"Do not attribute to secondary means that which ought to be ascribed to God alone. His fresh air, and warm sun, or bracing wind, and refreshing showers do more for our healing than we dream of, or if medicine be used, it is he who gives virtue to the drugs, and so by his own Almighty hand works out our cure."
Charles H. Spurgeon

Post Opt Day 5

Today has been much better since the episode of nausea around 9 this morning. The medication she received for nausea about 10 made her quite drowsy so she has slept quite a bit. I also think the sleeping is a sign of less pain and a sign that her body is so tired from the past weeks. She needs all the sleep she can get. They moved us over to 6D finally which is more like a regular hospital floor on the transplant unit. Lacey rode the wheelchair over here then got up and walked over 300 feet down the hall and did some upper body range of motion with the therapists. They continue to be amazed at her strength and drive to get better. As for her attitude, it has been much better since this morning and i think the nausea was discouraging since that was one of the main problems prior to the surgery. The doctor came by and ensured her that the nausea was expected for several days but would get better. Just the thought that nausea before the surgery, then big operation, then more nausea after surgery seems to be discouraging because the surgery is supposed to "fix" it all. The doctors say things will get better but progress comes slowly since her entire stomach and intestines were rearranged and are just now beginning to "wake up." They did clamp off the nasogastric tube about 6 hours ago to see how her stomach would react and so far she's had no nausea since around 9. We'll continue to see how she does as the nausea medications wear off and her stomach continues to wake up. I would guess that if she does well for 24 hours with the tube clamped and begins to see signs of her intestines moving they should remove the nasal tube tomorrow. I have also noted quite a bit less drainage from her tube coming out of the wound and doctors said when drainage is less than 50ml a day, that tube could be removed. I think it was 150 yesterday so maybe by tomorrow it'll be able to be taken out also. Things are looking better, but Lacey still has quite a long recovery. Not sure how much longer we'll be hospitalized, i would guess at least 7 more days, then we'll spend about 7-10 days here in the city to see how her body reacts to food and activity before the doctors will let us return home. Please continue to pray for us as we continue heal and get closer to coming home. Pray for me specifically because i get homesick on vacations, so you must know i'm getting homesick here because this is far from an enjoyable vacation! God continues to amaze us daily. Hope you enjoyed the pictures, maybe they'll be more later.

Few Pics

Battle Scar

View from Hospital Room of the Mighty MS

Sunrise from Hospital Room

Post Opt Night 5

The nights seem to be continually getting better for Lacey. She has been getting nauseated slightly more the past few days than she did right after surgery and last night they gave her some nausea med around 8 and she slept well through the night. She did have some pains around 3am and she was able, with the help of her daddy, get up and walk down the hall to a sitting area. She sat in the chair for about 30 min and went on back to bed where she slept pretty good til around 9. She woke up again about 9am with nausea and after waiting over an hour for meds to come from pharmacy, the nausea got near out of control but there was no vomitting or even heaving (which would have been terrible on a 6 inch surgery wound). They got her the meds and she is now resting as I write this.
All reports from doctors have been good, and the surgery team is very impressed and happy at how Lacey has progressed. She is a hard worker and continues to press on with hopes of going home. She did have some times last night and this morning when she became quite discouraged, as we all might be after so many days in the hospital. For times like these, we encourage Lacey to keep fighting and keep up her faith in our God, who has providentially led us to the place and time where we now are. We serve a faithful God, and He is our rock and our shield. May we be conduits of his love and vessels to his glory as these trying days continue.
The doctors are planning at some point to move Lacey out of this room in the intermediate care unit (which is a step down from ICU) and into a room on the transplant unit. We have requested a private room, since most rooms here are double rooms. They have said we could get a private room and we should be moved over to another hall today or tomorrow. Although she's having slighty more nausea, it is still very evident that lacey continues to improve and from all we've heard, nausea is a common problem for the first week or more after surgery. The doctors also decided this morning to attempt to clamp off the tube draining her stomach to see how she would tolerate it. Her gut hasn't began to wake up from surgery good yet and the doctors are hoping that in the next day or two they'll be able to remove that tube from her nose and she'll be able to start a liquid diet. So clamping the tube will give doctors an idea of how she'll do before they pull it out, so in case it's not time, they won't have to reinsert.
Please continue to hold us up in your prayers as we continue to spend time in the hospital and away from our home, our church, our families, and our dearest baby girl. Thank you all for all the comments of encouragement on the blog and facebook and emails. Thank you also for the e-cards, I read them all to Lacey and she may not remember them but they encourage her at the moment i read them. I am saving them all for Lacey to read as she recovers. She still is not completely aware of the depth of love and support we've received from family, friends, doctors, and even people we don't know around the country. Thank you.

From the prophet Jeremiah to the exiles that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jeruselem to Babylon. It would take 70 years but the Lord promised to bring the people back, restore their fortunes and gather them in. Suffering may last for a time, but God will hold to his promises:

Jememiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Our addresses for those who have asked

Hospital address:

Lacey Bolling - Room 6-227
University of Minnesota Medical Center - Fairview
420 Delaware Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455


Hotel Address:

Marriot Townplace Suites
525 N 2nd Street
Minneapolis, MN 55401

Post Opt Day 4

Lacey has been able to get out of bed 4 times today, two of those times she walked over 100 feet. She is doing better day by day but continues to have alot of severe pain. She has gotten up a couple of times due to pain that radiates from her rib cage around to her back on both sides. She continues to press on and impress us all. God continues to give her peace and she is dealing quite well with yet another long hospitalization. She continues to tell us that all the pain is from the surgery and there has been no pancreas pain or the like.(which is rare because so many pancreatic patients have nerves that remain agitated for up to 2 years after the surgery and can cause some pancreas-like pain). But for Lacey there is no pancreas pain.
Because she has been able to get up and down, they did remove the catheter from her bladder today and that one one of many tubes that we are excited about removing. She has been sipping on some vitamin water and suckers, which continues to be sucked out of her stomach by the tube, but it helps her mouth! She remains on TPN for nutritional needs and the doctors are waiting on her bowels and intestines to wake up before taking out the NG tube and introducing food and liquids. The surgical team came by this morning and said all is going well and that Lacey is working hard, impressing them all. They said that nothin more could be done in addition to what she's doing. The medical staff here is great and consists of many doctors. Dr Sutherland, the chief, is such an encouragment to Lacey as he always has been, and the other docs are also very encouraging to her as she endures. They've given us no definite time from for discharge but i'm thinking it'll be at least another 7-10 days. Progress is being made daily and God's blessings cannot be described. Her insulin needs are minimal at this point and the docs think that her islet cells that were transplanted are already beginng to work. It will take time to know for sure how well the islet cells will work but all seems like she'll be insulin free in the weeks to come.
If anyone has any specific questions about her status or anything else that i may be overlooking please send me a comment on the blog or email me at jermnlace@hotmail.com. We have been taking some pictures and i hope to post them as soon as i buy some technological equipment that i forgot at home to transfer pics from camera to computer.

So it's 3am and Lacey has had a restful night. She just woke up in some pretty bad pain and we decided it may be time to try to get up and walk..since that was the only option we had at relieving the pains. She was hurting on her rib cage on both sides radiating into her back. The surgeon warned her of these pains and said that her abdomen was held open with a binder for a long time and the ribs were stretched during surgery. That sounds very painful to me and we think the pains are from that stretching. So she got up and walked down the hall (very uncomfortably) and looked out a window that overlooks the MS River, which is a beautiful view. She seemed to get some relief from the pain, so we walked back into her room and she is now settled back in the bed resting. She continues to press on and she has gotten progressively better daily. She can't always see the improvements but as her family we see that she is improving and the nursing staff here also speaks of her improvements. I must say once again, the U of Minn has a medical facility and staff that is unmatched. The nurses here are amazing and the doctors come by 3 or 4 times a day. We have been treated like royalty and we are thankful. We are all encouraged and I must say again, it has been great not hearing that p- word in the past 3 days. It's history!

