I love Cut/Copy yes I do, I love Cut/Copy how about you? Outstanding.
I am fascinated with the new Feist video for "Honey, Honey." I'm watching it again after I put this up.
More Avett Brothers awesomeness...
Can't remember what, if anything, I've posted from Frightened Rabbit. I found some of their stuff online before I became a huge fan of their newest CD. Note the opening lyrics of this song...
Molly had MRI's done Friday night at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison. From a patient/family point of view it was a spectacular hospital: new, beautiful, comfortable, peaceful. It's slightly over 1 1/2 hours from our house with no traffic. So future MRI's will be done in Madison, if at all possible. We got
there early hoping she would get in early, and she did. We left about
an hour earlier than expected. When has that ever happened? Plus, Fuddrucker's is on the way and we love the Fudd.
Despite the good experience with external things, it was a miserable experience for Molly. They had her head and neck positioned in ways that jacked her up big time. She had to be taken by wheelchair out of the hospital. Her nausea had finally started to subside a few days before we went to UW Hospital, but the MRI brought it back. My Dad and Uncle came to town for several hours on Saturday and Molly was just all messed up. "Jolts" and terrible balance issues were especially noticeable. She didn't go to church again on Sunday because of nausea and bad balance problems. She is also having a little swelling near her incision...again. We are guessing that's because of the MRI as well. Hope it goes away quickly.
Molly's worst issue has been in thought processing and getting out her thoughts. She will stop in mid-thought and just not be able to finish what she's trying to say. It doesn't matter how simple it is. At any given moment in speaking she will just stop and find saying the next word impossible. It goes without saying that is very frustrating for her.
On the positive side her energy levels have been increasing and her nausea is subsiding again 3 days after the MRI. She's up more during the day. She's sleeping a little better at night, not just laying there wide awake. But still not quite right on the sleeping front.
Today we UPS'd the MRI CD to Dr. Frim. They should get it tomorrow and hopefully will look at it right away. More likely it will be by the end of the week. I'll let you know when we know what he sees. Please pray he will see nothing bad, OR that he would find keys to an Escalade in there.
I have to add one more thing, a teaser. In a couple of days I'm going to explain how some people have responded to Molly and our family in this ordeal. Some amazing things have happened through our church and in our community. Be looking for that.
My 5 year old, Daniel, colored a picture for kindergarten. He was supposed to write a sentence about the picture. Here's what he wrote...
Now at first glance it appears that Danny says "The Cubs are not in the World Series" followed by crying "Wah wah wah wahhhhhh." But When I asked him about what he wrote he made that sound like on a game show when you pick the door with the goat behind it. Like this. Hilarious! I'm not even sure where he came up with that. But he sure does understand the Cubs!
Quick update on Molly. She is finishing up her third round of steroids tomorrow, so we hope that will have a good result. But as of today she has had more numbness/tingling in her legs than ever before. Her balance issues are dramatic. She is sleeping a little better, but not nearly enough yet. It's still very worrisome around here, but God is our refuge (we read and prayed Ps 52 with our kids this morning).
Links...
Kung-Fu Election. "Huck-uh-beeee!"
Good Wendell Berry website that I wasn't aware of until a few weeks ago. New Wendell Berry Poetry. New Billy Collins poetry. Poems for autumn.
JD Greear - Multi-Site vs Church Planting. Bill Streger - Great Questions for Pastors. Jonathan Dodson - Redefining Evangelism.
Questions to ask before confronting. Powlison on Friendship Counseling.
BibleArc. Tom Schreiner taught me this at SBTS. Could be a cool resource site. We'll see.
I have this ESV Study Bible. Haven't used it enough to say too awful much (though I like what I've seen), but I do really dig the online version that is available for those who buy a hard copy. Place for notes, highlighting text in different colors, and the full content of the study Bible. I will use the online resource several times a week. You should get one! Westminster is a great place to buy books, especially ESV Bibles.
LEAD for the City conference is streaming video with chat. Loving it, via the Planting Channel.
