The Hendersons ~ On a Journey 4 Him Weblog...

February 2011 Journey 4 HIM Prayer Newsletter

Thanks for your continued prayers. After my doctor appointments this past Tuesday, the rest of the week has been very slow. Although I am resting the majority of the time, I can now get up 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the evening. Brian and Sydney have been out a few times to run errands and pick up groceries. When they were gone, Skylar is my caretaker. :) 

I have been putting weight on my leg/ankle/foot from time to time. It seems to feel weak from not being used in so long. I know my leg muscle is almost nonexistent; my leg looks like a bone with skin compared to my left leg. The first day I practiced standing I cried because it is so hard. I didn't realize that I would have to relearn to stand. It is getting a little better day by day. I figure the doctor wants me to gain strength, because after the next surgery, I'll have to start practicing with the flexibility of my foot/ankle back so I can get back to walking. It's going to be a long process. I must remain focused and patient, as He is in control.

I had several visitors this past week. It was good to see friends! On Tuesday night, Marina and Ana, and on Thursday morning, Claudia and Vladimir visited. This morning, Alberto visited after giving the kids their music lessons. I am anxious to restart classes, but I know I must recuperate first in order for me to get back to full circle.

The past few days, I've redone my email contacts list and added students that came and signed our roster this past term or have emailed me through our team's website asking for information. 202 names later, I emailed our schedule out for this next term. I also went through my 1,300+ friends on Facebook, and categorized my Peruvian friends, so I could easily send out events (our class schedule) to 166+ contacts. Brian and I have been working on this month's newsletter (Click here to see: Download February 2011), and we have several other items we need to be working on while we "rest," like our MAP goals for our team leader, project budgets, etc.

Again, thanks for your prayers!

A Day Full of Check-ups

Results of my visit with Dr. Talledo:

No swelling in my leg/foot. I can start getting up 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the evening. Woop woop! He gave the go-ahead for my next surgery and specific instructions for us to follow concerning the administration and decrease of my medicines prior to surgery. Five days before the surgery, I do not take any more tablets, but I will begin injections again. He also told us how we would restart meds after the surgery. Also, I will have an echo doppler (ultrasound) done 2 days before the surgery and several days after to make sure my clot has not grown or moved.  He wants me to continue wearing my compression bandage (we went to below my knee as of last night).  In one week, I will be off of bed rest. :)  By the looks of my depleted muscle, he said it would take about 3 months to recover it, and so I'd more than likely be on blood thinner for 3 months or so after the surgery. When I can use my muscle more, it will help the blood circulate in my leg.

Results of my visit to Dr. Suarez:

As I walked through his office doors, he said, "I've been so worried about you." He checked my foot, and then he told me to stand up. Okay, we were under the understanding that I wasn't supposed to put weight on it because of the screw becoming brittle and breaking. I guess that was a communication "boo boo." I asked if he was sure. Yes. That was a stupid question. When I stood, it seemed as if my left leg has gotten longer (not really!), because I tend to shift my body over, and my right leg is shorter when I do this. He told me to shift from one leg to the other. I had pin -prickles of short little pains in the bottom of my foot (I guess from not using it in so long). He wants me to practice doing this. Obviously, I can't walk because my foot won't flex up and down much due to the screw. He says he doesn't want me to be afraid of standing on my foot anymore.  Yayyyy...another step toward walking again. Anyways, he scheduled the surgery for February 5. I'll have a blood test first thing the day of the surgery to make sure my I.N.R. is lowered again, and then he'll meet with us and have surgery, if it permits. He says that after my surgery he'll check my wound/incision 2 days later, and if it is healing nicely, I'll be permitted to start my meds again. 

One other thing, as we started to leave, he told us there would be no charge for today's visit. Again, he told me that he had been so worried. I thanked him for checking my leg and seeing that something was wrong on Saturday. He said that he could tell something was wrong, and he'd been concerned about me, not my leg. I told him "Gloria a Dios," which means "Glory to God." He smiled really big, and went to shake our hands. I told him we would do it the Peruvian way, and gave him a big hug in farewell.

