Is Thy God Able?

Daniel 6:20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?

Recently I have been feeling very overwhelmed with the busyness of a large family. September is always a difficult month for me. We have come through most of the busy canning/preserving season. There are still things to finish. And then we start school. This year we have five children in school (home school), from 1st. grade to high school. On top of that we've had dentist, eye doctor, orthodontist, and doctor appointments to go to. Today I have to take four year old Rhoda to the dentist because her filling fell out. Michael (2) woke us early and a thunderstorm went through at 5:30, and we are getting ready to leave for a trip to Ohio tomorrow. I got up feeling like this busy day has gotten off to a bad start. I prayed that God would allow my Bible to open somewhere that would be encouraging to me. It opened at Daniel 6. I almost didn't read it, wishing it would have opened somewhere in the gospels. But God had allowed it to open there for a reason. The king asked Daniel if his God is able to deliver him from the lions. Is God able to deliver me from my lions of fears, anxieties, cares or whatever... Is He able to keep me from going over the edge?

Today I will say with Daniel...

Daniel 6:22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

I will have to take one thing at a time and if I start feeling stressed out I have to remind myself that my God is able to deliver me.

What are the lions you are facing?

1. How gentle God’s commands,
   How kind His precepts are!
   Come, cast your burdens on the Lord,
   And trust His constant care.
2. Beneath His watchful eye
   His saints securely dwell;
   That hand which bears all nature up
   Shall guide His children well.
3. Why should this anxious load
   Press down your weary mind?
   Haste to your heav’nly Father’s throne,
   And sweet refreshment find.
4. His goodness stands approved,
   Unchanged from day to day;
   I’ll drop my burden at His feet,
   And bear a song away.

Patient in Tribulation

Saturday night we were just falling asleep when our door creaked open and Marian, age 10, was standing there. "Do you want something?" we asked groggily.

"I vomited", she answered.

My heart sank way down as all the possibilities of what this could mean raced through my mind. Most of the time when she starts throwing up it's every 10 to 20 minutes and doesn't stop until we end up in the ER for zofran administered by IV. I helped her get settled again with a bucket on the chair beside her bed. I gave her a zofran tablet to dissolve under her tongue, but that didn't stay down. She is very good about always hitting the bucket, so I went back to bed and tried to get some sleep. Later in the night she came over again and said she would like to have some ice chips. I went downstairs, switched on the light and filled a cup with ice. Since the other zofran had not helped anything I was getting another one when Irene came around the corner. "Are you alright?" she asked. Here she was sick too. I put the zofran back in the cabinet. If it was a stomach virus, that was not what Marian needed. I went back to bed, but didn't sleep well. I was planning a trip to PA with the two little girls. What if we all came down with the stomach flu???

When we got up in the morning Irene was sleeping. She felt good when she woke up. Marian was still vomiting. I made some tea for her and gave her a zofran to dissolve under her tongue. She lay down on the couch and fell asleep. I got my cup of coffee and my Bible and settled down for my devotions. I opened my Bible. It fell open at Job 2:10 "What, Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" I checked the cross references...

Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Lamentations 3:38-41 Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.

John 18:11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Hebrews 12:9-12 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

That was a good meditation. I had often pondered the whys. Why, when we pray and pray for Marian to stop vomiting we still end up going to the hospital for IV??? Don't we have enough faith or ???? I guess if God would just instantly give us all the things we ask for we would never learn how to be patient in tribulation. We would never have a cup of trials to drink. Another reason I have struggled with that question is because of some people who have indicated it's a lack of faith to go to a doctor. We should trust God instead. Which reminds me of the first time we took Marian for IV when she was dehydrated. Dr. Schmadeke said he wonders how many lives could be saved all over the world if people would have access to IV. Then he said natural remedies are alright, but sometimes a doctor's help might be the way God is answering our prayers. He related the story of a man who was stranded on a raft out at sea. The man was praying that God would rescue him. After a while a helicopter came and dangled a rope to pull him up. The man waved it off and said God will rescue him. The helicopter was God's way of answering his prayer and he rejected it!

After giving Marian her pill, she fell asleep. When she woke up she was feeling fine! Praise the Lord! No one else got sick and we are busy getting ready for our trip to PA. I did go to the dentist this morning. I am having quite a bit of pain where the one wisdom tooth came out. The root had gone into the sinus and it hasn't closed up completely yet. He gave antibiotics for infection. If it's still not closed when we come back next week I'll have to go back to the oral surgeon for another procedure. :(

Miscellaneous Tidbits

Surrender

One day soon after I came home from the hospital I was resting on the couch. The CD player was playing softly. A group of young people were singing heartily, "All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give". The words grabbed my attention. ALL. FREELY GIVE. I wonder if they really realize what they are saying? Sure, what Christian wouldn't say that? That is the right thing to say. How often did I sing that song, but didn't realize the depth of the words I was singing? The attitude of my heart was right at the time, but I didn't understand the depth of the words. Now Jesus was asking for my health, and I did not want to surrender it.
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Chest Pains

After several weeks I started having some definite discomfort in my chest area. It wasn't bad enough that I could call it pain, just some discomfort sometimes. It scared me pretty bad. What is going on? I talked to the cardiac rehab nurses about it. Peggy wondered if it's worse when I exercise. "No", I said, "that doesn't seem to make it worse. Actually it doesn't seem to bother me as much then as when I am resting." She didn't think it sounded like a heart problem and suggested I take Tums and see if if that helps. It did, so she said I should take Prilosec, which is an antacid that I would have to take only once a day. I had a visit with Dr. Wilcox to get a prescription for Prilosec. She said so many people take it, it's almost like handing out candy! My discomfort/heartburn/acid reflux (or whatever) was likely a result of all my medications. Anxiety probably contributed to the problem too. I talked with her about my anxiety and fears. She said she could give me something to help me. I told her I would rather not at this time. I was already feeling somewhat better. I knew if I could take my thoughts captive, with the Lord's help, I would be able to overcome the anxiety. Her caring kindness helped too. After several months I was able to get off the Prilosec again.

