Last day of school/First day of Rehab

Today my baby switched the toggle from 2nd grader to 3rd grader.  She will not let me call her a 3rd grader until the first day of school, however.  So we are in no-man's land for now.  A very happy, sleeping-in-y no-man's land.

Steve has officially been at Long Beach Memorial Rehab Center for 24 hours, and let me tell you, this is the rock-and-roll team.  Every single person we have talked to is outstanding.  He was assessed by an internist, a physical medicine doctor, the radiologists, the occupational therapists, neurologist, and the case worker.  Denise Geringer got to be here (Thanks Katie Guenther and Mom for taking Denise's kids!!) and it was fantastic to have her acting as Steve's personal care giver for the day.  She understands the procedures and the lingo, and was able to talk with Steve's PT.  She brought a great deal of comfort to Steve because of her excellence in bedside manner and skill.

Steve was able to get up and sit in a wheel chair for well over an hour.  He was able to get a hospital shower, which was a huge relief -- the Fullerton Loop sand has hitched a ride all over the Southland in Steve's hair.

Unfortunately there are two setbacks.  First, his stomach pain is likely an ulcer caused by the steroids, and it is making it almost impossible to eat.  He can get a little jello down, and some water, but that's about it right now.

Second, he has two blood clots in his legs, so he has been put on strict bed rest for at least 24 hours.  They are hoping to get a procedure approved to break up the clots, rather than use cumadin, since he has just had surgery.  Please pray about this item, as it is the most dangerous.  However, he did get up this morning with the blood clots in there, so there is hope that they will not dislodge now that he's on bedrest.  These are both very discouraging to him, as he is so eager to get moving.  And all of this is making him exceptionally uncomfortable.  However, even in his discouragement, he is very aware of how far we have come.  We are only on Day 6 of this journey, and looking back to Day 1, we have much, much, much to be thankful for.

Tomorrow our entire team of doctors, nurses, and therapists will come into the room for a "Bedside Conference," and they will present the plan to Steve, addressing all his issues from head to toe.  Every single person here makes us feel like Steve is their star patient.  They are seriously rock stars.

The kids were able to come!  I had some fantastic advice from Kevin and Kimberly Van Lant and Lauren Maltby, (both Kevin and Lauren are Psychologists) about how to help them feel secure and prepared to see dad.  It went really well--the wheel chair and the glove balloons were a hit, as was the garden/courtyard.  Lucy was very interested in the place.  Søren climbed up on the bed and just lay on Dad's chest for a long time.  They both seemed extremely comfortable when they left, and even allowed Denise to take them home so I could stay awhile longer.  This is very unusual for them, and I'm convinced their a.) flexibility and b.) sibling bonding is a result of your prayers for them.  This is God's story for them, too, and he is working on their hearts.

One more detail -- our meeting this morning with the social worker was wonderful.  It ended up feeling like a wonderful therapy session.  We got to talk through some of our concerns, and how we were feeling.  She gave us some wonderful tools to move through this process.  For example, every day, we'll start each therapy session with asking "What are the expectations for today, and what is the goal for today?"  This will keep us focused on what is in front of us and keep us from getting overwhelmed.  She was impressed with the wide and loving support network we have.  So are we.  You guys are incredible.

On the way here, I had one of our church's albums on in the car, one I hadn't listened to in some time.  It's written from the book of Isaiah, which our church preached through a couple of years ago, and as I listened, it spoke Truth into my heart.  (Thank you, Walt!) I'll leave you with a couple of excerpts that particularly encouraged me.

Strengthen the hands that are feeble
Comfort the weak and distraught
Say to those hearts that are troubled
Be strong, fear not.

Speak faith to those who are doubting
That there's still a God to be sought
Say in the power of the Spirit
Be strong, fear not.

Here is your God!  Mighty to Save!
This God's the God who brought life out of death when he conquered the grave.
So trust him alone.  Call on his name.
He's still the one God, the true God, unchanging, forever the same.

(You can listen to the rest here)
http://graceevfree.org/songs-of-grace/here-is-your-god/