Update (3/12/2009) 10:00am

Mom had very quiet nurses for the night shift, so she actually got a fairly good nights sleep. The Lord has continued to bless mom's fighter's spirit. The nutrients have given her more energy, calmed her stomach even more, and given her the strength she will need to possibly take a shower today (with the help of a shower stool). Her legs actually look like her old legs, so the swelling has continued to go down considerably. Mom and I are about to take a walk around "the loop" (ninth floor). Keep praying for pain tolerance. Her pain was about a 5 this morning, which is down from last night, but it always fluctuates. 

- Nick

Update (3/11/2009) 10:45pm

The nutrients are in! Praise the Lord! Mom has not eaten since Sunday, and technically is still not eating, but receiving all the benefits of eating. 

A minor concern to be kept in prayer is that her suction has begun to bring up small amounts of blood in the liquid from her stomach. This is not a big deal because nothing has come up in the x-rays, but is definitely something worth praying for. The nurse just walked in and asked about mom's pain, and she said about a 7, which is still pretty high even after having pain medication. Please keep the pain she is has in your prayers, because this continues to cause a lot of discomfort. 

My dad landed in Boston, MA tonight around 10:15 or so. He has been tired all week, and definitely needs all the energy the Lord can give him for tomorrows interview. The Lord is in control, He will give my dad all the energy he needs, and I am confident in that!

Lastly, please pray for Jenna. She's been with friends for the past 2 weeks (which we are so thankful for), but it must be hard to be in her situation, knowing she can't see her momma. So please lift her up in prayer that God would comfort her spirit for the remaining weeks. (And that mom and dad might be able to get back home in time for her birthday 3/29)

Thank you all for your continued prayers! We love and appreciate all of you!

-Nick

Psalm 28:5-7 - Praise the Lord for He has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.

 

Update (3/11/2009) 4:00pm

Cindy is fighting a lot of pain today, but making great progress in the battle of the bowels. Her xray today showed that her small intestine is clear, so the air is now confined to the large intestine and working its way out. Probably another 24hrs with the suction tube. The bloating in her stomach is noticeably reduced. The swelling in her legs is greatly reduced. At one point, Cindy was retaining about 30 lbs of excess fluid in her lower body.
Cindy is doing as much walking and moving around as she can tolerate with the pain. Earlier today, she went down to the gym and we played a couple games of tennis - on the wii of course. Then she came back up to her room, rested for a few minutes and then went out and did a lap around the floor. She is making such good progress that the nurses have begun turning their attention to other more needy patients.
Nick has been a big help, especially in my absence. He will carry the load again tonight and tomorrow while I'm out of town for an interview.
Please pray that Cindy's bowel continues to rid itself of the air and that her suction tube can be removed tomorrow. Then she will be able to take pain medication to better manage her pain and begin to eat.
We are encouraged by Cindy's progress and by your continued support and prayers.
-Rick

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Rom. 15:5-6

Update (3/11/2009) 9:00am

Last night was a very rough night. My mom was able to get a maximum of two hours of sleep, and I was not able to get much more than that either. I can definitely sympathize with my dad as to how hard it has been on him to get sleep. This morning has been a great one for her bowels. My dad would be happy to know that she has stunk up the room, twice now. The nurse/physical therapist want her up and walking every four hours today, so pray that the Lord gives her the energy and strength throughout the day to complete these walks.

-Nick

Psalm 18:31-33 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.

Update (3/10/2009) 9:20pm

Here's the progress report. My mom continued her physical therapy with another walk this morning with the assistance of Anna (the splendid nurse) and my dad. A team of specialists were successful in the procedure of placing the catheter into her vein (in the right arm), this evening. She will not be able to receive the nutrients until around nine o'clock tomorrow night. She has not had food since Sunday, so she is becoming pretty weary. Pray the Lord will continue to give her strength, and that He will miraculously not make her hungry for the next 24 hours.
Another big update is my mom's bowels. She had three movements, one of which was quite a dandy as my dad so elegantly described. She is in a good deal of pain still, her back was a big annoyance today.
If you're wondering why I am referring to 'my dad' and 'my mom', that is because this is Nick (#3 in the line of sons). My dad went back to the Scheihing's tonight to hopefully get a good solid night's sleep before his interview on Thursday. He flies out tomorrow in the afternoon, and will not be getting back until late Thursday night. With that being said, please pray that the Lord will give him the energy he needs to complete the tasks of these interviews. I asked him yesterday, "on a scale from 1 to tired, how tired are you?" He said about an 8/10, so he needs some good rest. It's been amazing to see how faithful both my parents have been to keep God at the center of this entire process. I wish everyone could see how closely mended/knit their marriage is through Christ! It's been a blessing!