Post Opt Day 3

Well we've made it through the third full day after surgery and Lacey has progressed every day. She was in alot of pain this evening and couldn't seem to get comfortable in bed so she decided to just get up and walk. We were skeptical but she wasn't. We got up and she walked about 35 feet then sat in a high backed chair for about 30 minutes and the pain seemed to decrease somewhat. She began to have pains again after awhile and we got her back to bed. That makes 3 walks today!! We are so proud and it feels great to see her making progress after the many weeks of struggles. She's still got a long long way to go before she's back to normal life again, but everyday is closer. She had a good night last night and we are hoping for the same tonight. All tubes and lines remain attached and we are hoping tomorrow will come with the removal of at least one tube. Doctors say we've still got 7 to 10 days left here in the hospital if all continues to go well, then we'll have a week or so to remain in Minnesota to make sure there's no other problems after she begins to eat. We are all so ready to get back home and get back to our life and church and families, but we are so excited about the progress she's made.

"We do not, perhaps, as yet, receive, or even perceive, the present and immediate benefit of some of our afflictions. There may be no immediate benefit; the benefit may be far hence and to come. The chastening of our youth may be intended for the ripening of our age. “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.” The affliction of to-day may have no reference to the circumstances of to-day, but to the circumstances of fifty years ahead." -
C.H. SPURGEON

More Progress!

So the therapists just came back in at 3 and encouraged Lacey to get up and walk. She sat up with minimal assistance and they gave her the walker. She walked to the door, then to the hall(where she went this morning), then she asked to go further. There is a small room at the end of the hall that overlooks the MS River with chairs there for patients. She managed to make it to that room, which was over 60 feet from her bed(one way). She sat about 10 minutes and the therapists were in awe. She made it back to her bed and is now sleeping. The pain increased some with walking but is controlled by the meds much better than in the past two days.
She still has all the tubes and lines, and none of them will be removed until she can walk 4 times in one day, which is her goal tomorrow. She remains on TPN for nutrition and only gets minimal amounts of water and juice by mouth (which immediately is sucked out of her stomach by the tube in her nose). Just wanted to keep all our prayer warriors updated so that we can glorify God together with our thanks.

Ultrasound done!

Just wanted to share with all that the ultrasound of the abdomen was done and lacey handled it well. she was quite uncomfortable during the exam but it lasted about 20 minutes. The chief surgeon (and our hero) dr sutherland came by and is very pleased with her progess this far and seems to think all will continue to go well. All the results to the ultrasound came back and were reviewed by the surgical team and all is normal!! What a blessing it is to get normal reports from doctors for the first time in 12 years. More updates later. lacey will walk again at 3pm, please keep begging God for His mercy and thanking Him for his blessings.

Post Opt Night 3/Morning 3

Lacey had a greatly improved night last night and rested quite a bit better than since the surgery. The new medicine for nausea seemed not only to work for nausea, but also really helped her rest. The pain has decreased to a rating of 5-7 out of 10 which is great improvement after 48 hours of pain rated at 9-10 out of 10. Lacey did have some increased episodes of nausea last night but the meds kept it controlled. She laid in bed this morning saying "i really need to wake up, i shouldn't be sleeping at 1030am, i'm being lazy." ha! i encouraged her to please keep sleeping since she has gotten far behind on her sleep. She is so ready to get up and get out. The pain still seems quite a bit more controlled since the visit with the doctors yesterday evening.
AND NOW FOR THE BIG NEWS...
We were greeted at 11am today by the physical therapists and they encouraged Lacey that it was time to get up and move. She asked them if she could walk! Of course that's music to the therapists ears and they grabbed a walker and began the process. Lacey was able to sit up on the side of the bed with assistance and she slowly stood with the walker and walked to the door of the room, which is about 15 feet!! She was surprised at her own strength and needless to say the family that was here were snapping pictures and wiping tears. What a blessing to see!! Her legs actually seem stronger now 3 days post opt than they did before the surgery (since she had been in bed over 4 weeks). She managed to go into the hall and turn around, making it back to her bed. Pain before walking was 3 and after was only 6!! We are so thankful. Doctors and nurses are all very impressed and seem to think she's physically conquering this pain as quick or quicker than anyone they've seen. We are supposed to walk again today at 3pm so please pray specifically for her during that time. We even saw her smile today for the first time in days, and for me, her husband, my heart was blessed. That smile means more to me than words can say.
So for those of you who may be saying..."well what about the pancreas?" Well we hope by now the pancreas has began to rot and turn black in whatever hole of garbage it was placed in. And for lacey, she continues to say that there's an empty hole where that rock of pain has been for so long and we are so happy. All of her pain at this point is post surgical pain but it is getting better everyday. They have now ordered a liver ultrasound and from my understand that will serve to check the blood flow in the liver and check for clots. She is still on the heparin blood thinner and hopefully if the ultrasound is normal and all looks good, they may be able to get her off the blood thinner? (those are my thoughts, not heard that from a doctor). She is a little anxious about the ultrasound since we know they will have to press on her abdomen to get the pictures. Please pray that God will comfort her in that process. Thank you all for your prayers and continued support. God continues to provide all we need and more. He is truly good.

Post Opt Day 2

Lacey has had quite a long day today. However, she was able to get into a chair at the side of the bed twice; for about 10 min the first time and about 22 minutes the second time.(yes we were timing because every minute is brutal for her and it counts!) She impressed us all with her desire to push through the pains and strive to get better. However, she continues to suffer greatly from pain and discomfort. She still has the tube in her nose, drainage tube from her wound and from her bladder, as well as a line in her neck for iv therapy. She also has an o2 monitor, cardiac monitor, and air compression to her feet, so you can see how tied down she must feel and how hard is must be to move, muchless get up and walk. None the less, God is keeping her encouraged and her desire to heal hasn't changed. She did tell me tonight that she couldn't continue to bear the pains and i know she hasn't slept in 48 hours now for more than 30 minutes at a time. With such a serious surgery, medical staff are checking on her hourly or more and between those times, she's having pains that prevent her from resting adequately. Lacey needs continued grace and mercy from God and she is so tired from over 6 weeks of struggling now. However i must say, we are nearing the end of this suffering and progress can be noted. Even on the times when she's stood, her legs are stronger than even before the surgery. I'm not sure how to comprehend how someone could lay in bed 5 weeks, have terribly weak legs, have an abdominal surgery of 12 hours, then wake up in two days stronger than in 5 weeks. That is God's mercy! We are seeing more of His mercy daily and it is new every morning. The doctors did come by this evening around 6 and increased Lacey's pain meds once again. Her pain hasn't gotten less than a 7 out of 10 since the surgery and once again, if you know lacey, you know that is great pains. They also ordered a new nausea med that i'm not terribly familiar with but it has made her very restful since about 7pm. We are thankful and hope she has a better night of rest. Testimonials tell us that things progressively get better after the first 24 hours so we are hopeful. Lacey has be so blessed because there is a young lady who had the surgery about 10 months ago, that actually got to sit in the operating room for lacey's surgery. she has also been by to visit lacey several times in the past few days. Her name is merita and she has great success with the surgery and she has been a great encougament for lacey. God has placed many many special people in our paths as we endured this suffering. We even got a visit from the dear Christian lady doctor who took care of lacey on thursday in the Er after the scare we had on the flight. She even prayed with lacey and i and encouraged us that things would get better. We are hopeful that possibly tomorrow lacey can get up in chair just a brief few minutes longer than today and maybe even walk a few more steps. there is even a small opportunity that doctors may remove the cathether in her bladder or maybe even remove the tube from her nose. Removal of any tubes would be progress for sure and would increase lacey's comfort. Pray that lacey will have a better day tomorrow and that people around the country and around the globe will continue to see God's grace and mercy in our lives. I pray that through this situation and perhaps even through our presentation of God's blessings on us in this blog, God may be pleased to reveal himself to someone and by his marvelous grace, draw someone into a relationship with Himself through Christ. May God bless all who read this blog, for we are thankful for the support of all.

Up in Chair on Post Opt Day 2

Lacey was able, with the help of two therapists, to get out of the bed, stand up, take two steps and sit in a high backed chair for about 10 minutes. We are so proud of her. God is giving her strength and desire to really push herself toward recovery. We're still looking at 2 or more weeks here but she is motivated to get home as quickly as possible since we have been in the hospital and away from our dear darling elyse for 38 of the last 52 days. Not a fun journey but oh how we've grown! I will post again tonight but just wanted to share the news that she sat up and she continues to push her body toward recovery. keep praying!

