What a difference a year can make!!

November 3, 2007

November 3, 2008

Praise the Lord! After a gruelling year of recovery from his double broken leg, my husband is back up on his feet walking, running and once again doing all the things he enjoys doing. He pheasant hunted with my dad and brother this last weekend and last month played paintball with his brother Marshall, and some of my cousins. Besides a bit of swelling in the ankles and some achy-ness where the hardware is in his leg... he is doing great. Tonite the kids are at an MCL music competition for school, but we still celebrated with a candlelit flat iron steak dinner and a delicious bottle of sweet rose South African wine given to us by our dear ole friends, Dan and Kristi. (Thanks guys!! We loved it!) :)

"The prayer of faith will save the sick person and the Lord will raise him up..." (James 5:15)

So we just wanted to share the joy with you all about Luke's recovery and thank you all for your prayers. Peace out. :)

Dad's Cancer Update

We're relieved to find out that according to the lab results, it would appear that the surgeon was able to remove all the cancer and that it didn't go deeper into the bladder. We praise God for that news!! I still feel a little nervous, as we haven't actually seen or talked to the surgeon since the lab results came in. I guess I'd like to see some blood work or an MRI or something to prove that there are no other tumors in the body or other visible signs of cancer. But for now we'll just rejoice that the lab results were favorable!

Dad's feeling great, so great in fact, that we are having a hard time keeping him from "overdoing it". He wants to mow the lawn, work in his machine shed, etc. (SIGH) Can't keep a good man down I guess. :) We enjoyed a hectic 4th of July weekend with family and this whole thing with Dad helps a person keep their perspective about life and how precious it really is. Thanks for your prayers and I'll post updates as they come in. :)

"See you in 6 months"

That's what we heard from Luke's surgeon at his appointment this week. He is doing so great and his leg is healing well. Dr. Ahad said that both bones are filling in where the fractures were and that the last surgery where he plated the fibula was a success! He looks good when he walks now, his foot is more straight as opposed to turned out. He has little or no pain and now we're just working on keeping the swelling down still, especially after a long day on his feet working outside, etc.

This is certainly a praise... so thanks to all of you who prayed diligently for his healing! He was released to do whatever physical activity he's comfortable with... so you can guess what he's looking forward to - PAINTBALL! :)

Auf weidersehn!

Sunday, May 31st we said good bye to our German girl, Tina. Her dad and brother flew into Wichita on the nite of the 30th after experiencing a 3 hour delay in Chicago due to weather. They rented a car and drove to Hays on Saturday morning, then spent the day with our family. It was cool to meet her family (Mom couldn't come due to anxiety issues with flying) but the tricky thing was the language barrier. I'm afraid that Tina didn't do a "great" job translating, so there was lots of dead air that made me feel a bit uncomfortable - but her Dad was very kind and thanked us many times for caring for his daughter. It was pretty neat. We visited the T-Rex exhibit and toured Sternberg Museum (which is a dinosaur museum for those of you that aren't from around here.) - we came home and her family rested as they had only 3 hours of sleep and were exhausted, then later in the evening we went out for dinner at Gellas. It was great! Sunday morning they left at 7:30 a.m. and flew out of Wichita for New York for a few days vacation in America - then they'll be back in Germany on June 6th. It was hard to say goodbye, but 9 months has passed and everyone is ready for life to return to normal. (whatever normal is) :) Her mother has emailed me sharing how much she misses her daughter. Tina has been homesick off and on since Christmas and really, all of us here are ready to go back to being a family of 4.

Overall it was a positive experience and we learned a lot from her and she learned a lot from us. The biggest and most exciting thing I think for me... is that when she came here she called herself an Atheist. When she left here, she no longer called herself that and I praise God for the seeds that have been planted and trust that if they are meant to sprout and grow, that He will see to it. I don't think it even occurred to us that our student would possibly not believe in God. That was a bit of a surprise. When we agreed to host a student, I don't think that we saw beyond all the excitement or considered that this person wasn't just someone to have fun with, but truly a family member that we didn't know. Our family grew stronger, we learned so much to depend on one another and to support one another. While this experience was trying at times, I believe that we did the right thing and God blessed it. Sunday in our worship time we read in Matthew about "whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me". I hadn't really thought about that before, but God did use us to provide this young girl food, shelter and love... among other things. God is faithful and I'm humbled that he chose our family for such a mission.

