Richard Update

Tribute to the loving care of the Almighty.  Click HERE to read "To Know I Have Your Shoulder", written 8/3/08.

Doctors:  

Saturday, 8:29 p.m., 8/2/08

HalleluYAH, halleluYAH, halleluYAH!!!  Richard is home, has new medications for his gastric problems and subsequent chest pains, new heart medications, etc.  We had SO many opportunities to witness to people about the goodness of our Father, the care He gives His children, His love for us and ours for Him, and on and on!  I thank Him, praise Him, worship Him, and adore Him, as does Richard.  I thank Him for all of you who prayed for us, and fasted with me, and love you with all my heart.  The fast was really quite easy, and He was SO worthy of it!  I love you all in Him!

Friday, 5:50 a.m., 8/1/08

HalleluYAH, halleluYAH, halleluYAH!!!  They found a couple of things wrong, neither heart related, and both easily controlled with medication, exactly as we asked of Him!  Food sits in his stomach too long, which causes the stomach acid to go back up through the esophagus, causing him to have a haital hernia. He also has some irritated spots inside his stomach lining as a result of the stomach's processing of his food.  The heart enzymes were elevated because he's had so much stress on his heart that any little stress causes it to leak enzymes.  All praise be to the Most High and His love and care for His children!  AND... the best part is HE CAN COME HOME TOMORROW!!!  Thank you all SO much for all your prayers, and I love you in Him!!!

Thursday, 7:21 p.m., 7/31/08

No news tonight; they performed the endioscopy too, but of course, no news.  I stop by each night to visit with him on the way home to take care of our pups, but the time just flies by!  I have from about 3:45-5:30 p.m.  By the time I get home, cook the dogs' supper, wash the dishes, and put an update on the site, it's bedtime!  I sure am tired!!!  I pray he will discover tomorrow what's up, that it will be extremely easy to treat, and that he can come home for the weekend!  Please pray that for us... I miss him dreadfully!!!  I'll let you know if he hears anything before I leave for work tomorrow morning.  Love to you in Him!

Thursday, 6:41 a.m., 7/31/08

This morning, they came in and performed an ultrasound on Richard's liver, kidneys and gall bladder.  Later this morning, they are going to perform the endioscopy so they can see everything else.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if they could actually find out what the problem is today, and he could come home tomorrow so we could spend the entire weekend together?  That would be the first time since he started his job on February 1st!  But we are just EXTREMELY grateful to our Father for having fixed Richard's heart, for having his problems not be heart related (and probably simple to "fix"), and for both our jobs.  I have NO complaints with the level of care He has provided us with, and we will serve Him throughout eternity with great pleasure!  I'll update you tonight after I get home from work and the hospital, and get the dogs fed.  Love to you in Him!

Wednesday, 9:12 p.m., 7/30/08

Well, I had to go back to work today, and I SURE did miss spending the day with my precious man!  But, Greg was kind enough to give me Monday and Tuesday off with him, so I could spend all day both days with him, so I sure can't complain.  Anyway, I worked from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., then left to go visit with Richard on the way home.  Afterwards, I stopped by the store to buy the dogs some chicken to fix for their dinner, came home, put new flea collars on them, loved on them, cooked their dinner, fed them, made my toast (I'm still fasting... no meat and no sweets in honor of His incessant lovingkindness), washed the dishes, and talked to Richard about a hundred times!  :)  Richard's gastro doctor stopped by tonight, and told him that he's pretty sure Richard's problem stems from something gastro related.  He said that 33% of all people who think they are having heart problems/pain, are really having gastro problems!  WOW!  So tomorrow morning early, they are going to do an Upper GI and run an endioscope down his throat to look into his stomach.  I'll bet they will find the problem then... maybe Father Yahweh will let Richard be home with me by the weekend??!!!  I sure hope so, because I miss him terribly!  For all you precious Doves who have written me lately to give me encouragement and love, please bear with me for taking a while to answer... to put it mildly, my personal time is almost non-existent until I can get Richard back home.  But I love you all, and thank you SO much for all your prayers, your encouragement, and some of you are even fasting with me, which I appreciate more than I can ever tell you here on this earth!  Love you all in Him!

Wednesday, 6:26 a.m., 7/30/08

Dr. DiTeresa stopped by to visit with Richard this morning.  He said they are planning to perform an upper GI series on him today.  Dr. DiTeresa seems to think that perhaps Richard may have some sort of reflux disease causing what "appears" to be heart pains.  And he said that due to Richard's past heart problems, his enzymes would always be higher than normal.  Praise the Most High for the awesome doctors He's given us, for healing Richard's heart, and for just being exactly who He is!  I have to go back to work today, but my boss said that as long as Richard is in the hospital, I can leave at 3:00.  That way, I will be able to stop by the hospital and visit with Richard before I come home and take care of our dogs (children... ha!).  Love to you in Him!