Post Opt Night 2

Lacey had another sleepless night and was awakened often by her pain and discomfort. However, as i watch her, i am beginning to see some small improvements. She is moving her legs and arms more in the bed and seems to be getting more ability to reposition herself. She started TPN last night (nutrition via IV) and because of that, her blood sugars jumped around a bit during the night. The nurses continue to check the sugars every hour and adjust the insulin pump so that sugar is kept on the low side of normal, hoping that the transplanted islet cells can continue to rest. The nurses seem to think that because Lacey is needed such small amounts of insulin in the drip, her islets are already beginning to work a little. She doesn't seem bothered at all by this, but i was looking at her fingers last night and they are just covered with marks from the multiple blood sugar checks. Hopefully the insulin and sugar regulation will level out so they can check the sugars less frequently and maybe the bruises to her finger tips can begin to heal. She will remain on the TPN for at least the next 4 to 6 days depending on how long it takes her guts to wake up and how long it is before she can tolerate some liquids and foods by mouth.The tube in her nose draining her stomach will stay in place at least another day or two depending on the nausea (which has been good) and the amount of drainage from the stomach. The drain into her wound will also stay another day or two depending on how much drainage is present.
On of the surgical medical students just came by early this morning and removed the dressing from lacey's wound. It looks really good and shows no signs of infection. The wound is mid abdomen and about 6 to 7 inches long. For those who have seen Lacey, she had a scar in this area from a previous surgery, but the surgeon not only made a new incision, he cut out the old scar completely and closed up the wound so that she now has only one scar that actually should heal and look better than the old scar. She will probably like this for aestetic reasons.
So we are sure that today on post opt day 2, they will be begin what the surgeon called "boot camp." They will have Lacey up and walking a few times today and possibly even in the chair to sit. She is somewhat anxious about this, as are we all. The staff here is very supportive and encouraging, and all have said that she will feel significantly better after some movement. She does still have wires and tubes coming from everywhere and this is going to be challenging when trying to walk.
All in all the first 36 hours have proven very very tough for Lacey. But this is expected and even patients with the best outcomes have very rough days in the beginning. Thankfully, there has been NO pancreas pain and no vomitting, which are the two things we were striving to rid with this surgery, so this means the surgery has been successful thus far. We are thankful. Please continue to pray for Lacey through the day today as she will be pushed beyond what she feels is physically possible. Pray that God will hold her up mentally, spiritually, and physically as she attempts to learn to walk again.

Post Opt Day 1 - TOUGH!!!

So we've reached the end of post opt day 1 and as i type this we are exactly 24 hours out of recovery. Lacey has had a very difficult day and i would say she hasn't rested more than 10-15 minutes at a time all day. However, the surgeon and nurses prepared her for this and warned that the first day is absolutely horrific. They have told her that she has done as well or better than any other patients so she is encouraged and continues to press on. They are forcing her to deep breath and cough and even the tiniest cough seems so difficult since her abdomen was held open with steel binders for nearly 12 hours just yesterday. She is very weak physically but she remains strong in the Lord and continues to give Him praise. She told me today that her pancreas "spot" felt "empty"!! What a joy to hear. She has no pancreas pain and has had very minimal nausea today for the first day in over a month. Nurses came in tonight and helped Lacey sit up on the side of the bed and she even stood for about 15 seconds. Her pain was manageable although this was quite scary for her and her heart rate reached 160. She has had lots of pain meds today and has been in moderate pain that she rates about 7 out of 10 (for those who know lacey, that is alot of pain!) So tonight she is now resting fairly well, better than she has all day, after the doctors increased her medications again tonight. They have been checking her blood sugars hourly since she continues to get insulin in an iv drip so that the transplanted islet cells can "rest" til they find their new home in the liver and begin working. Her blood sugars have been well controlled and the endocrinologist came by today stating that Lacey will be on minimal insulin if any! We're hoping for a better day tomorrow and Lacey has an awesome attitude for recovery at this point.
In case you all aren't aware, things could be so different for us right now. There have been so many hurdles to climb the past 2 months and we were unsure if this surgery would happen probably over 20 times in the past 2 months. there were several financial barriers, physical barriers, and then when we actually flew into minnesota, we had that major scare with the 105 fevers. If we can't see God's hands in this situation, we must not know God's attributes. He is mighty, sovereign, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and powerful. His plans cannot be thwarted and no one can take away that which belongs to our God.
In Romans 8:28-30, we read And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 ¶ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
This means that for the believer, the one whom God has soveriegnly saved by his grace, that all things are working together providentially by God's hand for the good of His people. So how do we apply that? We know that for the believer, we aren't equipped with the knowledge to classify our experiences as "good" or "bad", for God tells us through Paul that all experiences are simply for good...and not only for good, but for God's glory. On the other hand, for the unbeliever, all circumstances whether it appears good or bad on the surface(to those who once again are unequipped to decide), it is ultimately working for destruction and punishment of the unbelievers sin. Without Christ, all things cannot possibly work for good. Consider these things as you consider Lacey's sufferings as well as any sufferings that any of us may face in the future. God is in control and for His children, those who know Him, love Him, serve Him and have been regenerated by the power of his saving grace through Christ, nothing can work for our "bad," but all is for our ultimate sanctification and glorification. Therefore we can rejoice in our sufferings and trials for we know God, and by knowing God, we have assurance by Him that these things are for our good. Please pray that Lacey will have a restful night and that her pain will somehow begin to diminish because she hasn't had true sleep since Monday at 5am. But in this also know that whatever her night holds and whatever challenges may present tomorrow, God is soveriegn and He is working these things for our good and for his glory. We cling to this truth as we pray for God's healing on the body and strength of my dear bride.

Post Opt Night 1

Well it's 603am and Lacey has had a fairly decent night from what the nurses say compared to the average patient. She has had constant pain and lots of it. The nurses and doctors say this is by far the most invasive and painful surgery a patient can have concerning the organs. Then intense pain comes from the amount of manipulation in the surgery as well as the removal of 3 organs and many many new connections to be made in the gut. Lacey pressed her pain button close to 350 times during the night and was only granted medication close to 50 times. She is getting a small constant infusion of pain medication called Dilaudid and can get extra doses every 10 ten for pain. Her pain has been so intense that she has pressed the button constantly, hoping for relief. They have increased the meds throughout the night and she is getting slightly more comfortable. The surgical team just came by and said that she had such a great surgery and a great transplant of islets that it is possible that she'll be insulin free before leaving the hospital in 2 weeks or so. The first 24 hours are very painful and critical but staff says that in days 2, 3 and thereafter, things will begin to get better. Her blood count has stayed good through the night, so there's no evidence of internal bleeding, praise God. Lacey has had no episodes of nausea or vomitting since leaving recovery last night and after all she's been through with nausea the past few months, that is a blessing. So for today, we expect her to rest in bed and possibly even try to sit up late this evening. Since surgery was so extensive and long yesterday, we're not expecting her to walk until tomorrow morning. Physically, she's doing well and has begun the long road to a pancreatitis free life. We are thankful! Please keep praying that God can be glorified through us in this suffering.

All Done - In Her Room..finally

Lacey finally made it to her room around 1100pm. She looked very sick but i must say she looked better than i expected. She has lines and tubes everywhere and is in lots and lots of pain. These nurses here are pros at taking care of pain and Lacey has been kept somewhat under control. She is having back pain (as any of us would after 12 hours on a 3 foot wide stanless table), she is also having abdominal pain and lots of tightness to her back and abdomen. However, she says NO PANCREAS PAIN!!! We are so thankful. The nurses will monitor her blood sugar every hour and adjust the insulin drip to keep her blood sugar as low as possible. They also have her on Heparin to keep her blood thin so there are no clots. The blood sugar is to be kept very low because they want the freshly tranplanted islet cells to rest as long as possible so that they can take up new residence in the liver. They will also be monitoring liver tests, and hemoglobin every hour or two to check liver function and to check for internal bleeding. We should know more about how things will be by morning and things should be more stable by sun-up. I am sitting her beside her thanking our God once again for His blessing on her and praying (along with hundreds of others) that He will continue to watch over her and protect even tiniest cells in her body. She will keep the nasogastric tube, the drainage tube in her incision and the central line in her neck for a few days at least and it will be several days before she can eat again. As i type she is pushing her pain medication button at least once every 30 seconds and seems to be hurting a lot. Nurses say tonight and tomorrow will be the worst so please pray God will continue to comfort Lacey. On a lighter note, the doctor did manage to get some good pics of the pancreas with knife in it, as Lacey had requested. He is gonna email them to us so keep a watch for those. We will celebrate the removal together. Thank each of you for praying. God is amazing and i can say that because i am experiencing God in a way that i have never before. He has truly changed my life through this experience.

