Dear friends and family,
So much happens in a few hours. There are a hundred different scenarios, decisions, plans and issues to handle under these kinds of circumstances and every minute between visits seems scarce. I will therefore give a brief update and list of prayer requests. Please know how much we love you all and are grateful for your support.
Steve remains stable with little change. On a positive note, they have begun to feed him through the feeding tube and his temperature has returned to normal. He seems to have a rising resistance to his breathing tube however. Today we learned that it is exceptionally small for a man of his size, we assume due to the swelling at the time that he was intubated. When he is brought out of sedation he therefore shows extreme signs of panic. He tries to push the tube out, and he shakes his head from side to side which causes the tube in his throat to further irritate the swelling. They are working hard at finding a good balance. An important prayer request is therefore that Steve WOULD BE ABLE TO BREATHE ON HIS OWN. The difficulty breathing is what is necessitating the tube, which necessitates the sedation, which is causing him so much stress. While Steve is showing that he has the mechanics to breathe, he is not yet able to cough on his own to clear his lungs. This is a major sign they are looking for. Regardless of how ready he is to have the tube removed, however, it cannot happen until after surgery, as they will need to use the tube during surgical procedure. He will therefore remain sedated and intubated until then.
Along those lines, please pray for PEACE for Steve. While he appears peaceful during sedation, he shows increasing agitation and panic when he comes out. On a personal note, this is difficult for the family, as we can only talk and touch him minimally under these circumstances. That is because while he longs to hear from us and be touched, this stimulates him into greater consciousness which then causes agitation. It is already to have such limited access, but at the moment we can barely interact during those few precious moments except to pray quietly. The nurses say he will not remember this, so I have no idea how much this affects his healing, however I feel intuitively that if he were calm, the knowledge of our love and presence would be deeply comforting to him.
Finally, we are making many, many major decisions and gathering much information. Three areas especially deserve your prayers. One is that the insurance coverage would be good. Two is that we would have wisdom in deciding on a rehabilitation center for Steve, which is the next decision. Three is that any legal considerations would go smoothly, and again, that we would make wise decisions.
In closing, at the beginning of this vacation I began to meditate on the following verses. I felt these were my “anthem” so to speak for our holidays. I now lean into them greatly and pray that I will be a faithful servant in putting them into practice:
Philippians 4:4-9 (New International Version)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.