Lung Update #23 - Counting down...

...I would like to say until departure and give you a certain date, but it is not currently known. I am aware that you have been updated by Kaci about our latest in a nutshell. Our enormous praise today was that God, AGAIN, faithfully answered our specific prayer. The doctor finally came around about 12:30 to inform us that the reason they canceled the procedure was to pull a chest tube instead of repositioning. They pull tubes in the room, so around 1:00 EST, Jeremy had the largest and longest chest tube removed. HOORAY! He can already tell the difference. He said that he feels his chest expanding and feels his muscles contracting in that area again. He didn't realize he wasn't feeling it until the feeling was re-established. I hear him breathing deeper and see him puffing his chest out all the more. So this was the perfect one to go. It ran all the way up the frontal area of his left lobe.

Jeremy has also been detached from his PCA (self-induced pain medication) along with all other consistent fluids. He is only attached to the IV pole when they are administering his antifungal drugs - the same ones that he was on when we were home. I never thought I would be so grateful to return to just administering those medications, but God has reminded me that it can always be worse. ALWAYS. Jeremy is feeling little pain and is only on percoset as needed. He has been taken off of his "anti-hiccup" medicine because we wanted to see if he was really over the hiccups, not to mention that medication was contributing to his lethargy. Already, tonight, I can tell that he is more alert and somewhat more conversational than he has been in 11 days. YEA!

We expressed to the doctor our frustration with the continued delay of removing the other tubes and it seems that our "fellow" is being restricted on what he can allow us to do until the head surgeon returns from his week out of town at a conference. Dr. Quaong, the surgeon that performed Jeremy's fungal extraction, is this surgeon that is out of town. He has been out of town since Wednesday LAST WEEK. We are a tad frustrated by this order. However, we are not above praying through this restriction. Dr. Kemp and his team want the following things to happen. According to this morning's CT scan, Jeremy has a small pocket of air near Chest Tube #3. This is the most recent tube that was inserted. They will leave it there as they await his lung to further inflate and fill in this cavity. If the lung does not continue to expand quickly, there is a chance that fluid could fill into this cavity and again prevent the lung from expanding adequately. As a result, they are going to leave the tube in until the lung expands. SO PRAY THE LUNG EXPANDS. We pray this, not only because it would mean there would be no excuse to leave the tube in place, but also because it would mean that his lungs were FULLY EXPANDING AND WORKING APPROPRIATELY.

The doctor shared that he understood our frustration, but we did throw the small children at home card along with the statistics-show-you-heal-better-at-home card. He said that he understood and tried to comfort us that we had been improving - yada yada. The truth is, Dr. Kemp is a fellow and he is only in the authority to do "so much". The final say goes with Dr. Shrump - Dr. Quaog's stand-in - or Dr. Quaong. So the next thing that wee need you to pray is that all of the fluid that needs to drain (ALL OF THE FLUID THAT IS REMAINING IN THE THORACIC CAVITY THAT DOES NOT BELONG) overnight tonight. You need it to be to a slow drip, like a faucet that is turned off tomorrow. This will reveal that there is little fluid collecting and little fluid draining and therefore reveal no need for a tube anymore. This is how we got today's tube out. There was little fluid amounting in the collection bin, and his CT scan showed no more fluid to drain. Dr. Kemp says that, in order to not continually expose Jeremy to radiation, they will take tomorrow off and then have another CT scan on Friday. Right now, Dr. Kemp thinks the results of this CT will be a repositioning of the tubes to better drain the remaining fluid. I am praying for a miracle. I am praying that the fluid is gone and Kemp and Schrump cannot help but consider the thought of removing the tubes.

Even if they do not release us until Saturday, getting all the tubes out would bring yet another NEW MAN. Jeremy is already better NOW than he was 10 hours ago. He is getting around better and maneuvering more easily. There is only so much ease in maneuvering with two unwanted appendages. Now, don't get me wrong, I know the doctors want to send him home healthy so that he does not have to return. We don't want to have to return either, but we don't want to limit God. I will tell you this - Jeremy has a new roommate and I think I know why we are still here. He is having surgery tomorrow to remove part of his pancreas because he has pancreatic cancer. Pray for us as we attempt to minister to him. It appears that he does not really have anybody - he is here alone. I have also heard him talk to someone on the phone of the hopelessness of his cancer. He is truly a pleasant man, so I know there is an opportunity coming for us to share. Pray that we seize it.

Pray for endurance and perseverance. We see the light, but we cannot really tell right now the distance because it is blinking somewhat. We will finish this race because we can do all things and truly this is nothing compared to what other people are enduring - really. Pray that the hope that we have spills out onto others - including medical professionals. Several have already told us that we are different and very special. We tell them that God makes us who we are and nothing more. May our words be His words and our thoughts, His thoughts.

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE WONDERFUL PACKAGES WE GOT TODAY. WE ARE SO EXCITED TO GET ALL OF THE YUMMIES AND BOOKS AND MAGAZINES. This is unbelievable. You are unbelievable people. We are so not worthy of this love. Thank you for taking my suggestions and going absolutely berserk with them. Our stamina tomorrow will be strengthened because we will constantly be entertained and fed. The brownies and cookies are delicious!

THANK YOU FOR MY TRIP TO THE SPA. I even had some crazy guy at the 7-11 I stopped at on the way home tell me that I looked like Christina Aguillera. I laughed pretty hard and told him that he had no idea what that did for me. :) Thank you for letting us see the girls tonight! THAT WAS SUCH A BLESSING! I cannot wait to hold them both. I may never let them go.

Tomorrow I will give you more great news. I am confident of that. Each day that he is up and moving and chatty is a better day. Tomorrow will be a better day.