Update on Norris 8-31-06

Hello friends and supporters...
Today was a good day. WE HAVE POOP! This is what the surgeons have been waiting for! I hope they will allow him to start some nutrition. Here is what happened. Last night was HELL, but God saw us through. Yesterday the IV in his left wrist was infiltrated and the site was showing red, so they removed it. Then barely 8 hours later, Norris said his hand "felt wet" and both me and the nurse looked at the IV, but didn't see anything leaking. Later on, we went for our walk around the ward and the gauze on the site was soaked and it was dripping fluid on the floor...so we had to tell the nurse. He said "yup, it needs to come out". I melted. It has been virtually impossible to draw blood because he is so dehydrated and they always hurt him digging around trying to find a vein.....now this. So we waited in our room for someone to come in and try to stick him again....our nurse was young and inexperienced...he tried twice in two spots and gave up...so we waited for him to get help...we waited for over one and a half hours. Meanwhile, Norris was not getting any pain medication nor fluids....finally I found one of his doctors at the front desk and I asked him about maybe getting something on his tounge or in his mouth to help with the pain of getting stuck again...he said "stuck?"...I told him about the IV being out...he said that couldn't happen and that he would get someone. I told Norris that I have tried to be so strong for him....I have tried so hard not to let him see me cry. So far I have been with him through it all...but this time I could not bear to see them hurt him again...I'm a wuss...I admit it. So I went out in the hall at the front of the ward and cried....then I went down to the chapel to get someone to pray with me. The chapel was empty and no one was there. I went into one of the little prayer rooms and sat there.....then I called my sister-in-law Emily. She prayed with me...she prayed for "the veins to open and the blood to flow"...WOW! I'd been asking God for miracles, but wasn't specific enough...DUH ask for blood flow! I must really be tired. We talked until my cell phone "died"...maybe an hour and a half....then I wiped my eyes and went up...Norris was all hooked up and comfortable...his pain was down and they gave him Benadryl for itching...that always puts him right to sleep. So God is good....prayers answered. Norris called Emily and said he was all hooked into the IV again. Seems they got someone from 7th floor to come down and stick him. He said it didn't hurt. So I went to Mologne House and crashed. I got back over this morning about 10:00 AM and he said he had gone to the toilet! I was thrilled! He felt the urge and called for the nurse but no one came, so he unhooked his Vena Cava wraps (these fill with air and deflate periodically to prevent blood clots) with his toes on his good foot and unplugged the power cord from the IV stand and unplugged the drain hose from his JP drain...and went to the bathroom and passed "something"...Of course no one saw it. He plugged in the power cord to the IV stand and got back in bed and then used his toes again to reach the drain tube on the floor....plugged it back into the JP drain and went to sleep. I have always laughed at his "prehensile toes" but God knew he would need them one day. Now all we have to worry about is getting him hydrated again. He is not getting enough fluids so they are talking about getting a "pic" line in....to hydrated him and get some nutrition in him...maybe tomorrow they will let him eat Jello and broth. We'll see. He is on the road to recovery now. I won't leave him until he is eating and drinking and "pooping" and when he gets these hoses, tubes and lines out of him! Hey, by then, maybe they will let HIM come home for a convalescent leave too! I'll keep you all posted and we will throw one WHALE of a party! I'm at Mologne House and I'm going to try to sleep....I want to get up by 5:00 AM so I can catch his doctors in the morning to see how they react! Keep him in your prayers...he is getting better with God's protection. Love you all. Janis