It makes me feel good that Tina said that she would do it over again, even though her year of school here doesn't count and she will still have 2 more years when she gets home. I would probably say the same, that I would do it all over again because of the good that came from it where our family is concerned... but we will most likely not host another exchange student. Anyway, we plan on keeping in touch and she has dreams of working hard to save money and fly back to the U.S. for a visit, but I also know that she is wanting to buy a car in the next year or two... so who knows when we might see our Deutch Machen (German girl) again. So for now it's auf weidersehn - Good bye, Tina... we'll miss you.

Doin' Great!

Thanks everyone, for your prayers and well wishes for Luke. He is doing really good. We ended up going home the same day as the surgery - it was nice not to have to stay over night. Since home, he has cut his pain meds in half and reduced himself from walking with crutches, but a cane and sometimes without anything. He began putting full weight on today and so far so good. :) I praise God for his speedy recovery, he's a real tough guy. My hero! ;)

He is set to fly to Phoenix for a business meeting the week of the 21st and then get home just in time to drive to Nebraska for the weekend. Not sure if he's ready for all this, but he thinks he is... so who am I to question right? It's hard not to worry, but I'm sure he'll be fine.

Where we've spent the day.....

Our day began at 5 a.m. when we got up and began to get ourselves ready for what was sure to be an exciting day. :) Luke has been dreading his second surgery, but finally the day has come. We checked in at 6:30 a.m., he was taken to O.R. at 7:50 a.m. and finally at 8:20 his surgery began. The surgeon found me around 9:15 or 9:20 and told me that the surgery went well. Apparently once he got into the leg he saw that there were SOME signs of healing, but not much, also the fibula had began to shift towards the tibia. He said we definitely made the right choice in having the surgery, now the bone is completely straight and should provide good stability. He is supposed to walk on it and bear as much weight as possible and only use crutches as necessary. The surgeon showed me a photo of the work that's been done on his leg. Luke says now he's "like the bionic man". ha ha. I'll have to scan it in later and post it so you can see what he's been through. He put in a metal plate and 6 screws to hold the fibula together. The nurse also told me that the surgeon used some form of putty to help hold the bone together while it heals now. Weird. I had never heard of such thing. Whatever it takes to get him totally well... I'm all for it.

We are in recovery now and have been for what seems like forever. He is doing well, has had some pain, but it's being controlled with percoset again. He was able to use the restroom and eat some italian ice, water and crackers without nausea. These are all good things, because if he has problems with any of this, he wouldn't be able to go home today. I'm not sure when we'll find out how soon he can go. He is sleeping well and getting some rest, so I'm just trying to be patient. He did walk with crutches to the bathroom, then was a little dizzy. They said that could be from anesthesia and/or the percoset.

Thank you all for your prayers and please keep them coming for a speedy recovery. I know it makes all the difference and means so much to me and Luke. We are praising God for a successful surgery! I'll update again once I have some news. :)

Luke's Leg... more surgery

Hey everyone! Just an update about Luke's leg, he's been doing great - but took a fall a couple of weeks ago when he was in Kansas City and then began having some pain. Being the attentive wife I am... I insisted that he see the Doctor earlier than his scheduled appointment. Good news is that he didn't re-injur anything and that the Tibia is healing well and the bone is filling in. Bad news is that the fibula (which was originally shattered) is not at all fusing back together so it's still in pieces. The doc said those bone fragments are probably what was causing the pain after his fall. The plan is to go in on Friday, May 2nd and have the fibula plated. Supposedly this isn't going to be as bad of a surgery and they are talking about only an over night stay. I guess he'll be back on crutches for a couple of weeks, which doesn't really impress him a whole lot - but you've gotta do what you've gotta do. He has a business trip to Phoenix scheduled for the week of the 22nd, so please pray that he is well enough to make it as it's an important one.

