February 4 ,2014

We are excited to report that George has been discharged from Boundary Trails hospital as of yesterday morning. We are at home where he is continuing to recuperate. He is walking around now without the walker and for the most part manages to take care of himself.  We will be going in for continued therapy, mostly for his left arm which has been causing him a lot of grief. As far as the bloodclot, the pain is gone.  He has to continue taking blood thinners and go in for weekly bloodtests. And so we will fill the next weeks with a lot of r and r and just spending time together! We praise God for his goodness!
We would like to extend a heartfelt thankyou to all of our family and friends who stood behind us all the way and constantly lifted us up in your prayers. Also all of the visits, phone calls, messages, fruit baskets, flowers, and gifts of food. We have been so blessed and humbled by it all. May God bless each one of you!

January 28/2014

a short update about our journey - had really hoped to bring George home today or tomorrow but we have come to a bump in  the road. George had a lot of chest pain last night and has developed a blood clot in the heart area. The nurse assured us that it was something that was very easy to treat, just  took quite awhile to find what they were looking for. So no theapy today and probably not tomorrow either. As long as he lies still  he is okay but when he tries to sit up or move around a bit he has a lot of pain. And so we will wait a few more days. God isn't finished with us yet - still teaching us a little more patience! Thanks again for your prayers!

January 25

Just want to report tonight that George is continuing to improve, He is making progress. I was able to take him home today on a day pass. It was only to be for a couple of hours, but it ended up being from 9 am to 5pm. It just felt so good and right to have him home with us. We look forward to the day when he will be home to stay. His therapist is very happy with his progress. His appetite still leaves a lot to be desired. even my "good" home cooking doesn't quite cut it at this point, We trust that will return in time, He is still very tired and He says everything he does is hard work. But that will just be a slow battle we will have to work at day by day to overcome. Thanks again for all your prayers, love and support. May God bless each one of you for all you have done for our family.

January 20/2013

A little update on George's condition - We have seen huge improvements in the last little while. He has been moved to the rehab ward at Boundary Trails. They started therapy today and he did amazingly well, He took a few short walks with the walker, and sat up more in the chair. So slowly we can see his life returning, and we feel so blessed. Although he was not in big party mode we did manage to have some birthday cake together as a family. I had to think of it again today how his mind is clear and all of his body parts are working and moving , and what a huge miracle that is. Thanks again to all of you who stood behind us and lifted us up in your prayers. We are very humbled by your love and support. Our prayer as a family would be that we would remember to pass it on to others around us who are hurting and going through trials in this life as well.
Psalms 138 : 3 -In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul.
Psalms 136 : 1 -O Give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for his mercy endureth for ever!

January 16

Since it's been a couple days since we have blogged, we thought we'd write a little bit of an update on how George is doing. Tuesday and Wednesday were  a bit more rough, and we think the ambulance ride took a bit more of a toll on him than we thought it would. George was so exhausted all the time and had no desire to try moving around. Today was more positive again, he had more sparkle in his eyes. He was able to sit up at the edge of the bed without back support for both lunch & supper, which was a first.  The nurse also took him off the oxygen for about a half hour to see how he would respond and was able to keep it out! He did put it back in after supper because even sitting up is hard work for him.  He is still very tired and weak but with time and effort strength will return. We have a lot to praise God for, He has done an amazing work in George's body!
We won't be updating the blog every day since there really won't be a lot changing on a daily basis at this point.  Thank-you for all your prayers and support during this time!

January 13

We are very happy to report that George was transferred back to Boundary Trails hospital tonight. Other than that there has not been a whole lot of change.  I trust in the days to come his strength will slowly be restored. Words can't describe the toll that this flu strain has taken on his body. But when we look back and remember where he has been and see how far he has come, we are reminded of God's faithfulness and His healing power. We would like to thank you all for your prayers, love, and support during this journey. We covet your continued prayers for strength in the days to come.
As we rejoice at the progress George is making, we are reminded of another family in the ICMS ward, who have a loved one dealing with H1N1 as well. When we went to tell them good-bye, we were told that the doctors have given them no hope. Please send up prayers for this family as well.

