Joye's Update 6/30/08

It was a good day today. Andrew weaned for 16 hours and was in his chair for over 6 hours. We began our classes today that will prepare us for going home. We will have these classes every weekday for the next 4 weeks. Andrew seems to be feeling positive about us beginning to prepare for going home. I feel that we are so blessed to be in this place that is so well equipped to help us get home with a lot of training and information; I cannot imagine not having this support. I believe that God is seeing us through this very difficult time and I also believe he will heal Andrew in His time. Please continue to pray for Andrew . . . God is hearing you and is taking such good care of us both. We both feel truly blessed. Good Night and God Bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/29/08

Andrew had another good day today. Mario and Tara stopped by early this morning to say goodbye . . . it was such a good visit and we hated to see them leave. He felt good enough for me to be able to take him to church at the hospital chapel too. However, his jaw has been hurting him lately and seems to be getting worse. The doctors and dentist have looked at it and believe it's caused from straining when he breaths on his own. They say it will pass and they will begin rehabilitation on it tomorrow, but it will take a while. Andrew's nurse gave him a muscle relaxer to help his jaw pain at about 2pm and even while weaning, Andrew fell asleep for about 4 hours. He breathed just fine through the whole nap, but he was so surprised when he woke up. It scared him at first, but he was happy to know he could breath and sleep and the same time. Andrew weaned today for 16 hours. We have a full week ahead of us with classes that are supposed to help prepare us to go home. There's a lot to learn and a lot to plan and we've now begun that stage of this ordeal. One thing for sure, the people here at Craig are equipped with everything we'll need to do and know to get home . . . and Andrew is very much looking forward to going home. My biggest goal is to keep things as "normal" as possible while still being able to care for him. I will also do my very best to remain in the role as wife and not just care giver. They are doing a lot here to show us how to achieve that. And, as always . . . we will continue to pray for a full healing for Andrew, which we believe God will see to in His time. We can only ask that you all continue to pray with us for that healing, and we thank you for that. Good Night and God Bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/27/08

I have to tell you that today was absolutely the best day that I personally have had with Andrew since he was injured. I didn't go over to his room until about 1:30pm today because I spent time this morning doing laundry and I needed to pick up some groceries at the store. He was already weaning by the time I got there and he had his "talker" in too. He was feeling good and ready to talk to me, which I was very happy about. We talked about the kids, about everything that's happened to him, about Yuma, and about how God is working in our lives. It was a great talk. Then later this afternoon Mario and Tara got here and we all had the best time together talking and laughing and enjoying our friendship. Andrew felt good all day and did so well breathing and keeping his "talker" in. Then I showed Tara the place I've been staying since I've been here and gave Mario and Andrew some "man" time together. I'm not sure what they talked about, but after Mario and Tara left tonight, Andrew told me how great it was to have that time with him. Andrew and I later had some time alone together and we again had such a great talk. We got to talking about all our family and friends and the phone rang; it was the kids and they were so happy when I had Andrew answer the phone. So he talked to them for a while and then after, we got to talking about our friends Barry and Marie Nicholson in Yuma. Andrew has known Barry since he was in the Marine Corp and Barry is also our pastor in Yuma. And so Andrew asked me to call him, which I did, and they were able to have a great conversation and Barry also prayed with Andrew. It was just a great day all around . . . I'm so thankful to God for this day. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow too. Mario and Tara are going to go by Andrew's room early in the morning to say goodbye as they have to return to Arizona, and I'm going to take Andrew to church services at the hospital chapel for the first time since he's been here. I know that God has blessed us with this great day and He has provided Andrew the strength and the healing he's needed to feel so much better and be able to enjoy Mario and Tara's visit. It warmed my heart more than I could ever describe to look at my husband lying in that bed in the condition he's in and to hear him say that he's a lucky man . . . what a blessing he is to me. Good Night and God Bless you all. Joye

