Keeping Up With The Jones

Thank you to all who have prayed, encouraged and been The Hands and Feet of Jesus through our very challenging adventures this week.

If you are just catching up with the Jones, this was the week that was.

Monday morning — normal day.

Monday afternoon — Jay spontaneously had a severe nosebleed that would not stop.  Transported by EMS to hospital ER.  Many treatments tried.  Finally bleeding controlled.  Sent home.

Tuesday — Things were looking up.  No new bleeding.  Beginning to believe Monday was just a big bump in the road, but we were ok again.

Wednesday morning — normal day

Wednesday afternoon — Nosebleed returned with a vengeance.  Back to the ER for a whole new team of doctors to try their skills.  Many treatments tried, but still things looked tentative.  Nose packed with something that looked like a balloon hot dog.  Sent home.  Referred to ENT for next day, but ENT could not see him until Friday.

Wednesday night — Jay was profoundly uncomfortable and restless from all the medicines tried on him and having a “hot dog” up his nose.

Tried to find comfortable place to sleep to no avail.  Finally decided to take maximum amount of sleeping medication and sleep in recliner in home office.

I went downstairs.  Jay appeared to be sleeping well in recliner.  I heard a big noise.  I ran back upstairs.

Jay had decided to put the recliner all the way back.  The back of the recliner broke.  I found Jay laying on recliner, head now on floor, feet up in the air.  Hot dog still intact.

Sleeping medicine had kicked in.  Jay too drowsy to follow commands clearly to extract him from recliner and get him off the floor.  I’ll spare you the details and cut to the chase.  Let’s just say, if it had not been terrifying, it would have been funny.

By The Grace and Mercy of God, and the whole team of guardian angels who watch over Jay, I got Jay off the floor and walked him to bed.  Tucked him in.  One hour later he was up again.

This continued until finally he went to sleep and I got some sleep.

Thursday — Extremely long day.  I got up and Jay was no where to be found upstairs.  I went into panic mode, wondering if he had gone out the front door in his sleep.  No, thank The Lord.

He had moved to the couch downstairs.  He was asleep.  There was no new bleeding, but Jay’s whole nose had gotten much bigger.

I then discovered he had sent me a text message telling me he was going to move downstairs.  He thoughtfully did not want to disturb my sleep.

On Thursday he was becoming progressively weaker and more somnolent.  He could hardly walk from the couch to the bathroom.  I was frightened.  Thursday was a long physical battle for Jay and a long spiritual battle for me.

Today Friday — We saw the ENT.  He removed the “hot dog.”  He did a thorough examination, including a scope of Jay’s nose.  He could find no specific area of bleeding.  He does not think it relates to blood pressure as it was originally thought.

So we are still baffled.  Instead of continuing to ask “why,” we are concentrating on the hopeful healthy future.

The doctor came up with a new treatment plan.  He hopes it will be adequate to prevent a recurrence.  He says it is now a “wait and see” situation.  

Jay continues to be weak, but is showing hopeful signs of rallying.   He was able to stay up longer, eat more, and even joke around and smile more.

It astounds me how much life can change in a second.  And how that time compression can simultaneously stretch itself.  This week has seemed several months long.

It has also been a time of testing in my own personal desert.  Old doubts and fears were laid bare.  New doubts and fears rose up.  

And yet God reminded me at every turn that He was still there, guiding, guarding, comforting, making good on every Promise He has ever made.

God is the ultimate Labor Coach.  He does not always stop the suffering.  He helps us go through it.  And He delivers new life from it.

Please continue to pray for Jay.  He is truly The Love of My Life.  I look forward to his being completely well again.  I still have a bunch of things I would like him to do, including fixing the recliner!

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Isaiah 40:29