Update and Looking Ahead

For those who have been praying for Ruth, my "shoe fairy" - here are the last two days' updates from her husband:


The Dr. told us he figured that the surgery would take about 3 hrs. Ruth went in at 10am and she got back to recovery at 2:30, so she was in about 4 and one-half hrs. The doctor said the surgery went as well as he expected with no complications, for which we are very thankful. He was able to place the 2 leads on the nerves exactly where he wanted them. He said that there are two parts of the nerve. One controls motion and the other controls the feeling. In hooking up the stimulator and putting the power to the leads, he can get the motion going down the leg to the foot, but Ruth is not getting much of the tingling sensation on the feeling side. He said he was somewhat puzzled. He is going to check it all again tomorrow. He said that there might be some fluid build-up that needs to dissipate. The request for prayer would be that she can get that tingling feeling going in the nerve that will block the pain. Thanks for everyone’s prayers. We really appreciate them so much.


Ruth had a very good nights sleep last night. She has never been nauseated or had much pain from the surgery. She ate a good meal last night, this morning and a little lunch today. She has been able to control her surgical pain with a PCA pump. Her pain level has been a 1 or 2 on a scale of 10 since surgery. The spinal control stimulator (SCS) was turned on and programmed with 8 different programs this morning. She has been testing all 8 programs throughout the day to find the ones she likes and are effective. Although she is still is not feeling very much tingling, the doctor feels she is getting help, which could continue to get better in the next few days.

There is a slim possibility she could get out of the hospital this evening, but more likely tomorrow. We are both rejoicing and praising the Lord on how well she is doing. We feel that God is continuing to answer prayer. Thank you for your continued prayers.


Looking Ahead:


I just finished reading the book, Setting Boundaries With Your Adult Children, by Allison Bottke.

I wish I would have had this book when I was dealing with my prodigal. Allison has hit the nail on the head regarding what she calls the "national epidemic" of enabling our adult children.

I will be hosting one of several interviews with Allison right here on Friday. Please come back and see what she has to say about this very important topic and about her latest book.