Our Journey to Healing Day 6

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Yesterday was an emotional roller coaster and I am bracing myself for today to be the same. Have you ever felt just utterly heartbroken? Gut wrenching cries for someone you dearly love? These past 2 days have been terribly difficult and am find myself clinging to the littlest things to bring up my attitude. Like my 3 month niece squealing at me in the waiting room, a random Starbucks from a friend, the fact that I now have 4 bottles of dry shampoo because people appreciate my obsession with that stuff.

Derek was able to get his oxygen and breathing a bit under control in order to undergo jaw surgery yesterday morning. They were able to put a plate in and did not need to wire his jaw shut. The surgery went very well and both doctors seem to think he will have no issues moving forward. As of now, they are not planning on doing surgery for his orbital break. They believe the fracture can heal on its own. This means we SHOULD be done with surgeries!

Unfortunately, his lungs are not healing at the rate they had hoped. Yesterday at 3:30pm, he underwent surgery to place in a trec, chest tube, and feeding tube. The trec has allowed him to be off the breathing tube and helps protect his airway a bit more. Although it is never fun to see someone you love with a tube sticking out of their throat, I know this is the best thing for him at this point.

The chest tube went into his left lung and helped drain the blood that had developed from all his injuries. They have already drained at least 2 cups of blood out of the one lung. Praise the Lord for technology and medicine. It would have taken him forever to clear the blood on his own.

He does have pneumonia, which we are praying will go away with a healthy dose of antibiotics. He was rocking quite the fever last night which sent me into a tizzy. His temperature did drop down this morning and is hanging at a stable 99 degrees.

This afternoon has been nice and we believe this is the first day he really is able to remember and understand what all has happened. Please be praying for him as the realization of the severity of the accident sets in. We have been coping with this reality for a week but he is just realizing it today.

Due to the trec, he cannot talk but he can try to tell us what he wants through hand motions. We played a great game of charades for about 20 minutes until I realized he wanted his eyes wiped with a cloth. At one point I asked if he was getting annoyed at me and he shook his head yes. Ha. And you think YOU need to work on the communication in your marriage :)

For today, please be praying for the phenomena, Derek's mind as reality sets in, and the healing of his lungs.

Ps. My neighbor just sent me a photo and you guys stacked our mailbox full of letters! Thank you so much. I am going to start reading him a few tomorrow.

With Love,

The Lavenders

Our Journey: Day 5

Philippians 4:6-7

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Well, today was rough. It seems that my confidence and positive attitude started to diminish this morning around 8:30am. We started the day with an infection scare which made everyone wear  beautiful yellow gowns and gloves when sitting with Derek. Not only was it scary, it felt so terribly impersonal. Thankfully, the results came back and he currently does not have an infection. They did take some blood tests and will continue to keep an eye on that possibility.

The day then continued with some scare with his oxygen levels. This is the big prayer request for today. His lungs. Both lungs are severely bruised and have fluid in them. He is having a hard time breathing on his own and his busted ribs are not helping! We are praying hard tonight that the fluid leaves his lungs and he can get those oxygen levels back up. The longer he struggles with breathing, the higher risk of infection or collapsing a lung.

Tomorrow we have jaw surgery and orbital surgery (broken eye socket). These surgeries are not time sensitive, so they may be cancelled if his breathing does not improve tonight. This should be the last of the surgeries and we can then focus on his healing.

Today really has been the first "hard" day. I know this sounds strange but it seems to be the first day that we have hit a speed bump...besides the major speed bump Wednesday morning. I also was reminded that he is in critical condition in the ICU. He has had major surgery and these bumps happen. It just breaks my heart to see him confused or in pain.

So. Recap: Praying for his lungs, oxygen levels, and keeping infection out!

Have a great Monday friends.

Love,

The Lavenders

Our Journey to Healing

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Lamentations 3:22-23

22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;his mercies never come to an end;23 they are new every morning;great is your faithfulness.

As you know, we had a curve ball thrown at us Wednesday morning around 6:20am. I have decided to now dedicate our little house blog to Derek and his healing. Am I the only one that finds it ironic that our blog is "Lavenders Longshot"? Walking for Derek is going to be a longshot but we are thankful our God is not held down by mere percentages. If you are new to the blog, feel free to read back and see all the awesome things my husband has done for our home. If not, just keep reading and praying:

As many of you know, Derek was in a severe motorcycle accident on his way to work Wednesday morning. As the morning progressed, we learned he had a T-6 spinal injury along with many other bumps and bruises. Along with the spinal cord, he managed to break his humerus bone. They were able to do surgery on his arm yesterday and the results were wonderful. Before the surgery, they were worried he may not be able to move this left wrist up and down or have mobility in his fingers. Thankfully, the radial nerve was still in tact which means he should regain feeling in about 4-6 months.

Along with the arm, he did break his jaw and his right cheekbone. Jaw surgery is scheduled for Monday and his cheekbone will hopefully be fixed during the surgery. They will be putting a plate in his jaw which means they will not need to wire shut his mouth!  Hooray! This is very exciting. He also has a broken scapula, wrist, a worrisome right eye, and lots of busted ribs.

After the surgery on Monday, we are hopeful they will be able to remove the breathing tube. The longer the breathing tube stays in, the higher the possibility of phenomena. Since there is a breathing tube, he has not been able to talk to us. He is fairly alert most of the day and is able to give thumbs up, hand squeezes, eye flutters, and moving his head and shoulders a bit. He has also been opening his eyes today! Derek is blind as a bat, so he cant see us (still letting eyes heal before contacts) but he knows we are here.

The hospital has been nothing but fantastic. The doctors have been patient with all our questions and allow me to be there during most of everything. I am learning what monitor makes what beeps and how to read some of the charts. Tonight's prayers are for the right lung, healing in his right eye, and that spine!

Finally, I want to thank all of you. If you have made it through reading this far, I know you truly care about Derek and his well being. He is an incredibly strong willed person and I have no doubt we will continue to have a crazy, fun life together. When it is all said and done, God spared his life and his mind. I couldn't ask for a better outcome than what we have. We appreciate all the prayers, encouragement, and all other forms of help!

With Love,

The Lavenders