Tuesday, October 21
9:15 AM - 10:00 AM: Darrin Patrick on “Gospel Centered Repentance”
10:45 AM - 11:30 AM: Eric Mason on “Hybrid Leaders”
1:45 PM - 3:00 PM: Dr. Bryan Chapell on “Christ-Centered Preaching”
Wednesday, October 22
9:15 AM - 10:00 AM: Randy Nabors on “City Leaders”
1:45 PM - 2:30 PM: Matt Carter on “Broken Leaders”
4:45 PM - 5:30 PM: Jonathan McIntosh on “Missional Leaders”
Ray LaMontagne is so good. Just picked up his new CD this week, though I haven't heard it yet. I remember when I got his first CD and I didn't know anyone who knew him. Awesome. Check out his new stuff at MySpace. Here's a video from Ray on Conan (yeah, I know it doesn't fit, whatever)...
New Shearwater EP, The Snow Leopard (iTunes, Amazon). Get it. Get everything from Shearwater. Please.
Jens Lekman singing "Black Cab" while in a Black Cab Session. Really wonderful.
And to give you a bit of an oldie, here's Midnight Oil with "Beds are Burning." Lead singer Peter Garrett is now an Australian politician. Sometimes politics and music can just suck eggs. Other times, like with Midnight Oil, it can be great...
Home from Molly's appointment. It was about 9 hours of life for one appointment. Wowwy. No time to explain, so here's the dealio right quick.
Picked up the kids and headed out. Stopped along the way to get some food. Got to the University of Chicago Hospital on time. Waiting room for 10 minutes, patient room for 1 1/2 hours (with 4 kids in there) before seeing Dr. Frim.
Actually we saw a resident first, then Dr. Frim. Lots of questions and a balance test, which Molly flunked big time. Frim seemed a bit perplexed. The three residents following his lead seemed bored, but they still laughed at my jokes so I think I made their night. :)
Dr. Frim thinks Molly is still struggling with some kind of chemical meningitis as a reaction to the foreign body (tube) he put in. So yet another round of steroids is starting tomorrow and will last for the next 7 days. Near the end of that other anti-inflammatories will begin.
Dr. Frim changed Molly's nausea meds since that is a huge issue right now. He feels quite sure it's directly tube related and will get better in the near future. Also he is throwing a new insomnia medication at Molly hoping it will help her difficulty with sleep. Her current one is helping a little, but not enough. Still very tired. Hope that will change now. Of course Walgreens ran out (there's a sermon illustration there, don't miss it). So I have to run to Wal-Mart in the morning to fill that prescription.
In the next couple of days we will be traveling to Madison, Wisconsin for another battery of MRI's. Hopefully these will show if the spinal fluid flow is better, if there's swelling, etc. Dr. Frim said Madison has good facilities there for the special MRI's Molly needs. Wish we knew that last time around. It will save a bunch of time and money to use Madison. Plus Fuddruckers is on the way. Woohoo!
I asked Dr. Frim about what he thinks will happen at this point and he is still feeling that when some of the above issues are resolved a bit we will see improvement. That remains to be seen, but let's pray to that end. Because of the steroids we are still probably at least another couple of weeks away from knowing if the surgery was a success. I'll update if/when something changes.
Thanks for the many encouraging notes on the blog, Facebook, Twitter, email, etc. Appreciate all of you and your prayers so much as we struggle through this stuff. God is proving His faithfulness again and again to us.
Just wanted to give a heads up and ask for your prayers. I talked with Dr. Frim's nurse this morning and they want Molly in their office late this afternoon. Things with Molly are still very bad. She essentially has all of her symptoms from before the surgery plus terrible nausea, increasing numbness, and more. She is bedridden most of the time with short bursts of up time.
We really need the Molly's neurosurgeon to figure out what's going on. We need some answers and a bit of hope. Please pray.
Sorry not to update you all more, but not much has changed. Molly is laying down most of the day because sitting or standing makes her dizzy/nauseous. She doesn't seem to be getting better from the surgery, or at least she has hit a sticking point. A few days ago we heard from the doctor and it seems that they are growing a bit more concerned with Molly's recovery...or lack of.