Joye's Update 6/26/08

Another good day today for Andrew. He weaned for 12 hours (all they will let him go for now) quite easily. He was up in his chair for about 5.5 hours and had therapy for 2.5 hours of that. He was able to keep his "talker" thing on his trach for about 3 hours today so that he could visit with Mario and Tara. It was a great time for everyone . . . Andrew was cutting up and joking around like usual with us. It's been really great to be able to hear his voice. After Mario and Tara left for the night and Andrew and I were alone for awhile, I climbed up next to him on his bed and we watched TV for a while . . . things really felt "normal" for a just a little bit to be next to him for that time. I know that God is working all this out in His own time. I continue to pray for patience and I have faith that the Lord will grace Andrew with this miracle. I thank you all so much for your faith and your prayers. I believe that Andrew will be healed and he will breath, and move and touch, and feel, and walk again, and this is what I pray for each day. Good Night and God Bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/25/08

Andrew had a pretty good day today. They limited him to only be able to wean for 12 hours as he was not blowing out enough CO2 towards the end of his longer weans yesterday and the day before. This just means he was getting too tired, so they are a little concerned he's going too long and want him to work a little more slowly towards more time weaning. He was very happy to have a "surprise" visit from Mario and Tara Diaz. It wasn't exactly a surprise because someone (I won't mention any names Denny) accidentally told him they were coming. :)~ I'm more surprised it wasn't me who slipped and told him . . . I'm not great at keeping secrets. It was great to see how happy it made Andrew to see them walk in though, and it was really great that Andrew was able to talk to them because he had his "talker" thing on his trach to be able to speak. Thank you so much for your words of encouragement . . . I know that God is hearing our prayers and will continue to work on this for Andrew. Good Night and God Bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/25/08

Andrew had a pretty good day today with his breathing. He weaned for 14 hours and was up in his chair for 3.5 hours. They purposely had his time up in the chair limited today because he was very tired today and they are concerned he will get over fatigued. We had our monthly conference today, which involves his main doctor, nurse, physical therapist, psychologist, and social worker. We were able to see Andrew's latest MRI and each person gave a report on Andrew's progress and expected prognosis. Although a lot of the information we received, with regard to prognosis, was not all that great . . . we were told that they are amazed at Andrew's progress and he has far exceeded their earlier prognosis'. His MRI looked very scary . . . he has extensive damage to his spinal cord from C3 to C7. They are also concerned that Andrew may not be able to get off the ventilator. Even with his progress, there are still a lot of other components that have to work properly in order for him to be completely weaned from the vent. These were not great things for us to hear today, and although (after the conference) I really tried hard to help keep Andrew focused and to continue his faith in God to heal him . . . I'm worried the news today will set him back. So my prayer request to you tonight is to please pray that Andrew will persist with his vent weaning and that he will soon be completely free of the ventilator. Please pray for Andrew to breath on his own. Thank you so much for your prayers, we appreciate all of you so much. Good Night and God bless you all. Joye

Joye's Update 6/24/08

Things are still looking great! Andrew weaned for 13 hours today, was up in his chair for 6 hours during the wean, and he had 1.5 hours of therapy during the wean as well. He's really doing great and is well on his way to getting off that ventilator. We're still praying for his thumbs to move . . . he's determined to make that happen. Of all the articles and stories I've read about people who are paralyzed and begin having movement, one commonality with everyone is their will and determination to make their bodies move by starting with one little finger or toe. I've read most of those stories to Andrew and he's really trying hard to focus on those thumbs. Please remember to pray for that . . . with his will and our prayers and everyone's faith in God to make it happen, it will happen. Good Night and God Bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/23/08

Another good day today. Andrew weaned for 10.5 hours today, and for 4 of those hours, he was up in his chair . . . and, he went through 2 hours of therapy at that same time. He was very tired tonight when I left, but feeling very proud of himself. I'm very proud of him too. He's doing very well with his breathing and is looking forward to getting off the vent and getting on to more rigorous physical therapy. We continue to pray and are keeping our faith in God to heal Andrew, and we thank you for your continued prayers and faith in God's healing. Good Night and God Bless you all. Joye

