Why the Frog ? FROG=
Fully
Relying
On
God!
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Sunday, December 12, 1999, following the Saturday night final performance of "The Gift" at our church, Regina my wife was complaining of a sore throat and ear ache. The next day Monday 13th she called the doctor due to the discomfort. He was able to see her that afternoon and diagnosed her with the flu. After the usual prescriptions and treatments she was getting worse the next day. Now with some stomach discomfort, she was prepared to go through the flu and all it's aches and fever. That night she didn't sleep much due to feeling so bad and the morning of December 15th, 1999 she was feeling the terrible nausea and aching that what we thought was the onset of a big case of influenza. I thought about staying home with her but she insisted I go on to work. I called to check on her as soon as I arrived and she had gotten worse. I talked to my boss and completed some morning reports, taking about 45 min., when she called me back. "I think you need to come home", she said. She had not more than hung up when my daughter called from New Orleans, she had just before gotten off the phone with her mom. "Dad, you need to go see about mom", she reported. I told her I was on the way out when she called. My normally 45 min drive home took less than 25 min. Surprisingly not much traffic as there usually is. She was in the kitchen when I arrived. She told me that she had been throwing up and was really sick, sicker than she had ever been with the flu. I called the doctor and we decided to take her to the emergency room at one of the near by hospitals. On the way she threw up twice. An ambulance had just deposited a patient and the EMTs were returning from inside as I drove up. They took one look at her and took over taking her inside. Thus began Regina's fight for life. Cultures were run, blood samples taken and x-rays. heart and oxygen monitor in place. Our Sunday school teachers wife, our (adopted) daughter and the pastoral care pastor and another good friend from the church had all arrived. 1 hour and 45 min from the time we left the house she went into arrhythmic fibrillation. The nurses took us all to a special family room to wait for the next two and a half hours while they stabilized Regina. Cultures and blood tests had come back showing a massive infection. Antibiotics were administered. They seemed to help but she was still not responding as well as she should. She was transported to ICU early on the morning of December 16. The doctor in charge told us that Regina had a massive infection that had invaded her blood stream and was in effect through out her body. Her kidneys were shutting down due to dehydration, she had pneumonia and was having difficulty in breathing. They were giving her massive doses of antibiotics, but her respiration was diminishing - her oxygen saturation had dropped to below 80. The next step would be to place her on a respirator. That afternoon she was not breathing on her own, her stomach was bloated and the doctors had placed her on pain medication and what they called amnesia drug so she wouldn't remember the suffering she was going though (induced a coma effect). She was placed on the respirator. The doctors thought her problem was strictly the infection and that gas on her stomach was causing the swelling. They were not very informative and we felt they were not telling us every thing - we eventually found out they didn't know anything. We found out she had gone into fibrillation at least twice more in the ICU and possible a third time. Each time they had to use the electrode paddles to revive her. A good friend from our church, who just happened to be a doctor, and who just happened to practice at that hospital came through the waiting room where we were. Our (adopted) daughter told him that we were not getting any information from the attending doctor and that we had serious concerns about the swelling of her abdomen. He said he would see what he could find out. Shortly afterward he returned and told us he had officially been put on the case. He had ordered other tests and especially a CAT scan. This happened around 7:00 PM the 16th just before the last visiting 15 min in ICU. After visiting time I stayed until around 10:00 PM and our friend, and now Regina's doctor, told us that the CAT scan had shown liquid in the abdominal cavity and he was contacting a surgeon for an opinion. He said we should go home a get some rest and that the surgeon would call when they had decided on what needed to be done. I believe he had already made up his mind but just wanted us to be prepared. 2:00AM, December 17th, 1999, the phone rang. It was the surgeon - he said that her only hope was surgery. He give her but about a 15% chance of surviving the surgery but 0% without it. He needed my approval and could take it over the phone with a nurse witness on the other line. We did that and I told him I would be there in 15 minutes. As I arrived they were carrying her to the operating room; the doctor was at the ICU nurses station. The surgeon painted a pretty grim picture of her condition. She was weak from the infection and it had affected most ever organ in her body - he didn't hold much hope but he was going to do what he could to find the cause of the infection, he suspected peritonitis and needed to find the source. Surgery started 2:45 AM December 17, 1999 and ended around 10:30 AM. The surgeon told us he had found discharge from the digestive system in her abdominal cavity and the infection had been caused from the peritonitis. He had checked her intestines but couldn't find where the discharge was coming from. As they were cleaning under her stomach they found it - there was a hole in the back of her stomach. There was no sign of ulcer or disease, it had just perforated probably from a weak spot that just gave way. She had made it through surgery but her chance of survival was still less than 20%. She was still in critical condition, as she had been for several days. Actually she had been upgraded to critical. That afternoon the surgeon reported to us that the infection had effected the incision and that they would have to remove the stitches so it could heal from the bottom up. He had put restraining bands on the incision in surgery and said he was really glad he did since this would keep everything together. Her special doctor (our friend) was very supportive and prayed, with us, for Regina. People from the church were there in support and prayer. Times like this I wonder how people who