Thursday morning
Dear Friends and Family,
Please continue to pray for Nan. I have been asking God for His special blessings today for Nan. It seems to this lay person that the most important next step right now is to seek and find the leak and then devise a plan to seal it. I am asking God to supervise this whole process.
In the last few minutes I have emailed Dr. Bertagnolli, nans brilliant surgeon in Boston, her trial doctor Dr. Morgan and Dr. Steele, a urologist there in Boston who Nan has been seen by and knows her situation. I wrote seeing their advice including whether they thought we might consider moving Nan to UCSF where the unusual might not be so unusual as it is in a smaller hospital. Fortunately we have a friend there, Dr. Warren, who we have met and were impressed with. Perhaps he can refer her to people he trusts to be creative and who can solve this problem. I hate the thought of having Nan even further away in SF but if they can help her then the rest, travel, lodging etc can be worked out easily. We've dealt with 3,000 miles, we can deal with 65 miles.
Barb and Gerry arrived last evening with a loaded car. Marilyn had outdid her self and purchased enough supplies to equip a small army. I drove home from seeing Nan in the afternoon, we grabbed a bite and then drove back to spend the evening with Nan. Even though she was having some pretty severe pains around the incision wound area she seemed to enjoy our time together but was ready to sleep when we left at 9:10. Having Barb and Gerry here makes a huge difference for me and for Nan also. I am facing pretty heavy stress in my own heart for Nan and for her unsolved situation, for getting our finances in order (doing better, able to pay past due bills better now), getting ready for our Oct. 15 tax day. I have to do a lot of data entry to get things ready for the accountant and I can clearly see that I won't be ready. I'm asking IRS to be understanding and if I knew we could stretch the filing a big I could relax a little. So far they have not called me back. I also need to fill out new papers for a new life insurance policy. Mine lapsed after a 10 year term on Sept 24. Jean Martin, a friend who just moved to Brentwood, is taking messages for the business this week while Loree is vacationing, that is helping a lot. Steve is being an angel like always with helping take more work on so I can be with Nan more. Our loving friends keep telling me to take care of myself. To me that means to eat balanced meals, to take my meds, to walk every day and to let the stress go. Well I take my meds. The rest does not get dealt with right now. My chest hurts, a stress hurt every morning for awhile and all I know to do is pray and try to allow God to carry the burdens.
When you call or write a message to the blog please know it is not wasting my time but saving my sanity. nan reads the messages too or if she is too sick I read them to her. The ones last night from friends were very on target and helpful. When we got ready to leave nan's room Barbie had a lovely prayer while we held hands. Friends are powerful and healing. When I drive into our driveway and see the freshly trimmed yard I think of Art and his helping hands. When I hear the washing machine going I think of Donna Wants help and Art and now Barbie is telling me she brought some money to cover the repair costs.
At this time of day I always waffle back and forth, do I call Nan now or wait hoping she is getting some more sleep, so I wait until after 8 before I call. Now I need to settle down and do some work, prepare a deposit for today, checks did come in the mail yesterday, do research for the properties Gerry and I are going to see today, log new orders, replay to emails re work, shower and hit the road running again. We will all drive to a local property that I have seen many time before for a brief inspection at 9:45, then to the hospital to see Nan and leave Barb with her, Gerry and I will then drive to Livermore to see a 100 acre property, then hopefully see a second one in Livermore nearby and then back to the hospital for the evening. This is all God willing.
So I sign off begging you to pray for Nan. This is a lady who will fly half way across the country, drive 5 hours in a rental so she can spend an hour with a GIST patient who has never met another GISTers before. This is a lady who will shop for weeks getting ready for a perfect Christmas, a lady who will put herself last as she loves her family over the years. Please God bless Nan today with your love, your power, your insight, your healing, your comfort and your peace.
love
tim and nan and barb and gerry
Please continue to pray for Nan. I have been asking God for His special blessings today for Nan. It seems to this lay person that the most important next step right now is to seek and find the leak and then devise a plan to seal it. I am asking God to supervise this whole process.
In the last few minutes I have emailed Dr. Bertagnolli, nans brilliant surgeon in Boston, her trial doctor Dr. Morgan and Dr. Steele, a urologist there in Boston who Nan has been seen by and knows her situation. I wrote seeing their advice including whether they thought we might consider moving Nan to UCSF where the unusual might not be so unusual as it is in a smaller hospital. Fortunately we have a friend there, Dr. Warren, who we have met and were impressed with. Perhaps he can refer her to people he trusts to be creative and who can solve this problem. I hate the thought of having Nan even further away in SF but if they can help her then the rest, travel, lodging etc can be worked out easily. We've dealt with 3,000 miles, we can deal with 65 miles.
Barb and Gerry arrived last evening with a loaded car. Marilyn had outdid her self and purchased enough supplies to equip a small army. I drove home from seeing Nan in the afternoon, we grabbed a bite and then drove back to spend the evening with Nan. Even though she was having some pretty severe pains around the incision wound area she seemed to enjoy our time together but was ready to sleep when we left at 9:10. Having Barb and Gerry here makes a huge difference for me and for Nan also. I am facing pretty heavy stress in my own heart for Nan and for her unsolved situation, for getting our finances in order (doing better, able to pay past due bills better now), getting ready for our Oct. 15 tax day. I have to do a lot of data entry to get things ready for the accountant and I can clearly see that I won't be ready. I'm asking IRS to be understanding and if I knew we could stretch the filing a big I could relax a little. So far they have not called me back. I also need to fill out new papers for a new life insurance policy. Mine lapsed after a 10 year term on Sept 24. Jean Martin, a friend who just moved to Brentwood, is taking messages for the business this week while Loree is vacationing, that is helping a lot. Steve is being an angel like always with helping take more work on so I can be with Nan more. Our loving friends keep telling me to take care of myself. To me that means to eat balanced meals, to take my meds, to walk every day and to let the stress go. Well I take my meds. The rest does not get dealt with right now. My chest hurts, a stress hurt every morning for awhile and all I know to do is pray and try to allow God to carry the burdens.
