NOT TOO MUCH TO REPORT

Greetings!

A hearty thanks to each one who has prayed, shown concern, supported us, and encouraged us during this time. God Bless you!

There is not too much to report from this side ... not much has changed in the last few days. I am sleeping a bit better, which is very welcome! Sitting is still awfully difficult... after a few minutes the right leg starts to go numb and the pain/pressure in the back surgery site is too much to take. I walk around as much as I can in the house ... 1/2 hour seems to be a comfortable time frame, then its back to bed again!

Yesterday, for the first time since surgery, I made the trip up the stairs with assistance at bedtime. It really "pulled" the back muscles. Ouch! Going up the stairs I could only lead & push with the left leg. It was good to see my own bedroom for the first time in 26 days! There's no place like one's own bed, is there! In the morning, I found it a little easier going down the stairs than going up.

I will only negotiate the stairs once a day, so will continue spending the daytime on the hospital bed on the main floor - where all the action is! It is great to have the family around and to see all the activity of the home-schooling, etc.

I have been thankful for the new shower which some friends installed on the main floor, as it will be quite some time before I can lift my legs high enough to get into a regular bath tub.

Just a quick note

Overall, I am making progress little by little. The pain levels are manageble, though I still do need some pain medication every 6 hours. This morning, shortly after getting up, my right leg "gave out" suddenly and I had to grab hold of a book case to steady me. Fortunately, Dorothy was near by and came to my assistance, too. I returned to bed with pain & discomfort in the back & right leg for some time. It eventually "settled down" after about an hour. Hopefully this is something that is an isolated incident and will NOT re-occur!!

I have heard from family in SA that Dad's funeral went off well, with a good Gospel testimony being raised. Thank you to all who were in prayer for us over that time.

I have been trying to do some reading, but finding it very hard to concentrate for any length of time. (I am told by others this is normal, given the surgery, anesthetic, medication, as well as some of the other circumstances & concerns in our lives right now.)

It has been nice to listen to portions of the Bible on tape.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today & forever

Hi everyone,

It's been a while since I posted something here, so thought we'd give a little update.

This has been a time of sadness thinking about Peter's Dad passing away last Monday, and grieving as we work through many memories. Peter has been in regular contact with family members by e-mail and phone this week. Dad's funeral service is scheduled for Monday, Nov 22, at Christ Church, Queensburgh, in Durban, South Africa.

Peter has written a eulogy incorporating memories of Dad, and has sent it to be read at the funeral. In some ways this was a good process for him, though he shed many tears as he composed it. We had always planned that Peter would definitely go out to South Africa in the event of his Dad's death, so it has been hard to understand why it has come at such a time when it is absolutely not possible. However we can only fall back on trusting the Lord's timing and will in this, as in everything.

We are so blessed to have a Heavenly Father who remains the same yesterday , today and forever. Our emotions change as various circumstances come our way, but it is comforting to know from God's Word that He is our refuge & strength, and His steadfast love never ceases.

We are now so happy that Peter's Dad & Step-mom could visit us in June last year (2003) for three weeks. Our children enjoyed "connecting" with them, and in fact, it really was the "first time" meeting them. (You see, the oldest four were very young when we visited South Africa last in 1994 , so didn't really remember too much of them, though they did have a few vague recollections. The youngest three had never seen them.)

It has never been easy to be so far away from family, but we are thankful for telephones, mail and e-mail to keep contact. Our children have 15 cousins in SA and would love to be closer to them and get to know them. Recently they have been e-mailing some of them trying to give a written picture of their day to day life here. Some of their cousins have e-mailed back, and have shared their lives & their experiences, also. Our children were interested to hear of their South African cousins learning the Afrikaans and Xhosa languages at their schools.

Peter has hymnbooks & Bibles in some of the South African languages and sometimes reads & sings for our children. The strange sounds & "clicks" usually bring more laughs than reverence!