Maybe one day soon Molly will wake up and feel much better, but as of today she has all her Chiari symptoms plus some symptoms the surgery, is not sleeping much (at one point slept 2 hours in 2 days), and is emotionally drained.
We assume we will be making a trip to the city this week for a meeting with Dr. Frim to try to figure out what's going on. Should know today, we think. It's going to be a miserable trip if Molly continues to feel nauseous even when stationary. We may need a barf bag donation drive.
Needless to say we are growing more and more frustrated and concerned. Last year was a breeze compared to this. We see no light at the end of the tunnel. It feels like things won't get better. But we also know every rose has its thorn (yeah, I just did that...though I really mean every thorn has its rose). Honestly, God is really teaching us a lot through this stuff. It's provided chances to teach our kids things that would be harder to grasp if it weren't for Molly's problems. Their uncoached prayers have really encouraged us. And we know that through all of this God is working good (Romans 8:28 has been a family devotion passage recently).
Thanks for your continued prayers.
I want to say one more thing. Some folks at our local elementary school (Mary Endres) decided before the surgery to have a spaghetti dinner to help Molly and our family. They are planning food for 300 people! Molly has been very (!) active in our local elementary school since we moved to Woodstock. And now all the work she has put in and the relationships she has made are resulting in a great blessing during a difficult time. We love our local schools, teachers, and workers. We are very thankful for them.
Need some fall tunes? I put up an iTunes iMix: Reformissionary's Autumn.
Check out The Pitchfork 500, coming soon.
Want to pay what you want for the new The Mountain Goats EP, including the option of free? I thought so. One catch. It's called Satanic Messiah and the recommended price is $6.66. They are also limiting the vinal copy releases to 666. For some Christians that's a deal breaker. But you will be missing four very lovely tracks.
The Avett Brothers with their official vid for "Murder in the City." Love this song...
I'll be honest with you. As Molly continues to not get better after brain surgery, we have been struggling with emotion and motivation. So, I offer you the best thing I can think of to get motivated. Awesome...
And if you can't get enough of Marky Mark, I offer you this video which had me in stitches this week and I'm still not sure why...
As found at WashingtonPost.com. Thanks for the emailer who sent it...
Hey all. Here's a brief Molly & Chiari update. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read this.
Molly had surgery 1 1/2 weeks ago (Friday, 9.26...so 12 days post-op). Her first two days in the hospital were unbelievably good. She had energy, recovered quickly, and was happy. So they sent her home. Her last several days at home have been just miserable. She lies down most of the time but isn't getting much sleep. If she tries to stand up and do anything, or sit up and read or watch TV or whatever, she feels terribly nauseous and has to lie back down. That makes her one very frustrated woman. Add to that she has numbness in her feet and hands, regular headaches, and other symptoms of Chiari. She also has some swelling near the incision. Maybe the worst thing is that Molly has a strong appetite for foods that are difficult for me to find. :)
Molly and I have both talked to Dr. Frim's nurse a time or two, and have kept them abreast of how Molly is doing. The accepted explanation is that when you put a foreign body into a human body stuff like this is how you feel for a while. I told you while still at the hospital that this is what they thought would happen after she stopped taking steroids.
Yesterday Molly woke up with some painful spots on her torso. It's as if she feels like she has several bruises on her upper torso and arms. Weird. A call to the nurse led to Molly going to our local family doctor to seek a blood test to check for infection. Our family doctor wanted to meet with Molly to check on her himself and gave us the "ok" on the incision (doesn't look infected from the incision point) and her vital signs. He sent her to get a blood test and the results will be sent to Dr. Frim.
Dr. Frim called in another short round of steroids, including an initial big dose. Molly took the big dose last night and will be taking more the next 2-3 days. This morning she is feeling great! Happy, chatty (too chatty), energized. We know it's probably short lived once she stops taking them again, but it should help her recover a bit faster and at least feel better for a day or two. I should also add that her torso pain is gone as of this morning.
This has been a really difficult time for us. We are all exhausted and concerned about whether or not Chiari symptoms will go away. At least Molly's energy today gives me a chance to do some work on my church. It's been very difficult to find time for that lately. For some context, here's my post 12 days post-op from last year's surgery. Things were much, much better last time around.
