October 2011 Recap

You guessed it.  October started with football, and ended with football.  We had lovely fall weather, so it was especially nice going to games.

Alex's soccer season continued throughout October, too.  We enjoyed the opportunity to see him so often.  It took the sting of him leaving home and made it so much easier. 

On October 16, our family was enjoying a typical Sunday afternoon.  We had finished watching Colton play his final tackle football game of the season.  Shannon headed to church for a meeting prior to the evening service at 6:30.  Jackson, Chase, Colton and I drove a couple miles from home to celebrate Colton's season with an impromptu football pizza party with some of the other players.  Alex was home visiting from college, and stayed with the younger kids.  

We left the pizza party at 6:00, drove the two miles home, and pulled into the driveway.  The other children were outside playing, and were ready to leave for church.  I got out of my parents van, which I had been driving.  Alex came out of the house and got into the van because he was going to drive it back to college.  He had decided to come home with us following his soccer game the previous day in Dubuque.  We were planning to drive to Ankeny to see his soccer game on Monday, so my parents said he could drive their van back to school, and they would drive it home after his game, saving us the trip there and back after church Sunday evening.  Hudson asked if he could ride to church with Alex.  I said sure and buckled him into the rear passenger seat of the minivan.  They headed off to church. 

Without even going into the house, the other seven children and I loaded up in our van.  Katie ran back into the house and grabbed a sippy cup for Macklin.  We headed out the drive and made the six mile trip north to church.  As we pulled into the church parking lot and unloaded from the van, I heard the sirens from the hospital across the street.  Often times I will say a prayer for those in need as I hear the siren.  On this particular day, I did not.  It just didn't even occur to me. 

We were a few minutes early (very uncommon!), so I stood in the fellowship hall visiting with some of the other teens.  My cell phone rang, and the screen said it was Alex.  That was when I realized that he and Hudson should have beaten us to church because they left before we did.  He immediately told me he had been in an accident and had crashed the van.  I asked him where he was, and he said he was south of town and had lost control on the gravel and gone into the ditch.  I grabbed Jackson and told Alex we would be right there.  It wasn't until then that I remembered Hudson was with him.  When I asked how they were, Alex said he was fine, but Hudson had a cut on his face. 

As Jackson and I left the church, I spoke with a man in the parking lot and asked him to find Shannon and have him meet us at the accident site.   Then I called Alex back and told him we were on our way.  He said the ambulance was there already, so we should just meet them at the hospital.  We went directly to the hospital, and had to wait about 15-20 minutes for them to arrive.  We were able to contact Shannon, and he met us at the ER. 

I was not prepared for what I saw when the ambulance arrived.  Hudson was wheeled in first.  His face was bloody and swollen.  He was in a cervical collar.  He was strapped down onto the gurney.  There were many EMTs, doctors and nurses surrounding him, all talking at once.  They would not let us see him immediately.  I was SO close to breaking through those doors! 

Alex was able to walk in on his own.  They conducted a physical exam on him, and he was cleared fairly quickly, with only a superficial scratch on his arm from the air bag.  Hudson was on the opposite side of the curtain from Alex, so we could hear part of what they were saying.  We were only expecting Hudson to need some stitches.  The more we heard, the more scared we became.  He was in and out of consciousness.  He had one large pupil, one small, and they were not responsive to light.  His left eye was swollen shut and he had multiple lacerations on his face.  It was determined that he needed to be intubated since he was losing consciousness and he had swelling in his neck.  It took them 6 attempts and 40 minutes to intubate him.  He was X-rayed to make sure the tube was in the correct place. 

We were informed that they had called the University of Iowa Hospitals and were going to transfer Hudson via life flight helicopter.  We would need to drive ourselves there.  At this point I called across the street and asked our pastor to spread the word and begin praying for our boys.  Although Alex was physically okay, he was quite emotional about the accident and felt responsible. 

I had called my parents and they drove over to deal with the van and be with us.  The sheriff deputy met my dad at the scene of the accident.  Alex had lost control on the gravel and entered the ditch.  It was quite steep at that particular spot.  The van then collided with a concrete culvert, skipped over it, and landed in a creek.  The driver's airbag deployed, saving Alex from serious injury.  Hudson was thrown forward, colliding with the hard plastic hand hold on the back of the front passenger seat, typical in many minivans.  Alex's door wouldn't open, so he had to climb against gravity through the side van door, and jump down about four feet into the creek.  He thought he saw smoke in the van, so he unbuckled Hudson and removed him from the van.  As he climbed up the ditch, a man in an SUV stopped to help him.  He was on his way to church in the same town we attend church, and he is an EMT.  He helped Alex call 911, since Alex's phone kept dropping the call as he dialed.  Another lady, also a former EMT, came upon the accident from the opposite direction.  They immediately immobilized Hudson and applied traction to his neck.  We were told later that Alex did an incredible job staying calm, and comforting his brother. 