To this day I still get pretty scared whenever I feel discomfort, muscle twitches, or anything in my chest area. I told my husband I never know anymore if what I am feeling is heartburn or not. I cannot feel the difference.
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Taking care of Michael

Michael was 12 days old when I went to the hospital. All of a sudden his care fell on others. That was hard for me to accept. I love the newborn stage. Most days they brought him along to the hospital. Even though I wasn't able to do much with him, I enjoyed having him there. At night Irene and Annetta took care of him. He was a very good baby. We were so thankful for that. Our last three babies were very fussy. It seemed so strange to go to bed early and let the girls put the baby to sleep. It didn't feel right at all, but at the same time I really didn't care. Like I wrote before, I had lost those motherly feelings. It was almost as if he were someone else's baby. My body had gone through a shock and was in survival mode. I had to make a conscious effort to regain those "motherly feelings". I didn't want him to bond with someone else, so I tried to be the one to give his bottle and change his diapers etc. After a week and a half I felt able to take care of him again at night. It made me pretty nervous. I wasn't used to giving formula and had to figure out all that. We were boiling all the water. At first we warmed his bottles. How do you do that? Microwaving isn't recommended. It takes a long time to warm if you set it in hot water, which is what the girls were doing at night. To make it easier we decided to put warm water in a thermos, then I could mix the formula when he woke up. So we moved his crib back to our room. I fed him and rocked him to sleep that evening. We made sure we had all the supplies we would need during the night, then went to bed. Do you think I could sleep? NO! I tried to, but I was aware of every little stir that he made and thinking about how to get his bottle ready etc etc. He slept pretty good, but I did not. Finally at 3:00 I took him over to the girls and told them, "I am sorry, but I need to get some sleep too, and I simply cannot sleep with him in the room." We made a little nest for him on the floor of their room. I don't remember, but he probably didn't wake up the rest of the night for them. We kept his crib in our room and eventually I learned to sleep again. Dr. Wilcox told us a lot of people do not warm up the formula bottles. It did not seem right, but we soon stopped warming up his milk and gave it at room temperature. It didn't seem to bother him and when he was older he didn't like it warmed up.

And by the way, he did bond with me, and definitely knows who his mother is! :)

A Tribute to Other Mothers

A couple weeks after my heart attack I was talking with my sister. She asked if I heard of the young mother that just died. No, I had not heard. So she told me about the mother in MO that had died the day before. She had had a baby born by C-section and was still in the hospital when a blood clot passed through her lungs. All attempts to revive her failed and she died. She was only 35 years old and the mother of seven children. Why was I still alive and she was not? Why did she die and I didn't? It could have been me. It could be my husband that was a widower and my children motherless. God reminded me again that He makes no mistake. Even though we don't understand why one passes on and another is healed, we trust that this was God's plan. http://www.kidwellgarber.com/obituaries/Annetta-Leinbach/#!/Obituary

Two and a half years before my heart attack Dorcas Wenger died from a spontaneous coronary artery dissection - the same as I had. She too had a newborn baby.

Recently I heard of two Amish mothers who passed away. One of them had a three day old baby and died of an aneurysm. The other one was killed in an accident. My heart goes out to the sorrowing families. I feel humbled that God spared our family that grief.

Several months after my SCAD I got a phone call from Viola Martin in OH. My aunt had given her my number. Viola had also had SCAD. It was so interesting to talk to someone who had gone through the same thing. She too had a two week old baby when it happened. Hers was worse than mine, with three arteries dissecting. She had six bare metal stents put in. Later she needed to have bypass surgery because they had clogged with scar tissue. After talking with her I felt like I had not gone through much!

Then I also got a call from Mr. Bowman in Ontario. His wife had just come home from the hospital after having SCAD. She did not need stents or surgery. As far as I know she has recovered well. I should call or write to her again. She also had a two week old baby.

God is Good - His Mercy Endures Forever

July 14. A day that has a flood of memories. The anniversary of my SCAD event. As I was thinking over the hills and valleys of the past two years I thought, "God is good - His mercy endures forever". He carried me through the low times and was with me through the good times. This morning I read some of the verses that had been such a blessing to me while I was in the hospital and the future looked scary. "Thou wilt perfect that which concerneth me". I felt like God was answering the cry in my heart and telling me, "Everything will be alright". Now two years later I can say that everything is alright. I experienced a complete recovery exactly as the doctors predicted. Life has returned to normal. Some things will never be the same again. I will always have those stents in my LAD artery. Will they cause complications in the future? I don't know, but I know who holds the future. I will not feel anything in my chest without some apprehension. But by the grace of God I will rejoice in the Lord, knowing that He makes no mistakes.

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

I don't know about tomorrow;
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine
For its skies may turn to grey.

I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said.
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

Every step is getting brighter
As the golden stairs I climb;
Every burden's getting lighter,
Every cloud is silver-lined.

There the sun is always shining,
There no tear will dim the eye;
At the ending of the rainbow
Where the mountains touch the sky.

Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

I don't know about tomorrow;
It may bring me poverty.
But the one who feeds the sparrow,
Is the one who stands by me.

And the path that is my portion
May be through the flame or flood;
But His presence goes before me
And I'm covered with His blood.

Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

Ira Stanphill

Family update

In case you are wondering how I could have time to do so many posts in one day... On Monday I had my top wisdom teeth removed. Yes, I am a teething Mama, like someone said! I always thought I am one of the lucky people who will never get wisdom teeth, so I was very surprised this winter when what I thought was just a sore spot or ulcer on my gums turned out to be a new tooth!

In May we took a family trip to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. We also spent a day in Cody, WY. Of course we took lots of pictures, 1800 to be exact. :) After my SCAD episode we gave the girls a Nikon D5200 as a gift for helping so much when I was laid up. They have turned into pretty good photographers.

The famous barns with the Grand Tetons in the background.

Dad and Mom in front of the courting buggy :)

Irene 18, Annetta 17, Marian 10, Ruth Anna 6, Rhoda 3

Jonathan 8, Michael almost 2, Joel 14, Simon 12

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

A Year Later

 I went back to Creighton to have a CT angiogram done to see if the artery has healed. The next day I saw Dr. Holmberg to get the results. It looks fine, he said. There was one part where the stents overlap that they couldn't see. Earlier he told me if everything looks fine I can get off all the blood thinners except aspirin. Now he said because of where the dissection occurred and the stents are placed he wants me to stay on blood thinners. He switched me from Effient to Plavix, which isn't as strong. The stents are at the top of the LAD (left anterior descending) artery, which feeds 75% of the heart. He said several times they really don't know how to treat this. It isn't heart disease and it's very rare. I have been his third patient in 20 years. Mayo Clinic is doing a research study on spontaneous coronary artery dissection. I have entered that study. So far all I had to do was release my medical records. Dr. Holmberg talked about calling the cardiologists from Mayo to ask them what they have found out. We have been so grateful for doctors and the wisdom God has given them.