I'm amazed at how personable our doctors are, and how God directed us to each one. They are patient with our language barrier and are willing to try "our" language. They have great senses of humor and are very caring. Praise God for working, and thank you for your prayers!!!

Continue to lift us up....we still have a journey ahead of us as I recover.

More News Soon

Hello, all!  Thanks for keeping up with us and --for lifting us up to our Father.

This evening, I went to the lab and got more bloodwork. It's the same nurse every time I go. The first time she drew blood, I didn't undo my fist (I wasn't thinking, and I didn't understand her Spanish), so I still have huge bruises on my arm. After that, she does my other arm, and she uses the same place every time, which seems to work. Sat.'s reading of my I.N.R. was 2.03, and today's was 2.04. It's staying pretty steady without injections. 

Tomorrow, I have 2 appointments with my doctors--Dr. Talledo at 9 AM, and Dr. Suarez at 4:30. They are located across town at 2 different hospitals, so this means we'll return home after the first visit, let me rest a while, and then head back across town. I imagine they'll discuss the surgery tomorrow. Dr. Suarez said we could wait 2 weeks, and no more. Pray for good decisions from them, regarding surgery + blood clot.  Continue to pray for me and the rest of my gang, too. Pray for our travels back and forth to the doctors tomorrow.

We're all cooped up inside the apartment. I am down 22 hours of the day, with 2 hours I can sit up/move around (not so much with only 1 mobile leg--Ha!). I feel a little sorry for the kids because this IS their summer break from school.  They haven't given us a pity party, but I will be honest and say I am a little bored and am trying to keep from having one myself. Through a devotional, God reminded me to keep my eyes upon Jesus, and I looked up, listened and worshipped Him to Alan Jackson's "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus."

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. ~Hebrew 12:1-2

"Faith is born in us as we fix our eyes on Jesus and as we recognize the fingerprints of God the Father all over our lives." ~by Sheila Walsh in Extraordinary Faith

Thanks again for your prayers. I'll give you another update after the appointments tomorrow.

 

A "Praise the Lord" Post!

The last time I blogged, Brian was searching for the injections. Skylar said, "Mom, let's pray he'll find them." We did, and thankfully, he did not have to go to 8+ pharmacies looking for the hard-to-find shots or settle for the smaller dosage (which would've meant I'd had to take 2 injections at one time) because he found them at the first pharmacy he went to!!! PTL!

This morning, we went early to the blood laboratory. My I.N.R. raised from 1.77 to 2.03. Brian talked with my doctor, who said that for now I will not need any more injections!  PTL again!!!  I'll rotate the dosage of tablets, 1 today, 1 1/2 tomorrow, and so on. I will get another reading before seeing the doctor at 9 AM on Tuesday. Meanwhile, my surgeon called and told Brian he had been worried about me, and he wants to see me in his office on Tuesday.  Brian will call and set up an appointment with the nurse on Monday for that visit.

Soon, I suppose they will be deciding when my surgery will be. I should have an ultrasound done before the surgery.  Having surgery will mean getting off of the tablets several days before the surgery and beginning injections again 12 hours after the surgery. My surgeon is concerned more about my blood clot, but he also knows if this screw doesn't come out soon, it could break into (it was only supposed to stay a maximum of 10 wks), and that would cause a whole array of new problems.

Please be praying for God's will in all of the health issues I am having:  blood clot, blood thinner, my leg, and the future surgery.  Pray for Brian and the kids while they endure this with me and take care of me.   

Thanks so much for your prayers, words of encouragement, and love!!

Today's Bloodwork Results

I had to go to the blood lab again today. They post the results online. My level has increased from 1.18 to 1.77, which is better, but still not where the doctor wants it. He is aiming for 2.5. That means 4 more injections. ARRRGHHH! I've already had 11! My stomach looks like a battlefield of bruises and red dots, and my arm has a big bruise. My pill dosage will stay the same. Thank God He won't leave me, nor will He forsake me. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me!!