Joye's Update 6/22/08

Another good day today. Andrew weaned for 9 hours, 10 minutes. He was going for 10 hours, but started falling asleep, and although he can definitely breath while he sleeps . . . he still gets uncomfortable with it, so he decided to stop at that time. He's still concentrating hard on his thumbs, so keep those prayers coming on the thumbs. We still continue our faith in the Lord healing Andrew and we so appreciate all of your prayers and words of encouragement. Good Night and God Bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/21/08

We have another record! Andrew weaned for 8 hours straight today. He was tired when he was finished, but not over tired, which is good. The kids and my family left this morning, so I was pretty sad most of the day. I will really miss having them around and so will Andrew. Hopefully they will be able to return soon. We thank you all so much for all your prayers. God is hearing them and is healing Andrew; I just know it. Even with some of these set-backs, Andrew still has complete faith that the Lord will heal him. Andrew has been concentrating very hard on trying to move his thumbs . . . (one thing at a time). Please pray for Andrew to have the strength and the focus to begin to move his thumbs. It's kind of like building a new path through the spinal cord . . . it's how numerous people with spinal cord injuries have gone about getting movement back, and Andrew has committed himself to this. So right now . . . it's all about the thumbs :) His breathing is obviously doing great and is right on track with that (thank God). Good night and God Bless you all. Joye

Joye's Update 6/20/08

A much better day for Andrew today. Andrew ate breakfast, weaned in bed for 2 hours, and was put into his chair while weaning and was able to wean up for 30 more minutes. He then ate lunch, was up for a total of 4 hours, and then he weaned for 5 hours and 15 minutes tonight. Andrew is feeling better today, for sure. Thank you for your prayers . . . I know it's definitely what has helped today. God does hear our prayers and I know He is working on this for Andrew. Good Night and God Bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/19/08

Andrew was a little better today. He weaned for 4 hours this morning, got up for 2.5 hours, and then he was going to try a wean later tonight; I won't know until morning if he did or not. He tried to eat real food today too, but it's hard for him as he still has the jaw pain. Andrew is still feeling down, but he's really trying hard to do well. Please continue to lift Andrew in prayer. We are so thankful for your prayers and words of encouragement. Good Night and God Bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/18/08

Another (kind of) hard day today. Andrew was still feeling badly this morning so he was unable to wean this morning. He was able to get up for a couple of hours and then he did wean this evening for 4 hours. He wanted to go longer, but they felt it was better to have him stop while he was still feeling good, rather than let him get too tired. Andrew is feeling a bit depressed due to his latest bump in the road and really needs to be lifted in prayer. Please pray for strength and determination for him . . . and, I thank you for that. Good Night and God Bless you all. Joye

Joye's Update 6/17/08

Kind of a rough day today. Andrew was having some pain in his chest this morning. He said he felt like someone was sitting on his chest . . . it was just very heavy feeling. They scanned him and did an EKG and a few other tests, and found nothing scary. He was still having this "heavy" feeling tonight, but no answers so far. Due to this, he was unable to wean today. We are praying for a better day tomorrow. Please continue to pray for Andrew . . . he's needing strength and encouragement. On a good note . . . Denny and Kristine Harkins visited us today. It was great to see them and it really cheered Andrew up to get the "scoop" from Kristine and to pray with Denny. It was a great day in that respect. Good Night and God bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/16/08