Somehow once I passed that first anniversary I felt more of a rest in my spirit. Maybe it was just hearing the doctor say, "Your artery is healed and the stents look ok". Whatever... I am just so grateful for a full recovery. I asked Dr. Holmberg if I still need to take care in the heat. "Well", he chuckled, "If the temperature is 110 and the humidity 90% you should probably let Edward do the work." My only restriction is to not lift too heavy stuff.

1. I will end with a song that expresses my feelings...

1. 
   

Cardiac Rehab

Two weeks after I came home I had a follow up appointment with my cardiologist, Dr. Holmberg. He is from Omaha, but comes to the hospital in Atlantic several times a month, so that is where I went to see him. He ordered an echo cardiogram which they were able to do there. The results were good. The fluid around my heart was gone and my heart function was back to almost normal.

I also had my first cardiac rehab that day. Several days earlier I had come in to visit with Peggy, the head nurse of cardiac rehab. She went over what happened, what medications I'm taking etc etc. She also gave me some educational material about cholesterol and heart health. My cholesterol was too high (240), it should be under 200. So she talked about what foods I should and should not eat. She gave a DVD "Take a Load off Your Heart", which was a cardiologist and a man who had to have by pass surgery speaking about heart health. That was very informative. The doctors told me I do not have heart disease, so some of that didn't apply to my case, but I did learn a lot on how to keep my heart healthy. Basically it's just eat a healthy, well balanced diet, get plenty of exercise, and learn how to handle stress. Stress is really bad for your heart.

When I came to do rehab the first thing they did was put a heart monitor on me and take my blood pressure. My blood pressure was always very low like 90 over 60. They wanted me to drink a lot, because just the extra fluid can raise blood pressure.Then once everything was hooked up and I showed up on their computer I started with stretches to warm up. That first day I didn't do much. Walked about 5 minutes on the treadmill, rested, then on the Nustep, rested, then on the bicycle. For the first two weeks I was not allowed to use my arms on the Nustep and the bicycle. That was orders from Dr. Holmberg and was because of the dissection. Usually that just applies for those who had open heart surgery.

I had 36 sessions of cardiac rehab - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Slowly they increased my exercise until I was spending 45 minutes. I was on the treadmill 20 minutes (1 mile), Nustep 15 minutes and on the treadmill again for 10 minutes (1/2 mile). The rehab helped me so much. I was scared to do anything at first. Working out at cardiac rehab with a heart monitor on and knowing that everything was fine gave me the confidence I needed. The nurses were great and I made some good friends there. I was not allowed to drive for 4 weeks, so Irene took me where I needed to go. I often took some of the children with me. They enjoyed it and the people there enjoyed having the children there. How often is a mother with a 4 week old baby at cardiac rehab?! All the other people were elderly.

By the time I was done in early November I was fully recovered. Those three months the drs. told me it would take to recover were not as long as they sounded when I was flat on my back. Praise the Lord for healing! I still dealt some with anxiety, but that gradually got better too.

Peggy Perkins, head nurse in cardiac rehab.


Nu step... you pedal with your feet and the things you hold onto with your hands go back and forth

A Friend In Need Is a Friend Indeed!

Matthew 25:36 ...I was sick, and ye visited me:...
Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

We were so blessed with friends in our time of need. After Michael was born, families from church were bringing us meals. While I was in the hospital and afterwards other people we had learned to know also came and blessed us. We had so much food we had to tell people to stop bringing some. Our freezers and refrigerator were stuffed! I imagine some people were thinking, "Nine children! That must take a lot of food!" Well, yes, but a lot of our children were small, and none of them are big eaters, so it really didn't take that much. And, besides, we had lots of fresh garden goodies to use up too. We did appreciate it all, though. It made us feel so cared for. Those casseroles did come in handy later on busy days, and there is never anything like too many cookies, is there? :) While I was in the hospital Elaine Krambeck, Irene's piano teacher called. They were bringing some food. They brought a lot...several pizza breads (French bread with pizza toppings), salad, and cookies. Jill Grove, our supervising teacher, stopped in with cookies and encouraged the children who were staying at home. After Teresa Smidt and children visited me in the hospital Edward and the children found several casseroles in the freezer and some baked goods on the counter when they came home. Apparently they had stopped at our house before coming in to Omaha. Chris Charles's visited me in the hospital. I believe I listed their blessings in a previous post. The first Sunday I was at home, I was resting upstairs when I heard a car drive in. Here it was Marty Bopp, a lady from Griswold that Edward had done a lot of work for. She and her granddaughter brought enough food for 50 people!!! A huge casserole, huge exotic salad, and cake. Wow! I felt so unworthy how local people reached out to help us.

My mother (God bless her) called every day for a while to see how I was doing. This meant a lot to me. She has Parkinson's disease, and it's not easy for her even to do something like make these phone calls. She is unable to travel from PA to IA to visit us. I could feel her loving care through those calls and it meant so much to me. She also started a card shower from cousins and aunts and uncles. That was such an encouragement to get all those cards and letters while I was unable to do much. Many of them included monetary gifts to help with our expenses. May the Lord reward all these people for their kindness.

A couple weeks after I came home Edward sent a text saying Elvin and Rachel are coming tonight. They will bring supper. What a happy surprise! They had sold a puppy to someone in Omaha and decided to meet them in Griswold so that they could visit us. Since they had traveled so far they got pizza, pop, and chips at Casey's for supper. They encouraged us and prayed for us before they left. What a blessing!

One day the UPS truck roared up to the house. The man carried in a heavy box. This is what it was...

A forty pound block of Wisconsin cheese from my sister who lives on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. :)

We did not have to buy diapers or wipes for a long time!