When you call or write a message to the blog please know it is not wasting my time but saving my sanity. nan reads the messages too or if she is too sick I read them to her. The ones last night from friends were very on target and helpful. When we got ready to leave nan's room Barbie had a lovely prayer while we held hands. Friends are powerful and healing. When I drive into our driveway and see the freshly trimmed yard I think of Art and his helping hands. When I hear the washing machine going I think of Donna Wants help and Art and now Barbie is telling me she brought some money to cover the repair costs.
At this time of day I always waffle back and forth, do I call Nan now or wait hoping she is getting some more sleep, so I wait until after 8 before I call. Now I need to settle down and do some work, prepare a deposit for today, checks did come in the mail yesterday, do research for the properties Gerry and I are going to see today, log new orders, replay to emails re work, shower and hit the road running again. We will all drive to a local property that I have seen many time before for a brief inspection at 9:45, then to the hospital to see Nan and leave Barb with her, Gerry and I will then drive to Livermore to see a 100 acre property, then hopefully see a second one in Livermore nearby and then back to the hospital for the evening. This is all God willing.
So I sign off begging you to pray for Nan. This is a lady who will fly half way across the country, drive 5 hours in a rental so she can spend an hour with a GIST patient who has never met another GISTers before. This is a lady who will shop for weeks getting ready for a perfect Christmas, a lady who will put herself last as she loves her family over the years. Please God bless Nan today with your love, your power, your insight, your healing, your comfort and your peace.
love
tim and nan and barb and gerry
posted by Tim Mustard @ 6:40 AM
4 Comments:
At 11:21 AM,
Anonymous said…
Tim and Nan,
How I am thinking and praying for you right now. I read your blogs daily and for some reason decided to check again (usually I don't check twice a day) to see if there was any updates on Nan's condition.
I would be in agreement with you to move to a larger hospital to have all of the "brilliant minds" behind you in the search to find what is the best path to follow to remove the urine from Nan's abdomen and fix the leak. If it was fixed before it should be able to be fixed again.
You have so many friends who are there for you and I know that must be sooooo helpful and necessary to hold on to one's sanity. Your blessings are many in that regard.
If you don't hear from the Doctors in Boston promptly, just call or e-mail them again. I am sure you will be doing that though without anyone's prompting.
This infection has been building for a few weeks now and it is time to get it under control with the right antibiotic(s). Who could have known that the fluid from the incision was not (ordinary and expected), I know you kept mentioning it and the amount that was coming out. Perhaps the Levaquin was holding things at bay for awhile. Is it possible to go in another spot and make a smaller incision to fix the leak? I am not too experienced with large incisions and do not know the healing process and or time needed.
I just hope they do something fast and well.
Stay well yourself, that is kind of a difficult statement with all that you are trying to do but I am sure you have it in you.
Tell Nan that everyone is pulling for her and thinking of her all of the time.
Take care and stay strong
Sue Muse
At 11:24 AM,
Anonymous said…
Dear Nan and Tim,
I was checking on you two this morning and had to go back to yesterday's blog to understand what is going on.
I am so sorry to hear that you are facing yet another roadblock and I wonder, as I am sure you do, why.
I experienced your witness Nan when you visited NC last; heading off to Boston to become part of a trial there. WOW! Gods hand is so evident in these past months. Friends, finance, lodging, transportation, medications, medical hurdles, answered prayer at every turn.
While we may all be wondering what God has planned for you now. We know as you do, that you are in HIS GRIP and He won't let go.
God's peace fill your hearts and minds; may you be surrounded by His ministering angels.
Words from a song...You are my hiding place. You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance, whenever I am afraid I will trust in You.
You are in my heart my prayers daily!
Love and prayers,
Phyllis Lytle - NC
At 2:46 PM,
Anonymous said…
I hope today has brought you hope for stopping Nan's leak. You have the best in Boston for advice. They certainly know her inside and out. Perhaps they can come up with some suggestions for the Dr.'s in CA.
So glad you are not alone and have good friends, Barb and Gerry, to be there with you. Isn't it wonderful that they have the time and can be there.
Anxiously waiting for the update from today. It sounds like something will be done somewhere. Just a matter of where, who and when.
Hang in there Tim! We're all praying for you both.
Love and Prayers ~ Carol
At 6:10 AM,
Anonymous said…
Nan & Tim,
Nan, you sounded good this evening. As you said, "laying here doing the same thing that I did yesterday." I will be so thankful when you can get up and get going again. We have lots of things to do. I feel better that you have heard from the Boston Drs. As was said, she knows your insides better than anyone. And she is such a loving and caring person. Thanks again to Barb and Gerry. Wish I could be there with you, too. One day at a time, take deep breaths and "be still and know that I am God". He has gone with us all through some tough times and we have been given another new day. I can truely see the importance in the quote, "if God is your co-pilot, change seats!" What an awsom God we have! My brother and I have an agreement. He will invite anyone he thinks needs to join us for Sabbath dinner and I will see that the food is on my table. His wife and my sister help with the food. We usually have a nice group and a good time. He is giving me the day off today so I guess I better get with the program, and have everything ready for Sabbath! (I love my brother, Rick) God continues to bless each of us. Talk to you later, Love, Sharon
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