Back at the hospital, we were making arrangements for our other children, who were still at church.  Fortunately, we had gassed up the car earlier that day.  I found comfort in the details of planning.  It was such a surreal experience.  I remember our pastor praying over Hudson with the EMTs, nurses and doctors praying right along with us as they artificially breathed for Hudson.   At one point I looked at Shannon and told him I didn't think I could do this.  Things like this don't happen to our family.  Shannon held me and told me we really didn't have a choice.  We just had to deal with it and do the next thing.  This was similar to what I told Alex as I held his face in my hands as he cried.  I assured him God was in complete control of the situation.  Even though we were scared and unsure of what was going to happen, God knew from the beginning of time that we were going to be standing broken in that emergency room at that particular time.  He was watching over us and would guide us through all that was yet to come.   

Alex wanted to go to Iowa City with us, so he prepared to contact his RA at school to tell him he wouldn't be back that night.  He wasn't able to contact him, so Alex called his soccer coach, who attends church at our previous church in Nevada where we lived and served for 9 years.  They of course prayed for our boys, and word spread throughout our Baptist association.  Alex's college, Faith Baptist Bible College, was notified and they began praying.  Another Faith student who attends church in Nevada immediately upon hearing of the accident called her parents who are close friends of ours in Clear Lake, and their congregation began praying.  Members of that church work at the Iowa Regular Baptist Camp, and spread the word when they got home from church.  In an unbelievably short amount of time, word of the boys' accident had spread across the state and beyond, and God's people were appealing to Him to heal Hudson.  You can imagine how the prayers multiplied once our request was posted on Facebook. 

As the helicopter arrived and we spoke with the medic, I asked him to take good care of my baby.  He hugged me and assured me they would do their best.  We had provided them with telephone numbers to reach us 'just in case'.  One of the hardest things I've had to do was to see my little boy loaded onto that helicopter and not be able to be there with him.  As we stood in the parking lot and watched the helicopter leave, I remembered that when Hudson was a little baby I prayed to God and 'gave' my baby to Him.  I trusted God, but I wasn't ready to lose my boy.  Many of the hospital staff and EMT's were crying as we left the ER.

Alex ended up staying home.  My parents made sure the other children were settled in at our house, then took Alex home with them to keep an eye on him.  Shannon and I began the hour and a half drive to Iowa City.  My sister Kim is a nurse and works in the clinics at the hospital, so she was able to be at the hospital when Hudson arrived.  Shannon and I spent the trip praying fervently for our little guy.  I contacted family and friends asking them for prayer.  We sang praises to God and appealed to Him for mercy and healing on Hudson. 

About half way there we received a call.  I was almost afraid to answer the phone.  It was the social worker from UIHC calling to make sure it was okay to share medical information with my sister.  Hudson had arrived, and they were beginning testing and CT scans.  She told us where to park and met us at the doors, then escorted us to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.  Kim was with her, too.  When we arrived in the PICU we were greeted by a resident and given a preliminary progress report.  The CT scan appeared to be normal, although they were still waiting for the official report.  There were no brain bleeds found.  He had facial and orbital fractures.  The tendon that attaches his left eyeball to the bone had been severed.  Many different doctors and residents were attending to his needs.  He was scheduled to be seen by neurosurgeons, oculoplastics, ophthalmologists, radiologists, and a slew of other providers.  It was quite some time before we were able to see him.  They had him in a drug-induced coma.  He was quite agitated with the tubes and restraints when conscious.   Although the reports were positive, we were warned that there could still be permanent damage, and we should plan to be at the hospital for about a week.  

The pastor and assistant pastor from our previous church in Nevada drove two hours to be with us at the hospital, after spending the day preaching.  They stayed with us for several hours until we knew Hudson was stable, then drove back home in the wee hours of the morning.  Their friendship and support meant the world to us in a very scary time of our lives. 

Throughout that first night, the doctors would bring Hudson out of his coma to test his responsiveness.  Although scared and uncomfortable from being intubated and restrained, each time Hudson was able to respond to our voices and squeeze our hands and move his feet. 

By morning they had ruled out brain damage and were confident that his eye could be repaired.  He was put on the surgery schedule as an "add-on", so we didn't have a specific time for surgery.  About 1:00pm they came to get him to prepare him for surgery.  He was gone for about three hours.  When he returned, they had been able to remove his breathing tube and the repair of his eye and lacerations had gone well.  He had just over 20 stitches, beginning across his left eyelid and continuing along his left cheekbone in "Z" pattern.  Within minutes he was talking to us, trying to remember what had happened.  He was sad that he was missing Alex's soccer game.  We had told Alex he could play as long as he felt okay.  He had been able to play about half of the game before getting dizzy.  When Alex finished his game, he called to see how surgery went.   The first thing Hudson did when talking to Alex was to thank him for saving him.  There wasn't a dry eye in the room. 

Hudson was quite charming the rest of the evening.  He was able to visit with Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Kimmy, Uncle Jeff and his cousin Mason, and  pastor Nemmers and his wife.

