Update on Dad
Monday, June 10 - 8:30PM
"Being confident in this, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day when Christ Jesus returns." -- Philippians 1:6
Sorry I’m so late in writing this, but it's been a whirlwind of a day, but God has been more than good throught it all...
After a long day, Dad is resting well in room 316 (how neat is that?) of the Oschner Short Stay Cardiac Unit. Surgery was successful and the pacemaker installation only took about 2 hours (out of a possible 5). It was a local surgery, so though he was doped up, Dad was still able to talk with them and discuss Carol King songs.
They were able to chemically put his heart in a condition that the pacemaker would kick in, and it did! His arm is now in a sling and his shoulder is heavily bandaged. He’s not “supposed” to drive (yeah, right) or use his left arm for six weeks. The pacemaker is situated on the muscles in his upper left chest, so it's important to really take it easy and not do something to aggravate the area, because repairing a muscle surgicaly can be very "messy" (according to the dr.) He also said that it takes that amount of time for everything to heal right. He wants Dad to come back in a week for a check-up.
Of course, David McCollister is the only person who, only a few hours after having heart surgery, is already pacing the halls ready to leave, and complaining about the food -- all the while looking better than all of us (which is in itself a miracle). It must be a bad dream for him to be back in the hospital after having been out two months, though.
He will stay overnight and then Dr. Polin will see him in the morning. Because it is a short stay unit (where patients are placed straight out of surgery) he should be discharged in the morning and ready to go home. Or so they say.
What a whirlwind of a weekend though. When going through something like this, it's easy to stay focused on your situation only. I was in the atrium area and noticed a man pacing around with a downcast expression. He then sat and hung his head and started praying. I walked over and introduced myself. Turns out his 5 year old daughter is here in surgery. She has a condition where her arteries are too small for her heart. I asked if we could pray together and promised to check up on them later. I am believing that the Healer, who made her intimately and holds the blueprint to her body, will make the crooked paths straight and the small arteries big. Her name is Dakota Dowden.
Prayer point: As he adjusts to the pacemaker, pray that Dad will have a good attitude. He's trying to stay positive, but it will be a huge adjustment to have a foreign device in his chest, protruding visibly from underneath his skin. He's very concerned with the appearance, but I said tell them you're a war veteran if anyone were to ask! He may be disappointed that God didn't heal in another way, and would allow him to have the pacemaker. But this way (as you and I know), God will keep him close with a daily reminder of where Dad has been with each glance in the mirror. The Lord's pen strokes have been all over the pages of this story, and He is far from out of ink. I told Dad that Jesus would not bring him this far to leave him now. May he embrace the pacemaker as sign of God's mercy on him.
Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support during this time, although "thanks" doesn't seem to express what we truly feel. I pray that these updates will become less frequent as time goes on, and that would be a good thing.
Monday, June 10 - 8:30PM
"Being confident in this, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day when Christ Jesus returns." -- Philippians 1:6
Sorry I’m so late in writing this, but it's been a whirlwind of a day, but God has been more than good throught it all...
After a long day, Dad is resting well in room 316 (how neat is that?) of the Oschner Short Stay Cardiac Unit. Surgery was successful and the pacemaker installation only took about 2 hours (out of a possible 5). It was a local surgery, so though he was doped up, Dad was still able to talk with them and discuss Carol King songs.
They were able to chemically put his heart in a condition that the pacemaker would kick in, and it did! His arm is now in a sling and his shoulder is heavily bandaged. He’s not “supposed” to drive (yeah, right) or use his left arm for six weeks. The pacemaker is situated on the muscles in his upper left chest, so it's important to really take it easy and not do something to aggravate the area, because repairing a muscle surgicaly can be very "messy" (according to the dr.) He also said that it takes that amount of time for everything to heal right. He wants Dad to come back in a week for a check-up.
Of course, David McCollister is the only person who, only a few hours after having heart surgery, is already pacing the halls ready to leave, and complaining about the food -- all the while looking better than all of us (which is in itself a miracle). It must be a bad dream for him to be back in the hospital after having been out two months, though.
He will stay overnight and then Dr. Polin will see him in the morning. Because it is a short stay unit (where patients are placed straight out of surgery) he should be discharged in the morning and ready to go home. Or so they say.
What a whirlwind of a weekend though. When going through something like this, it's easy to stay focused on your situation only. I was in the atrium area and noticed a man pacing around with a downcast expression. He then sat and hung his head and started praying. I walked over and introduced myself. Turns out his 5 year old daughter is here in surgery. She has a condition where her arteries are too small for her heart. I asked if we could pray together and promised to check up on them later. I am believing that the Healer, who made her intimately and holds the blueprint to her body, will make the crooked paths straight and the small arteries big. Her name is Dakota Dowden.
Prayer point: As he adjusts to the pacemaker, pray that Dad will have a good attitude. He's trying to stay positive, but it will be a huge adjustment to have a foreign device in his chest, protruding visibly from underneath his skin. He's very concerned with the appearance, but I said tell them you're a war veteran if anyone were to ask! He may be disappointed that God didn't heal in another way, and would allow him to have the pacemaker. But this way (as you and I know), God will keep him close with a daily reminder of where Dad has been with each glance in the mirror. The Lord's pen strokes have been all over the pages of this story, and He is far from out of ink. I told Dad that Jesus would not bring him this far to leave him now. May he embrace the pacemaker as sign of God's mercy on him.
Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support during this time, although "thanks" doesn't seem to express what we truly feel. I pray that these updates will become less frequent as time goes on, and that would be a good thing.
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