One Week After

Many years ago I drove the kids to school in the morning and we'd listen to audiobooks on the 30 minute drive.  We listened to one that was riveting.  It was by William Forstchen called, "One Second After."  It was a dystopian novel about an electromagnetic pulse attack on the United States by an unnamed enemy and its aftermath.  How people survived.  How others didn't.  It was a sobering, thought-provoking, serious novel.  As I look back on it, it may not have been the most uplifting literature I could have shared with my kids.  One of the real-life lessons of the book was: Everything is somewhat normal, until the day it isn't.  What you do AFTER the life changing event is important.

Not that things have really been "normal" lately - they haven't been.  I read something tonight that said, "With everything that's gone on in the last 3 years, a portal to a new universe could open in my kitchen floor, and I'd just say, "Well, that's one more thing I'll have to get used to living with!""  Normal gets redefined, it seems, almost daily.  As I type this, it is 10:14 PM.  At 10:14 PM last week, things were 'normal' and would remain so for another 61 minutes.  So, to dove-tail off of the One Second After novel discussed in the opening paragraph, I wanted to share One Week After - where we are one week after the fall.

So many of you have blessed us and humbled us with your prayers, concern, food, gifts and visits.  I can't even find words sufficient to describe how thankful we are.  You have truly been the hands and feet of Jesus.  I mean that.  Our God sustains us.  He is our Deliverer and our strong tower we run to.  He is Sovereign and there is nothing that He cannot do.  We trust Him fully and Benjamin is in His hands.  Speaking of Benjamin, here is a photo I took in his hospital room just yesterday:

Thumbs Up!

He is in a regular (non-ICU) room.  The pain is intense at times, but last night he went 6 hours without pain medication.  Physical therapy came and put a brace on his back, sat him up on the edge of the bed, and using a walker, he pivoted around and sat down on a chair.  He lost all color in his face and got dizzy from the pain, but he did it.

Victories:    He is eating solid food - no more broth and liquid diet.  He had scrambled eggs and spicy hash browns for breakfast and shrimp etouffee for lunch.  Today, as it was Sunday, physical therapy and occupational therapy did not come to the room, but that didn't mean he was just going to lay there.  Benjamin is constantly lifting his arms, moving his fingers, moving his feet and his toes, and trying to lift his knees.  The movement gets better day by day!  The neurosurgeon came and inspected all his incisions.  All looks good.  His employer (Phillips 66) has been absolutely wonderful, compassionate and caring throughout this.  His doctors and nurses have been professional, proactive and empathetic to his needs to enable him to begin recovery.  All answers to prayer.  Thank you, Lord!

Challenges: Benjamin is 22 years old and would be so embarrassed if he knew I was telling everyone this, so let's keep this a secret between just you and me, but here goes: he hasn't had a BM in a week.  The pain medication, I think, slows that down, but he IS feeling pressure down there and it is very uncomfortable in his fractured pelvic and back area.  Please pray that he is successful in that endeavor.  #2 is his #1 priority, if you know what I'm saying.

He still is unable to feel the urge to urinate and the catheter had to be put back in.  We need that to start working.  His right hand and fingers are numb with a 'pins and needles' sensation, indicating nerve damage.  There's still a lot of swelling and trauma from the injury and surgeries.  Pain continues to be an on-going issue.  I think that's part of it and he'll have to push through it.

Finally, we are pretty sure that tomorrow his case manager will be wanting to schedule him to move to an in patient rehab hospital with quickness.  This is a really big decision.  There are many facilities to choose from.  There are pros and cons to each that we must try to weigh.  Without going through all the particulars, would you pray for us that we make the right decision - that God would open doors and close others?

We don't know this is going to end.  He asked the neurosurgeon yesterday if there would be lasting effects.  The doctor said, "Yes, you won't be 100%.  What percentage you'll be?  We don't know."  Obviously, we didn't like that assessment.  After the doctor left, we told Benjamin that he'd just have to work hard and prove the neurosurgeon wrong.  He nodded his head in agreement.

We know he has months of painful rehabilitation ahead of him.  But he is alive.  And he'll have a mighty testimony.  Tricia mentioned that this Thanksgiving would be a very special one.  I agree!  How is God going to work this out?  We don't know.  We pray daily that our kids would find good Christian spouses.  Who knows?  What if somehow, through all this, Benjamin finds the girl of his dreams?  What if this trial deepens his relationship with God?  As I left the hospital last night, Benjamin said, "God is so good to me, Dad, even when I don't deserve it."  

Thank you family and friends, for your faithful prayers.  Our God goes before us preparing the way, even before we needed it.