don't know Christ and those who don't have a church home can survive. There was so much strength, support and uplifting it was truly a demonstration of the peace that only Jesus Christ can give. Regina was touch and go for two weeks in ICU and then began to stabilize her condition was upgraded to serious from critical.. The respirator was weaned off over three days. Then December 31, 1999 she was moved to a private room. Still in serious condition but awake, on clear liquid and IVs. New Year 2000 came and went with out incident - she slept through it. For the next three weeks this room would be her home. She was moved to a rehabilitation hospital where she would learn to walk, feed herself and do most of the things most anyone can do without thinking , she was unable to do the smallest task - thus began her road to recovery. Exercises began slowly until after the second week she was ready to try her legs - she was scared (so was I). The PT's had been working with her putting pressure on the floor to tone her leg muscles. She was becoming more mobile - sliding herself on a board from the bed to a wheel chair. She was going to the gym (what she and the other patients called the torture room) daily twice a day and working with arm exercises and leg exercises on the pad. Now the time had come to stand up and begin using her legs for what they were intended. In her room 9 weeks since she had last walked, she was able to lift herself off the bed after a second try - and was standing up with the aid of a walker. Then gently she was helped back down - she did this twice more. Next day she would attempt to take a step. All went well as she pulled and pushed herself upright on the walker - now that moment - to move her leg to take a step. She gently slid her right foot about 2 inches and promptly went down on the floor. The PTs helped her back up to the bed. After she had rested for a few minutes the PTs told her "Well time to try it again." Her eyes widened and her mouth opened in total shock - "again - but - I can't - I just fell." "yes you sure did and now it is time to try it again - we will make sure you don't fall again." A PT on both sides of her to catch her but still letting her do the work, again she stood to her feet. "Ok - now push that foot forward", one of them told her. Her foot slowly shifted forward and she rested her weight on it - the left foot slowly slid forward to come even with the right. She had taken her first step. The PTs helped her back into the bed and told her that was enough for today "we'll do it again tomorrow". It reminded us of how God works in our lives. We falter and sometimes fall but He is always there to lift us up and get us to try again. Over the next two weeks that one step became two then three then ten and twenty - Waking was not easy and fatigue came fast - using a walker as she walked, I was right behind her with the wheelchair for her to sit back in if she couldn't make it any further. Twice a day in the gym and then around the corridor - finally it was time for her to come home. "But I am not ready", she protested. I haven't climbed stairs". "do you have many stairs to climb at home?" they asked. "Well - - no only if I go get the mail.", she replied. "Then just don't go get the mail for a while." Home at last - equipment was brought with her and other delivered. Her wound was still open and had a wound-vac to help it close. She had extensions for the bathroom and I had replaced the toilet with a tall one and had hand rails put in the shower- for later. The 3 in one chair set over the toilet and was set up - First time she used it the right legs gave way - they had not been latched properly and she wound up tangled in her walker and the 3 in one chair in the shower stall. I had to call the EMTs to help get her out. She wasn't hurt except for her pride and a lot scared. I was more in panic with a feeling of total helplessness. A couple of days later she was going from the kitchen to the bedroom - as she turned the corner into the hallway her momentum seemed to go into overdrive again and she plopped herself part way down in the hallway. Catching the walker she was able to keep from going all the way to the floor. Using the utility belt with me lifting she was able to get back into an upright position and continue her trip to the bedroom. A week later she decided to take the news papers out to the recycle bin on the back patio. As she bent over to set them down she continued to join them on the patio floor. The wheelchair was brought in and with use of the security belt we were able to get her up in the wheelchair - from there she could stand using the walker. Thus the last of the falls that she had been so terrified of having when she first started relearning to walk. Since that time she has had two surgeries due to a hernia at the wound site and will have to have at least one more surgery April 17, 2001 (this month). We were able to go to Hawaii before the first surgery after she got our of the hospital. I had promised her while she was still in the rehabilitation hospital that as soon as she was able to motivate on her own we would go. We got to go see our step-granddaughter get married at the base of Diamond Head. You may think that she has gone through so much that surely if there was a God He wouldn't have let her suffer so much.. Neither she nor I question what has transpired - we have always known that God was in control and is still in control of what happens in our lives. Sure hard times will happen - But just think - what if we hadn't had His peace and strength during this time? It would have been unbearable - instead He kept us in His grace through it all. She survived a major life threatening condition - He chose to pull her through that - He could have taken her home - He didn't - and now she has a greater witness from all she has gone through, as do I. We have grown closer together than ever - and we were pretty close before. Why did all this happen? I can't answer that right now - but for Regina and I, we will serve God through Christ- "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.", Rom 8:28. Of this we are absolutely sure God loves us and has given us the
greatest gift of all - His own Son, Jesus. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?,
As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be
slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.",
Rom 8:35-39. UPDATE 07/10/07
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Halieus Sunago The Fishermans Net
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