We appreciate all of you and your prayers for Molly. Please keep praying.
I hope to get in a few more album/song reviews in the weeks ahead, but I've just been too busy with work and Molly stuff to get to anything of real substance for Music Monday's. That said, here are some great songs.This is a nice cover of "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." (Sufjan)...
Dang! Cut Copy with "Lights & Music" live on Jimmy Neutron's show. Crank it up, stand up, and dance along!...
I have no CD's or downloads from Marissa Nadler, but that may change soon. Great song...
I really like the Fleet Foxes, as my Music Monday posts have shown. Here they are with more glorious harmonies...
This one is for my wife who needs some post-brain surgery inspiration as she struggles with symptoms and recovery...
Two photos at the University of Chicago. The first is one of the beautiful old buildings covered in ivy. The second is the parking garage at the hospital.
Molly Update: Molly has been really worn out, feeling sick to her stomach, and has been in bed most of the time after returning from surgery. Because of that she has been very frustrated and wants to feel better. I'm just trying to remind her to take it slow and realize this is a long term healing thing.
Mark Devine has mentioned me in his new book. The chapter is found here.
Jonathan Dodson: Why Evangelism Methods Must Change, Tools for the Missional Church, & Church Planting Manuals Reviewed.
Ahh, the growing Covenant Theological Seminary Worldwide Classroom. What a great resource.
Justin Taylor: From John Piper's new book, Spectacular Sins, What To Do, and What Not To Do, With Evil.
Mark Driscoll is releasing the book Porn-Again Christian online for free. It will be released progressively over the next several months.
Josh Harris' Preaching Notes series: Mark Driscoll.
Ahh, the baseball playoffs are here. Love it. Love baseball. Inspiration...
It's been a crazy weekend and I didn't listen to any music. But I do have a few cool things for you this Music Monday.
New New Pornographers...
Okkervil River's official video for "Lost Coastlines"...
Two Take-Away Shows from The Walkmen. First "Hey Leah"...
From Crackle: Take-Away Show: The Walkmen - "Hey Leah"
And "I Lost You"...
From Crackle: Take-Away Show: Walkmen - "I Lost You"
New sub•text interview with Ed Stetzer. Teaser: Stetzer uses the words "hostage," "pristine," "bane," and "opulence." Must be an awesome interview.
Section one: Updates on Molly, surgery, hospital stay, & recovery.
Section two: Updates on me, my experiences, reflections, & photos.
Essential Links
Tuesday
2:35pm <> A couple of brief updates. First, we must add because I don't think I've said it so far that the Hilton Our towels at home are exfoliating scrubs compared to them. We almost took one to give to a pregnant mom as her baby's snuggle blanket.
Oh, how's Molly? Good question. Molly is exactly where her doc said she should be. She is coming down off of the steriods and looking and feeling exhausted. She's in bed a lot, resting, healing. Me? I'm doing dishes, cleaning, buying & making food, and searching for a little time to be a pastor. :) God is taking care of my wife and the rest of us. We are very blessed.
Sunday
8:21pm <> Molly is fast asleep, the kids are still up messing around. I'm still keeping them home tomorrow. There's just too much to be done and everything is too hectic to get them there in the morning. We all need a break.
I picked up Molly's meds, including a steroid (strong anti-inflammatory). It's the steroid that is probably to blame for Molly's pep. It really helps. Plus, it will really help her to beat Lance in next summer's Tour de France. She beat me at arm wrestling earlier.
Just so glad to be home with our kids, and even with our cat. I'm strangely more affectionate toward Calvin post-surgery.
We are getting the feeling that Molly will have to wait a couple of weeks before really knowing how she will do with relief of chiari symptoms. She has started having the "jolts" a little today, but nothing major. But the doctor said even prior to today that she may regain some symptoms after the steroids taper off. She will likely have some confusing days ahead for a couple of weeks because of the inflammation the foreign substance will cause. At least that's how we understood the doc.