On Tuesday morning Hudson received a special honor.  Our PICU nurse was able to arrange for him to go up to the roof of the hospital and see the helicopter he had flown in on.  One of the medics gave the special tour. We were able to see the little cot that he was strapped to, and the seats for the medics and the pilot.  We were allowed to take as many pictures as we wanted, and they even gave him a stuffed panda bear as a gift. 

The biggest surprise of all, though, was the news that we were being discharged.  Not from PICU to the floor, but HOME.  The doctors said there was no reason for us to stay.   Our PICU nurse had no idea how to discharge a patient home.  She had never done it before.  Shannon had to go out and buy clothes and a booster seat since Hudson arrived with neither.

In less than 42 hours from the time of the accident, we had been told that Hudson might not make it, if he did live he'd likely have brain damage, and he'd possibly lose his left eye.  But because of our merciful, all-powerful God, we were able to walk out of the hospital with 'only' facial fractures and sutures.  We firmly believe that Hudson was healed because of the faithful prayers of our friends, family, and the community members surrounding our rural home.  There's no medical way to explain it.  It was just God.

We had incredible opportunities to share our faith throughout the ordeal, and give glory to God.  Our children have been shown clearly that God DOES answer prayers.  My sister, who was saved as a child but has not found time in the past twenty-five years to serve God, saw up close and personally that God is active and present in our lives if we allow Him to be.  We were shown so much love and support throughout the relatively short time following the accident by friends and family, and even virtual strangers. 

We are truly blessed.  

Hudson has been given a clean bill of health from all of his doctors.  His vision is perfect.  He has quite a scar, but I find it a daily reminder of Who holds us in His hands. 

Hudson has learned that God ABSOLUTELY answers prayers.  He's got such amazing faith.  A week after the initial surgery, Hudson and Macklin were tussling, and all of Hudson's stitches got ripped out.  We loaded him up and headed back to Iowa City to have them repaired.  On the way there, Hudson looked at Shannon and I and said, "Aren't you going to call everyone and have them pray for me?".  

Lesson learned.

"The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD."  Proverbs 16:33

Jodi's Diet Update

It's been a little over three weeks since I started my Forty by Forty campaign. My first week, I had a little progress.

I have been watching calories, and power walking three miles per day, with some pilates thrown in as time allows. I am not a very patient person, and expect immediate results. That wasn't happening as quickly as I wanted, so I decided to jump start things with a Master Cleanse.

I did this about two and a half years ago. You can google it for details, but it basically consists of fasting for 10 days, while drinking a mixture of lemon juice, grade B maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. Yum. I have found that I tolerate the cayenne better if I take it in capsule form, rather than adding it to the lemonade mixture. It tastes better, too. You can also have as much water as you want.

The theory is to detox the body, and remove all waste.

I haven't eaten since Monday evening, and I'm feeling great.

I weighed myself on Friday, and had lost 10 pounds since I had started dieting.

I feel great. I've not had any hunger pangs. Shannon has been great about taking over most of the cooking, so I haven't had to deal with that.

It's crazy how often I'll walk into the kitchen and automatically pick something up to eat, even though I'm not hungry. Although I'm not feeling hungry, food still looks good.

We brought home Papa Murphy's pizza for lunch today, and it was quite tempting to smell, then watch everyone eat it. I managed to mix and bake all of the sugar cookies last week without snitching any, which was a huge accomplishment!

I've been exercising normally, and although I felt a bit drained on Day 3, it has improved since then. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Old News

This is rather old news now, but because it has been such a long time since I've blogged, you'll just have to live with it.



We took Jackson's cast off a couple weeks ago. It was getting stinky. He was tired of taking showers like this.



I was running out of garbage bags.

Shannon sent him out to the garage to get some tools to remove it.


He came back in with the chain saw.


We decided to use some gardening clipper/snipper things instead. We weren't wild about the ortho doc that we had been taking Jackson to, so decided to save the time and hassle and just take the cast off ourselves.

All is well. Jackson has his last game in Denver tomorrow night. We'll be there, rain or shine. We're praying for shine.

"The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue an angry countenance." Proverbs 25:23

Jackson's Hand

Several weeks ago Jackson hurt his hand during the Dike-New Hartford JV football game on a Tuesday night. He got stepped on during the first half, but went on to play the rest of the game. He made several catches during the second half, had some great tackles, and some big runs as well.

After the game he told us his hand hurt, and it had started to swell. We took him to the office and shot some x-rays, but couldn't conclusively find any fractures. We decided to ice it and take some more pictures the next day. Same story the next day. The navicular bone looked suspicious, so we decided to have him see an orthopaedic doctor to get a second opinion. We needed to see his primary doc to get the referral to the ortho, but couldn't get in until late Wednesday afternoon. He gave us the referral, but we couldn't get in to the ortho until Friday morning. He shot some more x-rays, but still couldn't see if there was a fracture, so ordered a cat scan. We were able to go straight to the hospital and have the scan. His hand continued to be quite swollen.