Ups and Downs

A week after I came home I had to have a follow up appointment with my regular doctor, Dr. Wilcox, at the Atlantic Medical Center. Edward was working in Atlantic, so he met me there to go with me. I was not allowed to drive, so Irene, who had her learner's permit, took me. We took 3 week old Baby Michael along. I was still scared and unsure of what I could or could not do. It was good to sit down and visit with a doctor about some of those things. She had never heard of SCAD after having a baby. She explained some of what had happened. The lining of the artery is a connective tissue, and that had gotten a tear. Dr. Holmberg had been in contact with her and told her about what happened. When she listened to my heart she said, "Your heart sounds good". "Your heart sounds good"....Just four little words, but how they lifted my spirit! I walked out of there feeling better than I had for weeks! The next day, Saturday, the girls went to a wedding. I wasn't up to going myself, but I did feel good enough to be in charge and make supper. Sunday morning I was still feeling good and decided I can go to church. I spent my time on the recliner in the nursery. It was a bit scary to step out of the comfort zone of my home. For a while I thought I have some chest pain, but if I got distracted it didn't bother me, so I know it was only anxiety. I did have my nitro pills in my pocket, just in case....

It didn't take much to trip me up again. Several weeks later I was reading about SCAD on the internet (bad idea!). It was a good, informative article, but I did not need to know all the facts I read. It said that 90% of patients have a recurrence in the first week and 50%  have one in the first two months. OH! I had not reached the two month mark yet. Fear surged through me. I did not want to go through it again! It took me a while to get over that. Again, it mattered where I looked. I could look at the 50% that had a recurrence or at the 50% that did not. I could look at my fears or at the grace of God that had carried me thus far. Sometime after that I was talking with my sister in law. She was saying that she had been talking with someone else who told her about a mother that had died from a heart attack (probably a SCAD), but her baby had been three months old already when it happened. Oh no! My baby is not three months old yet. Does that mean it could happen again?! She had no idea the emotional turmoil she put me in. I don't blame her at all, but it has made me more sensitive when I talk to others.

About six months later when I was feeling much stronger I happened across an article of Mayo Clinic's studies on SCAD. From the research they did 21% of the patients had recurrences. I had not realized the rate was so high. I had thought I was about past the chance of any recurrence. Apparently not. I again struggled with some fear, but not as intense as earlier. Later that same day two year old Rhoda was singing the song, "God Is so Good". She had gotten stuck on the verse, "He cares for you", and was singing it over and over while she was playing. Out of the mouth of babes...

God is so good,

God is so good,

God is so good,

He's so good to me.

He cares for me,

He cares for me,

He cares for me,

He's so good to me.

The Garment of Praise For the Spirit of Heaviness

Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. 

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised....

The first scripture here is a prophecy of Jesus. The second one is Jesus reading those words of prophecy about himself. In this post I would like to lift up the power of our Lord Jesus. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, which means He still heals the broken hearted etc.

Those first days, weeks, and months after my heart attack, fear and anxiety wanted to overtake me. I could be feeling fine during the day, but when I went to bed at night it was there, trying to overtake me. That slight risk of complications magnified itself in my mind. When I was at my lowest point I happened to think, no, I believe God caused me to remember that I was going through some major hormonal changes. I had just had a baby. I was nursing the baby then I had to stop, so that too caused a major shift in hormones. I was not going crazy. Once my hormones are straightened out I should be feeling better. That was such a relief I felt better right away!!! Until something upset it again...

I felt very good physically. My headache was completely gone and I had no pain anywhere. My hips had straightened out the first week. I was still weak, I could not walk much till I got hot and sweaty and my heart rate wanted to go too high in the evenings. Emotionally I was also very weak. If the children got too noisy I couldn't take it. It even stressed me out to be responsible for the baby. The girls took care of him at night for another 1 1/2 weeks. During the day I usually fed him his bottle.

And now back to the title of this post. We had a weekend of meetings and the preacher used the words, "Garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness". Immediately I thought of my experience and in my heart I said, "That is true!" Praising the Lord takes away that spirit of heaviness. At night when I was in bed and that monster of fear was right there trying to overtake me I would cry out to the Lord. Sometimes it was just, "Help me. Please don't let my heart do anything it shouldn't. Please heal my heart!" A dear friend had sent me a letter. In the letter she wrote, "It matters where you look". That is so true. I could have my focus on my poor, weak heart that was not trust worthy at all, or I could have my focus on the LORD and know that whatever happens is because He willed it so for my good. This is where I needed to put on the "garment of praise". Another friend had told us once that to help the children memorize scripture they put emphasis on each word. I would recite in my mind... "The LORD is my shepherd. The Lord IS my shepherd. The Lord is MY shepherd etc. A song that helped me through those long, dark nights was "What a Friend We Have in JESUS".

1. What a friend we have in Jesus,
   All our sins and griefs to bear!
   What a privilege to carry
   Everything to God in prayer!
   Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
   Oh, what needless pain we bear,
   All because we do not carry
   Everything to God in prayer!
2. Have we trials and temptations?
   Is there trouble anywhere?
   We should never be discouraged—
   Take it to the Lord in prayer.
   Can we find a friend so faithful,
   Who will all our sorrows share?
   Jesus knows our every weakness;
   Take it to the Lord in prayer.
3. Are we weak and heavy-laden,
   Cumbered with a load of care?
   Precious Savior, still our refuge—
   Take it to the Lord in prayer.
   Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
   Take it to the Lord in prayer!
   In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
   Thou wilt find a solace there.
4. Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised
   Thou wilt all our burdens bear;
   May we ever, Lord, be bringing
   All to Thee in earnest prayer.
   Soon in glory bright, unclouded,
   There will be no need for prayer—
   Rapture, praise, and endless worship
   Will be our sweet portion there.
5. Joseph Scriven

I would recite those verses over and over until I fell asleep. Truly the LORD can give songs in the night. The garment of praise does take away the spirit of heaviness.

Isaiah 25:4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

'TILL THE STORM PASSES BY

In the dark of the midnight,
Have I oft hid my face;
While the storm howls above me,
And there's no hiding place;
'Mid the crash of the thunder,
Precious Lord, hear my cry;
"Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by."

'Til the storm passes over,
'Til the thunder sounds no more;
'Til the clouds roll forever from the sky,
Hold me fast, let me stand,
In the hollow of Thy hand;
Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by.

Many times Satan whispers,
"There is no need to try;
For there's no end of sorrow,
There's no hope by and by";
But I know Thou art with me,
And tomorrow I'll rise;
Where the storms never darken the skies.

'Til the storm passes over,
'Til the thunder sounds no more;
'Til the clouds roll forever from the sky,
Hold me fast, let me stand,
In the hollow of Thy hand;
Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by.