Andrew had an okay day today. His muscles in his neck and jaw are quite fatigued; therefore, causing him some pain. He tends to tense up in that area when he breaths on his own. He did not wean this morning, due the pain, but he was able to wean for 5 hours tonight. Andrew's enjoying having the kids here as well as my sister and her husband being here for him to visit with. It's been nice having my brother-in-law (Billy) here because he likes to get up early and spend time with Andrew in the morning, giving me a chance to sleep in a little. Billy likes to tell the nurses that he's Andrew's brother. Billy is a 5'8" (white) man :) Thank you for all your prayers and words of encouragement. Good Night and God bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/15/08

This is Jennifer posting for Joye tonight. I'm Andrew's niece. My mom, (Joye's sister)my dad, and Bobbi (Joye's Daughter) all arrived this evening and are staying for a week. We drove from Wickenburg, Az which seemed like a never ending drive. When we got here we went straight into Andrew's room and when we walked in he smiled. My parents had their share of time talking to him, and when it was mine and Bobbi's we stood next to his bed and he winked at us :) we talked to him for a few minutes but he couldn't talk because his jaw was hurting. Since he was weaning we didn't stay for long so that he could concentrate, but when we went up later he was still weaning so we sat in there to keep him company. Andrew only weaned for an hour and a half this morning because he was tired and his neck and jaw were hurting so they thought that it would be better for him to spend the day resting. Tonight he weaned for 5 hrs and was still working hard when we left the room. He also fell asleep while he was weaning which is good news. Thank you for all of your prayers. Goodnight

Joye's Update 6/14/08

A pretty good day today. Andrew weaned for 4 hours, got up for 2 hours, and then weaned again in the afternoon. He was very tired and went to bed early tonight. The kids and I printed out some pictures that Drew's aunt Tawnee took of the kids (thank you Tawnee), and we put them in frames for Andrew's room . . . for Father's Day tomorrow. We will try our best to make tomorrow a special day for Andrew. Andrew is supposed to do a full wean tomorrow while sitting in his chair, and by the first of next week they are hoping he will get in a full 8-hour wean in. After he masters that, he will begin doing weans in the night while he's sleeping. Thank you for your prayers . . . I believe it's so obvious that God is hearing all of our prayers and is answering them as Andrew is doing so much better than anyone (except me) expected. Our faith is in the Lord and that He will grace Andrew with this miracle. Good Night and God bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/13/08

This post is being composed by the kids (Drew and C.J.); I'm typing because I spell better :)

This morning Andrew weaned (Drew says winged) for 4 hours . . . Drew also says, "What a weaner." Andrew also talked today because they put a special thing on his trach tube that allowed him to speak. We (Drew and C.J.) were in Andrew's room and Andrew had us call Joye so he could speak to her and he told her to come over to the room so he could talk to her in person. Then Joye called her sister (Darla)for Andrew to talk to her and he joked around and called everyone "crack heads," as usual. Then Andrew got up in his chair and went to therapy and was up for 4 hours, and during the time he was up we gave him his homemade juice. We left the room tonight while Andrew was still weaning, so we'll find out how long he weaned tomorrow. Thank you for praying for Andrew and please continue until he walks again. Drew and C.J.

Joye's Update 6/12/08

Andrew did well again today. He weaned for 2.5 hours this morning, was up for 2 hours for physical therapy, and then he weaned for 3 hours tonight. He's very, very tired and I'm sure he'll get a good night's sleep tonight. He's doing great and his faith is his strength. Thank you all for you prayers and words of encouragement. Good Night and God Bless you all. Joye

Joye's Update 6/11/08

Another successful day! Andrew weaned this morning for 2 hours, got up in his chair for therapy for 2 hours, and then weaned for another 2 hours this evening. He ate scrambled eggs for breakfast and had some freshly brewed (organic) vegetable juice and fruit juice for lunch. He was too tired to get up to eat or drink any dinner tonight. His tube feed is only going half time now (as of today), so that should increase his appetite. He is definitely the talk of the floor with the doctors and nurses with how well he's doing on his weaning . . . everyone is very impressed and surprised at how quickly he went from doing 20 to 30 minutes to 2 hours. It's much harder for patients with only half their diaphragm working to wean and eventually get off the vent, and he's obviously doing much better than expected. I'm very proud and very relieved for sure. I thank God for this improvement and I thank all of you for your many prayers and faith. Good Night and God Bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/10/08