Psalms 136:1 - O Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for his mercy endureth for ever!

January 12

George was moved from the icms unit to -ward today. I was a little disappointed that they didn't transfer him to Boundary Trails but they said they would get him there as soon as possible so we will work with that. The next step is to wean him off of the oxygen. The physio nurse came in and did a little bit of exercise with him. This wore him right out and they had to up it again. Visitors are welcome but we would appreciate it if you could call ahead if possible. This would prevent having too many coming at the same time. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. My number is 2043622779. George's request tonight was to just keep praying.

January 11

George is continuing to improve. He is off of everything other than the oxygen mask to help with his breathing. He is very weak and tired. Something as little as drinking from a straw takes a great effort. Through it all tho he has not lost his sense of humor. ?His spirits were much better today. It seemed very overwhelming for him to realize how helpless he really is at this point. They brought him supper today, although he didn't eat alot of it, we were told he could have pretty much anything his body could handle. He will be moved back to Boundary Trails as soon as a bed becomes available there. We are so grateful for his healing so far and know that God will be with us each step of the way through the rest of this journey.

January 10

Well the biggest news of the day is that George's breathing tube came out this morning! In its place they put an oxygen mask to still give a little support. He was very thirsty all day long so they gave him some ice and limited his water to 1 small cup of water every hour. They did increase the amount in the evening. His vitals stayed stable all day long which is a huge praise knowing he had to work harder to breathe on his own. He is very weak and tires out easily but we know that he has enough determination to get through this. We are so thankful for all your prayers and would ask for your continued prayers as this journey is not over yet!

Tonight we are happy to report that George is continuing to improve. It was quite obvious to us that he was comprehending what we were saying. He was quite agitated at times because he still has the breathing tube in. They are going to turn the ventilator up for the night so as to give his lungs a rest and then try to remove the tube in the morning. That is very exciting for all us! His back is quite sore and it is hard for him to get comfortable. The nurse put him  into a reclining chair for a little while. That seemed to be a major workout for George. He is very weak but we already saw some of his determination today. We actually even saw a hint of his mischievous side. I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination but the children caught it as well and even the nurse commented on it. So tonight we feel quite confident that George as we know him is on his way back.                                       We praise God for his goodness. Isaiah 40 verse 29 has been very meaningful to us during this time.  "He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."

January 8

So another day in icu has passed. George is slowly waking up and becoming more alert. The breathing tube is still in and he is finding it very uncomfortable. They are hoping to keep it in for a few days yet, they did a lung xray today and its still showing alot of infection. The physical therapist came in today to work with getting his arms and legs moving again. It is hard to fathom that a man so strong can be brought down to be so weak but it shows us how frail life is and that out of ourselves we are nothing. We continue to trust God for continued healing. He did squeeze my hand today and is trying to speak a few words. Although it still seems distance we are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel! Praise God for the many blessings big and small!

January 7

Well I am not quite sure where to start tonight but here goes. George had a better day today in that they kept him more sedated again. He went for a mri at 3 o'clock. They were still concerned about the lack of movement in his legs and arms. The results were great in that there was no signs of stroke or lack of oxygen to the brain. Praise God for that. The thought is now that we just have to wait until more of the sedation meds leave his body. They are continuing to slowly wean him off  to the point that he becomes more alert. They aren't able to take out the breathing tube before he meets certain criteria and it sounds like that could be a few more days. I see the next couple of days as being quite a challenge for George and also for our family as we stand by and watch. It is a hurdle that we have to overcome on our way to recovery. We covet, your prayers that we can all remain strong . Although it's not that obvious to us yet, the nurse said tonight that George has progressed by leaps and bounds in the last couple days. We know that we serve an awesome God who will never leave us or forsake us!