Lord, bless us all with good rest!
- Nick


Romans 5:3-5 - Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Update (3/9/09 - 2:00 pm)

A couple items worth mentioning at this time.
We learned our nurse Anna is a fighter - she fights for her patients. At one point this morning, Cindy had gone for her longest walk yet and was resting in a chair in the hallway when another nurse came down the hall wheeling a patient on a bed and was a bit impatient and loud about the fact that Cindy was in the hallway. Well, Anna took charge immediately and went toe to toe to let the nurse know, in no uncertain terms, how inappropriate her behavior was. Anna didn't throw and punches, but I there was a moment that I thought she was going to put the lady's lights out. Anna has been Cindy's nurse more than any other on the floor over the last week and has experienced Cindy's entire battle since the second surgery. We thank the Lord for Anna and for her care and protection of Cindy. Anna joined us today for my reading of blog updates and emails to Cindy. She enjoyed the break from her routine.
The other item worth noting is that Cindy made a "joyful noise" on the commode today. Clearly an answer to prayer. It didn't quite stink up the room, but we'll take it, and we pray for more.
It looks like Cindy will go down for her intravenous catheter in a couple of hours. They have to give her a "twilight" anesthesia for the procedure. The anesthesia is not expected to affect her bowel situation, but please pray that it doesn't cause another bowel setback.
-Rick

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise". Ps. 98:4

Update (3/9/09 - 12:00 pm)

Well, the PIC team was unable to get the PIC line in. Cindy's veins were apparently too small and weak. Plan B is to take her down to the PIC lab where they have special xray equipment to help get the line in place. They hope to be able to fit her into the schedule today, otherwise it will have to wait until tomorrow. Since Cindy cannot eat or drink with her suction tube in place, the PIC line is the only way to get nutrition into her body. Please pray that the line is successfully installed today.
-Rick

Update (3/9/09 - 9:00 am)

Cindy had a rougher time sleeping last night. She hurts all over - back pain from both surgeries, side pain from the cracked rib, and gas pains from her abdomen. The gas pains were the primary source of discomfort last night. A lot of rumbling but nothing productive. Cindy had a great nurse last night, but she accidentally forgot to turn the suction back on in Cindy's tube after getting her back to bed at one point. That means that the tube was useless for most of the night. A frustrating and disappointing discovery, but a reminder that no matter how good the intentions, we are imperfect people dealing with imperfect people, within an imperfect medical system, in an imperfect world. But we can be thankful that we have a perfect Lord who controls it all. We continue to trust Him.
Our friend Michelle mentioned in an email how self-conscious women can be about passing gas, but she is praying that Cindy passes lots of gas. I agree. So I'm praying that Cindy stinks up the room today. Cindy may wince at my crudeness, but feel free to join me in that prayer.
-Rick

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him." Ps. 18:30

Update (3/8/09 - 11:30 pm)

More progress made today, but more patience is required. As of now, Cindy still has the suction tube trying to pump the air out of her stomach. A 24 hour hope (hope of tube removal) has turned into at least a 48 hour reality. Cindy's bloating has decreased some, but not as significantly as we had hoped. The pain from the bloating has decreased, while her back pain seems to have increased. Because she is so nutritionally deprived, Cindy will have a "PIC line" inserted tomorrow (it's a type of catheter inserted into a vein) that will allow the doctors to feed her nutrition in addition to IVs and meds in the same line.
The good news is that Cindy was up and walking more today. Nick and the nurse took her on a stroll down the hall (using a walker) for the first time. She took the same stroll this evening with the nurse and me - without the walker. She was in a lot of pain in her back for the second stroll, but she wouldn't give up until she had walked the same distance as the first stroll. I continue to be amazed at her courage and determined spirit. The Lord is definitely honoring her efforts with supernatural strength. Cindy's humanity came through though a couple of times when the pain was too much and brought her to tears. For those of you that know Cindy well, you know that it takes a lot of pain to bring her to tears.
We capped off the day with Nick reading Cindy's devotional and all of the most recent comments and emails from many of you. The tears we shed during that time were tears of thankfulness. Please know how much your encouragement and prayers mean to both of us.
After the devotion, Nick played a couple programs from one of our favorite comedians - Gary Burbank from Cincinnati (his Gilbert Gnarley character for those of you familiar with his old radio talk show). We laughed until we cried. I think Cindy popped a couple of staples, but she said it was worth it. Thank you Nick for your healing prescription - laughter.
-Rick

"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy." Ps. 126:5

Update (3/8/09 - 9:00 am)

Cindy slept pretty well last night, despite the tube. Her stomach is still very bloated this morning after 12 hours with the tube, but she has felt some relief. Still a long way to go, but that's progress.
This week and next are going to be a bit crazy for me. Please pray for my energy level. I have two phone interviews and three in person interviews, which is great activity in the job search process, but the Lord is going to have to provide my energy. Spending nights sleeping on a reclining chair in a hospital room isn't doing it. A minor battle though compared to Cindy's.
-Rick

"For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." Ps. 18:31-32