Shannon got the results from the scan late Friday afternoon, with the diagnosis of a fractured 2nd metacarpal, which was a blessing because it is much less serious than a navicular fracture. Monday morning we went back to the ortho doc, and he casted Jack's hand. We went back a week later for another x-ray, which the doctor said "looked good", but I'm doubtful he could even see the fracture, since it didn't show up originally on an x-ray, and this time they were shooting through his cast, too. He's said Jack needed to keep the cast on another three weeks.

Jackson played his first game with the cast last week. He was wrapped up like a mummy, but it was better than standing on the sidelines passing out water bottles.



He only played defense, and did an okay job. He had one pass come directly at him, got both hands up to catch it, and --THUNK-- it bounced right off. At least he was able to break up the play, but it was frustrating to watch.

He's been begging us all week to take the cast off. It stinks like sweaty socks. It's itchy. The list of complaints goes on and on. We're still holding off on removing it.

I think there are still three weeks of JV football left. He's anxious to get back into the game.

"The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and a good report makes the bones healthy." Proverbs 15:30

Alex's Accident

When it rains, it pours.

Tuesday morning, while working the garbage route, Alex swung a heavy bag of trash up into the truck, and on the way it swiped across his leg and cut a gash in it. His boss took him back to the shop, got the wound cleaned up, and decided he needed some stitches. Alex drove home, and we took him to get sewn up.



He set a new Clark record: 9 stitches.

Let's pray this is one record that won't be broken for a long time.

"Like the legs of the lame that hang limp is a proverb in the mouth of fools." Proverbs 26:7

The Weekend

Saturday we made a trip over to Cedar Falls to return pop cans to raise money for the boys' mission trip. We came back with just under $50. We added that to the $21 from those we returned earlier in the week, to bring the total collected from our church so far to right around $650. We appreciate the generosity of our church family in donating their cans to the teens.

We then went to Troy and Theresa's house to play for the afternoon. The boys played basketball, and Theresa and I went to Hobby Lobby. We had lots of yummy, fattening food. We stayed later than we should have.

We always dread losing an hour of sleep for Daylight Savings time. I did not sleep well, and woke up achy and sick. I stayed home from church with Naomi, who also wasn't feeling well. We spent a very lazy day in bed. I'm still stuffed up, but up and moving today. Naomi seems to be fine. We have a couple others with runny noses, but nothing major.

We're still plugging away at school and it is 5:39P.M. Ugh. The boys haven't been doing a spectacular job at their chores lately, so Shannon assigned Alex, Jackson and Chase the job of each writing a two page report on the job and responsibilities of a squire in the 13th century. Bryce had to write "I will do my chores in a timely fashion" 100 times. All of this has made Bryce and Colton behind (even more) on their school work. I don't know how many times I've said today, "Colton, hush and just do your math!".

I have gotten the rest of the tests and study guides printed for the remainder or the school year today. I'm starting to get the itch to start planning for next year. That's the fun part. It's the daily grind that I'm ready to be done with!

We had beef enchiladas for lunch today. Easy peasy. That's the kind of meal I do when I look at the clock and realize it's 11:13A.M. and I haven't started lunch yet. First I browned some ground beef and rinsed it. Then I poured enough enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9X13 pan to cover it, then pulled out all of the open cheese bags from the fridge. I mixed the beef, cheese, and about 2/3 of the can of sauce in a bowl. I microwaved the tortillas a minute to soften them up, then put the filling in and rolled them up. After lining them up in the pan, I poured the rest of the sauce on top, then some more cheese and stuck it all in the oven for about 20 minutes. I had enough time to do the dishes while they were baking, and set the table. We like the "El Pato" mild enchilada sauce from Fareway. We can't always find it in Waterloo, but they have it in Marshalltown, which has a higher Hispanic population. One 28 oz. can is all I use.

Anyone know what "El Pato" means?

"A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, but to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet." Proverbs 27:7

Three Days

This is a record for the Clark household.

Yesterday while visiting at Papa Joe's house, Hudson fell down and hit his face right by the corner of his eye on the table. We were off to the ER again.

Chase, Colton and Katie opted to spend the night with Papa Joe. Alex, Jackson, Bryce and Naomi headed home in Alex's car. It was blowing quite a bit again yesterday, and the boys were warned by a guy driving a pickup truck that they would never make it up our gravel road. They decided to try anyway, and ended up making it through and safely in the garage.

Hudson was a trooper again at the ER. Fortunately, the doctor who stitched him this time has four boys, and knows all about boys and stitches. He doesn't like to use the papoose board, so Shannon and I were able to help hold him down, and he really didn't struggle very much. Two stitches and we were done.

(Don't tell Shannon I let Hudson chew on the remote while he was gone!)

We also had a bit of trouble getting through the snow drifting across our gravel road, and had several places where we were driving blind as the snow blew up, over and around the car. We got stuck at the bottom of the driveway. Alex and Jackson were able to push us out and up the rest of the driveway.

