Tuesday, July 26, 2022

8:12 PM

Hi. Thank you for accompanying us.

  In the past few days, I have heard God's Word speak, directly to me, especially these words from Psalm 126. They keep repeating in my heart and are of great comfort to me.

  Today was quite different than the past 25 days of going to be with Larry in hospital. I was told yesterday that they would be doing an ECG to have a good look at his heart, to see if there is any area of concern. Also a CT scan for his head again, to monitor the bleed from 5 days ago. There are no signs for concern, the ICU doctor is ordering tests as a precaution. ICU doctors begin on Monday and work through Sunday, so I met Larry's doctor for this week. He explained a lot of what is going on, none of which concerned me enough to remember how to tell it. Again, another gem of a person.

  Larry's body is so big, that when he coughed, it would jostle the dialysis apparatus, as I spoke about yesterday. They were setting him up with the new machine as we arrived. Our niece was with me and we were asked to give them time to set him up. This in and out again, for various procedures kept happening. I forbade the nurse to say 'sorry' each time she asked us to leave, but she didn't listen to me. She said, "Sorry, I'm a true Canadian." She was going to remove the other half of Larry's staples today, so she'll be saying "Sorry, dear!" with every staple.

 They are pulling back on his oxygen and he's breathing pretty well (except for the nasty coughing). Also, they keep on working on reducing his sedation which of course requires even closer watch, for rise in blood pressure & aggressive moves with his hands and other things. We saw him do circles with his toes, so that was a taste of 3 wks ago, when things started coming back after his surgery. It's pretty yucky to have fallen so far back again, but we see people champion over setbacks in many areas of life, throughout history, and every day today.

 Rheanna is so sweet & played Uncle Larry "Harvest Moon" (Neil Young) & danced beside his bed. When she was quite young I was so inspired by her maturity while she sat by and encouraged uncle Bob (very sick with cancer) with loving words and cute humor, and the same for Grandma. Now she's a new mom with twin girls, so we get to hear her sweet encouragement & love for her daughters.

 I did manage to have a little time to talk, pray & sing close to Larry's ear. I told the nurses that they weren't making it easy for Larry & I to have a romantic encounter. Laughing, they both said "Sorry!"

 We left the hospital at 2:30 which was very strange, as I usually leave between 6 & 7:00. I'm pleased to say that I was ok with that. I was able to give my love to Larry in person & hope that he hears my voice speaking to him, when I'm not there.

 Tomorrow, family are gathering at Bear Creek Park, to be together for a pizza picnic. Over the past 3 wks., we have spent a lot of time with each other, in waiting rooms & cafeterias, but it isn't so easy with the restrictions due to the rise in Covid cases in hospital. I'll be back to wearing a mask & no hugs at the family gathering. Covid does not respect our emotional need for closeness & hugs. Larry cannot afford Covid in the equation of the present threats to his life and recovery.

 Take care of yourselves. Today, 3 more of our close friends have Covid. I don't usually say "Be careful!" but, please do.   You are an essential part of Larry's consolation, encouragement and hope, and certainly to all of his loved ones, as well as your own!  Xoxoxo God bless you! We appreciate you!