In Recovery!!

Dr Sutherland just came out and said all was done! Lacey is in recovery after nearly 12 hours of surgery. The islets were transplanted and they were able to infuse nearly all of the islets that were harvested. They gave her 7500 per kg which is over twice the amount that they consider successful (read my previous blog). The doctors seem very very optimistic of her recovery but say since there was such a large amount of islets infused, the pressure in the liver rose significantly which increases the risk for clots. Because of this she will be on a constant infusion of heparin (blood thinner) for 4 to 5 days, which increases her risk for bleeding. He said the risk for reoperation for bleeding is high but we should know by sun-up if she bleeds or not. As for now, Lacey is in recovery and we are not able to see her. From my understanding, she has a drain coming from her wound in the abdomen, as well as a tube down her nose to empty her stomach. She also has a central line in her neck for in fluids and blood. I'm sure she looks very ill after a long day of surgery, and even as a nurse i am praying that God will prepare me to see my wife in such a poor physical condition. We have missed her dearly today and i even keep thinking my phone will ring at some point and it will be her, but i must be reminded that she is STILL not awake. i miss her dearly and am so thankful God has provided this means for her healing. We should know between now and 10pm if she will be put on the intermediate care unit (sorda like ICU), or the Intensive Care unit. Her disposition from recovery will depend on how long it takes her to wake and how her respiratory status is after weaning off of the anesthesia. I am forever thankful to my merciful God for his grace in our lives and pray that He will continue to provide us with mercy and grace as she battles this recovery. Lacey is very very weak since she hasn't been out of bed in over 4 weeks and she will basically have to learn how to walk again...starting tomorrow. The therapy team here is very aggressive and as i stated in my earlier blogs, lacey is ready for the challenge. She is truly an inspiration to me and i'll never be able to tell her how much she encourages me. We remain here in the surgery waiting room and hope to hear from the nurses at some point on where they will send lacey for tonite. I will keep you updated as things change but for now all has been without a mishap and lacey got plenty of islets which should be great for avoiding long term insulin use.
I cannot express to you how much God has blessed us in this situation and my faith in Him is increasing daily. You may think i'm crazy but i am thankful that he has placed us in these trials over the past weeks. His glory is being revealed in the lives of us, his children. The doctors, nurses, techs, hotel attendants, flight attendents, and others are swept away by our desire to continue to love our God and serve our God as we suffer. God is God, and God is good, He is mighty and all his ways are just. Lacey will endure, and with endurance, God will give strength and healing. He has given her an amazing testimony of His healing power and our knowledge of Him and faith in Him tells us that regardless of what happens tonight, tomorrow, next week or next month, Our God is controlling all things, and working all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to His purpose. Praise His Holy Name!

Update #3

So we finally heard from the doctor...the pancreas is still being processed in the lab. Her pancreas was moderately larger than the normal pancreas, which is requiring longer to process. The islet cell lab called and said that she has close to 587,000 islets yielded. In simple terms, she has a great yield of cells. the doctor likes to get 3000 cells per kilogram infused in order to have 75% or greater chance of no diabetes. If they can get all the cells yielded into Lacey's liver, she will have roughly 10000 cells per kilogram which would be nearly unheard of!! the doctor is quite positive of her outcome but has a rare concern: he thinks that she may actually have too many islet cells to infuse, which is a good problem. Even if he gets half of her total yield (587000) she would still get twice the average amount, which puts her in real good position to be diabetes free. God's hand is in this and we see it continuously!! The doctor is hoping to get at least half to 3/4 of the total amount of cells infused which will put lacey in good shape concerning risk of diabetes. He said the liver would only hold a certain amount of the infused tissue/cells and we can't know how much the liver can hold until it's infused. We should get islets by 530 and it will take about 2 hours to infuse them into the liver. so we're looking at 8pm or so finishing surgery and then maybe 9 or so getting out of recovery. Been a long day. that will put total time around 14 hours for Lacey. please keep praying, expect another update between now and 730pm. thanks for your support and prayers. God continues to hold us up by His grace. Praise be to Him.

Update #2

Just had a great visit from dr sutherland. he said lace did very well and that there were no surprises. said that she is very stable and that the pancreas is in the lab being processed. Said she would have major major pain as she awakes later tonight. He expects the cells to be back by 3 or 4 and maybe another 2 hours to inject them and close the wound. We are hoping this all will be over by 6 or 7 this evening which will be a long day for lacey! God continues to bless us. The doctor showed us plenty of pictures from the surgery and we'll get them emailed and show everyone later. He did take a picture of the pancreas with a scapel through it which will thrill lacey. NO MORE PANCRAETITIS! i'm sure you can somehow know what joy we feel. Lots of road ahead with lots of rehab and lots of pain. God's providences continue to amaze us. please pray for her. look out for more updates in a few hours!

update #1

Just got a call from the operating room nurse telling me that lacey is doing well. They have successfully removed the pancreas, spleen, and appendix without complication. The pancreas is now in route to the lab where the islet cells will be processed. This may take 3 - 4 hours. We are expecting a visit from the surgeon at any time now, so i'll re update the blog after we meet with dr. sutherland. Keep holding her up in prayer. We konw that God is working through these doctors and his will is perfect. Please thank Him in your prayers as this progresses.

Surgery is Underway!

i'm gonna try to keep the blog updated very often today as soon as we hear updates from the doctor. God has been wonderful to us. Lacey had a much better night last night..probably the best night she's had in over a month. She rested well and we slept in the hospital bed together. It was good for the both of us. After we got her clean last night, we were able to fix her hair and dry it and straigten in by midnight. After that she went to sleep and slept all night til the surgery staff woke us up this morning at 6. I know it is the peace of God that passes all understanding that is guarding her heart and mind. It baffles me to think of how she could rest so well the night before a 12 or more hour surgery that will change the rest of her life. I am so thankful she rested!
Her hopes and spirits were soaring this morning and the surgeon came by to see us in the pre surgical suite. In Lacey's surgery today, there will be a medical student observing that actually had the surgery 10 months ago. She spoke to Lacey prior to the surgery and brought us all to tears. The young lady said she was exercising 3 months after her surgery and now 10 months later, she's in medical school. She told Lacey that if she could, she'd climb on the mountain top and yell to everyone how great the surgery was. Lacey was soaring spiritually and emotionally as the surgery team rolled her out the door. The last words she said as she rounded the corner into the surgery department were "To GOD Be The Glory!" What a joy it was for us, her family, to hear her constantly praising God even through suffering. We are blessed.
One more small area of interest: Lacey asked Dr. Sutherland to take a picture of her pancreas with his phone. She asked the doctor to stick a knife through the pancreas and take a picture of it..ha. He agreed so we'll look forward to seeing that.
God has been good to us. God's providences in our lives are too numerous to count. It's now 821 and we've not heard any news. I'm assuming she's asleep and the surgery is being done. They will probably not call or talk to us until the pancreas, spleen, and appendix are gone. May be around 11 or 12 but i'll let everyone know soon. Please pray for us continually! God is amazing, and the glory is and will be His!

Surgery Eve!!

Lacey is doing slightly better today and seems encouraged by the thought of today being her last day of life as a patient with pancreatitis. She has several things today that will be prep for surgery. There will be plentiful blood tests today as well as visits from surgeons, social work, dietary, labortory, surgical, and lots of other specialty staff. This hospital is simply amazing and God has placed us in the best possible facility I believe in the world. From the janitorial staff to the cheif 40 year veteran surgeon, every person has been absolutely wonderful. Lacey is also required to take two showers with a surgical scrub today and we have finished the first shower this morning. The showers are challenging because Lacey is very weak, in pain, and has lines and cords stuck everywhere. We made it through the first shower and she did well.
Lacey has also been having problems since the flight in with convulsions, shaking and shortness of breath. These episodes come about every 4 to 6 hours. They are very scary for Lacey and the family as well as for the doctors. Lacey's parents remembered that she had reaction just like that in her teenage years after recieving high doses of phenergan. The doctors have ordered today for us to stop the phenergan in hopes that these spells will stop. She has done well last night and today so far just with zofran, which is a milder medication for nausea.
So the surgery is scheduled for 740 in the morning and they will take Lacey from the 6th floor down to the 3rd around 545 for surgery prep. We will have some family time around 615 and the surgeon Dr. Sutherland will come and talk to the family around 715. Lacey is very excited and we are counting down the hours and minutes. They will take out her pancreas, spleen, and appendix, which will take about 5 hours. They will then take her pancreas to a lab about 15 minutes away to extract the cells that make insulin. The pancreas will be placed in a centrifuge and spun down and the islet cells rise to the top. The cells will be delivered back to the operating room and injected into the portal vein of the liver. They will then close up her incision. The doctors will give Lacey blood transfusions during the surgery due to high blood loss. They say it should take about 9 to 10 hours but could last up to 16 or mor depending on the cell extraction time. They've encouraged us that long operating times do not mean complications, the hold up is often based on how long it takes the lab to extract and transport the islet cells. I will keep the blog updated frequently tomorrow so keep watch for updates.
Wanted to share a prayer from a puritan that my father in law shared with me. Mind you that these puritans faced suffering, trials, and persecution..mentally, physically, and spiritually, and some were even put to death for their faith in Christ. Read this prayer and consider sufferings:

SOVEREIGN COMMANDER OF THE UNIVERSE,
I am sadly harassed by doubts, fears, unbelief,
in a felt spirital darkness.
My heart is full of evil surmisings and disquietude,
and I cannot act faith at all.
My heavenly pilot has disappeared,
and I have lost my hold on the rock of ages;
I sink in deep mire beneath storms and waves,
in horrow and distress unutterable.
Help me, O Lord,
to throw myself absolutely and wholly on thee,
for better, for worse, without comfort, and all but hopeless.
Give me peace of soul, confidence, enlargement of mind,
morning joy that comes after night heaviness;
Water my soul richly with divine blessings;
Grant that I may welcome thy humbling in private
so that I might enjoy thee in public;
Give me a mountain top as high as the valley is low.
Thy grace can melt the worst sinner, and I am as vile as he;
Yet thou hast made me a monument of mercy,
a trophy of redeeming power;
In my distress let me not forget this.
All-wise God,
Thy never failing providence orders every event.
sweetens every fear,
reveals evil's presence lurking in seeming good,
brings real good out of seeming evil,
makes unsatisfactory what I set my heart upon,
to show me what a short sighted creature I am,
and to teach me to live by faith upon thy blessed self.
Out of my sorrow and night
give me the name Naphtali - 'satisfied with favour' -
help me to love thee as thy child,
and to walk worthy of my heavenly pedigree.

From The Vally of Vision - A collection of
Puritan Prayers and Devotions

Night 2 - Pre-surgery

Lacey has had a decent night's rest, however she's had more nausea and vomitting over night. She has had two major episodes of nausea and vomitting. Once about 2am and another about 530am. The fever seems to be down and the chills and tremors have not occurred through the night. Last temp at 655am was 98.7. Her heart rate is now 89 and it has came down from the 120's since the fever has subsided. She is quite restful now, very weak, and difficult to even communicate with due to large doses of medications required for her severe abdominal pain. I am sitting at the triple window on the 6th floor watching the sun rise over the Mississippi River as I typed, thanking God for another day of life and vitality. He remains faithful and He continues to bear us up. Today should be a day of rest for Lacey with hopefully less visits from nurses, lab techs, radiologists, surgeons and other medical staff. Yesterday was tough for her due to the high volume of staff and tasks to be done throughout the day. Please pray she will rest comfortably. Also seems that the antibiotics are working or either the inflmmmation from the injections is settling because temp has been normal through the night.

As I meditate this morning, I can only think of the Exodus 14 account of Moses leading the Isrealites out of Egypt and out of the hands of the Egyptians. The Lord had hardened the heart of Pharoah and the Egyptians continued to pursue the Isrealites to the region near the Red Sea. The Isrealites grumbled toward God and Moses requesting that serving the Eyptians would be better than dying in the wilderness. Deliverance wasn't immediate. All hope was gone for the Isrealites, but the meekest of men, Moses held strong to the Lord's promises and continued to seek God. In verse 13 Moses said, Fear not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord," and in verse 14 Moses said, "The Lord shall fight for you and ye shall hold your peace." Then God told Moses to lead the people close to the shore of the sea. After all hope was gone for the Isrealites and they were submitting to serving the Egyptians or dying, God's timing and Moses' submission delivers them and His glory is magnified. Verse 18 follows : "and the Egyptians have known that I am Jehovah, in My being honoured on Pharaoh, on his chariots, and on his horsemen." Verses 19-20 And the messenger of God, who is going before the camp of Israel, journeyeth and goeth at their rear; and the pillar of the cloud journeyeth from their front, and standeth at their rear,20 and cometh in between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and the cloud and the darkness are, and he enlighteneth the night, and the one hath not drawn near unto the other all the night. Here's where I apply! The Isrealites waited and were protected all night by God, and then with sunrise, came the parting of the sea and the crossing into Canaan.In verse 16 God finally tells Moses to "lift up thy rod, and stretch out thy hand towards the sea, and cleave it, and the sons of Israel go into the midst of the sea on dry land." Then the Egyptians pursued and God caused the wheels to fall off their chariots as Moses held out his rod and the walls of water to the right and left closed in on the Egyptians.
Here's application for me: We sit in this room, tired and worn, Lacey in pain and nauseated. We've been hospitalized for 37 of the last 50 days. We feel like we're at the banks of the sea, encamped between waters and enemies. Our lives at times seem to have no way of deliverance. But as the sun rises each day God renews our strength and as He controlled the winds and the currents preparing the sea to part, He's controlled the winds and currents of the tiniest details of our lives, preparing us for deliverance. We press on. Our faith is not as the Isrealites who grumbled wanting to submit to Egypt and Pharoah or die, but I, like Moses will say "fear not ,stand still, see the salvation of the Lord." I am trusting His providential hand as I watch Lacey suffer seemingly encamped on all sides by pain, nausea, confusion, fever, chills, and total weakness. Her deliverance is near. God is good and all His ways are good. Praise be to Him.
Please continue to pray for us. Also pray for doctors and nurses that will be caring for Lacey over the next few weeks.

