5 weeks in

Just a quick update on the last few days. Owen went to the Dr yesterday for a followup. She said that he is looking good. She had an EKG done on his heart and there is no more heart block!! Praise the Lord!
His rhythm is at 95% which is great!!! Tomorrow Owen gets his last dose of antibiotics via IV.
He is feeling better but still gets fatigued.
Please continue to pray for Owen's strength, paying for medical expenses and no recurring symptoms.
Our God is faithful!

Home Sweet Home!

The wonders of God never cease! Owen came home yesturday (thursday) afternoon.
We have both been resting a lot. I can not believe how tired I am from being with Owen in the hospital. So resting up has been great.

Owen is still in 1st degree heart block but the Drs were okay with him coming home.
He won't be able to drive until after his antibiotics are done next friday.

A big prayer right now is for sleep at night. We have been playing a mental game with ourselves. I listen for him to breathe and he sleeps on and off through the night. We check his pulse and try to not be nervous or fearful that his heart rate is too low.
When he was in the hospital he was monitered and could easily check. Now we kinda guess and sleep on and off. LIke I said it is all mental.

Owen is feeling better but pretty easily fatigued. We keep getting out for walks to strengthen his legs and work his heart a little.

Thank you again for all of your prayers. To God be the GLORY!!

God our KEEPER

I just tucked Moriah in bed and am sitting down to tell you of our day.

Owen is still at the hospital, Lord willing this will be his last night.
The Dr gave us hope that tomorrow could possible be the last day!!! I am ready to have Owen home and he is ready to be home.
Thankfully Owen was able to get out of bed today. We made many laps around the hallways. He was thankful to be up and about after 5 days in bed.
Thank you LORD!!

It seems now like we are waiting. Waiting for the antibiotics to continue to do their work and for his heart rhythm to return completely to normal. He is very close to being out of 1st degree block. He has had 50-60 bpm pretty much all day. SOmetimes it does dip down but it doesn't stay there long. Last night it did go into the 20's for a short time so they woke him up and he recovered very nicely.

All of the Drs and nurses have been wonderful. For those of you at Park Ave we even had Starr as our nurse for 2 days!!! What a blessing!

I am amazed at the peace that God has given me and for the ways in which He has strengthened me. I know it is because of all of the saints praying all over the world and nation.

I have been overwhelmed with all of your support from every aspect. Even in ways I would not have expected.
What a beautiful picture of the body of Christ. Each doing its part to uplift and make the body work. WOW!
THanks God.

A friend shared Psalm 121 with us today and so I will pass it on for your encouragement wherever you may be as well:

1 A Song of Ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? 2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved, he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and for evermore.
The Revised Standard Version
The Bible text designated RSV is from The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version. Copyright 1946, 1952, 1959, 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Our friend shared that the LORD KEEPS us, watches over us, and is involved in what is happening NOW!!

I was listening to AM 980 tonight while James MacDonald was on and he was talking about when we are in times of desperate need that our answer often comes through what we already have. He used the example of feeding the 5,000. How he asked what the disciples were going to do to feed the people. They asked 4, 999 if they had any food. ONly one boy HAD a small lunch. Christ could have manifested food, or done some other kind of supernatural work, or had the people return home. Yet, Christ chose to use what one small boy carried and made more than enough for EVERYONE.

O LORD, use what I already have to do YOUR work, to love others, to be part of what YOU are doing. Thank you for seeing what i have and chosing to use it. Allow me to see that I have more to offer YOU than I realize--especially in times of desperate need. Including my mind, prayer, praise, encouragement, love, and being with YOU.
THank you for healing Owen and for making his heart rhythm normal, for allowing him to come home tomorrow, and putting us in a place of complete dependence on YOU. Thank you for being my ROCK through all of this. I am believing YOU!

Well the doctor took out Owen's temporary pacemaker and decided that he would moniter Owen. If they needed to they could always put it back in. Thankfully Owen has not needed it today! Praise the Lord!
Owen's prayer is that he will be able to come home tomorrow (Wed). THe doctor has not said anything about it yet so we will see. At least he will be able to get out of bed now that the temp pacemaker is out of his groin. He has been in bed pretty much since Thurs evening. He can't wait to get on his feet again.
Owen is looking so much better. His headaches are gone and he looks a lot more like himself! I can't wait to have him home again soon.

Many of you have offered to watch our children. THey are camping with Owen's familiy for the week. Moriah is staying around here with different families during the day and is then able to sleep in her own bed at night.

I am tired and worn out and feel like I can't think straight half the time but thankful to be able to spend the days with Owen. What a gift every day is!

I continue to stand on God's promises and His Word. He has been so faithful and the Holy Spirit has been my comforter and strength.

Thank you again for all of your prayers, calls, emails and visits!

God is my ROCK!

The Cardiologist turned down Owen's pacemaker to 40bpm today and his heart is beating on
its own around 57 bpm. A good strong resting heart rate. Praise God!!
It was a little nerveracking at first but good. His rhythm is looking better.

Tomorrow they will take out his temp pacemaker and either put a new temp one in his neck (so he can get out of bed) or, Lord willing, he can be okay without one at all!!!! Our prayer is that he will be able to come home tomorrow night.

I am definitely tired but have felt very peaceful and bouyed by all of your prayers.
Praise God that he comes to give LIFE in full.
I have been clinging to Psalm 40 and 41.

Psalm 40:2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.

Psalm 41:3 The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.

LORD, we thank you for Owen's strong heart and for making it work like it was meant to work.
We pray for a strong normal rhythm. we pray for Owen to come home. That YOU will be glorified in everything. Thank you for the faith and prayers of the saints. Thank you for working in Owen's life.
We love you, O LORD, our ROCK!!