What a way to spend a Christmas evening!

"Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil." Proverbs 4:14

Matching Shiners

Chase and Hudson both currently have black eyes. Chase's is a week old, and Hudson's is only 2 days old. Chase got his playing basketball, and Hudson's is from his accident on Monday.

The color is awful on this pic, but it shows how swollen Chase's cheekbone was when he got home from basketball practice on Dec. 17th.

This was about 45 minutes after it happened.

Shannon's contribution.


December 22


December 23

December 24

"...Who has redness of eyes?" Proverbs 23:29

One Year and Four Days

That's how long it had been since one of the kids had to be taken to the ER for stitches (not counting Chase's surgery on his finger this spring).

Monday evening the kids were just wild. I don't know if it was anticipation for Christmas, too many candies and cookies over the weekend, or what. Ever since we put the french doors in, there has been a lot more running in the house because we created a racetrack. I can't count the number of times I say each day, "No running the house!".

By 11:00pm I was ready for bed, but Hudson was not. He had taken a late nap, and was still rearing to go. I took him up to my room so we could lie down together. As I was changing clothes, he was walking on my bed. All of a sudden he tripped on the blankets and bonked his face on the bookcase headboard. Instant blood, gaping wound, sinking feeling that I was getting ready for bed, but now had to go to the ER in a blizzard.

We got the other children settled, got bundled up, and headed to Marshalltown because it is a few miles closer than Waterloo. The snow was blowing, the driveway was starting to drift, and visibility was minimal. We didn't arrive at the ER until just after midnight. Although the waiting room was empty, we still waited for about 20 minutes, then were taken to the exam room, waited, nurse came in, then we waited some more, then the doctor came in, then we waited some more, then we finally got the stitches.



Of course he didn't like the papoose board, but he did a relatively good job. He was able to hold hands with me, and really didn't move his head around much.

The doctor put four stitches in, and sent us home. We pulled in the driveway just before 2:00am. The snow had stopped while we were at the ER, and the snow plows were already out on the highways. Our gravel road wasn't too bad, and we made it up the driveway without any problems.



We're down to only two children that have not had stitches.

"Now therefore, listen to me, my children; Pay attention to the words of my mouth:" Proverbs 7:24

Playing Hooky

I'm playing hooky from church tonight. I've had a cold for the past two months, and can't seem to shake it. My head has been stuffed up, I've had a gooky, phlegmy cough, and I've just felt yucky.

I finally went to the doctor last week. I've been on some antibiotics since that time, but I'm still not back to normal. My ears, which don't work well to begin with, are very plugged. I have next to no hearing in my left ear. The right is worse than normal. It makes it difficult to be in public when I can't hear normal conversation. So, I skipped out tonight.

I've been busy in the kitchen. I'm cooking up about 5 pounds of meatballs while I type. My electric frying pan is doing all of the work right now. I'm trying to feed my freezer so that the kids will have some real food to eat while we're away from home at the hospital or at basketball games. 'Tis the season.

I'm also looking at a basket of laundry that needs to be folded. It's not going anywhere, so I'll continue typing.

Hudson has been napping since about 4:30. He's just waking up. That's going to come back and bite me when I'm ready for bed in a couple hours and he's rearing to go. It sure was nice while it lasted! The sweet little guy is all snuggly now, rubbing eyes and smiling at me. He's got rosy cheeks...and lavender footie pajamas on. Don't tell anyone. That's what happens when you have two big sisters!

"He who loves purity of art and has grace on his lips, the king will be his friend." Proverbs 22:11

Another Update

On Monday Papa Joe was scheduled to have a defibrillator---okay, I can't think of a good word: installed, inserted, placed in his body?? What is the correct terminology? You get the idea. Regardless of what it's called, the surgery was canceled because his potassium levels were quite elevated prior to surgery. They kept him in the hospital overnight, and by morning the potassium was okay, but surgery couldn't be rescheduled until Thursday. He came home from Ames yesterday afternoon.

This morning Papa Joe called and said he was dizzy and had pain behind his eyes. Shannon's brother called Dr. Sorrentino's office and they said the roads were quite bad near Ames, and he should go to his family doctor in Conrad for a checkup. His blood pressure was very low, causing the dizziness. They decided to admit him back to the hospital in Ames. As of 6:00 tonight he hadn't seen a doctor yet. We assume surgery is still scheduled for 10:30 tomorrow morning.

We're thankful Shannon's brother John is here this week. He was able to take Papa Joe back to the hospital.

We actually had a pretty good day of school today. It has been sporadic lately with doctor's appointments, Papa Joe sitting, and lots of other distractions. I generally try to push the kids to be half done with their school by Christmas. Not going to happen this year. We'll get back into the swing of things soon.

"When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you." Proverbs 2:10-11

Update on Papa Joe

Last week included several tests for Papa Joe. Tuesday we met with the cardiologist, and they were able to do a chemical stress test later that day. Thursday and Friday they did a thiamine test to help determine how much viable muscle tissue there is in his heart.

