Update on Bob...

It seems like a long time since my last post! That very night (about midnight) I called an ambulance to take Bob to the hospital. He was worried about the way he was feeling from the hydrocodone he had been taking. At the hospital they put him in observation overnight. I got home and to bed about 3 a.m.! Then up at 8:30 so I could do chores and make preparations to go into town to pay some bills before going back to the hospital. Good thing I took some clean clothes for Bob. He insisted on going home last night. It sure doesn't seem like only last evening that we came home.

At the hospital they switched him to Tramadol for his pain. He's doing better on it, but still needs some time to form thoughts. The pain killer is making him pretty sleepy and he's sitting all the time, so it's getting harder for him to get up at all. Here by myself it's difficult to have him stand and use his muscles except when he absolutely has to. At 290 pounds I have to be very careful.

Josh and Jess are coming up this weekend and are going to move in with us and help with Bob's care. It's a real blessing that they want to do this. I  don't know how I could have found round the clock care any other way. One challenge will be two active little people. Bob seems to like things quiet, but we can't do this on our own, and I'm so grateful to the kids for doing this!

I've been making many phone calls to our seven kids over the last two days. They are all wonderful and volunteering to do what they can. Our son in Colorado is helping a lot financially and is going to pay to have a wheelchair ramp built. Our son Jordan in Ft. Worth has a great bunch of prayer warriors at his church holding us up in prayer. Our daughter in Fargo is great at hunting up information and helping us to figure out what we need to be pursuing as far as Bob's back pain and lung diagnosis go.

Yes, we did get a diagnosis on the lung biopsy. The doctor said they found "a cancer cell", so he labeled it lung cancer. I'm not going to let these words panic me. There are so many different versions of this disease and these spots have been on Bob's lungs for many years. We will do what we can to find out more, but we're not going to just let the doctors begin aggressive treatments that may do more harm than good. We have lots to learn.

The man from the medical supply company came by this afternoon and measured Bob for a wheelchair. He also checked out the house to see if he could get around in it. It looks like it will work well and Bob will be encouraged to exercise his arms. The medicine he's taking is making him weak, so we need to work on building him up with diet and exercise. My CNA training is coming in handy, though we're doing a lot of winging it. :)

God is with us! He doesn't give us disease, but he can use what Satan meant for evil, for good. When it comes right down to it, it's just us and Jesus. We all will meet Him one-to-one and our relationship is with Him alone. Help us, Lord, to learn to lean on You entirely!

Shalom.