It's been 6 months already...

It's hard to believe that it's already been six months since I was at Mayo being operated on...but, it has and I'm still thanking the Lord for what He did in our lives by allowing me to have some more years to move about freely and be active (well almost active, I'm not really the "active" type).

Lowell and I will leave Monday AM and drive down to Jacksonville, FL so that I can be there bright and early Tues. AM. I first go to have X-Rays and then about an hour and a half later on to get a C-Scan done. We'll hang around there for a while and then go on to the Dr.'s appointment to hear how well I'm doing. : D And to that I will again Praise the Lord for His mercy and goodness to me.

Someone ask Barbara if I was a good patient and did as well as I have been reporting....well, let's just say she told it like it was....and no, I wasn't the model patient that I had hoped I would be. I tried to explain to her that it was because of the drugs that I acted that way...I'm not sure that she bought all of that, but never the less "that's my story and I'm sticking to it!" The drugs did make me so sleepy and that was ALL I wanted to do, but they kept telling me I had to get up and "move"..... I don't like to move when I'm not on drugs and sleepy, what made them think that I would when on them? Go figure! Anyway, we are 6 months down the road and now I'm back to almost normal. Well, let's face it, I'm not the young thing I was when they were growing up, but I'm not in a wheel chair either, so all in all we are ALL very thankful. My hips bother me still, and I guess always will due to the arthritics, but it's not like it was when I couldn't type, put on my ear rings, button buttons, or write my name. I'm back to doing all of that, plus taking care of the Lowell and the house, so I'm back to normal.

Do you remember me asking you to pray for an unspoken request? Well, for those of you who have been I want to thank you and ask you to continue. The Lord has been good to give me some answers and it seems to be working well for us. I am just thankful that the Lord knows what we have need of and will be faithful to work in His own time frame, but I must admit that it isn't always easy to "wait on Him", maybe that's why it says, "and AGAIN I say, wait on the Lord." Guess He knew that I'd need that extra reminder. Keep praying because it is important, not only to us, but to the ministry of the Lord's work.

Today we got a call from Lowell's niece telling us that her mother (Lowell's youngest sister of the 3 sisters) is in the hospital and that she will be moved to a Hospice Wing when she is ready to be moved. We don't know God's timing in this either, but we know that He already has it all planned, and that His ways aren't always ours, but they've been proved to be best. We are going on with our plans to go to FL and they have our cell numbers. We'll take it one day at a time, and go as far as we're able. At this time we're thinking we'd go up in case we would have need to, but I would wish that we wouldn't have to. To be honest, I really don't want to fly, but pray for me in case I have to. When we were going to go this past summer we were going to drive and we will drive when we go up this summer if we do, but to drive up (2 days one way) in the winter is a little more then I think we should try. Pray for her (Dee) and for us if we should need to go.

Also, Lowell's oldest sister has cancer. She has done well, in that she hasn't been sick with it, and has been taking some chemo for it. There is a spot on her lung which they have been watching. When they checked last time the chemo wasn't making it any smaller, but then it wasn't getting any larger either. Pray for wisdom for she and the Doctors as they plan her next course of action. She is so healthy that it has surprised them all at her condition....only the Lord could do this and again we thank Him for His goodness to us all. But she (Leta) and Dee both need our support in prayer. Thank you for this also.

Seems like I really am asking you to pray for us a lot, but you know you're my friend and you always have said, "Tell me what I can do to help" ~ well, pray for us please.

Well, this should bring you up to date on what's going on around here. When we get back I'll post again and let you know how we are all doing. I hate it when I've been praying and then never "hear" how the thing I was praying about turned out.

Thank you for your faithful friendship to me during this time in my life. A friend ask me the other day "What have you learned in all of this you've been through?" I told her one of the things was just how much your friendship and prayers meant to me ~ but how over whelming it all has been too. It's hard to believe that so many people would love me enough to give of themselves and their time to pray for me. I know that you did though, I'm typing this blog!!

Just thought of something ~ this must be a little of what Paul felt when he said he was writing in his own hand.....I'm typing this in my own hand!

Guess you wish I were feeling so well and had stopped a long time ago... : /

I will let you go, but again THANK YOU for your support and love, it means so much!