Arrival to Minnesota / Hospital Day 1-2

Well I'm not sure where to start but I will say that our first 24 hours in Minneapolis has been eventful to say the least. Sorry I haven't blogged lately for those of you who follow this, but life has been challenging..moreso than in the past. I'll try to be brief but I want you all to know the happenings so prayer can be specific.
Lacey woke up yesterday morning at home feeling quite well. We packed our last few items and boarded a plane in Gulfport, all hopeful, and although weak, Lacey was feeling better than she had in weeks. Our flight to Memphis was rather uneventful with the exception of some first flight jitters from our dear little Elyse, who I must say has been a trooper! Sometime as we were getting off the plane in Memphis Lacey began to have chills and weakness. Our connection time there was very short and we only had about 45 minute to prepare Elyse and ourselves for the cold weather upon arrival in Minneapolis. However during this short time, Lacey's health began to falter. We boarded the plane and took off for Minnesota at 2:23pm. Elyse put up a fight on the flight but finally fell asleep but for Lacey things continued to deteriorate. She had increased chills and weakness than led to confusion and slight combativeness. I was scared. Her mother, our helper, and our blessing from God was several rows up on the plane. About 30 minutes prior to touchdown in Minnesota, Lacey got terribly sick. Began to try to nurse her, while holding Elyse, who remained asleep, and I was trying not to stir up all the folks on the flight around me, although they were obviously aware Lacey was very ill. She lost recognition of me and Elyse and began to think she was in many different places. She become very frightful and combative against me. I checked her sugar and it was good at 120. Then I pulled out a thermometer and checked her temp, which was 103.5, and I knew we had problems. She was having convulsions, and was now unable to communicate or even hold her head up. Let me add here that on Wednesday she had 4 immunizations that are required for surgery. I had no idea what was happening but she then passed out and I was really out of my league as a nurse. I had no idea what to do. She woke up sobbing, calling her momma, and telling me goodbye and that she was dying. I truly believed this was the last time I'd speak to my wife. I was very fearful. I held her in my arms, while holding sleeping Elyse and praying that my God, the God of my salvation, the God of all knowledge and power, would somehow keep my dear wife with me long enough to land the plane. I notified the stewardist who got Lacey's mother to come take Elyse. There was also a nice doctor on the flight that came for moral support, although none of us knew what to do. Her fever was firing, her heart rate was 160 and her respiration were over 50 a minute. She was not cooperative. We were all fretful.
So the stewardist notified Minneapolis Paramedics who met us once we finally landed and to shorten things up, we had a wild ride to the hospital, leaving our dear child with Lacey's mother...who was now responsible for 7 large suitcases, 3 carry ons, and a 25 pound 10 month old. I was on the ambulance crying for God's mercy and listening to Lacey scream in the back as a wonderful female paramedic with a strong northern accent attempted to make her comfortable.
This is really lengthy, but we made it to the ER of the hospital where the surgery is scheduled, and thank God, Lacey's mother made it to our hotel with the baby and almost all the luggage. At the ER, staff was wonderful, Lacey was horribly ill with a fever now of 105.7. She now was having terrible pains to her pancreas and nausea which compounded the issue at hand. Nurses and a wonderful Christian doctor tended to her and she was comfortable within 10 minutes. Fever was still flaming. Lacey did become more aware of her surroundings but we were both quite scared, in a new city, with new symptoms that we'd never seen concerning the pancreas. After dozens of tests and lots of doctors we were admitted to the floor, wondering if the surgery was even gonna be possible, thanks to the high fever.
She suffered on and off all night with terrible chills fever and pain, but i must say there's no place like University Medical Center in Minneapolis. It sets the bar for what a hospital should be. These folks are great. I owe them thanks for the rest of my days.
So sunrise came and with sunrise came more doctors, more tests and more of our God's grace and mercy. We had a visit from Dr. Black, one of the surgical partners who said all tests thus far seem to be absent of evidence of an infection and that it seems to be a severe reaction to the immmunizations from Wednesday. We are thankful for that news. Then later we receieved a visit from Dr. Sutherland, the chief surgeon and pioneer of the pancreatectomy auto islet transplant. He allowed us to sign consent for surgery and said Monday would be the day of Lacey's dreams and that the surgery would be done on Monday. This was the assurance Lacey and I needed to keep pressing on.
So from that point up until now at least, we have continued to pray and beg for God's grace and mercy. It is now 1145pm and Lacey has had a better day. She has still had lots of pain, but thankfully no nausea and she has actually been eating meals by mouth without any tube feedings. Her fever has continued to rise and fall and has stayed around 103 all day. She has terrible pain and inflammation at the site of the injections to her right shoulder. We are still waiting on some of the blood cultures to tell if there's any infection in her blood stream but all signs now are pointing to a reaction to the immunizations and the surgery is still on for Monday. She has had a couple of bouts with severe chills and anxiety today and due to the fever, she has been unable to stop shaking at times. She's quite restful now and I must add that staff and doctors at this facility are simply amazing and God continues to provide wonderful people in our path to provide us with encouragement. Our families have made it here and we are thankful.
I will add briefly about the surgery: the doctor said today that they would cut lacey from her upper belly down the center to her belly button. Her pancreas, spleen, and appendix would be removed. The pancreas will be taken to a labortory about 15 miles away and it would be spun down in a centrifuge, making the islet cells (that produce insulin) rise to the top. These cells would then be transported back to the operating room and injected into Lacey's liver where hopefully they will take up residence. Doctors reminded Lacey that this pain would be the worse she's ever felt and that it would feel like a car accident that broke her to pieces. They encouraged her to be tough and to walk as soon as possible after the surgery. Upon hearing this, Lacey's eyebrows furrowed and she said, "I'm gonna set the record for walking the soonest after my surgery." She said "God will give me strength, and I'll show these doctors how it's done." She is very ready to fight the fight. Please pray for her as she prepares to undergo this operation. Pray that God will continue to hold her up and encourage her to press on.
sorry for the choppy nature of this post, i'm trying to paint a picture of Lacey's situation, and we are tired as the clock now reads 1212am. Our God is mighty. He is mighty. Faith in Him is real to me. I have no strength in myself to continue, Lacey has no strength to give me and I have none for her, but my friends, please know our God is a consuming fire, His strength is sufficient even when we look upon the face of a spouse not knowing when you'll see her eyes open for the last time. Our God holds us up and He will provide a means for us to glorify Him. Pray that He is glorified as we suffer, and that Lacey's suffering would be ended with relief of this pain and an ability for her to live somewhat more normal than she has in 12 years. Thank you our brothers and sisters. We love you all, and may God bless you through our testimony and sufferings.

WE'RE HOME!

Before writing this post, I took a few mintues to read through some of the past posts that were written as Lacey laid in the hospital bed with vomitting and pain every hour or two for a period of 18 days. I can only think of the desparation that was in my tone as I typed updates regarding her condition and our pleading for God's mercy to make it stop. Now as you may know, we lay at home in our bed, after a day of fellowship with our beautiful child, and we can only think of how God works and how He has been glorified through the suffering we (specifically Lacey) encountered. People all around the community have held us up in prayer, supported us financially, and even fed our family meals. God has been glorified! His people have ministered to each other, and His name was exalted. His power and soveriegn grace delivered Lacey from a bed of tears on the 7th floor of Forrest General to her bed of comfort at home. He gave her renewed strength day after day, and when she couldn't feed on physical food, she had to feed on the truths implanted in her heart. We are thankful. God has used this situation to spotlight his mercy and grace and to provide us with a faith that we didn't have 20 days ago. This faith he's built in us will be a faith that He may use to continue to bear us up as we endure another long hospitalization beginning next week. God is not overtaken or overwhelmed. God has been working for our good and for His glory even since 11 1/2 years ago when Lacey, as a 12 year old girl, wept in the ER of Stone County Hospital with unbearable abdominal pain. His plans to be glorified will not be thwarted. We are excited about the future He has for us.
Concerning Lacey's health state now, she has pain and nausea still, even here at home. She continues to take meds by mouth to control these discomforts, but thankfully she is able to keep medications down. The doctor was somewhat skeptical about discharging her on Friday (as i was), but thank God, she has done quite well at home. It's no secret that I and the doctors are quite nervous about handling her case outside the hospital due to the acute and unexpected epidodes of pain and nausea. She has done very well since arriving here at home. She has the PICC line with TPN flowing in from 8pm to 12pm which is 16hrs a day. We have a home health nurse who helps with the nutrition and Lacey is doing well. She is able to eat soft baked potato here and there, and also had some bland noodles today. She is so thankful for every bite she eats, and I can only be humbled by the ability God has given me to eat and digest food. I've learned to pray specifically before meals, thanking God for my ability to eat and digest the food He's provided. It's more to me than being thankful for the food, it's about being able to eat it and my body being able to use that food. Please continue to pray for Lacey as she recovers. Her leg strength is returning and she is now able to walk unassisted but she remains very weak. She is very content being at home (as you can imagine) and we will be flying out on thursday moring oct 22nd.
We beg that our Christian family will continue to approach our God on our behalf. Continue to pray that God will be glorified in us and in our situation. Pray that He will heal Lacey and even prepare the tiniest microns in her to be able to heal and respond to the surgery in a positive way. We can't thank you all enough for your support.

Phillipians 4:19-20
and my God shall supply all your need, according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus; 20 ¶ and to God, even our Father, is the glory—to the ages of the ages. Amen.

Hoping for Home!?!?

Well it seems that Lace has continued the very slow and gradual trend of getting better over the past day and a half. She was so hungry last night and I asked dad and mom to pick her up a plain baked potato from wendys (mind you that she's had nothing more than broth and suckers for 18 days, most of which didn't stay on her stomach) and I took the potato and scraped it off to make her soft potato. Needless to say she loved it and she even licked the plate clean. Thrilled our hearts to see her enjoy even a basic bland bite of tater. Since that time, she's seemed to have ups and downs but she has had some soup and more liquids and even more potato tonight. Her pain and nausea persist but are not as severe. The vomitting has been minimal and Lacey's mindset, attitude, and faith have really increased. We are thankful for her recovery to this point and we continue to pray God's blessings on her for the next weeks to come.
As for her, the doctor said today that we are planning for discharge home tomorrow! These plans do hinge on Lacey's level of health and strength and regardless of when we go home, we are set up to be on home health, with TPN nutrition via her PICC line to continue at home. We are hopeful and encouraged with that news since today is our 18th day in the hospital and away from our dear little miracle daughter. The plan is that Lacey will continue the TPN up until the flight to Minnesota on Oct 22nd and then we will possibly (depending on how she is) be admitted to The University Hospital for care on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the surgery to follow on Monday. So much more could be mentioned here regarding finances, plans, and Lacey's health but instead of getting entirely lengthy, I will say God is good, His plans will endure and will not be thwarted. Our road ahead is challenging even still - physically, emotionally, financially, and spiritually, we are challenged. We are thankful for this time, for we are being sanctified through this suffering and God is increasing our faith. Please continue to pray for Lacey as we come near to the day of this surgery.
Here is a passage that was shared with me recently. Hope it will affect you in some way:

Isaiah 40:21-31

Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; 23 who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. 24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. 25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.
27 ¶ Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

It is with overwhelming unspeaking joy I write tonight as I have recently seen the outpouring of God's grace and mercy in our lives evidenced by the love and financial contributions given to us by our family and friends. Thank you to each one involved. I am still in tears nearly 4 hours after the event. God is so good. We sit here in the hospital in the depths of suffering, and on the outside, thousands of people are functioning and working on our behalf, serving our Lord so that His perfect plans can be fulfilled in our lives. Our suffering is made bearable with knowledge of God's grace, and with the sight and experience of absolute Chistlike love from our family and friends.
Lacey's doctor changed her over to pain meds by mouth today in hopes of getting her on the road to going home. She was more than upset this morning when the doctor came by and informed her that she wasn't ready for home. She has since accepted that there are more days to be spent here and that we must continue on. She had a fair day considering that some of the IV meds for pain were withheld and the meds by mouth didn't seem to control the pain quite as well. The doctor also encouraged Lacey to get up and walk the halls (which is truly unheard of after 16 days of pancreatic spasms - Lacey calls them "charlie horses in her pancreas") but none the less, with hopes of convincing the docs to let her out of here, she decided this afternoon that she would walk pushing Elyse in the stroller with me holding her up and her mother pushing the IV pole. Lacey didn't want 10 or 12 feet, she wanted to go the nursing station to prove to the nurses that she could. She successfully made it, with obvious signs of pain, and as we returned back the door of our room, she collapsed into my arms. I lifted her entire body and put her in bed and she regained consciousness. Her low blood pressure and weakness caused her to pass out, but she did walk! She is determined to go home and her attitude and emotional state has been slightly better this evening, praise God. He continues to strengthen her.
I sat at her bedside after the amazing benefit supper and I talked and she listened. I told her of all the people, named specific names, and we discuss how humbling it was to have such support from so many dear people. We cried and cried together, both thanking God for his blessings and begging God for his mercy. We are tired, our families are tired, and even our church families are tired because this has been a group effort. However, God has not lost control, God is not tired, God is not waiting for someone to tell him what to do - God is perfectly controlling this situation and anyone who has followed us over the past months must be able to see God's wonderful providences. We are grateful.
Sorry to be lengthy, but my heart is full and we feel so blessed. Please, please continue to pray that God would be pleased and that His purposes would be fulfilled, and that if it would glorify Him to take this pain from Lacey, that He could do so. We love each of you and our lives are being shaped by this sufferring. We are forever changed and God is to be glorified!

For those of you who know Jerry Doggett, my Christian brother and friend who now looks daily upon the face of Christ, you know the following passage was dear to him, He, while dying of brain cancer, held fast to this passage and continued to uplift his church family. This passage will always be near to me as I remember how God used Bro. Jerry, even in the very pit of his suffering:

Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord

Lacey has had a much better night and remains asleep even now as I type this. She has had less pain and less nausea even between periods of sleep and continues to get medications but the medications do seem to have longer lasting effects. We hope to see the doctor this morning and get a good report and Lacey is very very very ready to go home. Not sure if it'll be today but we're hopeful! One new concern we have is that her PICC line which runs from her left bicep up through her shoulder into the top vessel of her heart, is having problems. She has extreme soreness to her under arm and shoulder area, but staff says there's no sign of infection or blood clot at this time. We will show doctor the concern this morning, so be in prayer that God will provide relief in this matter. We are thankful for her progress and we remain strong in the Lord, although we falter and even question God's purposes at times. We still know the our God is a mighty fortress, a bulwark never failing, and he is the rock of our salvation.
A thought that continues to cross my mind is the thought that God is our creator. With the title of creator comes many implications. He has created us from nothing and upholds us by his power. He knows our every part, every atom, and every body system that works within us. But God does more than "know" us, he continues to make us work, he holds us in place, and works his will through us. He did not create us and then step back to watch his creation move and function as an inventor would a robot. He created us, knows how we work, and causes us to move, stand, and accomplish that which he deems best. I can't help but think that even the smallest enzyme or atoms or cells of Lacey's pancreas are under the soveriegn control of our mighty God. He will be most glorified through it's functioning..or disfunctioning. Our prayer remains that even through suffering, pain, or unto death, we can only wish to glorify our God with the lives he's provided to us. In the few times over the past 16 days when Lacey's medication levels were low and she had moments of lucidity, she ensured me that she knew God had purposes here, and that she was more than ready to give of her life for his sake. He continues to preserve her, and we are thankful, but his purposes will not be thwarted and we are His. Please continue to pray for Lacey and her healing, but be sure to pray primarily for the will of God, not for our comfort and happiness. We know that what is His will will ultimately bring us the most comfort and happiness. Thank you all. May God bless you my dear brothers and sisters.

Here we remain in the hospital and after a rough evening yesterday and some severe pain, nausea and vomitting around 7 last night, Lacey seemed to have had some relief over night. She slept very well and only woke up once around 3 am. Today, she's had some nausea but only one episode of vomitting and the meds seem to be working well and she seems more relieved between doses of nausea and pain meds. She is using much less pain meds and actually took 3 small cups of chicken broth today. We are seeing progress thanks to God's healing hand and we are thankful. However, Lacey remains very homesick and even says she feels almost trapped between the 4 walls of this hospital room. Please continue to lift her before the throne of God in prayer and beg for His mercy and grace in her sufferring. She continues to get nutrition via TPN through her PICC line and doctors are encouraging her to increase the fluid intake by mouth as much as possible with hopes of advancing to a liquid diet...and discharge home!! Seems like we may still be a day or two away from that but today's progress has encouraged us both. Thank you for the prayers and please know that the God we serve is never failing, never sleeping, and He is not surprised or overwhelmed by any happening for we know that He is our creator and He plans every detail of our lives. Our sufferring is to glorify Him for we know that all things are working for our good and for His glory because we love Him and we are called according to His purpose. Praise be to Him from whom all blessings flow.


An awesome quote from C.H. Spurgeon:

I, the preacher of this hour, beg to bear my little witness that the worst days I have ever had have turned out to be my best days, and when God has seemed most cruel to me he has then been most kind. If there is anything in this world for which I would bless him more than for anything else it is for pain and affliction. I am sure that in these things the richest, tenderest love has been manifested towards me. I pray you, dear friends, if you are at this time very low, and greatly distressed, encourage yourselves in the abundant faithfulness of the God who hides himself. Our Father’s wagons rumble most heavily when they are bringing us the richest freight of the bullion of his grace. Love letters from heaven are often sent in black-edged envelopes. The cloud that is black with horror is big with mercy. We may not ask for trouble, but if we were wise we should look upon it as the shadow of an unusually great blessing.

It seems that the sleeping plan is working. Lacey had a very restful night and only woke a few times. However, when she was awake, the nausea was present. She is continuing to make progress and we are very thankful. Her pain seems to have dimenished markedly since a few days ago. For, Lacey at this point, the physical battle she is in has really evolved into a spiritual and emotional battle as well. For all of us could only imagine laying in a 14x18 room for 15 days and being away from our family. Lacey is very active but the inactivity is really becoming a challenge for her. God grants her grace and mercy daily and He renews her strenth morning by morning and by His power, she continues to press on and her thoughts last night and today have been very positive. Please pray for her in this matter that she can continue to rest in the soveriegnty of God and His peace. He is being glorified even in the midst of her sufferring and Lacey would be the first to say that she would be delighted to be used of God for His glory, even if it meant suffering as she is. He is working in the lives of many, and we are thankful. Please continue to bear us up before God's throne of grace so that He may continue to be gracious and merciful unto us although we are unworthy. I'll post another update this evening on her progress today.