When the long night has ended,
And the storms come no more,
Let me stand in Thy presence.
On that bright, peaceful shore.
In that land where the tempest
Never comes, Lord may I
Dwell with Thee when the storm passes by.

'Til the storm passes over,
'Til the thunder sounds no more;
'Til the clouds roll forever from the sky,
Hold me fast, let me stand,
In the hollow of Thy hand;
Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by.

Hold me fast, Let me stand,
In the hollow of Thy hand;
Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by.
'Til the storm passes by.
Mosie Lister

Adjusting to a New normal

I was now at home from the hospital, but life was not back to normal. I had hit a huge bump in the road of life and needed quite a bit of adjusting in my thinking. Coming home from the hospital with a new baby is always an adjustment. This homecoming adjustment was much greater. Not only did I have a newborn baby, I had come through an unexpected, life threatening circumstance. My activities and diet had changed. That was pretty major, but not as big as the emotional roller coaster I was on.

After Joes left it was time to make supper. I think the girls were pretty glad to hand the responsibility of meal planning over to me. We had LOTS of food in the house. People were bringing so much food we didn't have any room in the refrigerator and freezers anymore. Most of the meals were casseroles. Those did not fit into my low fat, low sodium diet, so we decided to just make plain tomato soup for supper that first evening. Since my daily allowance of salt was only 1/8 teaspoon, we decided we would cook everything without salt and the others could salt their food however they wanted. Have you ever eaten everything without salt? It isn't very tasty!

My heart attack had happened while sitting at the table to eat. That first evening at home I could not bring myself to sit at the table. I knew that was not what caused the heart attack, but it was scary. It was like a car accident victim not wanting to get back into a car. I stayed on my recliner to eat. If I remember right I was able to sit at the table the next day.

Sitting was very uncomfortable, so after supper I lay on the couch. It was hot outside, so everyone wanted to be inside. The air conditioner was noisy and I wasn't used to it. The children were happy and excited to have Mom at home again. All in all it was pretty hectic. As much as I wanted to be with the children I soon moved upstairs to our bedroom. I just couldn't cope with all the noise and commotion. Ah! My own bed with the memory foam felt so much better than a hard hospital bed. But I felt scared and vulnerable. Like I said in a previous post, there is a feeling of security in a hospital. Now I was at home, at least 15 minutes from a hospital. OK, I know that sounds like a lack of faith. We trust God, right? Yes! I did trust God, but the reality was, something could still go wrong and I was afraid. I always made sure I had my cell phone with me. Even something simple like going to the bathroom and locking the door was unsettling. What if I would just drop over and die. At bedtime I told Edward I have this discomfort in my chest and I don't know what it is. He prayed for me and after I had slept awhile it went away. I know now that it was just anxiety.

I came home with five different medications... Effient, Metoprolol, Lisinopril, Atorvastatin, and Aspirin. While at the hospital the nurses always brought them to me at the right time. Now I had to figure out when to take what. Everything was clearly labeled, so it wasn't as hard as I first thought. Edward bought a pill organizer and that made it much easier.

Edward and the girls got everyone settled down for the night. Michael's crib had been moved into the girls' room. They took care of him at night for about two weeks until I felt able to do it again. The night seemed strangely quiet and dark. In the hospital there were always lights on, people talking, and phones ringing, especially in the CCU where the nurses' station was right outside my door. I was able to sleep pretty good. There were some times that I lay awake, unable to sleep. That was when the nights seemed long and dark...

During the day I spent most of my time in bed or on the couch. My hips still made sitting very uncomfortable. I was supposed to walk twice a day. That really helped me get back into shape and after about a week my hips did not bother me much. At first I did all my walking in the house, since outside is mostly hilly, and I could only walk on level ground. Back and forth - around the rooms this way then that way so that I don't get dizzy. :) It was amazing how tired I got! I had to check my heart rate regularly. It could not go much above 100. Evenings it tended to go a little high. I don't know why, but it was a bit unsettling, so I didn't always take my evening walk.

Edward does remodeling and painting. To make it quieter here at home he took the three boys with him everyday. That was so nice that he was able to do that. Once when he was at the store they gave the boys some hats they were lusting for.......

Cardiologist Visit

I will interrupt my story a bit here. Today I had an appointment with Dr. Holmberg, my cardiologist. I was sitting in the outpatient clinic waiting to get checked in when Joanie, a nurse I met in cardiac rehab came to get someone else. When she saw me, she got a big smile, came over and hugged me and said how good it is to see me again! She had seen my name on the chart for today and was so glad. That was nice. :)

My blood pressure was low - 100 over 70. Heart rate was low too. Joanie was a little concerned, especially when I told her it's in the low 40s sometimes. She said I have to be sure to tell Dr. Holmberg. He didn't seem very concerned since I don't have problems with feeling light headed. He said some people's heart rate is in the 40s. He wants me to stay on the beta blocker, metoprolol, to take stress off the arteries to help avoid another dissection. He also wants me to stay on Plavix and baby aspirin because of where my stents are located. They are at the top of my left anterior descending artery, which is the main artery, supplying blood to 70% of the heart. We don't want anything to happen there is what he said. I also have to stay on the cholesterol medicine because my cholesterol had gone too high this winter when I got off for a while. I was disappointed about that because cholesterol medicine is kind of hard on a person. He said my high cholesterol is likely hereditary and that can't be kept low by watching your diet. It wasn't extremely high, but I am now classified as "high risk". I need to go in next week to get it checked again to see if it has come down since I am on meds again. Good news was I don't need to see him again for a year!

I asked about getting more testing done through Mayo Clinic. He said it wouldn't benefit me anything, but might help years down the road with research. What Mayo would do is blood work to check for genetic factors that might cause spontaneous coronary artery dissection to see if it might be hereditary. My parents and siblings would also have to do this testing. I probably won't do it...

After I was done in the out patient clinic I went back to cardiac rehab to say hi to Peggy and Kathy. I also had to congratulate Peggy. She was named one of the "100 Great Iowa Nurses for 2015".

And now tomorrow and Wednesday I go to college to do the final tests to get my GED (now called high school equivalence test). The only thing I'm worried about is that I do not get a headache!! The reason I am doing this test now in my "old age" is because some states require it to home school your children.

And then I have to make an appointment with an oral surgeon about my wisdom tooth that is erupting. Yes! I am getting my first wisdom tooth. Maybe that is why I have all these headaches???