My love and prayers for you,

Georgie

I just wrote a whole page full and now it's gone....I forgot to "publish post" so now I've got to do it all over again : (

What I said among other things is that next week (1/19) I go back to Mayo for my 6 month check-up.

Tell you what I'm going to do.... when I get back I'll tell you what the Doctor said.....guess I wasn't suppose to post so much or I wouldn't have lost it : / God is still "working on me"

Keep praying for us and I'll get back with you when we get back.

Georgie

Went to Physical Therapy and...

I went to Physical Therapy on Friday and it went well. Well, in that it doesn't look like I'll have to go more then a month and possibly not even that long. The reason is that there isn't really a lot they can do to help me improve from where I am at this point. It was worth the visit though to learn "how to sleep". A big part of my pain in my right shoulder was coming from the way (position) that I was laying and he helped me with that. I need to sleep with 4 pillows : D who knew? Sounds crazy but it really does make a difference in the morning when I wake up. Of course it's a pain during the night when I want to roll over to the other side, but I'm learning that I can go right back to sleep. The main thing that changed was putting a pillow under my abdomen which lifts the right shoulder some so it doesn't roll under causing it to hurt when I wake up. (Just in case some of you were wondering.) I've gone back to driving and that has been wonderful, but I just have to be real careful when pulling out into traffic. I can turn my head to the right a little more then I can to the left. I find I need to turn my body to the left in order to see better. I'm being very careful and so far I'm doing OK. I also try to pull into (or through) a parking space so I don't have to back out...that helps a lot too. All in all I'm getting stronger each day and for this I thank the Lord for His goodness and safe keeping.

Lowell was suppose to get cataracts removed from each of his eyes (one this month and the other one next month) but he told me today that he went back to the Dr. and told him to just refill the order for glasses that he had and that he'll get it done a year from now (maybe). : / Oh well, what does the Dr. know? : D Lowell kept telling the Dr. that he isn't having any problem seeing and that all he needs is to have his glasses fixed...they couldn't be fixed so they are having to replace them (the frame couldn't be fixed). We'll just wait and see I guess.

I still have a prayer request that is a concern of mine, but I can't yet give any of the details. I know that God is able and that He has a perfect plan and will in the matter, but I really think it needs to be addressed and yet, I don't have any answers to the situation or peace about it....so I continue to pray and trust the Lord. He hath begun "this work" and I'm going to trust and wait on Him to complete it. Thank you for joining with me in this matter. I really do appreciate it.

I can't believe that summer has come and gone and now it's the "holidays" again. Joy and her family will be going to FL to be with Michael's family for Thanksgiving. It will be a bitter/sweet one for them as this time last year Michael's brother was fighting cancer and went home to the Lord just before Thanksgiving. So this will be hard for all of them. Pray for them during the weekend if you think of it. Barbara and her family will be here with us and we'll have Thanksgiving together, along with some of the families from BBN that live out here close by us. We always came here before, but now it seems easier to go to her house since the kids are all bigger and they have the Wii (don't know how you spell it for sure) and other things for the kids now that they are older. So I don't know just where we will celebrate, but anywhere is fine with me....I just love all of us being together. The day after Thanksgiving we usually put up the Christmas decorations and enjoy them for the whole month (we take them down just afterwards). So it won't be long and we'll be in 2010! Now that's hard to believe.....seems like it was just 1999 and we were concerned about the computers (especially at BBN). How time flies!

Well, speaking about time flying, I best get off of here and go get my supper started. Lowell will be home soon and I won't be ready for him : D You take care and again I want to thank each one of you for praying and in advance Thank You for continuing to ~ I really do appreciate the love and concern that you've shown for me.

In His care I remain,

Georgie

It's been 3 mos now....

Well, the trip to Mayo has come and gone and now all I have to do is continue to wait (upon the Lord). Funny, but after waiting so long to finally get married (41 years ago) I thought that I'd never have to "wait" again...WRONG....I'm still waiting.