A pretty decent day today. Andrew's early (2) weans were not as good as he's been doing because they are now trying to incorporate weaning and getting up in his chair at the same time. It is much more difficult to push the diaphragm up while sitting up in a chair, so this too will take some practice. I'm actually in the room with Andrew now as he's weaning his third wean today and it's been 1.5 hours so far and his goal is 2 hours. He's having no trouble so far. I've been reading (as usual) about spinal cord injuries and how important nutrition is to recovery; therefore, I've decided (with Andrew's and his dietitian's okay) that I am going to take over his nutritional needs. It's not that the hospital isn't feeding him okay food, but it is "hospital" food and from what I can see, not so nutritional (weird huh). Andrew really has very little appetite and because he still does not breath through his nose or mouth, he's unable to smell and taste is quite limited as well. Of everything I've read, it appears that juicing organic veggies and fruit is the most beneficial way for him to get good nutrition (easily). So, I immediately bought a juicer and ordered a juicing book for healing recipes. I will also do my best to get organic "lean" meat into him as I can, but he has a hard time chewing with his c-collar on (which he still has to wear while sitting up). Legumes, some dairy, and whole wheat products are also quite important and will be incorporated into the menu as well. Everything will have to go through his dietitian as it's also VERY important for Andrew not to gain weight as extra pounds can cause stress on his skin and Andrew has only lost somewhere between 15 and 20 pounds since his injury, so he has no room to gain at all. I'm very excited to get started on this, and so is his nurse as she's been trying to get him off the feeding tube for a while now, but has been unable to because with his low appetite he isn't consuming enough calories to warrant it. We're still keeping the faith and have no doubt that in His time, God will heal Andrew. We're so happy to hear and read that so many of you are praying; so many of you have touched our hearts deeply. Good Night and God bless you all. Joye. PS: In 10 more minutes it will be a 2 hour wean (another record) :)

Joye's Update 6/9/08

Another successful day today! Andrew weaned twice (so far), once for 1 hour and 10 minutes and the other for 1 hour and 30 minutes. He will most likely have another wean later tonight as he got started late today due to the respiratory team being so busy early on. He felt as though he could have gone more than an hour and a half, but his doctor's orders only allow him to go 90 minutes at this time. His orders will be changed as he is able to do some consistent weans in this time frame. He was also able to get up for about 2 hours and he only had an appetite for breakfast today. I really believe Andrew's recent improvement on his weaning from the vent is due to every one's prayers and faith in God to heal him. Andrew's own faith has gotten stronger and he's so calm and so focused, it's truly inspiring. Thank you so much for your faithful praying . . . it's meant the world to Andrew and the difference in his recovery. Good Night and God Bless you all. Joye

Joye's Update 6/8/08

A very nice day today. The kids flew in at 3:20pm and we were back to the hospital by about 5pm. Andrew was happy to see them, and they are (surprisingly) very good at reading his lips. Andrew weaned 3 times today and he chose not to get up in his chair as I wasn't able to be there with him during that time, because I was picking up the kids. He isn't to the point where he wants to get up without me there to be able to sit with him. Please continue to pray for Andrew . . . God hears our prayers and will answer them in His time. Good Night and God Bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/7/08

A VERY good day today. Andrew weaned 3 times and for one of those weans he breathed on his own for 1 hour and 3 minutes. That's a record! He has been feeling much better too. His headaches are better and his throat is slightly better as well. His legs are about the same in size, but at least they aren't getting bigger. God is hearing our prayers . . . please continue to pray for Andrew's healing. Good Night and God Bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/6/08