We are all enjoying having Peter home and he is progressing slowly but surely. Everything seems to "be on track", according to what the surgeon had predicted. Peter cannot sit longer than 3 minutes on the side of the bed, and not at all on a chair. He can walk slowly, even walking out on the front veranda in the sun for a short period each day. Half an hour seems to be his maximum at being up, and then has to return to bed. He is still not able to negotiate stairs. That will come with time. The surgery site is still quite bruised & swollen (which they warned us would be the case for a couple of months).

The days have been beautiful , but we hear winter is coming next week. Fortunately we have a large house for Peter to walk around in. He is resting up very well these first few weeks so as not to undo anything!

Thanks for your interest and prayers.
Dorothy

Monday Nov.15 Update

We enjoyed having visitors on the weekend and are grateful for the encouragement. Peter's progress is still sure and he is sleeping better now. Sleep seems so important to the healing process. The staples were removed today and the incision looks good (from a nurses point of view!)

We received some sad news at 4.30 am today. Peter's Dad passed away in SouthAfrica early this morning. He has had heart problems for many years. It is always a shock to get this sort of news. Unfortunately, we are unable to go to S.A to attend the funeral, for obvious reasons at this stage. We are once again confident that these things are in the Lord's control , even though we'd dearly love to go and be with family at this time.

We are so thankful for all the help we've received recently ie. for friends who cared for the children while I went to Toronto, for the many meals being sent our way and for the cards of encouragement we've received in the mail. For many who have prayed, the Lord has blessed us and our every need has been supplied and each detail was well taken care of.

Praise the Lord for progress

It's Friday Nov. 12, and we are pleased at Peter's progress. Every day has it's painful challenges but we're reminded that sometimes "it hurts to heal". The nights are the most uncomfortable, probably because there are no distractions and the hours seem so long. The incision is definitely getting more tender as the swelling goes down, because the staples create quite a ridge on his back. The staples will be removed by a V.O.N on Monday. He is trying to walk around a lot and work through the pain. His sense of humour is returning full force, so we know things are improving. He is enjoying listening to the Old and New Testament on tape and being blessed by God's Word. We are very thankful for all the meals given to us as well as the cards of encouragement, and all the little things our friends are doing to make this time seem managable.

Peter home safely

Peter arrived home at 12.30 pm yesterday (Tues.) by ambutrans, much to the excitement of all the children. It was so good that he could lie down all the way home! Compared to last surgery ten years ago, we are amazed that he is walking without a walker or back brace. The surgery site is of course very painful yet, but we are trying to keep him comfortable. He was quite uncomfortable through the night. We are all very relieved to have "Dad" home and very thankful that he has been blessed with a succesful procedure. We have known the Lord's presence with us and thank you all for your fellowship in prayer on our behalf. Peter is not able to work on the computer yet as the angle is difficult, and he cannot sit comfortably, so you'll still have to hear from me(Dorothy) for a while. He stands to eat with the use of a tall Hospital bedside tray which we were given. He will probably be up to visitors by next week. Little Chelsea is asking when Daddy can hold her again. That will be many months away, but hugs can be given everyday!

Peter coming home Tuesday D.V

Hi everyone,
Peter had a much better day today. The nausea is subsiding gradually as the strong medication works its way out of his system. He was able to walk without a walker today and practice how to do stairs (although he won't be doing much of that). He will be discharged tomorrow and expects to be home by 1.30pm (by Ambutrans)For the first three months he is not allowed to bend, twist, lift anything over 5lbs and is not supposed to sit for more than a few minutes. He can walk a lot or lie down. He is not allowed any Physio for 3 months, so basically he will lay low, so to speak, and allow the healing to continue. He will be assessed further after this time period. The Surgeon saw him today and reitteratedhow well the surgery had gone and said there had been no surprises ie. everything he had anticipated from the myelogram results had been correct when they opened him up. We of course remember that we are in the Lord's hands and trust him for whatever he has in store for us. We have been reminded once again thatno matter what our situation is , His grace is sufficient for us "for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Cor. 12 v 9 .