The doctor said everything looked good and that I could take the brace off (and wear it as I needed to), drive (but very carefully), and continue to do my housework (but to do nothing that caused pain) : ) That was nice to hear, because now I don't have to do anything that causes pain...and that could cover a lot of different areas. : ) That was all the good news, but the news that I wasn't expecting was that this is going to be a 2 year process. I had to go back at 6 wks., 3 mos., 6 mos., 1 year and then at the end of the 2nd year....WHO KNEW! I thought that this visit was the end of my "life at Mayo" and come to find out I've only begun. What it did show me was that this was really a "bigger deal" then I ever realized. I guess I'm really glad that I didn't know all of this before hand or I may have been more fearful then I was. I thought that at the end of the 3 months that I would be completely healed and ready to go. Come to find out that it will take at least 9 mos. for some of it to heal (and maybe even longer) and 2 years for it to "completely" heal.

All of this just reaffirm that the Lord surely did a wonderful work on my behalf and in answer to the many prayers that have been prayed. Lowell and I stayed gone from here the rest of the week to just rest and "regroup" some. During the week we talked about "what if" and realized again that the Lord had really directed our steps during all of this. I could be in a wheelchair right not and unable to type or do anything with my hands and fingers, plus not able to walk either. I can't get over even my handwriting and the difference the surgery made. I had really become unable to write anything and hadn't typed for some time before the surgery. It is amazing how much I had lost in just that one week before the surgery, now I understand better why the doctor was so insistent that I have it done "now" and not wait a week or two. God is so good to bring the right people into our life at the right time...all we have to do is follow.

I have to go to physical therapy for my neck and will begin that this Friday. I've been without my brace for a week now and I can already see a difference in now and when I took it off a week ago. When I first took it off my head seem wobbly but each day it seems to have gotten stronger. I'm sure that in a few weeks of exercise it will be much stronger. So all in all it was a good week and I'm looking forward to getting back to "normal" what ever that may be for me. The doctor did say that I will never really be back to normal since there was some permanent damage done before I had the surgery and that will never be changed. : ) Aging, there are some benefits but there are some problems too. Just a new chapter in my book of life that's being written.

Just before we left town Lowell broke his glasses and they couldn't be fixed, so we went to the eye doctor for an exam since it was time to anyway and if he was going to have to get new glasses he might as well get them right....well, the doctor said there was no reason to give him new glasses yet because he has cataracts on each eye that need to be removed first. : / Lowell wasn't real happy to hear this news and it's taken him a week to agree that maybe the Dr. was right. We go this Thurs. for an exam with the surgeon and then the earliest he can get it done is the first part of Dec. (They say that Nov. & Dec. are the two busiest months of the year, because of it being so close to the end of the year and everyone wants to get it "in" before the end of the year.) So that will be our next little venture I guess. : )

Well, that sort of catches you up on what's going on in my life and again I do thank each and everyone of you for praying for me. As I mentioned in my last post I do have another matter of concern to me that I'd ask you to pray about. I'm still not able to give you any details, but the Lord is well aware of it all and He will know just what you are referring to when you make your request known unto Him. Yesterday at church the sermon was right to me....it was... God Is Able. This of course wasn't new truth to me, but it was a good reminder to me that He knows all about what is going on and He is concerned about it and will work according to His plan and purpose. I know this, but sometimes it's just good to be reminded of it. I know He has His timing and I'm waiting on Him (but it seems to me "now" would be a good time to answer our plea). So if you'll join with me again I sure would appreciate it ~ it really is important.

Again, I thank you for your love and concern for me over these past few months, I really appreciate it.

Georgie

Phil. 1:3

3 Months Have Passed

It's hard to believe that it's now been three months since my surgery (the 28th) and I'm going in on Monday (the 26th) for my last visit ~ at lease I think that's what I'm doing. In some ways it's been a long 3 months and then in other ways it's gone by so fast....funny how time plays tricks on your mind isn't it?

As I go back I've got a list of questions. I told Joy this the other day and she said, "Funny how much you didn't understand as you went into this. I think you were in a state of shock at the time." I thought about that and I think she was right, I know she was. I had no idea all that would be involved in this or how long it would take me to get back to "normal" (I still don't feel like I'm there even yet). I didn't understand that you gain some things, but then you lose others. Like - I'm not in the wheelchair anymore and I'm able to use my hands and fingers to feed myself and do the "little" things in life that we take for granted (like dress myself completely). For all this I am very thankful, but I didn't realize that my back (shoulders) would hurt like they do, or that my head would feel so funny and heavy to hold up, or that my arm would still have that pain like it does. However, all these little problems are small compared to not being able to walk or use my hands. I still walk a little funny. I'm not sure if it's because of the surgery or just in my head ~ I'm still so aware that I could fall and I'm afraid of that happening....so I walk very carefully. Perhaps after they send me on to physical therapy I'll be able to do better. We'll just wait and see.