So if we start talking about some symptoms, I guess the call is to not panic until a bit of time passes. The jolt is the only thing we've seen so far, and it was there after the last surgery when all other symptoms were gone. So no worries yet.
Now, as for things we forgot. I failed to mention that when Dr. Frim put in the stent (tube) he attached it to the brain via what he called a "micro-stitch." He said he's one of the few doctors who do that. So let the stitch/sewing nicknames begin! I like "Steve'o and Stitch." :)
Molly also saw and talked to several nurses from last year. Pretty cool. We even talked to the one who so famously ran Molly into a private room when we needed one so much. It's neat to see people who we remember and who remember us, but we told them we hope to NEVER see them again.
I just want to add that au bon pain has a killer onion dill bagel. Delicious. As we remember other stuff I'll add them here.
6:48pm <> We are home and I'm about to head out and get Molly's stuff from the Pharmacy. Quick trip home and the kids are great (all but the part about going back to school a day early!). I caught Molly organizing clothes in the boys' room! Shameful. I made her rest instead. What a woman. Too bad for you that there is only one of her...and she's mine!
Thanks everyone for praying. We were talking on the way home about a note on the little things I missed mentioning along the way. I'll try to get to that tonight or tomorrow. I also want to update you on Molly's symptoms and what the next few days hold for her. And then tomorrow my Music Monday post will be going up and the blog will go somewhat back to normal.
Thanks to all my readers. You have made the last couple of days more full for us through your prayers, comments, and encouragement. And together we have seen God build a network of pray-ers around the world, who He has responded to with His favor.
2:31pm <> Molly is in the process of finishing up here, then changing into her clothes, then I'll be bringing the van around and picking her up. Could be home at 5-5:30pm-ish, depending on how fast the nurse gets stuff moving, Sunday traffic, and how long it takes to get the kids. Can't wait to get home.
12:54pm <> GUESS WHO'S GOING HOME!!! WOOHOO!!! Dr. Frim and Dr. Ricky Wong just stopped in and they are sending Molly home. Who's pumped? We are, that's who! Now I'm headed to the International House to see if I can get my money back for tonight. Or maybe I'll postpone it and we can stay the night for our post-op appointment in a week and a half. Or maybe they won't refund me and I'll just go home. Whatever. We are just so excited to be going home. Should be a couple of hours or so before the orders go through. If possible I'll update right before we go.
11:28am <> Molly finished a walk up and down the hallway, first with the nurse, then with me, then without holding on to anything. Outstanding! Seriously, she's doing EXTREMELY well. These signs are awesome. And she hasn't had a single "jolt" (a chiari symptom that she had). Really great news so far.
11:20am <> Just a bit ago Dr. Dey and Dr. Yassari came in to see Molly. Dr. Dey doesn't read my blog, so I have lost all respect for her. :) Ah, just kidding Dr. Dey! You've been a real encouragement to us and have always provided info we've needed at the right time.
Dr. Yassari then talked briefly with Molly and was very impressed with her recovery. He said her neck range-of-motion is outstanding for this soon after surgery. I think his words were "better than good" movement. Awesome. Then Dr. Yassari said that she may go home TODAY! Yes, you heard that right. Maybe home 48 hours post-brain surgery! We never even thought that was possible, but honestly Molly is way better now than at any point in the hospital from last year. She's better now than after leaving on Monday and spending two days at home. That's hard for us to believe, but it's true. Thanks for praying! Woohoo!
Now, it still may end up being tomorrow. And if so that's just fine. I've already paid for another night for me at the International House, so we're good. I doubt I can get that prepaid $70 back. :( Bottom line: we want everyone to be confident in doing what's best. But we would obviously love to be home and be with our kids.
Saturday
2.10pm <> Mo
lly is looking at a menu. Good signs of another step in recovery. She has also said she feels much better after this surgery than the previous one.
12:12pm <> Molly is sleeping a ton. Very happy about that. Gonna get out, get some lunch, take some photos, check on housing for tonight, and who knows what else!