Brian is searching (as I am typing this) for more injections. After looking in 9 pharmacies, he finally found the injections on Tuesday. Today, he is on another search. If he cannot find the larger dose, he'll have to opt for the smaller dosage, which means I'll have to take 2 injections at one setting.  :( This is not happy music to my ears.

Now, we will wait. Another blood test will be on Sat. Thanks for your prayers. Continue to lift us up.

 

A Good Check-Up!

Praises to our King--we had a good doctor's visit today!  First, we went to a lab and had my blood taken. Thankfully, they post the results via the web, and all we have to do is type in our codes to get the results. This is very helpful since we can read Spanish better than we can understand over the telephone. :)

Then, we visited a different hospital that my cardiologist works at most of the week. His office has its own bed, echo doppler machine, changing room, sofa, his desk/computer, and an air conditioner! It's so warm here in Lima today, I was thrilled with the A/C!

Since the lab hadn't posted my results, the doctor let Brian check on his computer. My  I.N.R. level is 1.1. An average person's should be 1, so my blood still hasn't thinned enough.He's aiming for mine to get to 2.5. That means more injections--UGH! He prescribed me 4 more (2 per day) and increased my pills from 1 to 1 1/2 daily. He measured both of my legs, and on my "bad" leg, my ankle had decreased 2 cm and my calf 5 cm. My "bad" calf is actually smaller than the one on my uninjured leg (Believe me--without the wrap, you can tell it!! The muscle is obsolete from no use, and from my knee to my ankle looks like a bone with skin on it.  HAHA! You can actually feel the screws through my skin, too!)  Now, I can sit up/move around for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening.  YAY!!  The doc said I had been a good girl and had done what I'd been told. :) Praise God for working!

I get another blood test on Thursday, and I will see the doctor again one week from today. The plans are for my surgery to be in 2 weeks. He'd rather us wait, but he understands that the screw will become brittle if left in too long, so he and my bone doctor are staying in close contact. That means I will have to be removed from the thinner several days before the surgery, and then I'll have to be boosted again about 12 hours after.

Thanks for your prayers. Continue to lift us all up. The kids are enjoying being lazy with me. Brian is running around being a good father, mother, and nurse. Pray for each of our health and strength.

The Unexpected

We dropped the kids off by our good friend's home to watch them, and we arrived at the hospital, where another great friend/translator awaited our arrival.

Into the emergency room we went, and they took me to a room to change clothes. The doctor strode in, unwrapped the ACE type bandage that he asked me to wear yesterday because of the swelling. My foot was still somewhat swollen. He said I needed to be checked; the surgery would be postponed. He worked me in with another doctor to run an ultrasound on the veins in my leg.

After waiting about 45+ minutes and having another great friend/translator arrive to check on my surgery, another doctor could not find any blood clots from the knee down. He told me that our travels had overworked my leg, and I needed to rest. He showed me the difference in fluid levels of both of my legs. Then, when he was about to send me on my way, he checked the upper portion of my leg. Later, he tells us that "something" just told him to check. I know THAT "SOMETHING" is my Almighty God, who gave me the Scripture last night that "One who trusts in the LORD is secure." (Proverbs 29:25). I have a bloodclot in this area. After he asked if I had any pain in this area, Brian reminded me of last week and several week's ago's pains, which we thought was a muscle in the top of my leg being overworked from the awkward sitting positions and lugging around on crutches. I am then sent to the heart doctor.

After a doctor asked me a few questions in the emergency room area, I was taken to a room in the back, labelled "Pre-surgery." This concerned me a bit, and concerned me even more when we were told only one person could accompany me. One of the translators attended me, and several ladies/nurses surrounded me, taking off my shoe and assisting me onto the bed. They told me to lie down and rest. I looked at J.P., and asked him to ask what exactly were we doing. They said the doctor was on his way.

The heart doctor came in, and he spoke very good English. Praise God, and He sent the best--he studied at the Mayo Clinic in TX and is the chief heart doctor. He said I have to get my blood tested every 3 days right now while I start to take a blood thinner to resolve the clotting issue. I have to get some immediate blood thinner into my body by Brian giving me a shot in my stomach every 12 hours. ARGGH! I have to have my leg elevated above my heart, unless I am eating, bathing, or using the bathroom. Lots of rest! They will be keeping a check on me by my blood tests and more ultrasounds.