Homecoming

Friday morning dawned with an air of anticipation. If all went as planned I could go home. Early in the morning a lab worker came to draw blood. She commented on some tracts the children had left laying around and told me how I had such good kids. I told her she can have some tracts and asked her if there is anything I can pray for her. She opened up and told me some of the difficulties she was facing. A very worldly, lost and hurting woman with little concept of Godliness. My prayer was that somehow I could be a light to all the people I was meeting in the hospital.

Next, two men came to do an echocardiogram aka ultrasound of my heart. It's like I've heard many times... you lose your dignity pretty fast in a hospital. :( The first man took some pictures then the second man put an illuminator in my IV. As that was going through my heart, he took some more pictures. It was pretty interesting. He explained how the illuminator is really just lots of super tiny bubbles that pass out through the lungs when the blood goes through the lungs. He showed me both sets of pictures. The ones with the illuminator were definitely more clear. Then the second man, who was just learning how to do an echo wanted to try his hand at it. I guess they need to learn on someone...

Edward came in a little bit later than usual. He had some business to attend to first. When the PT came to take me for a walk he had good news. The echo showed my heart function had improved quite a bit and I was allowed to go home, but then he said he isn't supposed to be telling me this, so when the doctor comes in I'm supposed to act as if I didn't know! This day he had me go up and down a flight of stairs to see what my BP and heart rate does. It was fine. While we were walking in the halls we came across a man (a patient in his gown...) who was trying to open a door to the outside. Josh, the PT, left me standing in the hall by myself while he went to tell the man to get back to his room. He was trying to hide a pack of cigarettes, apparently trying to sneak out to have a smoke. Poor man. His smoking is probably what landed him in the hospital with heart problems.  For some reason when we came back from the walk and I sat down on the bed I felt hot and light headed. I didn't say anything, just laid back and rested. It soon went away. I think I was just tired...

And then Dr. Holmberg came with the good news that I may go home. The ejection fraction of my heart had improved from 25 - 30 % to 45 - 50%. I did still have some fluid around my heart. He said again that he expects me to have a full recovery in three months. In several weeks he wanted me to start cardiac rehab. Meanwhile I would have to do some walking at home. He wanted to see me again in about 3 weeks and do another echocardiogram. I would be able to have that done in Atlantic.

I would have to be on a low cholesterol, low sodium diet. Dr. Holmberg offered to send a dietitian to explain more about it. I felt like I understood it pretty good. After all, I have been cooking since I was a little girl! But life in the hospital can be boring, and I thought I might be able to get some tips from a dietitian, so I said I would like that. I have taken a keen interest in healthy cooking for a long time. I thought our diet was pretty healthy, so I was surprised to learn that my cholesterol was too high. It was 240 and they recommend having it under 200, especially if you have heart problems. The only thing we could figure that caused the high cholesterol was the 2 fried eggs I ate for breakfast every morning. Dr. Holmberg told me I should not eat more than three eggs a week. One egg has more cholesterol than I was allowed to have daily!

Josh, the PT came back with a book of instructions. Yes, a BOOK! There were several pages of does and don'ts for the next six to eight weeks. I could not lift more than 10 pounds. Thankfully my baby weighed only six pounds! I could not do anything where I would have to lift my arms above my head like washing windows or hanging out laundry. An interesting thing he said is the last to do is pushing a vacuum cleaner. I had to walk twice a day, increasing my time gradually. It had to be on level ground, not up hill and not in the hot sun. He told me over and over that if I start having chest pains I have to take the nitro pills and either have Edward drive me to the hospital or call the ambulance. Later when we were doing our research we found out that a large percent of people with SCAD have a recurrence. I am so glad he did not tell me that.

The lactation consultant also visited me. She really thought I should try nursing. She gave me a business card for the pediatrician we could take the baby to, to make sure the medication was not harmful to him. She thought the benefits would outweigh the risks. After she left we discussed the pros and cons. We finally decided to go with formula. We know that is safe. Nobody was able to tell us if the medication I was taking was going to be safe. It was a hard decision on my part. I believe any nursing mother will understand the grief I felt... Well, maybe not unless you had to make that decision too. So many times we don't understand until we experience something personally.

And then the discharge process started. Orders were sent to the pharmacy for all my meds. I was SO glad for one thing. Earlier in the week a nurse told me I might have to give myself heparin shots in the stomach. She gave me one that day. Horrors! I did not want to do that!!! Apparently blood work showed I did not need them. I was given one dose of Coumadin, but didn't have to take that at home either. The only blood thinner I had to take besides the daily aspirin was Effient. It was after lunch now. My IV and heart moniter were removed and I was free to get dressed and comb my hair. Oh that felt so good! My hips were still badly out of shape. I could hardly get out of bed and stand up without falling. Laying down was the only comfortable position. A PT had given me exercises the day before that should help. A nurses' aide came with a wheel chair to take me to the door, but then the meds weren't ready yet. Finally we were able to go! Edward had been busy taking out all the STUFF that had accumulated. When we came down to pick up the meds they still weren't ready. We probably waited at least 30 minutes. Because of my hips I could hardly sit and the wheel chair was so uncomfortable. I didn't feel strong enough to stand or walk around and the chairs weren't very comfortable either. It was a long wait. Finally everything was ready and we were on our way home.

After such a traumatic happening there is a sense of security in the hospital. It was a little scary to leave that security. What if.........??? The healing process had only started. I didn't realize that emotionally I would go down before I went up.

My brother Joe and family came and spent the day at our house. They decided not to come to the hospital since I was expected to be released anyway. The children all stayed at home too. They were very happy to have Joes there with them. We were having some very hot weather and with my heart issues I was supposed to stay out of the heat. Since we did not have air conditioning in our house, Joe stopped in Des Moines and got a big window unit that he put in the living room. He also helped the boys weed the strawberry patch and put electric fence around the sweet corn patch to keep the raccoons out of it. Anna Mary helped with the laundry and cleaning, some of which had been sadly neglected. They also picked a bunch of beans.

We were thankful for the cool breeze, but it took some getting used to the noisy fan. And besides, it blew right at my favorite recliner. Thankfully the heat wave soon passed and we actually did not have to use it that much.