That's the scoop. As always we would appreciate your prayers that surgery would go well and that he would have a miraculously speedy recovery. He's just ready to be done with broken legs. Thanks!! :)

Update on teacher meeting

Well... it went ok, I guess. The principal joined us. There were lots of things (emotional things) that I didn't get to say, but in a nutshell the principal explained that kicking her off the team was a snap decision - and she is allowed back on the team because she is a valuable asset, but not without consequence, so she won't be allowed at the next 3 tournaments. At this point I'm not sure if she can be convinced that she should participate - so we'll see. She is pretty humiliated and hurt. We got everything worked out and another, calmer conversation is going to take place between her and the teacher to iron out the rest of the awkwardness of it all. Hopefully it will just go away soon. You know how small towns are, the rumor is going around among the students how she "let everyone down" by not going to this thing. I guess it was a way bigger deal than any of us realized. When all was said and done, all parties involved agree that this was an experience that we all learned from and the conference ended on positive, friendly terms - so I'm thankful for that, and for your prayers. Now...we just wanna move on and forget about it. Hope this gossipy little town will let us. Oh, I do hate the drama. This too shall pass.

Thanks to those of you that offered your support and prayers... you have no idea how much that means to a confused, hurting mom, you're the best! :)

Look Mom... NO HANDS!

We are thanking God for the healing that's taking place in Luke's leg. The first of February, he began mostly walking (limping) without assistance! WOO HOO!! The kids and I are so proud of him. He's worked really hard at gritting his teeth and dealing with the pain and discomfort. The pain is under control for the most part and it's been weeks since he's taken anything for pain, but sometimes after a long day he really feels it.

He got a good report at his appointment on the 10th. The doc said that the bones are fusing and rebuilding and that he's very pleased with the progress. He did say that it's not good for Luke to walk with that foot out rather than straight forward and he is doing that to compensate for the discomfort of walking with it straight. Doc thinks this is cuz he is walking on the inside of his foot because the arches have broken down some since he hasn't been walking on the foot for months. He's giving him an arch support that he says should help with that and Luke is just supposed to conscientiously walk properly so that things continue to heal right. Overall we were really thrilled with the outcome of that visit. We were a little bit disappointed that the doctor never suggested compression stockings to help with the swelling in his ankle and foot though. He just began wearing them on his own and it's made a world of difference, he can even wear normal shoes. It's incredible how that thing keeps the swelling under control.

Well... I promised myself that I'd keep this shorter than several of the last ones so I guess that's it for now. Just wanted you all to know how awesome Luke is doing and to ask you to continue praying for total healing - and more specifically, please pray that he never has to have that steel rod removed! Thanks in advance.

Oh, one last thing... I'm really thankful for my "Valentine" of 18 years. What a blessing he is to me this Valentine's Day and EVERY day! I love my Lukie! Just thought you'd like to know. ;)

Love n Hugs,
Jami

"Flyin' Solo"

We're getting closer to seeing Luke walk on his own two feet without assistance, and it's really exciting. He is now off the Rx Pain meds and limiting the amount of Ibuprofen he's taking for pain and swelling. He's glad to be off the Percoset and said that he feels better without it in his system, though he is experiencing more discomfort, but coping. I'm so proud of how strong he is and how determined to speed along his healing. He took off today for Wichita - BY HIMSELF! This is the second trip he's made without me - but he takes his ice pack along because by evening he's swelled up pretty good. He says he's experiencing lots of aching where the screws are holding the rod to the bone, ICK. I suppose the cold weather probably doesn't help, it was 4 degrees here this morning. Luke will go back for a 2 month followup visit on Feb. 18th to see how he's healing. I'm hoping that the jolt he got when he tripped on the steps coming into the house won't have set him back any.

