Joye's Update 5/13/08

Andrew had a very busy day today. He did a vent wean early this morning, and did very well on that. Soon after, he had his trach cuff deflated (a balloon type thing in his throat that keeps air from going in or coming from his nose or mouth) so that he can start to get used to having it open to begin talking and eating. It will be very hard for him to get used to the feeling of having air come through his mouth and nose from the ventilator . . . it will take time and practice to get used to this. It was weird to hear his voice for the first time since April 4th, although most of the sounds coming from him were from him coughing. Then he went through a very intense neuro assessment, and finally he was lifted out of bed with a special lift and placed into a wheel chair for 1 hour. While in the chair, me and his nurse gave him a tour of the hospital. Once he was put back in bed, he was very tired and his head was hurting pretty good. This is normal as he had extra pressure on his neck while being up. He was supposed to have another vent wean at that time, but they postponed it until tonight due to the headache. He's improving with every weaning. Today was very cold . . . it snowed early this morning and rained the better part of the day. It's clearing up now, and it's supposed to be warmer tomorrow. Well that's all for now . . . I'll check in again tomorrow. Good Night and God Bless. Joye

Joye's Update 5/12/08

Andrew had a pretty good day today. More rest, as usual, and he did 2 vent weanings. He did better on the second than the first and his numbers are still looking good. There's going to be a lot of days like today; much rest and weanings throughout the day. Nearly everyone in my family as well as many of our friends have read a book that my step mother gave me when Andrew was first put into the CCU at Thunderbird Hospital. It was an incredibly inspirational (true) story and I could hardly put the book down once I started it. The book is called "90 Minutes In Heaven" and is written by Don Piper and Cecil Murphy. I've since ordered the audio version for Andrew to be able to listen to it. I think he will appreciate the story and gain inspiration from it for his own recovery. If you have not read this book, I recommend you pick up a copy and read it. I will also (soon) be taking time out each day to have Andrew listen to the audio Bible that Denny Harkins gave him before we left Phoenix. Denny wanted to make sure that the Word of God stays within Andrew, and I will make sure that happens once Andrew is a little more comfortable and has a little less pain medicine in him. Andrew is slowly gaining his confidence and is feeling safer. We had a long talk tonight and it seemed to help him hear me to reassure him that this is all in the Lords hands and God will take care of him . . . and that he just needs to try hard to relax and turn it over to the Lord and heal. He's feeling better, but still needs to be lifted in prayer to feel more secure. Thank you for your prayers for security and healing for Andrew; I believe the Lord will soon show everyone his glory with a miracle for Andrew. Good Night and God Bless you all. Joye

Joye's Update 5/11/08

Today was an okay day. Andrew's "numbers" are looking better with his breathing and we did find out results of the test that measured whether or not he has use of his diaphragm. We all have one diaphragm that has a right side and a left side; Andrew has full use of the right side of his diaphragm and his left side is paralyzed. This is not bad news . . . he can breath with only having his right side, so this is a blessing for sure. This means he should definitely be able to get off the ventilator . . . and of course we are continually praying for more use and function, so I believe he will soon have use of his left side diaphragm as well. One thing that is happening is Andrew is feeling a bit insecure. His confidence level is low as he has a fear that he may stop breathing (understandably). My prayer request to you, if you will . . . is to please lift Andrew in prayer and ask God to restore his confidence and his feeling of security. This hospital is very good about letting family stay in patients rooms when they are particularly in need of someone being there, therefore, I will stay part of the night and my brother-in-law will stay the other part to give me some rest. I know that Andrew will have better days than others and tonight, he's just needing a little security and he can rest easier knowing we're there to hear the alarms if need be. I also should mention that Craig has a wonderful alarm system. As many of the patients here are quadriplegic and on ventilators, therefore unable to speak, they have a device that is placed near their mouth that the patient can blow air into (doesn't take much) and that calls the nurses station. Someone immediately comes over the intercom . . . if they get no answer (which if no one's in the room with Andrew, that's what they'll get), then someone immediately goes in. They also have settings on the ventilator and the thing that measures his oxygen and heart rate that alarms at certain levels that also sends people in immediately. I've seen it in action and they do react very quickly; it's just going to take Andrew a little time realize that this system is very good and he's very safe. God is awesome and He is working on this for Andrew . . . we never fail to believe and our faith is our comfort. I believe that God led us to bring Andrew here because this is the best place for Andrew to be once God heals him. This is the place best equipped to help Andrew once his feeling and mobility is restored. I've heard miracle stories everyday that we've been here and I really feel the presence of the Lord here. There's no way anyone could work here or even be here and not be a believer. This is a place where miracles happen all the time . . . it's an amazing place to be; Andrew is so blessed to be here. Good Night and God Bless. Joye

Joye's Update 5/10/08

Yet another quiet day again today. The main focus is of course fighting the pneumonia; they feel it is getting better though. Andrew is doing a lot of sleeping as he is sick with pneumonia and it is taking a lot out of him. He does seem to be resting pretty comfortably though. We are told that the first week can be pretty quiet like this as not much is changed at once. They like to change one thing at a time so that they don't overwhelm him . . . so it seems like things aren't moving very fast. They are, however, pleased with his progress in pushing air from his diaphragm; he's already improved by over 100 cc's of volume in the 2 days he's been here. Other than that we are still praying all the time and our faith in the Lord is seeing us through this. Andrew knows he will walk out of here . . . there isn't a doubt in his mind. Good Night and God Bless you all. Joye