A very similar day today to the past two days. Andrew weaned 3 times, he got up for 2 hours, he was able to eat lunch, and he was in pretty good spirits for the most part. He is still receiving the medicine in the inhaler, but hasn't noticed a huge difference in the way his throat feels yet. Other than that . . . we are still praying for God to heal him and we know so many of you are also praying, which gives us so much hope and encouragement; thank you for that. Good Night and God Bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/5/08

A very busy day for Andrew today. He weaned 3 times, he got up in his chair for physical and occupational therapy for 2 hours, he was finally able to get up to have a shower (they shower him in a special bed), and he ate lunch today. He slept very well last night, and I have a feeling he'll sleep good again tonight as he must be exhausted after the day he's had. His legs measured smaller again today as well; so all in all, he had a very good day today. We will keep praying for more days like today. God is good and I believe he will provide many more good days. Good Night and God bless you all. Joye

Joye's Update 6/4/08

Another pretty good day today. Andrew was able to get up in his chair for the first time since his blood clots. He stayed up for about an hour and a half. He did have a headache after, which was to be expected as he's going to have to build a tolerance to it again. An ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) doctor saw him today to help try and determine where Andrew's throat pain is coming from. And, finally, he was able to find something. Andrew has a small scratch in his throat (most likely happened when Andrew first had the tube placed when he first coded, as this is pretty common in emergency situations) which is being agitated constantly from acid reflux and making it unable to heal. Thank Heaven someone finally diagnosed the problem! Andrew will be able to be treated with an inhaler with medicine that should take this thing away within a week. Other than that, we continue to pray and keep our faith in the Lord that He will heal Andrew completely. Because Andrew's "injury" was not a result of a traumatic event like a car accident or a fall or something, doctors just aren't sure how permanent his situation is. This gives us great hope, and with this hope and prayer . . . we hold not doubt that Andrew will fully recover. This is all in God's hands and we know He is working on this for Andrew. Thank you for your prayers and faith in God to heal Andrew. Good Night and God Bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/3/08

A better day today . . . Andrew's headache was a little better today. He had an MRI done on his brain and neck today which took a very long time. Andrew has blood draws every 6 hours to monitor his blood count as he's on a lot of blood thinner, and due to the clots in his legs and a picc line in his right arm, they are only allowed to draw from the left arm. For his draw this afternoon, the lady drawing his blood chose to do so on the top of his left hand, of which many draws have come from the exact same place before, but today he actually felt her stick him with the needle and draw the blood. It was very exciting. Our prayers are being heard, so please continue to pray for Andrew . . . it's the best thing we can all do for him. Good Night and God Bless you all. Joye

Joye's Update 6/2/08

Andrew had a pretty okay day today. He is still having bad headaches and so another doctor has been brought in to address this issue more aggressively. Andrew had a CT done this afternoon and tomorrow he will have an MRI done on his neck and brain so they can (again) rule out the scary stuff. A bit of good news . . . the blood thinner is finally at the right amount to be working on the blood clots. It takes a while to find that right amount to become "therapeutic" and it's finally at that point. Other than that, he's just looking forward to the kids getting here on Sunday and trying to rest when he can as the headaches keep him from getting good rest lately. Thank you for your prayers . . . Andrew continues to pray and is still looking up to God to take care of this situation for him. Good Night and God Bless. Joye

Joye's Update 6/1/08

Another quiet day, but my wonderful husband made today a very special day. Not that I want to advertise getting another year older, but today was my birthday and when I walked into Andrew's hospital room, I was greeted with a dozen roses and a chocolate truffle cheesecake that Andrew asked one of the nurses to get for me. He's so sweet. Other than that, I was successful at getting Andrew to stay awake during the day and when I left tonight he was out like a light. I was also told today that he is charted to get up in the chair sometime this week as the blood thinners should be working on the clots; so hopefully that will be the case . . . and then he should be able to start eating real food again. Thank you again for all your prayers and thoughtful words of encouragement. Good Night and God Bless. Joye