My surgeon called the heart doctor during this, and they've set the tentative date for my surgery (for the screw removal) to be in  2 weeks. They will have to stop the thinner and thicken my blood up a little beforehand, but they are both concerned with my blood clot first and foremost.

Thanks to all of you for praying for me. I certainly did not expect all of this. The unexpected can be scary, but He reminds me that His thoughts and ways are higher than mine are. He knows best. Even through all this seemingly "bad" or unexpected, I know He is in control, and I can definitely place my trust in Him!

 

 

Pray for Tomorrow's Surgery--Surgery #2

Our time in the USA was fast, but very pleasant. We enjoyed our stay! The journey home took longer than expected. Our New Orleans flight was delayed (due to fog, so they said), so we flew later than expected. Upon our arrival to Miami, no greeter (holding a sign up with my name) with a wheelchair in the jetway awaited me. This began a series of an unforgettable, almost painful, journey in the Miami airport. They let me use another chair, whisked me to a gocart (sort of)  in the lobby, while the the driver left to get more people. After about 5-10 minutes, he came and drove the passengers to our destination to fly to Lima. We were 5 minutes too late!!! The guy at the counter shrugged his shoulders and told us we couldn't get on. Disappointed!!! The guy in the cart dropped us off at customer service.

We knew we had been booked on the next flight by the lady at N.O. desk. WHEW--thanks be to God! The flight was filling, and she went ahead and put us on the last seats in the very back row of the plane. Since we would have to wait in the airport for 7+ additional hours, Brian asked for food vouchers for dinner. This is usually the norm when it is the airline's problem. The guy said this was not the airline's fault and sent us on our unhappy way. Brian asked for a wheelchair or cart to take us, since I cannot hobble on crutches about a mile to the next gate in the busy crowd. After about an hour with no one coming to pick us up, Brian finally took the matter in his own hands, and got a nice guy to flag a cart down for us. We finally arrived at our gate to wait for many hours.

I felt like a prisoner. I couldn't go to the bathroom (no wheelchair!) because it was a great distance from our waiting area, and I only had Brian's computer bag to halfway prop my foot up.Thankfully, the helpful lady behind the desk changed our seats for us!! I didn't have to hobble to the back row anymore, because we got placed on the 15th row instead.  Finally, the time came to get on the plane. They were very unorganized (the nice lady had left). They didn't bring out wheelchairs for us handicapped people to board the plane first (I could have done so on my crutches, but WITHOUT people pushing and crowding to get on). We had to ask for a wheelchair, wait until people were already  boarding, and then try to get on. I pitied the poor elderly man who was very shaky and had no one to help him board the plane. I knew how he felt, minus the fact I had my family to help me!!

The flight was uneventful (thanks be to God!), and we arrived Wed. morning in Lima. God favored us with a |Peruvian who DID meet us in the jetway with a wheelchair. He pushed the elderly man I mentioned earlier and me BOTH, all the way through immigration and customs. He definitely had it together! We got the "green light," which is AWESOME. They didn't have to check our bags. YIPPEEE!

Now, for a little funny. Our good friend and driver, Juan awaited us. YAYYY! As luggage and children were being walked across the parking lot, the guy pushing me had to push me over a drainage (why? there is no rain in Peru!!??) grate. I lifted my hurt leg to absorb the bump, but when he hit the grate, the wheels stuck, and I lunged forward out of the chair (my arms were full of our jackets and my backpack). Guess what caught me from falling on my face?  Yes, my hurt foot. I yelped, and the man pulled me backwards. I realized that I felt ok, so I started laughing, and so did everyone else.  I am ready to get this thing walking!!!

My foot has been very swollen since being down for such a length of time. There are no places to prop anything up in an airport. Each chair has arms, so no one can take up seats by lying across them. I've tried keeping it up, but it still looks like the Hulk's. It didn't help that Brian kicked my foot off the couch by accident (which is a whole different story for another time).....