The results came back in on Friday afternoon, and they weren't favorable for bypass surgery. Papa Joe doesn't have enough live muscle tissue in his heart to make bypass surgery an option. They scheduled an appointment with a different cardiologist to discuss a defibrillator for Dec. 16th.

Per the doctor's recommendation, we have had someone staying with Papa Joe since he's been home from the hospital. He spent two nights here with us, Angie (Shannon's cousin) stayed with him at his house one night, Alex and Jack spent Thursday night there, and Carrie (Shannon's sister) had weekend duty. Alex and Jack were back again with him Sunday night. Tonight Barry is staying with him. We're trying to convince him to come live with us. He hasn't made up his mind that he wants to do that, yet.

Today Shannon received a call from the Iowa Heart Center that they would like to move Papa Joe's appointment up to tomorrow morning at 8:00am. Shortly after that, they called back and asked if we could be there at 3:30 this afternoon. Barry (Shannon's uncle) and I were able to drive him to Ames for this appointment.

Dr. Sorrentino was quite blunt with us, and explained that last year his heart was functioning at a normal level of 55 (%?), but is now at 35, which is categorized as "weak". Even if they could bypass the clogged arteries, it wouldn't do any good because the heart isn't functioning well enough to pump the blood through the new vessels.

She is willing to attempt to implant a defibrillator for his heart. This would "jump start" his heart if it should stop beating again. We have this procedure scheduled for Monday at 12:30pm. We would appreciate your prayers for the surgeons and Papa Joe.

Shannon's brother, John, is making plans to come visit soon. He lives in Virginia.

Papa Joe is feeling well. He is okay with not being able to drive for awhile. The boys went grocery shopping for him today. He needs to reduce his sodium intake, but otherwise can proceed with life as usual, while limiting his physical activity. He's planning a trip to the casino with his buddies tomorrow night.

His Lifeline was installed Saturday. Hudson was kind enough to test it out by pressing the "Help" button twice yesterday while we were visiting. At least we know it works!

"For as he thinks in his heart, so he is..." Proverbs 23:7a

Saturday Update

Papa Joe is still in the hospital. We really don't have any new information. Everything is on hold over the weekend. We were expecting the doctor to stop in while we visited the hospital last night, but he didn't.

I had an error in my last post. There are four arteries involved, not three. Two of them are 100% blocked, one 90%, one 60%. There was sticky note on the paperwork left in his room stating we have an appointment with Dr. Ahmed on Tuesday at 9:00am.

We are planning to take the kids to visit the hospital this afternoon. Papa Joe is in good spirits, and I think we'll take a deck of cards along to get a game going while we're there.

"The rich man's wealth is his strong city, the destruction of the poor is their poverty." Proverbs 10:15

Update on Papa Joe

Papa Joe had a good night Wednesday night. Of course there were a lot of interruptions throughout the night, but his vitals remained stable.

Shannon and I were able to speak to the cardiologist around 12:30 yesterday. He explained that they would like to do an angiogram to determine what damage there might be to Papa Joe's heart. Depending on the results, there are several options. If they find blockage in only one artery, they will most likely put a stent in at that time. If more than one artery is blocked, then bypss surgery is an option, even at his age (83). He would need to be transferred to a different hospital for bypass surgery. Dr. Ahmed said there was an outside chance that he could do the angiogram late Thursday evening, and if not they would do it at 7:30 Friday morning.

We left the hospital at 2:00pm so Shannon could get back to work and I could get Jack and Chase to basketball practice. About 10 minutes after I got home, Carrie called saying they were going to do the angiogram at 4:30pm. Shannon wasn't able to reschedule his patients with such little notice, so I dropped the boys off in Gladbrook at practice and continued on back to Marshalltown.

They came to take Papa Joe to surgery at about 4:30pm, and we arrived on the surgery floor at 4:45pm. The nurse estimated that they should be done in about an hour. Angie and Tim went to grab something to eat, and Carrie was still in the process of dropping her boys off at our house and returning to the hospital.

At 5:15pm Dr. Ahmed took Barry and I to look at the pictures on the computer that he had taken of Papa Joe's heart. There are three main arteries. One of them was completely blown. Not even visible on the picture. Another was 90% occluded, and the third was 60% blocked. They did not do an angioplasty at that time. Testing needs to be done to determine if the blown artery is viable, or just dead tissue. If it is dead, then it cannot be repaired, even with bypass. Dr. Ahmed is going to consult with the cardiac surgeon today, and let us know what they recommend after that time.

Papa Joe will likely be released from the hospital today. We are scrambling to set up schedules of care for him. He's not one to lie back and take it easy, but he NEEDS to rest. He lives alone. We're also looking into getting him a Life Alert type thing, you know, the "I've fallen and I can't get up!" necklace thing. He'll just LOVE that.

Thank you for your prayers, calls and support. There were several prayer chains going for Papa Joe, and we certainly felt God's hand in the way events played out.