Sunday update

Peter had another difficult day feeling nauseated. We think it's a side effect of the medication, which the nurses promised to discontinue tonight. I was with him for 7hours today and he was able to walk around a bit, but the nausea was quite limiting. Other than that he is still progressing at a good rate, for which we thank the Lord. He will be assessed by the Surgeon tomorrow morning and has been told he can come home on Tuesday. The surgeon said he would arrange a patient transfer vehicle to bring him to Peterborough as Peter is unable to sit for more than a few minutes - two hours drive sitting upright would be brutal! Thanks for caring!
Love, Dorothy

Sunday update

Update Nov 6

Hi everyone,

I spent the afternoon with Peter and the girls came with me. It has not been a good day for him . He was feeling very nauseus and feverish although there is no real evidence of infection yet. Perhaps it is just the healing process that is making him feel so sick. I know he is comforted by the Lord through your prayers. Having had such a long and serious surgery I guess we are to expect some difficult days of recovery. He is glad to be able to get up and walk, but it does exhaust him somewhat. This is normal at this stage.
"How blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee; in whose heart are the highways to Zion!"Psalm 84 v5 God bless. Thank you for your interest and concern.
Dorothy

Update on Peter Nov 5

Sorry about that first attempt. I' m bit exhausted from the travelling to T.O and not focussing too well. We thank the Lord for the progress Peter is making. I spent Thursday and Friday with him and although they were rough days of pain for him, he is nevertheless doing well and in good spirits. The nursing care is very good, but I was glad to be able to be there to see his progress. He sawthe Physio this afternoon and she made him get up and walk briefly. His blood pressure had been quite low, so he was dizzy. Most of the tubes are out now and I was able to help him to get up two more times for brief moments before I left to come home. He was able to start eating tiny bits yesterday and although he certainly isn't very hungry, at least he is beginning to gain strength. He is doing with less pain medication slowly but surely so is more alert. Peter is overwhelmed and so greatful for God's goodness and mercy and we can hardly believe the difference in the strength in his legs. We know it is early days yet, but we continue to trust our Heavenly Father for His plan in our lives. Thank you for praying. Apparently Peter may be able to come home on Tuesday. We'll keep you posted.
Love, Dorothy

Update on Peter ; Nov 5

Peter has come through well, PTL

Hi everyone,
This is Dorothy reporting. The surgeon phoned at 7.30 pm last night to say that the surgery had gone very smoothly, and that he felt hopeful that he had been able to give Peter a less painful situation. It was over 8 hours of surgery and the Surgeon admitted it had been a difficult one. He said he had found extensive deterioration in Peter's back and said he could only imagine how much pain he had been enduring. There was exten sive Psoriatic Arthritis in the back, which in fact was the main cause of the nerve compression. Of course we understand that this arthritis may cause problems in the future but the surgeon was hopeful that the new "hardware" that they used (ie. titanium and O.P 1) would at least be more comfortable and compatable in his back.
Thank you for praying. We have been given much strength and assurance of the Lord's presence with us. We are in His capable hands! I went down to see him last night ,arriving at 9.30pm and was able to stay with Peter until midnight. He was in pain but seemed to be doing well at this point. We were able to talk and pray together and read the Psalms and he kept reminding me of eveybody I needed to phone and how to use this 'blog' site.
Psalm 31: 14,15a "But as for me, I trust in you, O Lord; I say 'You are my God'. My times are in Your hand..."
Peter is very aware of the Lord's presence and purpose. He thanks from the bottom of his heart, all who have shown such love, patience and concern as we have waited for this surgery. We continue to trust Him for the future and recovery!

Love in Him,
Dorothy and all the children (for Peter)

Monday Nov 1

Well, so far we haven't had any phone calls saying surgery is postponed .....!!!

Hopefully all will still go ahead as planned for Wednesday. I am leaving home at 5 am Wed, and surgery is scheduled for 11 am, Lord willing.

They estimate the surgery will take 8 hours or longer, followed by 2 to 3 hours in the recovery room, and then a few hours in the "step-down unit". If all goes well, I should be transferred to the ward sometime on Thursday morning.

Thanks so much for praying!


Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, who has loved us and has given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
(2Th 2:16-17)