Today, I saw Dr. Suarez. I had a greeting committee at the clinic--Jim, J.P., and Liz.  Yay!! The doctor  said he did not like that my foot was swollen. I told him I had fallen during my trip in the States, so he would give me an extra lookover. Then, I had more X-rays, and the precise point where the screw is that needs to be removed was marked on my leg with a ballpoint pen. When we returned to his office, he acted as if he was going to perform the surgery. Brian's eyes got big, mine got bigger, and J.P. went to asking the doctor questions for us.

My surgery will be tomorrow morning (Saturday), at 8 AM (Lima time)/ 7 AM (CST). I will get an IV (which dearly hurt the top of my hand the last time!) and a local anesthetic. The IV concerns me and being awake during the surgery concerns me more. Please pray for me to have much peace and for the surgeon/staff to be precise, being guided by God. The surgery is outpatient, so I will be able to return home to rest afterwards.

Let's thank God for the provisions He is making for us now and has already made! I thank Him in advance for the glory that I will be able to give to Him and Him alone. I thank you guys for the prayers you are and will be lifting up for us tomorrow.

I love you all!

GREAT Memories Are Being Made in Mississippi!

Silence has meant great times are being shared in Mississippi with our families and friends. Three weeks have flown by, and we have already begun saying our "see you later's." Hugs, kisses, 'I love you's;' holding back tears and actually letting a few drop; trying to stay strong for the kids, ourselves, and our families.

It's been a joy to speak at so many places during our stay. 6 churches and 1 Christian school so far. 2 more tomorrow.  These are not counting Brian and Skylar's sliding by to see old friends and former teachers at Central. I feel God's love as people line up to give us a hug or shake our hands, and tell us they've been praying for us. My heart swelled with joy at the school when 2 students asked to speak to us about missions, and when another called the next day to ask questions! God is at work!  In addition, we've had several meetings/gatherings with mission directors, pastors, and friends we worked with in the past. It seems like we've accomplished lots and seen many, but we know that we still didn't get to everyone we'd like to have seen while we were in Mississippi. If you are one of those few that we missed, please forgive us, and know that you are loved.

Let's not forget we had 4 Christmas gatherings with families.  Food. Lots of delicious food. I don't want to see scales for a long time. I know that the d-word (diet) is needed in the near future. Memories. Lots of delightful memories. Pictures. Love!

Two more churches to speak at on Sunday, January 9:  Our home church, Agricola Baptist, at 10:45 AM; and First Baptist Leakesville at 6 PM. If you haven't gotten a chance to hear us share our hearts about what God is doing in and through us in Peru, please come see us tomorrow!

Many of you continue to pray for my leg. Thanks so much! It is still swelling, and I have found that the Mississippi weather (humidity, temperature, and rain) and my leg do not get along. My leg bickers from time to time. However, I have found that my use of one leg and staggering around on crutches intimidate other parts of my body, like my hip, etc. In addition, I think the whole Miller family are still recuperating from my fall at their gathering! My crutch slid out from under me on the wet concrete, causing my hurt foot/leg to crash into the floor with me standing full weight on it, which in turn pushed/slid on the floor until I was flat of my back. Fear. Pain. Praying I hadn't damaged any of my new equipment due to the doctor recommending not to put much weight on it. Thankfully, no bruising or swelling occurred.  My mom-in-law's heating pad and Dad's TENS machine have beenhelpful. Although I dread the surgery when we return to Lima, I am also ready to get on with the next steps of my recuperation! 

PLEASE PRAY FOR US:

• Our 'see you later's' (our families, and each of us)
• Our travels, safety, and health during our time left in MS,  all day on Tuesday (early trip heading to the N.O. airport, flight to Miami, and final evening flight to Lima), and in Lima
• Tomorrow's speaking engagements (God to speak through us and to others)
• Complete healing of Felicia's leg/ankle and other areas that are being cranky;         surgeon(s)/nurses during the removal of the screw (holding leg bones together so tendon will heal); Felicia's peace before and during surgery (will be awake w/ local anesthetic during surgery