With my troublesome hips the hour long ride home was long and uncomfortable. The children were calling, wondering WHEN we're coming. Finally we were at home. A large "Welcome home Mom" sign was at the end of the driveway. Everyone seemed a bit shy as they came out to greet us. Except for Rhoda who had her second birthday that day. She came running and squealing, "MOOMMM!" It was good to be home, but after a quiet hospital room all the noise and commotion was a bit overwhelming. After visiting a bit Joe and Anna Mary and family had to leave. Jonathan had saved Rhoda's birthday gift till I was at home to watch her open it.

He gave her a rock and a night light that we probably had for 10 years already! Ah! the simplicity of childhood. She was as happy with that simple gift as she would have been with an expensive one, and Jonathan was happy to give her some of his treasures.

I was finally able to mother my baby. :)

Hospital Life Part IV

We thank the Lord for healing! All the children are recovered from their bout with influenza B, and Eward and I did not get it at all. Praise the LORD!

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Now to continue with my SCAD experience... We are ready for day 4 which was a Wednesday...
After another restless night our day started very early when a lab worker came in at 3:00 to draw blood. Right behind her came another nurse with the scales to weigh me. After they left we just laughed. This was so funny, being weighed at 3:00 in the morning! But, such is hospital life. The reason they were weighing me every day was to make sure I wasn't retaining fluids, which can happen if the heart is not working like it should. Thanks to the unappetizing low fat no sodium diet I was losing weight pretty fast. I probably also lost my appetite from shock.

This day Jonathan was the lucky one to come to the hospital with Dad. I don't remember how Irene went home, but all the other children stayed home that day. There was laundry etc. to do. They happily welcomed Baby Michael home when Mable Chupp brought him back. :) Here are several pictures of what was going on at home.

Ruth Anna put the fly swatter in her dress, hopped on her trike and said, "Now I am a policeman!"

Playing on the neighbor's hay bales.

Joel (12) mothering Michael

Rhoda (almost 2) was not having a good day. Poor girl. So much had happened. First we bring home a new baby. Then Mom disappears for a week. What is happening?

She was crying and crying. Seems to me an older sibling was taking pictures instead of comforting her... Later they could not find her.

They found her sleeping on the top bunk in the boys' bedroom. Poor girl. How I wished I could be at home to rock her.

*

My day was uneventful. I was taken on two walks again. The children liked to say "The PT took me cruising in the halls". PT = Physical Therapist - then think of the car called PT Cruiser. :) I still had a headache. They now started treating it with Tramadol, a narcotic like pain reliever. FINALLY, after a week of constant headache I started getting relief.

Jonathan took a great interest in watching the helicopter. Creighton is one of the two trauma hospitals in Omaha. This was one of the days they were on for getting all the trauma patients. We could always hear the helicopter and they could watch the helipad from the waiting room of the CCU where I was. One time there were several police cars there too. Probably a crime victim... I was a little concerned to have this 6 year old walking the halls all by himself, but he was fine. He knew those hallways better than I ever did!

This afternoon our visitors were Scott and Grace Goertzen. Earlier in the day the nurse I had Sunday night came to visit me with her daughter. She said she prays for her patients and likes to come visit them when she is off duty. That was encouraging!!!

 In the evening Pat Lowis came to stay with me overnight. She was a blessing. Anytime during the night when I was restless she was awake and asking me if I need anything. That evening when the nurses shift changed my day nurse came in with a young male nurse, Jasper, and said he would be my night nurse. Is that OK? Well, I wasn't impressed with having a male nurse, but didn't want to say so to his face, so I said, "Yes, that's OK". I did remember that it was usually the nurses' aide that helped with personal needs like restroom etc. He turned out to be very respectful and one of the best nurses. And so ended the fourth day in the hospital.

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Thursday was going to be a day with a bit more happening. First I had an ultrasound of my heart in the morning. Today was the day for the CT angiogram, so I was not allowed to eat or drink.

Edward brought Annetta, Marian and Michael with him. They didn't come till later. He had gone to his job site where some of the men from church were finishing the job for him. That was appreciated!

I did love my "little man" even if those special newborn feelings were not there. Here I was admiring a new outfit they had gotten for him. He was such a tiny baby. At 2 weeks he only weighed 6 1/2 pounds.

*

Sometime in the morning we heard a beeping noise and something seemed to be going on. The nurses seemed very busy and no one was bringing the usual meds etc. We soon realized there was a code blue on the floor. After a while we heard someone crying and crying. A different person brought my meds. We asked the PT later what was going on. He just said there was a code on the floor. I liked to keep my door open so that I could watch the activity. Later after things had settled down I overheard a conversation between an older doctor and some students. He was telling them how to handle circumstances like this - how to comfort the family members. Apparently someone had died...

My cat scan was to be soon after lunch, but we waited and waited. It wasn't till later in the day when they finally came for me. Maybe there had been an emergency and I was the one that got pushed out till later. Oh well, I had nothing to do anyway! As they were taking me down to radiology the nurse said I really gave them a scare in the cath lab on Sunday. She said they thought they might have to shock my heart to get it back into rhythm. Really! I had not known that. What really did that mean? Did I almost die? I didn't ask her, but that created a lot of new thoughts...

So what is a CT angiogram? It's often called a cat scan. It is a test that uses x-rays to provide detailed pictures of the heart and the blood vessels that go to the heart, lung, brain, kidneys, head, neck, legs, and arms. The reason for this scan was to check my other arteries. A large percent of people that have SCAD also have fibromuscular dysplasia which causes malformations in blood vessels. Thankfully those test results were negative for me. I had to lay on a narrow bed that went back and forth in a donut shaped thing. Everyone else left the room so that they are not exposed to the radiation of the x-ray. An automated voice told me when to hold my breath and when to breath normally. At one point they put a dye into my IV. Thankfully I had been forewarned about what happens. As soon as the dye gets into the vein a warm sensation passes through the whole body and a metallic taste fills the mouth. It only lasts a few seconds, but feels very weird. One lady didn't know that would happen and thought she was dying!

 After this was done I was taken back to my room and finally allowed to eat and drink. It was about 4:00. For the first time this week I was starting to feel hungry, so I ordered some cheerios and juice while I waited for supper. Meanwhile they were busy getting ready to move me to another room. A step down is what they called it. I didn't need to be in the CCU anymore and this room would be cheaper. Edward and the girls were moving my stuff. We had quite an accumulation! While I was eating, Rita and Mary Pratt stopped in. How encouraging to have friends who care! And then I was taken to my new room. That evening Teresa Smidt and several children visited.

