospital I was listening to the Newsboys. This song came up and I thought the words were so fitting:
When hope is lost, I’ll call You Saviour.
When pain surrounds, I’ll call You Healer.
When silence falls, You’ll be the song within my heart.
– “When the Tears Fall” by Tim Hughes