Our older boys have been great caring for the younger ones this week, and we really appreciate their help. The littles are missing their mama and daddy, and are making up for lost time by sleeping with us at night. Oh, joy.

We're attempting to get some good school time in today, and maybe even cook a real meal. It's taken me over six hours just to complete this post, so I'm not holding my breath on anything today.

I've vacuumed the house, folded 4 loads of laundry that has been hanging around in the laundry room since early this week, and I'm steadily attacking the mound of dirty laundry awaiting my attention. All in good time...

We discovered this week that Papa Murphy's 5-meat Stuffed Pizza is really good.

"As in water face reflects face, so a man's heart reveals the man." Proverbs 27:19

Heroes

Yesterday I left home at 11:45 with Alex, Jackson and Bryce. Shannon and I are doing a bible study with Julie once a week. The boys had haircut appointments scheduled at 2:00.

At 12:53 Chase called my cell phone and said in a shaky voice that Papa Joe (Shannon's grandpa) was lying on our garage floor but wouldn't say anything to him. His eyes were open.

Shannon immediately took off for home. I stayed on the phone with Chase and told him to get a piece of paper and pencil and had him write down our address. He knows this information under normal conditions, but I wanted to make sure he wouldn't forget it. I told him to hang up the phone, then call 9-1-1 and the dispatcher would help him through the rest. I gave the boys the check for their haircuts, then left for home (13 miles).

When Shannon arrived home at 1:04, Papa Joe had no pulse and was blue. As Shannon began CPR, Papa Joe took a big gasping breath, but remained unconscious.

When I arrived home, about 5-6 minutes after Shannon did, Papa Joe's truck and Shannon's car were parked out by the barn. I assumed the ambulance had been there and left already, but as I approached the garage I saw Shannon doing CPR on Papa Joe. I lifted his head up off of the damp garage floor, and he was able to raise his head and was moving his tongue, but he wasn't able to squeeze my hand. His eyes were wide open and unfocused. Shannon continued CPR.

A few minutes later the ambulance arrived. The ambulance crew loaded him up and left for Marshalltown. They picked up a couple paramedics outside of Gladbrook. Shannon followed them to the hospital, and I stayed home awhile to get the kids settled in.

Chase was shaken, but doing well. The 9-1-1 operator kept him on the phone until the ambulance arrived, which I'm thankful for. She kept telling him not to look out the window in the door, and to keep the little children away. I made some phone calls to Shannon's uncle and cousin, but they were both at work. I was able to get ahold of a friend of Papa Joe's, and he knew where they worked and was able to contact them. I also called the school to let them know the boys most likely wouldn't be at basketball practice. Grandma Shirley was able to get the boys to their haircut appointment and then home. Chase opted to skip basketball practice, but Jackson wanted to practice.

When I arrived at the hospital, Papa Joe was getting a CT scan. He was conscious, but not speaking clearly. Amazingly, within about 10-15 minutes he was speaking more clearly and moving his arms and legs pretty well. He was quite nauseaus, and got very emotional when he found out it was Chase that called 9-1-1 to save him, but overall made great improvement within a relatively short period of time.

Apparently Papa Joe had come over to work on the snowblower. Shannon had gotten it attached to the tractor, but hadn't put the belt on yet. Papa Joe remembers backing the tractor out of the barn, then the snowblower fell off. He drove the tractor to the driveway, then walked back toward the barn to get the snowblower. Chase says that's when he first noticed he was at our house and saw him out in the yard by the snowblower. We think Papa Joe tried moving the snowblower (VERY heavy) to the driveway, and something happened. He has no memory of coming back to the house, just backing the tractor up from the barn.

Colton found him inside the garage by the entrance door to the house and told Chase.

The CT scan showed no bleeds, and his labs showed very elevated potassium levels, but his enzymes were relatively normal. They at first suspected a stroke, but now are leaning more towards a heart attack or some type of arrythmia that caused his heart to stop. They admitted him to the ICU and will run a bunch more tests today. Papa Joe, of course, thought he was ready to go home by about 4:30 yesterday afternoon.

I'm very proud of Chase and Shannon. They kept their heads in a scary situation and literally saved Papa Joe's life. They're my heroes. Papa Joe has been the "rock" in Shannon's life, and would be greatly missed.

Shannon was able to get to sleep after about an hour of Xbox 360 to "decompress", and slept pretty well until about 6:00am. He got up, went the the fitness center (he has NEVER done that in the morning), and just got back. He's feeling better now and is getting ready for work. I've been awake since 3:00am.

Please continue to pray for Papa Joe, and for the rest of the family as we assess the needs that he may have and make arrangements to care for him.

"Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers." Proverbs 17:6

Exercise Challenge

You may have noticed the badge on the sidebar of this blog boldly stating "I'm taking the Moms of Many Exercise Challenge". I committed in a weak moment. It took me about a month to actually begin exercising.

Shannon and I joined the new fitness club at the middle school. It is quite nice, and will serve our purposes very well. We have been very good about going 5 nights a week for the past two weeks. We are doing primarily strength training with a bit of cardio thrown in.