Annetta was very tired and Irene had spent the last night with me and gotten very little sleep, so taking care of the baby overnight looked pretty overwhelming. Edward called Rita Pratt to see if she would like to have him for the night. She was very happy to take him. Like I had written earlier, the shock of everything had taken away my motherly feelings for him. It was very sad to not even care much that my baby was going to someone else...

After supper Edward and the children were getting ready to leave. Marian (8) begged to stay with me overnight. We saw no reason why that would be a problem and told her she may. Soon after Edward left, the head nurse came in. She asked if Marian is staying overnight. When I told her that she was planning to, she said she can't, she is too young. If anything would happen, they could not be responsible for her. I could see her point, but it was hard for Marian. I called Edward and he had to turn around and come back. Thankfully they had not gone very far yet. Marian was crying. She said she's scared and can't sleep well when I'm not at home. I tried to comfort her. Hopefully I would be able to go home the next day.

After everyone had left again I was feeling lonely, sad, and scared. What did the future hold? Would I ever be healthy again? And the greatest fear of all, would I have another heart attack?  I opened my Bible to Psalms. It opened to Psalm 138 and I read, "The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands." I was so blessed I called Edward and told him what I had just read. I felt the Lord was telling me that everything will be alright. "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." I read on into chapter 139. There I read, "Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me." This reminded me of Revelation 1:17 .. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; Jesus was very near to me that night. I envisioned him beside my bed with His hand on me saying to me, "Fear not." My headache was gone and this bed was a little more comfortable than the other one. I slept better than I had any other night in the hospital.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

His Grace is Sufficient

The following is an excerpt from Streams in the Desert compiled by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman. 

Truth I needed reminded of today.


"The other evening I was riding home after a heavy day's work. I felt very wearied, and sore depressed, when swiftly and suddenly as a lightning flash, that text came to me, "My grace is sufficient for thee."...

I said, 'I should think it is, Lord,' and burst out laughing.
..."It seemed to make unbelief so absurd. It was as though some little fish, being very thirsty, was troubled about drinking the river dry, and [the river] said, 'Drink away, little fish, my stream is sufficient for thee.'
"Or, it seemed after the seven years of plenty, a mouse feared it might die of famine; and Joseph might say, 'Cheer up, little mouse, my granaries are sufficient for thee.' "
 - C.H. Spurgeon


His grace is great enough to meet the great things-
The crashing waves that overwhelm the soul,
The roaring winds that leave us stunned and breathless,
The sudden storms beyond our life's control.

His grace is great enough to meet the small things -
The little pin-prick troubles that annoy,
The insect worries, buzzing and persistent,
The squeaking wheels that grate upon our joy.
 - Annie Johnson Flint

The Busyness of Life

I have had a lot of distraction from writing this blog. We spent March 1st to 9th in Kalona, Iowa for Youth Bible School. Our two oldest were students and Edward was part of the staff, so our whole family went. Since all the houses were filled with the 138 youth, we camped out at the church. A larger church had been rented for the event. We took our bedding and food along and it worked out very well. That is, till Michael got sick. Tuesday forenoon he threw up over the carpeted steps going down to the basement. He threw up seven times. That ended all our plans for the day. Since we didn't want to start an epidemic at Bible school the children and I stayed "home" all day. By the next day he seemed to be OK except for diarrhea, so we went over for lunch and chorus practice. Thursday evening I started to feel sick. During the night Rhoda started throwing up. Thankfully I had a bowl handy and was able to catch it all. By that time I was so sick I was almost fainting. I made it back to bed and the faint feeling soon was better. By morning I was feeling pretty good, but Edward, Joel and Simon were sick! Edward wasn't able to do his duties at Bible school. We stayed at "home" at the church all day. Simon did not not get very sick. In the afternoon Jonathan started feeling sick. He then fell asleep on the chairs and I thought, "I wonder if that's a good idea..." Well, I should have done something about it, but I didn't. He woke up vomiting managing to hit 3 cushioned chairs and getting some on the carpet. :( Thankfully I was able to get a shampooer and wash it all up right away. Saturday I was feeling fine, so I went over to Fairview where Bible school was. Edward and Joel felt well enough to babysit Rhoda and Ruth Anna. I had really wanted to be there for the singing and testimonies. We got our supper there then stopped at the grocery store in Kalona and got chicken and rice to cook for the others' supper. They were all feeling better. Marian and Ruth Anna completely slipped out of it. We were so thankful because when Marian starts she usually ends up needing IV to stop vomiting, so we thank God for keeping her from getting this stomach flu. Meanwhile Irene and Annetta were also not feeling well. They were not sick enough to miss any of the days, but had several days of stomach ache. They stayed at Larry Zooks with 17 other students. Sunday we were all feeling pretty good and able to take in all the activities. Monday morning we packed up all our stuff and cleaned the church then went to pick up the girls at Larrys. When we got there they were SICK. one had a temp of 103 and the other 102.5. It was a good thing Bible school was over and we were going home!

This past week now ALL nine of the children were very sick. Two of them ended up seeing a doctor. Tests were positive for influenza B. Thankfully Edward and I didn't get it. So guess what I was doing all week! :) We came home Monday afternoon with almost no clean clothes, so I had to do lots of laundry besides caring for sick children. Last evening I just sank down on my recliner and didn't feel like moving anymore. Most of them were getting better. A few were still very sick. Ruth Anna was saying all the time she feels fine, she's just tired. Even with a temp of 102 she insisted she's not sick. Yesterday afternoon she said she's so tired. She curled up on the couch with a blanket and fell asleep. When she woke up she was very hot. Her temp was now 104.8! She finally admitted that she was sick! Jonathan got tight all of a sudden Thursday evening so Edward took him to the ER. Chest ex-rays were clear, so after a nebulizer treatment they sent him home with an inhaler in case he gets tight again.

Once everyone is well and things are back to normal I want to get my thoughts together and finish writing my experience with SCAD.

Here are some pictures from the week of Bible school...

The chorus

Since all the chairs and tables had been taken out of the basement dining area the children had a lot of fun roller blading.

We had a nice living space behind the chairs in the sanctuary. We slept in the nursery and the children slept in the rooms upstairs.

And I did have to add a picture of the photographer. :) Jonathan 8