I've got Ciara home sick today. She started a wicked miserable cold/flu bug while we were in Nebraska this past weekend at Luke's Mom's. It would seem that our car can't leave the Hays area without someone breaking something or being sick. I don't get it... but I guess that's the way it goes. What's even more frustrating to me is the wretchedly cold weather and all the snow and ice we've had here. Winters generally look like this in Nebraska, not Kansas. It wouldn't bother me except for I've got a husband in a truck driving 3 hours to Wichita and a teenage daughter driving 10 miles one way for school with the other 2 kids. I'm just so tired of worrying about if it's safe for them to be driving. When the snow melts off from one storm it sets in again. Seems like we just can't get a break. Grr. I'm ready for spring!

Ciara and Tina are getting excited for Snoball - the winter formal dance. It will be on February 9th. We had to take Tina shopping for a formal dress, she went ahead and got a dress for prom too so she won't have to worry about it then. We still need to shop for shoes for Ciara - but we bought her dresses at an exceedingly discounted price this summer when nobody was looking for formals. That girl is a bargain shopper, gotta love it!

Well... I'm really busy with Valentine's products and preparing for an upcoming soap party, and I've got 3 orders to fill plus need to turn in 2 or 3 supply orders, so I suppose I ought to get to it. I guess I'm procrastinating, I'm just so cold it's hard to get motivated. More later.........

Puttin' some miles on this "baby"!

We're now more than 8 weeks into the healing process since Luke's accident. It's been a long row to hoe so far and as his wife, it's been really hard to watch him struggle with crutches and his enormous, swollen foot. He has cut back on the pain meds and is trying to get off of them all together. He is out of the walking boot and back into some "normal" shoes - of course the swelling is so bad that we've had to purchase some bigger, roomier shoes to get him through to total healing. The doctor says that the swelling is normal and that it could take up to 6 months before the swelling stops. He feels a little discouraged by that, because whenever he's on his feet for any amount of time he swells up terribly and has to get his feet up with ice.

Right about the first of the year I went out and purchased for my dear hobbly husband, a snazzy metalic blue and black walking cane. As you can imagine the kids are having the time of their life teasing him about being an old man, etc., and he's enjoying whacking them with his cane just for fun. :) He's actually doing very well with it, I'm pretty proud of his determination. I guess since he's already making plans to scramble through airports independently for his work... he thought maybe he ought to press on toward walking without assistance. The doctor told him that putting some weight on the leg will actually help accelerate the healing process. Hard to believe, but surprisingly it appears to be working as he is getting stronger every day and beginning to do more and more for himself. This is good!I think he feels good too, even though he somewhat enjoyed being waited on, he is happy to be able to make himself a pot of coffee, shower without the shower chair and so many other things that the rest of us take for granted every day. Thank you all for your prayers that I KNOW have gotten him this far, and please don't quit prayin'... his goal is to walk without crutches or cane by the end of the month!

Hangin' in there...

BRR.... why is fall so short and winter in such a hurry to get here? I feel like the biggest wimp with the colder tempteratures. It's inevitable I guess, but even Tina noticed that fall is short in Kansas.

Well... it's been a month since Luke broke his leg, he's still not able to bear weight on it until about Christmas time - this is making him crazy. He's so ready to be able to get rid of the crutches! He's gettin' a bit of cabin fever also. We went to IHOP today with the family for a late breakfast, then he cruised around Wal-Mart on a motorized scooter through the store and looked at "guy stuff" with Brandon while the girls and I did some Christmas shopping. I think it was just good for him to have a change of scenery. We also stopped at the Mall and the kids had their picture taken with Santa. I know it sounds creepy, but it was fun. :) I'll post it here once I get it scanned into my computer. Apparently I'm not bright enough to operate my scanner.

It's been nice to have Luke working from home all this time, but now he is talking about heading to Wichita in a couple of weeks to do employee reviews. This has me feeling just a bit nervous - I'm trying to picture him navigating himself into a hotel room on his crutches with a suitcase, briefcase and whatever else he needs. There's also the issue of the small amount of leg room in his truck - I can't imagine him having his leg down and cramped for 3 hours on the trip... he's hurting here after not having it propped up for an hour or 2. I guess I have to let him go sometime, but I don't have to feel good about it right?

The kids and I are fine, I'm busy with Christmas orders and the kids are just countin' down the days 'til Christmas break. I'm ready for it too - I'm just weary. Ok, more later and I'll post some photos too.