10:55am <> Dr. Frim and neurosurgery resident Dr. Yassari (I think he's in his 6th of 7 years of residency) just stopped by ICU. Dr. Frim encouraged Molly to watch college football, which makes me think he said that for my sake. Thanks Dr. Frim! He said Molly will stay in ICU until tomorrow, which is longer than expected. But it seems clear the reasoning is that very few surgeries are done on the weekend, so they probably won't need the room, and it's much more quiet and comfortable in ICU. After a long night in the noisy Recovery unit, this is a nice way for Molly to get a lot of rest.
Dr. Yassari was talking about how he remembered Molly from last time and how he read my blog about the surgery. I didn't know he even knew this existed, so that's pretty cool. I just googled "Dr. Yassari" and my blog is the 3rd hit! Awesome. Honestly, we've really liked all the doctors Molly has seen at the University of Chicago: Frim, Yassari, Yamini (haven't seen him this time, yet), and some of the younger residents like Dr. Dey and a few others I whose names escape me.
10:31am <> I love it! Molly won't shut up. Geez girl, get some rest! Love to see her awake and acting normal-ish.
She is still experiencing some numbness in her hands and feet. It can take some time for symptoms to see much relief, especially since there will be significant swelling from the surgery. But we'd love to say we haven't seen any old symptoms. Pray that they will be banished!
9:45am <> Molly is in ICU now. Going to see her.
9:15am <> I tried to give Molly as much chance to rest last night as possible while still being around regularly. She still has the typical post-surgery exhaustion, but has some increasing pep. I really think she is doing well compared to last time around. I just talked to her on the phone an hour ago and she was sitting in a chair. Very cool.
That said, she is STILL in Recovery. Much of last night she was the only patient in Recovery. Through the grapevine I heard that it wasn't because all the ICU beds were taken, but because there weren't enough ICU nurses to go around. Well, there were enough to go around for every patient but one...Molly. Which means Molly is tougher than all the sissies who need 24 hours of ICU. They can have their TLC and Molly will just sit up in a chair 18 hours after surgery and act like nothing happened. When the nurses ask Molly how much pain she's in, Molly says, "My feet are sore from jogging through the hallways?" When the nurses ask if Molly needs more pain meds, Molly replies, "I've saved all the pills you gave me and built a full size replica of Wrigley Field with my eyes closed." When the nurse asks Molly is she needs to lay down, Molly insists, "The brain surgery itself was so restful that I can't possibly sleep again already." Yeah, you heard me. Molly is tough. :)
I'll let you know when something changes. Should be any time now.
Friday
5:24pm <> No news. Molly is still listed at "Post-Op" and waiting for an ICU bed. Haven't seen her since 4pm.
4:02pm <> I just left Recovery (post-op) where Molly was very groggy. She must have hounded the nurse until they let me in! When I found out earlier that I probably wouldn't see her for a while, I decided to grab some food. I got in only only three bites when I got paged back and sent to Recovery. So lunch/dinner had to wait.
Molly is in a lot of pain, more than last time I think. She has thrown up a couple of times, which was a big issue last time. I think they've figured it out, though, through a different nausea medication. Despite all this Molly is still full of life. For example, the dude in the bed next to her had a post-surgery urge to take a dump. Oh my, I've located the bog of eternal stench in the colon of U of Chicago surgical patient. After the loud grunts and the first hints of fog Molly looked at me wide eyed and said, "Run!" Even after brain surgery Molly is looking out for me.
Pray that an ICU bed would open up soon.
2:18pm <> Word is that Molly may be in recovery (post-op) for some time, just like last year. There is even the possibility of staying the night there. Reason? ICU is completely full for the moment. I'm not sure when I'll get to see her.
2:00pm <> Just got off the family waiting room phone with Dr. Frim. Molly is waking up and all went well. He said there was some scar tissue around the patch he put on last surgery as well as scar tissue that fused together the cerebellar tonsils of her brain. He pulled apart the tonsils and cauterized them a bit so they wouldn't fuse together and close up the space again. He also put in the stent, as mentioned before, in the 4th ventricle to aid spinal fluid flow. Then he tried to make sure the space he created in the last surgery remain as open as possible as he closed things up.