Tuesday, 6:11 p.m., 7/29/08

OK, folks, now this is WEIRD!  The cardiologist (Dr. Conn - sp?) did a cath on Richard this morning.  He, Dr. Bhattia, and Dr. DiTeresa all thought it was a blockage in Richard's heart.  Dr. Bhattia had given permission for the cardiologist to perform an angioplasty and put in a stent (Richard insisted that Dr. Bhattia give his OK, or no angioplasty).  All the skin grafts from previous open-heart surgeries were in perfect condition, and no blockages could be found.  Therefore, no bypass surgery or transplant needed... praise the Lord!!!  But SOMETHING is causing Richard's heart to still hurt, and caused his enzymes to rise and caused him to come extremely close to a heart attack... but they are totally stumped.  So tomorrow they've called in a gastro intestinologist, thinking perhaps he has an ulcer or some gastro-intestinal problem.  Please pray for Father Yahweh to guide them to quickly find and easily repair whatever the problem is.  I'll let you know something as soon as we know something.  Love to you in Him!

Monday, 7:08 p.m., 7/28/08

I stayed at the hospital with Richard from about 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.  He seemed in really good spirits, except every 4 hours when his morphine would wear off; then they give him another shot after that time, and in a couple of minutes, he's fine.  OK, here's the latest.  The cardiologist gave him a stress test (not the treadmill kind, but the drug kind), and determined that he's relatively sure that there IS a blockage.  He is going to take him into the cath lab in the morning to determine the extent and decide what to do next.  Dr. Bhattia was Richard's surgeon on all three of his open-heart surgeries, so he knows his heart inside and out.  Richard is trying to make sure that the cardiologist speaks to Dr. Bhattia before doing anything extensive.  Please continue to pray that it will be easy to repair.  Richard says he likes the heart Father Yahweh gave him in the first place; he doesn't want a heart transplant.  I am shockingly upbeat, and have been able to share His care for His children with a lot of folks today.  I pray that everyone that looks upon me and Richard with see the love of our Father, and glorify Him.  And if you would, please consider fasting with me until noon tomorrow again.  And also, Richard & I have asked Father Yahweh to please send His messenger to me in a dream tonight to let me know Richard is going to be fine; I would certainly appreciate if you would do the same for me.   I'll let you know when I hear anything further.  Love to you in Him!

Monday, 7:05 a.m., 7/28/08

I've talked to Richard several times this morning.  Our family doctor (actual he's an Internal Medicine MD), who has also become a close friend, stopped by to see Richard this morning.  He asked how Richard was feeling, and Richard told him he was beginning to hurt, since the morphine was wearing off.  Dr. D changed the orders on his chart telling them that ANY time Richard needed something for pain, they were to give it to him. He knows that Richard won't ask for anything unless he truly needs it.  They are going to be running a stress test (not the treadmill type, which he can't do), and are planning to do a Cath sometime today.  Poor baby can't have coffee, breakfast, or anything until after the stress test, though.  I'm feeling shockingly calm since I knelt yesterday and prayed, then didn't eat supper last night, in honor of His care for us.  I slept 7.5 hours last night, and didn't stir!  Please also pray that He will work out something with the dogs, because after today, I will need to be at work, visiting with Richard every chance I get, AND rushing home to let the dogs out and feed them... not going to be an easy task.  I will keep up with His-Forever as best I can, too, as well as keeping you updated on Richard.  Thanks SO much for all your prayers on our behalf!  Love you all in Him!

Sunday, 8:49 p.m., 7/27/08

Richard's EKGs (they took two) showed that he is POST-heart attack, not PRE, which is good.  That means he's already had one about 4 days ago (they are shocked it didn't go into a full-fledged one... only with Father Yahweh's care it didn't!), but his enzymes were elevated to .13; .5 means they are HAVING a heart attack.  We are praying that this is something medicine can fix.  He IS in the hospital (regular room), and they are taking him into the Cath Lab in the morning to see what's going on.  I will update you when I can.  I am fasting tonight, though I am REALLY hungry... this will be my first attempt at fasting.  Please pray He will bless my efforts and look favorably on us both.  Also for continued peace (I am at peace right now).

Sunday, 2:45 p.m., 7/27/08

2:45 PM - Please pray for my precious Richard.  He's begun having angina really bad again.  He's pretty sure it's due to the fact that he hasn't gotten much rest in the last 2 weeks (due to work, etc.), and during the midst of that time, he quit taking his Plavix, which is supposed to help with the angina.  He started taking it again on the 4th day, but he missed 3 doses!  He's going to the doctor tomorrow anyway, to ask him to request that he have a couple of sick days off so he can get some serious rest.  And he's going to get his bloodwork done so they can put him on the correct medications. Please also pray for my peace of mind.  I got down on my knees this morning and asked Father Yahweh to forgive me my sins, my worrying, and my lack of faith in the care He provides for His children, to please heal any problems Richard may be having with his health, to please allow me and Richard to live to see the glorious return of His Son, and to please give me His calm and peace of mind. And please pray that this is something that medication can clear up... no surgery involved, and no hospital stay. His heart surgeon told him after his third open-heart surgery in December 2006 that he couldn't have any more open-heart surgeries... that the next time it would require getting a heart transplant... once a donor was found.