I'll try to get back to the blog after our trip down to Mayo. It will be a week or so (unless I can get Barbara to fill in for me). After we finish at Mayo on Monday we're going on down into FL to rest lay in the sun and swim in the pool! We are both ready to do this, but especially Lowell. This has been a really hard summer for him and a lot of pressure. He is used to battles, but he doesn't handle them as well when they involve family and believe me this was a big summer for him. He needs to hear the Dr. say that I'm OK and can get back to normal and then to rest and let his mind stop spinning. He's 76 and still working a full 40+ hours a week and his poor mind just spins all the time. If you're looking for something to really pray about, pray for him. He also found out yesterday that he has a cataract on both eyes and they are ripe. He doesn't want to hear it and he sure doesn't want to do anything about it. He says he sees just fine and doesn't need it. Ummm, well, even the Dr. said, "You're not seeing as well as you think you are." Just pray for him, he's a man and isn't going to go down with out a fight...or something like that.

There are other things that I'd like prayer for too, but this isn't the time or place to go into it all. Just know that we continue to stand in need of your prayers. These last 3 months I've seen first hand what it means to have people praying for you. You know what? I need it! I need it for my physical well being, emotionally, and spiritually. The best thing is that spiritually I know that He has begun a good work in my life and body and that He WILL complete it for His glory. He has been so good to teach me several things this summer, but believe me I haven't learned it all by any means, so keep praying.

Again, I thank each and every one of you who have prayed. The Lord has heard your request and has answered according to His plan and purpose for my life.

Thank You, so much!!

Georgie ~ or better known as Momma : )

Six Weeks Done and Counting!

Thank you for praying and standing by me these last several weeks, six to be exact! We made the trip to Mayo this week and the Lord saw us down and back with no problems. We left out of here about 9:00 AM on Wed and got into the motel around 3:30 or so. We went to Mayo and I was a little early for my appointment (e-ray of neck) and was done by the time it was "time" for my appointment, so we moved on to the next one.....and yes, they to saw us early (just to check that we had insurance)........so, we moved on from there. We went up to my surgeons office since we had to "wait" somewhere..... we got there about 1:15 and the appointment was at 3:45 : ) This is where the buck stopped! We were called back about 4:05 and saw him shortly afterwards. In a funny kind of way it was good to see him again. He really is such a nice "kid" and the kind of person you'd like to see at your church each week. Just so nice.

He was very pleased with the way I could walk, the way it was healing and the way it looked on the e-rays. We all know that we serve an "answering" God and it was clearly all due to the many prayers that went up on my behalf...... again, and again, THANK YOU!

I have been on a medicine to help heal the damaged nurves in my right arm, but it knocks me out ....... I'm talking sleeping way to much and being like a bear when you wake me up. Lowell even said he thinks I need to "come off it" : ) and he's right. So he said I could start wheining off it, which makes us all happy......I'm only taking one a day now (was taking 3 a day) and I've been awake all day today! Even went to the store to pick up a few things! First time in a long time, just ask the grandkids......each time they come over there isn't "anything" to eat!

The Dr. said I can't drive for at least 6 more weeks and then I have to take it "slow" getting back into it.....my neck isn't going to move from side to side as quickly as it use to : / I also have to keep using the brace for 6 more weeks too. BUT the good news is no exercise for my neck or shoulders for 6 more weeks either! I'm sorry, buy I just don't like exercise, but I know it's coming and I'm going to need it too. But the Lord will meet that need too I know.

Well, I just wanted to let you know how I am doing......just fine ! I hope to make it back to church tomorrow morning. It will be so good to get back, that's for sure.

Again thank you for your love and for showing it to me by praying for me. In case you've forgotten, God does answer prayer and I'm proof of it..... THANKS!!