We learned this morning that when brain surgery is done scar tissue is a very common problem. The brain doesn't get exposed to air so when surgery happens a person's brain will start to scar as a defense. Different people react with different levels of scarring. Molly obviously had enough scarring to create new problems, and we hope this will be a significant remedy. We also learned this morning that scarring can happen around a stent and cause it t o get clogged at some point. We hope that would be a long time from now.
As best I can tell the signs are good for this surgery to have a very good effect. The incision is going to be slightly longer, as Dr. Frim needed a little more space to explore a bit and make sure there wasn't something else he could do to help. Thank you so much for praying! We are very thankful for all of you.
12:57pm <> Wow! I was just told by the receptionist in the family waiting room that the surgery nurse called and said the surgery is nearly over! How do you finish a surgery that much faster than expected? Maybe Dr. Frim just knew something that the other pre-op folks didn't know. More as soon as I know more.
12:50pm <> Sorry for a later-than-expected first update. Twitter has been a perfect place for most of my updates, so make sure you follow there. There are lots of pics there already.
We stayed last night at the Chicago Hilton, 18th floor. Beautiful place with a view of Lake Michigan, Navy Pier, Soldier Field, and the museums (Field, Science & Industry, Adler Planetarium). I'll see if I had any photos turn out later on. We watched a movie and tried to relax. Difficult to do.
We both woke up too early this morning, a bit restless. Showers, some news on TV, no food or drink of course. Checked out and paid cash thanks to some very faithful and loving church members. Drove out and made it to the hospital in 15 minutes. So easy and convenient! Very thankful we stayed downtown.
Showed up at the University of Chicago Hospital on time, to the family waiting room. A little paperwork and then to pre-op. Molly got into her gown, more paperwork, 3 tries at an IV thanks to Molly's veins, still more paperwork, a hit of something to relax Molly, a kiss and she was wheeled off. If you haven't seen Molly choosing the stent for herself, it's funny. It was all her idea too.
The surgery didn't officially start until 11:49am, a lot later than expected. I heard the surgeon was unwilling to start until he beat his fastest time at Minesweeper. Tall order. Now, just waiting. Should be about 3 hours, so 3pm or so. I'm supposed to hear something at about 2 hours.
Sunday
2:25pm <> I paid for 2 nights in advance at the International House (not "Of Pancakes," but the place I slept last night). I went and got the stuff out of my room and asked if they could give me money back for tonight. I wasn't all that optimistic. Barbara, the nice lady behind the desk there, was so excited that my brain surgery wife is going home early that she didn't even make me pay the $30 for late check out. Very cool. We'll get a check in the mail for reimbursement in a couple of weeks.
11:54am <> As I've been praying today for my church I've been thinking about how thankful I am for the folks I pastor. They have been praying, supporting us, and doing what needs to be done while we are out of pocket. I'm very thankful this morning for Jeff Temple who is preaching. He's a good teacher and a good friend. His family is also keeping our kids. Jeff's wife Saralyn has been so sacrificial as she has had 7 kids (her 3 and our 4) to care for. What a great family. I'm also very thankful for good friends from Joe Thorn's church, Rob and Shannon, who are leading worship as our worship guy is away. Thanks to all.
Saturday
12:06pm <> Put some new photos up on Flickr.
11:22am <> Just added some blue text highlights so you can more easily follow what's happening at a glance.
11:11am <> I forgot to mention something that happened at the Chicago Hilton on the morning of Molly's surgery. It's not important, but it's funny and indelible. Our room had a beautiful view including a view across the courtyard of more of the Hilton building. On Friday morning a lady in a room across the courtyard, curtains wide open, decided to parade around in her room in full view with nothing on. Trust me when I say that I wish, I SOOOO wish, she was fully clothed or that the curtain was pulled. Not good. But it made for a moment of humor for Molly and me on a very stressful morning. Strangely, the event is worth recording for all to read. :)
9:45am <> I know some of you will kick me in the teeth for this, but yeah, I slept in the van last night. Well, not much. I took 3-4 short naps during the night and it was very helpful. I'm not that tired and I think can get through the day. I'm hoping to get a room at the International House on campus tonight and tomorrow night, but they are supposed to be very busy as there are many events going on. Pray I can get a room!