Lamentations 3:21-24 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

Hospitalization day 14

Dr. Phillips came by today and wanted to change things up a bit to try to halt the intractable nausea and vomitting. Lacey says that her pain is seeming to dimenish somewhat but the nausea is persistent and from the vomitting comes pancreatic spasms. Dr. Phillips removed the nasogastric feeding tube :D but wanted to start her on TPN. TPN, for the non-nurses, is nutrition that is provided via the intravenous route. Lacey has the PICC line in her arm that provides her with IV fluids and the TPN will be hooked to that line and the nutrition will be provided into her veins instead of in her stomach. This is hopefully give the stomach a rest and allow the gastro system to relax. The doctor also ordered a new medication to increase Lacey's sleep so that the vomitting will stop. He said "I've never seen someone vomit in their sleep, so we'll make her sleep so the stomach can rest." The nausea has been purely brutal and Lacey is sore all over from the heaving. We are hopeful and praying that this step will change the course of things and allow her to rest and heal. God continues to be gracious to us and we are daily overwhelmed by His provisions. We are also overwhelmed by the ourpouring of kindness and support from our family and friends....and even people who we don't even know. It's difficult to know and understand just how valuable and precious the family of God is until you see Christian brothers and sisters literally lay their life aside and devote time, efforts, and money to assist another Christian. Thank you all.
As for Minnesota, all still remains planned and we are very excited. We plan to fly out on Oct 22 and have preopt on Oct 23. The 24th and 25th is the weekend and hopefully we'll have a restful one in Minnesota(and hoping to stay warm), then the surgery will occur on Oct 26th. Please continue to pray the God will be glorified through this and that Lacey could have releif of this 12 battle.
Thank you again for the outpouring of God's love through your prayers, love, and support.

hospitalization day 12

So we remain in room 7701 of Forrest General and although Lacey has made some progress over the past 2 to 3 days, she remains very weak and in pain with nausea. Lacey has used markedly less meds over the past two days but is unable to keep enough food down to sustain life without assistance from the tube. She had a very bad episode of pain about an hour ago and got some medication to relieve the pain. Lacey is very tired and wonders how she can continue life in this health state. We only have less than 3 weeks until the surgery at University of Minnesota so please continue to pray that God will provide Lacey with pain relief and strength to travel and withstand the stress of the major operation. We remain hopeful for we know our hope lies not in the temporal, mortal strengths of our own mind and body but our hope lies in the eternal immortal, invisible and wise power and strength of the one true and living God. He is providing Lacey with strength daily and although at the close of each day she feels as if there's no strength for tomorrow, God provides and she endures another day. Please bear her up before His throne as she has been in pain and away from our beautiful daughter now for 12 days. God's word tells us that He will never leave us nor forsake us and that all things work together for the good of those who love God and who are the called according to His purpose. Lacey knows Christ as her Savior and God's mercy and grace allows her to endure. Thanks for the prayers, please pray specifically that she will rest in God's peace and that her mind and heart will continually commune with Him during these times of suffering.

Isa 26:3 Thou dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusts in thee.

Praise God from whom all blessing flow!

here is the exact email i received just a few minutes ago..we are so thankful!

Jeremy and Lacy, I have moved the surgery to Monday, Oct. 26th, which means you need to plan to arrive for pre-surgery physical on Friday, Oct. 23 @ 9:00 in the Transplant Clinic where you met with Dr. Sutheralnd previously. Lacy should get the following immunizations before she comes for surgery... As I recall, Lacy already did the boost meal test, so she will not have to repeat that for the surgery. Also, now that we have a nurse coordinator with our program, you will hear from Louise Berry at some point and you will be able to meet her at Lacy's clinic appt on the 23rd. Congratulations on the approval, and look forward to seeing you soon.

May all the praise be unto our God and Father! Keep praying, He is providing!

hospitalization day 11

Praise be to our Lord! Lacey had a better day with much less need for pain medication and nausea medication. However, she still remains with pain and nausea that seems to be hanging on. We continue to pray for God's upholding strength in this time of suffering. I did get confirmation today from Mr. Jim from Minnesota regarding insurance and finances and seems that the financial part of the surgery is going to be possible with the combination of insurance payment and some out of pocket costs..at this point, relief and healing is worth millions to us. Please pray that God will continue providing funds and means for us to have the surgery in three weeks. We are deeply thankful for the funds that have been donated up to this point and words are not adequate to express the appreciation we feel. Lacey remains with the picc line for iv meds and fluids and also with the nasally inserted feeding tube(which is quite uncomfortable). We are hopeful that discharge from Forrest General may be within the next 2 to 4 days if the improvement and blessings continue. thank you again for your support and keep watching blog as we hope for definite surgery plans to be determined in the next 2 to 3 days.

Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!

Lacey has had another rough day and the doctor ordered a feeding tube this morning to be inserted through her nose and past her stomach into her small intestine so that she could get adequte nutrition and allow her pancreas and stomach to "rest." The insertion was very difficult and painful but Lacey endured. She had nausea, vomitting and pain on and off throughout the day today as it has been in days past. She is resting now as I write this and we are hopeful that the insertion of the tube will begin the healing process. Please continue to pray for her as she deals with the same discomforts of the past attacks in addition to the discomfort of the feeding tube in her nose. As for the surgery, we did hear from Jim, my new friend in Minnesota that has been our advocate in dealing with the insurance company here in Mississippi. He continues to give us hopeful news regarding insurance coverage and we are thankful for God's provisions in this thus far. The surgery remains scheduled for October 27th and could potentially be moved up to October 26th. Continue to pray that Lacey will build strength and that her nutrition will be stable so that we can make the flight to Minnesota and so that she can recover from such an invasive surgery. Also pray that God's perfect peace will gaurd Lacey's heart and mind through this suffering as we know that no strength and no joy is sufficient for us but the strength and joy provided by God in Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4:6-7 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

It Jeremy writing for Lacey today. She's had somewhat of a worse day today thanks to her pain and nausea. Doctor Decoux came by this morning threatening a feeding tube(again) and seems to be set on tomorrow for insertion based on the results of Lacey's protein level in her blood(which is low even when she's "healthy"). So please continue to hold her up before the throne of grace and pray specifically for her faith to hold strong and for God to uphold her and sustain her physically, mentally, and spiritually as He always has. Lacey is very tired. Her body is weak and she has muscle cramps and sore abdominal muscles from vomitting..on top of an angry pancreas. She knows that God is a righteous perfect and soveriegn God and her sufferring is for His glory in some way. I have been on the phone off and on all day with insurance representatives and financial reps at The University of Minnesota Medical Center and things are quite cloudy on whether the surgery will be affordable for us. We're talking mega bucks! God is still working and nothing surprises Him or sneaks up behing Him. He is not a God affected by fatigue, nausea, weakness, hunger or labile emotions. HE WILL PROVIDE. We should hear more news tomorrow regarding insurance coverage and out of pocket expenses. In the meantime please continue to pray that Lacey will begin to feel stronger soon. We are still on for October 27th for the surgery and we are still very excited!


" DON'T YOU KNOW THAT DAY DAWNS AFTER NIGHT, SHOWERS DISPLACE DROUGHT, AND SPRING AND SUMMER FOLLOW WINTER? THEN, HAVE HOPE! HOPE FOREVER, FOR GOD WILL NOT FAIL YOU!"
C.H. SPURGEON

Still flat on my back in the hospital and my pain and nausea continue. Using less medicine for pain and nausea and thankfully got to take in some clear liquids today. My angry pancreas will not stop the spasms. God will continue to be merciful to me in this and His love is preserving me moment by moment. So excited for my surgery and so excited to eat a normal diet of which I've not tasted in nearly 12 years. Surgery date remains at Oct 27th. Jeremy is supposed to hear confirmation from the insurance company tomorrow regarding payment. Our church families, and Christian brothers and sisters are ministering to us and God is providing our every need. Even the nurses on the 7th floor have donated to our fundraising for my surgery and recovery!

Psalm 40:11 1 As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!

NEW SURGERY DATE!!!

Just when we thought we were blessed beyong measure, Ann Marie emailed Jeremy today and offerred a surgical date of October 27, 2009! 38 days closer than the original day of Dec 4! I remain hospitalized on day 5 of this trip to Forrest General with severe pain, nausea, and vomitting. As my sufferring continues, God's providential hand continue to lead and guide my life. His plans are being fulfilled both now and for my future. We are so thankful!

GOT A DATE FOR SURGERY

Praise our God! We got an email from Ann Marie today offering me a surgery date for December 4, 2009! We are excited and didn't expect the surgery until late Dec. God is soveriegn and He continues to provide. We expect to arrive in Minnesota on Dec 2 and have all day clinic consultation on Dec 3.