Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Mom's Surgery, Kylee Baptized

I have used Facebook quite a bit during these days for quick updates. If you want to follow, send me an Invite to K. Galen Greenwalt or Pastor Galen and get the link to my Facebook home page.

Otherwise, here is a quick note. So much has happened in one week. Last Tuesday, we took Mom to her personal physician for a regularly scheduled appointment. During an EKG, her heart rate dipped so low the doctor ordered an ambulance to take her immediately to the hospital. Her heart rate dropped as low as 30, her blood pressure jumped over 200 and her kidneys were failing.

She was admitted and two days later, she underwent surgery to implant a pacemaker. That went well. However, there were some issues that followed -- blood sugar count dropped to the 30s, blood pressure soared again, and she was hard to wake up several times for two full days.

The real problem now is a preliminary diagnosis of neuropathy, a condition that affects nerve endings of the extremities (in this case, her feet). When mom places her feet on the floor to stand or walk, there is sharp and extreme shooting pains that rise from her feet through her legs. It makes it impossible for her to stand or walk without tears coming to her eyes because of severe pain.

She has not had this problem before and the doctors are at a loss to know what brought it on so suddenly. They are treating it with Neurontin and Norco drugs to alleviate the pain. Since her admission to the hospital, she has not walked. She has been bedridden for those seven days.

She was released from the hospital yesterday (Monday) and sent to The Golden Rule skilled nursing facility nearby. She has a private room and they will do much rehab to help her regain ability to walk without pain, at least that is their focus naturally.

There have been many thoughts in our discussions with her now -- concerning losing her independence to live alone (she will be 89 years old this August), what to do with her apartment furnishings, what life will be like if she is unable to walk again, and so much more. These talks are premature to what is going on right now, because we have no clue what will happen next.

She will be covered by Medicare for 100 days in this facility, and then new decisions will be made if necessary. We are praying for God's intervention with divine grace to help Mom to be released from this debilitating pain of neuropathy and for her to be able to regain mobility and strength in walking.

In other news, we have been able to also spend time with my brother Noel and his son Mark. His wife Janice was here over the weekend from Springfield, Missouri, to be with us before going back to their home and her work. Have spent much time with my sister Marti and her husband Bill, who live in the next town of Tecumseh.

And, of course, we are staying with our son Jason and his family (wife Shelly and kids - Jace, Kylee and Macyn). I was privileged to baptize Kylee (nine years old) this past Sunday. It was a very special time indeed! We have spent nights playing Zilch, Dominoes and Acquire together as well.

The week has been a series of ups and downs emotionally, and it has been draining physically also. We just thank God we had some vacation time planned already to be able to be here for this time with Mom. There is much more to share about the week but I will post again later.

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