Joye's Update 5/9/08

A pretty quiet day today. Most of the early part of the day, they did a lot of medical tests on him. He was pretty tired for the remainder of the day after all that. They will be doing some more tests tomorrow and then they may begin his weaning program from the ventilator. Andrew has been very nauseous and he's still getting accustomed to breathing at this altitude; hopefully that will pass soon. Other than that, there wasn't a whole lot going on today. I asked Andrew if he feels he's in the right place, and he says he feels very confident with his care here; he's just anxious to get going on his rehab program. Thank you for all your prayers . . . we know God is going to see Andrew through this. Good Night and God bless. Joye

Joye's Update 5/8/08

Well we made it. I can see why they call this Gods country . . . it's beautiful here. The ride in the jet was okay. Everything was fine until the moment we got over Colorado and the clouds caused a lot of turbulence. Then as we got into Denver we had to fly through a thunderstorm and that was really rocky. I just closed my eyes and prayed. Andrew did fine, it was me who was air sick. The crew kept teasing him, telling him that I was flying the plane. It was a tiny little jet that barely fit Andrew, me, the pilot, and two nurses. I'm so glad that part is over. They were ready for Andrew at the hospital and immediately began doing there assessments once we arrived. EVERYTHING is different here. I don't mean that in a bad way because they were great to Andrew at Select (Good Samaritan). They have lifts for moving him and all kinds of devices specifically designed for making someone with a spinal cord injury more comfortable here. His breathing is a little different here as the altitude comes into play. They say it takes 24 to 48 hours to acclimate. The have already confirmed one suspicion that arose in the last couple of days in Phoenix . . . he has pneumonia in his left lung. They had already started antibiotics in Phoenix and they are now giving him big breaths from the ventilator, plus they will do a different kind of vent tomorrow that is called a coughing ventilator to take care of the pneumonia as Andrew is unable to cough enough to loosen up what needs to be. They aren't too worried, just wanting to get it taken care of asap so that they can get on with weaning him off the vent. Andrews skin is in perfect condition; they did a great job at Select making sure he was turned often and given good skin care treatment during his stay there. Everyone was very impressed (almost shocked) with how good his skin looked for the amount of time he's been in bed now. While doing their assessments, the nurse asked Andrew a lot of questions . . . one of which was "what is the goal you'd like to reach during your stay at Craig?" He said, "To walk out of here." Then he was asked, "if that cannot happen, what is your next highest goal you'd like to reach at Craig?" He said "To walk out of here." She said, "Okay then," and went on with her assessment. He's still quite focused and determined. He's not actually talking when he answers, just moving his lips, but they are all very good at reading lips around here. It will be more assessments tomorrow and then rest to take care of the pneumonia over the weekend. He's happy to finally be here and is just looking forward to working hard to get on his feet. Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouraging posts . . . it means so much to both of us. I feel that God's purpose is being revealed with so many of you praying and worshiping in the Lord. We know that God did not make this happen, but He is definitely seeing Andrew through this. Good night and God bless you all. Joye

Joye's Update 5/7/08

Andrew had a good day today. He was able to sit in the Cadillac chair for nearly 1.5 hours and then he was able to rest nicely for the rest of the day. The trip to Colorado has been confirmed to take place tomorrow morning; we will leave at 6:30am. Denny Harkins came by one last time before we leave to pray with Andrew. We have appreciated Denny and his wife Christine so much in these past few weeks; they have really been there for us in so many ways. For those of you who do not know Denny, he is a (recently) retired Warden with Az Department of Corrections and is also a Pastor. He has been there for us in the capacity of a friend and a Pastor during this time, and I cannot tell you how much his unfailing faith and support have helped us. A while back, Denny e-mailed me a prayer that I've gone back to many times; it has given me much hope and comfort. I'd like to post it tonight in the blog . . . please pray his prayer with me now as we go off to Denver for the next phase of Andrews recovery.

Dear Lord ... I want to first thank you for who you are and the fact that you continually work in our lives. I know that nothing happens to us ... and around us ... that you do not use for our good. I know sometimes all of these things are very hard to understand. I do not understand all mysteries and ... do not know why we feel led to do certain things. Right now I feel led to pray for Drew in a certain way. I am praying that no sickness, injury, power or presence will be able to prevail against him. I pray that you would take all of these things and send them completely away from him and never allow them to return. I thank you that You are more powerful than all forces, powers, dominions, thrones, sicknesses or injuries. I know that you have authority over all of these things and that if You just say the WORD it will be done. I am asking you Lord to say the word and bring complete healing to Drew ... Spiritually ... Emotionally ... Mentally and ... Physically. I pray for the deliverance and the setting free of Drew in the name of Jesus Christ ... who at His very name every knee shall bow and tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Lord again ... just say the WORD and it will be so! Amen