January 6

Today was a bit more of a rough day for George. We knew there were going to be down days but that doesn't make it easy. Because he's not moving his arms and legs yet they had a neurologist come and take a look.  They did a ct scan but the nurse said there was not definite results but nothing 'exciting' which is a good thing. George's heart rate and blood pressure did jump quite high a couple times which was a bit of a concern.  They think it was because he was being over stimulated and was getting anxious. They are trying to clear his body of the sedatives so they are trying a new pain medication. He is still opening his eyes and moving his head a little but we can tell he is uncomfortable and feeling some pain, in fact he had tears coming down when we went in to say good night. It is very difficult to see him lying there so completely helpless. Through all this, God is good even when our days aren't always good.  We are thankful for the wisdom He has been giving the doctors and nurses...we know that George is in good hands.

January 5

We want to keep praising the Lord for continuing to work towards healing in George's body. When we got to the hospital this afternoon the nurse told us they had taken him completely off one of the sedatives and that his body was responding positively to the change. He did open his eyes and move his head some and tried to follow our voices.  It will take a few days before he will be alert and focused but he is working towards that and they are very happy with his progress in the last 24 hours.  The lung X-Ray looked much better today than yesterday and he is breathing much more on his own with the ventilator helping alongside when need be. They are giving him pain meds every few hours to keep him more comfortable. Thank you for all your prayers and support...we have definitely been feeling the hand of the Lord during this time.

January 4/2014

Today was another stable day for George. The plan is to try to reduce his sedation level slowly starting tomorrow. That is providing the night will be uneventful. The nurse told us today that he has been on the ventilator longer than most patients because he was "special". I must admit that makes many thoughts go through my mind. My sister told me that I needed to let go and let God. So true. They said that his lungs were looking a little better.  They managed to keep his fever down to a near normal throughout the day with Tylenol. They were also giving him something to get rid of all of the extra fluids in his body. I think  we forgot to mention in our blog that the diagnosis was confirmed as H1N1 on Wednesday.  They were treating him for that right from the beginning so did not change treatment plan at all.  This medication can only be given for 10 days so that is done. I asked the nurse yesterday what the next plan was and the response was we need to give it time.

Phillipians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing .but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

January 3, 2014

Things are still heading in the right direction with George. He did have a fever overnight and during the day but they think that is due to a sinus infection. They gave him some antibiotics and put some ice packs on him and the nurse said when she checked around 4pm it was back to normal. They took him out of isolation early this evening so we are no longer required to gown up. Th?e amount of oxygen they are giving him stayed at 50% all day. If all continues to go well they are slowly going to be lessening the amount of sedatives he is getting and will see how his body responds to that.  The nurse stressed that he is still critically ill but they are very optimistic that he will pull through. So the road ahead is long but we are hopeful! God is good!

January 2/2014

Today was another positive day. According to the doctor, any small improvement for a man as sick as what George is considered to be huge. They were able to turn his oxygen down to 40% for part of the day. I called in tonight and was told they had to up it again and that he was running abit of a fever, but for the most part he was holding his own.  It is a step in the right direction and we praise God  for that.
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, fear not nor be afraid of them, for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail, nor forsake thee.

Will try to write a short update, had planned on staying home today, but couldn't quite pull that one off.  Our dear friends Jay and Jessie Wiebe took me into Winnipeg to see George. It was a more positive day today. The resident doctor said it was a tiny step in the right direction. That's what we will hang on to for now.  As much as I would love to see Him sitting up in bed with a smile on his face, I will have to patiently wait for awhile. They have been proning Him (turning him on his stomach) for 16 hours at a time - doesn't make for a pretty sight especially when they have his head lower than his feet so as to prevent his food from the feeding tube from going into his lungs. I am so thankful that God has given so much wisdom to the medical staff.  It is still all so overwhelming for me. Hope to be able to talk to the doctor tomorrow and can hopefully give a few more details then.