Day 34

Owen is in ICU.
This morning around 7am I called 911 because he passed out in bed. He had just rolled over and asked me to take his pulse. So I called and by the time the EMT's arrived he was already coming to.
They took him via ambulance back to Abbott.
In the ER his heart rate was really low--consistently in the 20's. We were pretty emotional and scared.
From the ER they took him up to ICU and around 10 am put in a temporary pacemaker
allowing his body to heal. His all time low was a drop down to 17 bpm!

He is currently pumping away at 59 bpm, resting, and making the dr's and nurses laugh :)

He will be at Abbott until Monday for sure. Hopefully tomorrow he will be moved to a regular room.

So on Monday they will turn down the pace maker and see how the antibiotics have been working.
Worst case scenario would be a permanent pace maker. Thankfully he is pumping away and stable!!!
What a blessing. It definitely takes most of the worry and apprehension out of the way.

We keep praying for healing and for God to be glorified through everything.

THank you for all of your calls, emails, and prayers!!!!

Having my mom here to help with the kids has been great. Owen's parents were also able to come up today. I am thankful they are here.

Hospital Observation

Owen went to get antibiotics at the clinic yesturday and they sent him to the hospital. His heart is not working correctly. the top and bottom chambers are beating independently of each other and not communitcating. This is a heart disassociation or 3rd Degree AV block.
His heart beat is still in the low 40's, yesturday and today. Since he is on IV antibiotics once a day they also put a PICC line in his arm. Other than his heart he seems to be doing great!
Please pray for healing, that he will have opportunities to proclaim the name of Jesus.
We are holding fast to Psalm 40 and 41.
THank you for your prayers!

My mom is coming this afternoon to help with the kids for a day or two in the midst of moving to WI. I am so thankful that she is coming.

ALSO, looks like I will be able to pick him up around supper time and bring him home!

To the clinic...

Owen didn't try and run this morning.
What a day!
Some friends came and watched the kids so that I could go with Owen to the NIP (Neighbors In Partnership) clinic in Uptown. We had a great Dr there. We were about ready to walk out with a prescription when Owen mentioned about his trouble running. The Dr decided to do an EKG.
This she found to be quite abnormal with a 3rd degree AV block and sent us to Abbott Northwestern Hospital. He was at 40 bpm.
The Dr said that if I had not been with Owen she would have sent him in an ambulance. So he will be at Abbott overnight. They did start him on intravenous (IV) antibiotics tonight. He is on 2g of Ceftriaxone once a day for 2 weeks.
I am home now with the kids. Hopefully he won't be in the hospital long.

Blood Test....

Owen received the results from his blood test....he was POSITIVE!
Not a suprise there.
When he got home from work he layed on the couch until bed time.
He was pretty tired today.
I was able to find a clinic that sees only uninsured people. we are going in tomorrow afternoon.

Shortness of breath

Well, Owen tried to run again this morning. When he started his head began to pound, he was lightheaded, couldn't run straight, kneeled down after a block. He had trouble breathing. Owen regained his composure and walked back home.
He then layed down on the bed (this was odd to me as he never does this) and he was having shortness of breath. He checked his pulse: 38beats per minute.
Work was okay today with the normal fatigue and headache.

A slow run

Yesturday was a better day.
Today things have gotten worse as the day went on. More fatigue and headache.
ALSO, this morning Owen tried to run and could only run for a minute or so. He had to kneel down so that he wouldn't pass out. Seems odd but not sure what to think.
Still waiting for the blood test results!!!

Quiet Weekend-- Day 27

Owen seems to do better when he allows himself to rest a little bit. He has been going to work even though he felt very fatigued.
He has still been running. Anywhere from 15 min up to an hour this week. I don't know how he does it with being so tired.
The headaches seem like they have been bad. He continues to take IBU even though he doesn't like to. Seems like it helps some.
Owen said that his right arm hurts where he was bit and that his right hip also burns.
Since we are home I started him on some essential fatty acids, milk thistle, coQ10, magnesium, and a multi vitamin along with the salt and Vit C. I am hoping they will help to clear this up soon. It would be great if he didn't have to have antibiotics.
Lord, I leave this in your hands. We ask for Your healing and wisdom.
Today was also the end of the 40 day fast that we did with The Call, www.thecall.com.
Sounds like they will be doing another one next September in DC. It has been a great experience. We did a daniel fast and really learned alot about what we ate as well as being before the Lord for our nation. So much has happened that The Call became a little overshadowed as we have been trying to just exist most days.

Still tired

Owen worked today but he is tired. He has had headaches, chills, a dry cough, and light sensativity. He said he did feel a little better in the afternoon again but the days don't seem to be getting any shorter.
He ran 14:18 today over by the golf course.

Independence Day

Seems like Owen's headache is pretty constant. He slept and rested most of the day. The kids are getting antsy for him to play with them. This morning was rough but the afternoon he seemed to be feeling a little better.
Still no blood test results!!!?????

The weekend

My saintly sister-in-law took they older two children for 2 nights. She has them until Monday.
I have been needing a break as I have been doing double duty since we were up North. With Owen being so tired he has not been able to help with anything. God has truly kept me going.
Thank you Lord!
Saturday we went out for our anniversary to the Ecopolitan. They have vegan/raw foods. It was a fun experience and one we would not have had unless we had felt led to take part in the 40 day fast. I have a whole new appreciation for vegans and vegetarians. Although I don't know that I would become one it has made me take a real close look at what and how we do eat.
Anyways, Saturday was the best Owen has felt!!! Yeah! Because he felt up to it we were able to go out for our anniversary. Seems like he does better when he gets more rest.
Yesturday he slept alot. He had fever, headache, chills, coughing.
Today, was a long day at work and he was tired enough to come home early from a church meeting. When will he feel better?