We are lifting 60% of our max at this time. It's a lot harder than it sounds! I was not very pleasantly surprised that first night when we had planned to do 2 sets of 15 reps. I much prefer 3 sets of 10 reps. It's all the same in the end, right?

Although I'm not seeing the instant results I would like to see, we will continue to persevere.

"...but a just weight is His delight." Proverbs 11:1

Chase's Finger

On March 1st Chase jammed his finger during the first game in his basketball tournament. He went on to play two games after that. By the time we left for home, his finger was swollen and the base of his nail had begun to bruise. We assumed he would lose his nail eventually. No big deal.

The following Thursday while playing basketball, he bonked the jammed finger with the ball and it bled. Still no big deal, other than he got pulled out of game because he was getting blood all over everyone.

By the Thursday after that, the finger was quite swollen and was becoming painful. We decided we needed to take him to the doctor to get an antibiotic since he apparently picked up an infection after it opened up and bled. The doctor suspected it may be fractured, so he took an x-ray of it. He couldn't tell if it was fractured, so he called in the orthopedic doctor. He diagnosed a fracture of the growth plate in the first joint of his finger. He started us on a course of antibiotics to bring down the swelling so we could decided what to do with the fracture.

After being on the antibiotics for a week, the doctor still wasn't pleased with the amount of swelling and infection, fearing it may spread to the bone, so he decided to cut it open and clean it out. He schedule Chase for surgery later that morning. They ended up having to use general anesthesia on him. During surgery, Dr. Lister removed the base of Chase's fingernail where the hematoma was, cleaned it all up, reduced the bone back into place, stitched the remainder of his fingernail on for protection, and stitched the finger up. He came back from surgery with a big wrapped up finger.

This is what his finger looked like a week after surgery at our post-op appointment.

Dr. Lister changed the dressing on the finger and scheduled us to come back April 7th. He will most likely remove some of the stitches at that time. Chase continues on the antibiotics.

It's possible the end of his finger won't grow any longer if the growth plate is damaged. It will most likely grow in breadth, though. Dr. Lister says there is no way to tell for sure at this point.

Please pray that the growth plate heals nicely and "remembers" how to grow.

Sometimes it isn't the greatest thing to have a kid that doesn't acknowledge pain.

"He winks with his eyes, he shuffles his feet, he points with his fingers." Proverbs 6:13

It was bound to happen eventually...

Naomi has added her name to the list of those in our family who have gotten stitches. She fell and bonked her head on the fireplace, splitting her forehead open near the hair line. Now, if she had been a boy, we would have pulled out the super glue and fixed her right up. But as it were, we felt the need to take her to the ER. In all of our experience with children and stitches, we have yet to have a child hurt him/herself during office hours. Naomi was a brave little girl (really, she was just clueless about what was going to happen) while the doctor stitched her, and only shed a tear when she was wrapped up on the papoose board. She received two little stitches, and is now as good as new.
For the record, we still have three children who have not required stitches.

"Ponder the path of your feet, and let your ways be established." Proverbs 4:26

Jack's Arm

Jackson called home during football practice this evening saying he had hurt his arm. Shannon drove to Gladbrook, picked him up, took him to the office in Reinbeck, and x-rayed him. There doesn't appear to be any fracture, but it is quite swollen and painful. We've been electrical stimming it and icing it down alternately tonight. He's hoping to be able to play in his game on Thursday. Participation in tomorrow's practice is yet to be determined. We're very thankful it wasn't broken. Jackson would have been crushed. I don't think we've had a broken bone for over three years!

Oh, and just for the record, Jack didn't cry. We've told the boys they're not allowed to cry on the football field unless a bone is sticking out of their arm or leg.


As you can see, Shannon still has his remote! We've owned it for almost 12 hours now and it hasn't gotten lost.

Jack's not so sure he's going to be well enough tomorrow to do school...

"They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it." Proverbs 25:35

Papa Joe

On Saturday the 11th Shannon had to take Papa Joe to the ER. He was short of breath, coughing up blood, and had been diagnosed the day before with pneumonia. When they got there, his oxygen levels were in the low to mid 80's and both lungs were 1/3 to 2/3 full of fluids. He was admitted to the ICU. He suffered from heart failure during that first night. Papa Joe doesn't remember anything about that, and none of the family knew until I took him to the doctor for a check-up yesterday and asked the doctor why they were planning a stress test for next week. He looked at us kind of funny and said they wanted to determine how much, if any, damage was done to Papa Joe's heart from the heart attack. Papa Joe and I were looking at HIM kind of funny, then. His EKG from yesterday was comparable to when he was in the hospital. His labs came back looking good. We straightened out some meds that he had been taking incorrectly, and have an appointment next Friday for another checkup. Please pray that Papa Joe continues to feel better and recovers completely. We have offered to have him stay here with us until he feels better, but he prefers to be at home.

"My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh." Proverbs 4: 20-22