Friday
5:30pm <> For some reason I can't get Twitterfox to work right now. It's been useful only occasionally. Mostly using the phone to post to Twitter, and my phone is charging at the moment. But there isn't all that much to Twitter right now anyway.
5:24pm <> Ate a Greek pasta salad for lunch/dinner. Really good with rotini, tomatoes, black olives, feta cheese.
Otherwise I'm beat. Mental, physical, emotional exhaustion. But the chocolate dipped shortbread cookie helped. :)
2:18pm <> Feeling relief after hearing that Molly is out of surgery. Hungry and looking for food after this update goes up.
12:50pm <> After Molly went into surgery I returned to the family waiting room with Molly's stuff. The receptionist said my brother came to see me. Wasn't expecting that. For those who remember last year, I have no desire to sit with someone during the surgery. I like to be alone, praying, blogging, etc. But, if he's here he's here.
Since he wasn't in the waiting room I had to look for him. I needed to eat anyway so I headed for au bon pain. He was sitting just outside. He said that Dad warned him NOT to come and sit with me, but he chose to risk it since it was only for a few minutes. Come to find out Scott was already in Chicago for the Illinois Municipal League convention...which is held at the Hilton! How awesome is that? He was staying 10 floors below us last night and none of us knew it. I also found out Scott was probably eating and we walked right by him. Pretty cool.
He and his wife will also be at the Hilton tonight and said I could crash there if need be. Also pretty cool. Good of Scott to stop by. Nice to see a familiar face just as I was pulled away from my wife. Thankful for my brother.
Hey all. I think we are finally starting to relax. If you don't know already, Molly's second Chiari I Malformation surgery is coming up Friday at 10am. Right now we are spending a lot of time talking and processing what we are thinking and what's coming, and getting all the pre-surgery preparations for us and the kids finished up.
I'm also still working on an upcoming sermon series, getting stuff finished up for this week's service (which I obviously won't be attending), and doing various other administrative and planning things.
Here's the next few days...
Tonight: Getting gelato with Molly and the kiddos and relaxing.
Thursday: Kids have 1/2 day of school, home at about noon. Spending a few hours with them: eating lunch, watching old family videos, having fun. Dropping them off late afternoon-ish at friends' house in Crystal Lake, IL. They will be keeping the kids until we return from the hospital. After dropping off the kids we will be driving to Schaumburg, IL to eat at PF Changs. Two church members gave us a gift card. Woohoo! Then we drive to the Chicago Hilton, which is quite expensive but only 15 minutes from the hospital. It will help us a lot to have a great night sleep and not worry about traffic.
Friday: We get up early and make sure we don't get to the hospital late. Need to be there at 9am for pre-op. Molly has surgery at 10am, should be out of surgery in early afternoon. Then to ICU for 24 hours or so.
Saturday: Sometime in the afternoon (24 hours after surgery) Molly will move to a regular room in neurosurgery recovery area.
Sunday: A long recovery day.
Monday: Hopfully Molly's last day at the hospital. Last year we were home by 3:30pm or so. If all goes well, that's probably a best case scenario. It may run into Tuesday.
Like last year I will be blogging the whole thing in one long post with the most current updates at the top. I will probably put up that post tomorrow. Last year it was titled "Operation Chiari Freedom." I'm not sure what I will call this one. Maybe "Operation Flex-i-Straw Insertion" or "Operation 'I Drink Your Milkshake'" or "Operation Chiari Smackdown." :) I will also be Twittering feverishly. That's where I will have the most photos, give brief and immediate updates, etc. I may even send myself on "assignments." What does that mean? Stay tuned!
Thanks for praying. Gonna be a long and painful weekend, but we have every confidence in the goodness and mercy of God.
Some good stuff on Amazon's music download specials including a nice Jazz album and Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Sale prices end today for these albums.
Black Cab Session with Fleet Foxes. Wow, this is good...
My wife's surgery is Friday, so here's one for her. Crank it up...
