Dad Update 2

My dad has been at LifeCare, a treatment facility in Rocky Mount, for a week now. We are very pleased with the treatment that he is receiving and feel blessed that he was able to be placed there. That being said, sadly, his bedsore is not healing; it's actually larger. The wound care specialist tried to debrid it this morning, but my dad bled too much and they had to stop. They will try to clean it out again on Friday. He's lost 6lbs in a week, which is mainly due to his Huntington's. Unfortunately, without proper nutrients, his wound will not heal, so it's a continuous battle. The folks at LifeCare are focusing on getting as much good nutrition in him as they can, but you can't make him open his mouth or swallow, he's got to do that. Let this be a lesson to us all, be thankful to God for the simplest of things, things like swallowing or chewing without getting choked. Continue to pray for healing and cooperative eating. Pray that we will rejoice in all circumstances trusting that all of this will result in God's glory!

Update on my Dad

I wanted to update everyone on my dad's health status. He has been inpatient at Martin General Hospital for a week now due to a severely infected bedsore. He had a port surgically placed yesterday and also had the wound cleaned. The port was placed so that he can receive iv antibiotics for the next 6 weeks. His frequent erratic movements to Huntington's chorea caused him to pull out traditional ivs. He will be discharged tomorrow to a special hospital in Rocky Mount called LifeCare, where he'll stay for 4 wks, and then he'll be discharged to a skilled nursing facility for a final two weeks of antibiotics. I know that sounds like a lot, but we know this long-term treatment will be the best way to insure daddy's infection is completely treated. My family has been so encouraged by everyone's caring thoughts and prayers. You can continue to pray for my dad's healing, for his ability to eat to improve, for a smooth transition for him to Rocky Mount tomorrow, as well as for my mom and myself as we learn to work together to care well for daddy and my Nana.

Speaking of Nana, I just want to record how proud I am of Berkley and Meredith these past couple of days that they've gone with me by myself to visit Nana. I'm so used to having my mom with me to help, I've been fearful of taking them on my own. The twins have followed my directions (for the most part) of holding my hands walking inside, staying close-by once inside, and have been vey cooperative once inside. I'm especially proud of how they have helped me care for Nana and loved on her. I'm praying that this will all be a learning experience for them in the gift of serving others and how that pleases God. Plus it's just great to see my Nana's smile when the walk into see her:)

Welcome Home

We've been out of our Greenville home for a full week now and the twins will be spending their 3rd night in Jamesville tonight. Thus far, Berkley and Meredith seem to love our new home. They have a playroom for the first time, which they love, and so do I! They love the huge back yard where they can run free, while I'm watching them of course. A highlight of their first night in Jamesville was walking to the Post Office to pick up the mail. It took about 15 minutes and it was so peaceful and quiet. Steven and I are enjoying the small community atmosphere of Jamesville immensely and I for one am loving living in my grandparents family home. I've had the opportunity of going through lots of pictures and treasures over the last week, treasures to me at least. I found a birthday card from my Nana to my Papa with a check enclosed made out for love and a happy life. One thing is evident from all the papers and picture I've seen, my Nana adores her husband, her children, and God. I've found lots of handwritten Bible lessons encouraging people to meditate on how they can let their light shine for Christ. I've found birthday and mother's day cards as old, if not older than I am. A really cool thing was a thank you note that my mom wrote to my grandmother's church after my birth. It was sweet to see my mom's heart at the time of my arrival. I can honestly say that my grandparent's house has come to life over the last week, it feels like it's happy to have children in it. I've always been a very nostalgic person and living in the Blount family home has certainly brought that spirit out in me. I love to think about my mom as a child in this home, how my Papa would ride his bike down the street that I'm walking down, I love to sit at the table where my great-grandparents sat. There are so many other remembrances that I could share, but I don't want to keep you, my readers, too long. But, just in case you were wondering, we're enjoying our new home. We're not fully settled by any measure and we certainly miss our friends and the convenience of Greenville, but overall, we're very content at the moment