Christmas pictures and starting to pack

Check out our Christmas photos at www.picasaweb.google.com/dananddebvanalstine/christmas2008.

Isn't this the cutest 17 month old on the planet?!

We had a terrific visit and Christmas with the kids. Amy and Adam live in a nice neighborhood with friendly neighbors, we met some. One highlight of the Christmas season in Yuma is the Parade of Lights and everyone comes out for it. We watched the parade across the street from their house, sitting on some hay bales. The parade is a long line of cars with lots of Christmas lights and other decorations, drivers and riders dressed like Santa or other festive costumes, honking horns and waving to everyone. The people watching would clap and cheer for their favorites. The weather was clear, crisp and a little breezy, perfect parade weather. Sunsets in Yuma are beautiful, this evening's sunset was no exception.

Dan and I rejoiced to worship with the kids at their church, First Christian Church in Yuma (www.fccyuma.org). A huge church and extremely loving group, the pastor is very down to earth, the music terrific, we felt very welcomed. It's great to visit another church once in a while without having to lead, teach, or "be the pastor" so to speak...to worship and to observe how others worship is very refreshing and we came away blessed.

Another treat was Christmas Eve, Adam took us all for a drive down "Storybook Lane", actually 55th Street in Yuma, but it's called Storybook Lane at Christmas time. I've never seen such a display by an entire street. At the entrance to the street is a big sign welcoming you to 55th Street, then in front of every other house is a big lighted sign with a few lines from "The Night Before Christmas". Every house was decorated to the hilt with lights, Frosty, Rudolph, Santa, you name it. At the end of the block is a sign turning you around to the other side of the street to finish the story. The last few houses really went all out, one had a bonfire, one had a carousel and merry go round for which they charged a nickel to ride, and one neighbor handed out lollipops to everyone walking by and even knocking on car windows to give candy and wish a merry Christmas. It felt like being in a Courier & Ives picture. Swen sure enjoyed the parade and the lights, and we enjoyed his lollipop.

We ate way too much during our 5-day visit. Amy cooked a delicious honey glazed spiral ham dinner, homemade cookies and chex mix, and her table setting was very festive. We discovered Del Taco and their Taco Del Carbon - this is the way tacos should be served, if you like cilantro and more meat than veggies on your taco, this is for you. We also discovered Texas Roadhouse, the best steak and rib place ever, sadly none in Hawaii. Their "fall off the bone ribs" literally do fall off the bone. And Christmas lunch was delicious at the Happy Greek Chef, about a block from the California border, and extremely popular with the locals, we got their just in time before a huge crowd arrived. Food is served piping hot, and plenty of it, and very reasonable. Yuma sure has changed since Dan and I were kids, Yuma used to be nothing more than a Marine base and a McDonalds to stop at on your way to San Diego. Now it has a population of about 100,000 with many more during the winter season, and has become quite the tourist destination.

We left for Phoenix after lunch on Christmas day, after smothering the kids and Swen with hugs and kisses. Adam may be getting transferred in March to a new construction job in Vancouver, BC and it was tough leaving them, but what a joy and blessing it has been to be with them while we've been in Phoenix.

Dan's folks are spending Christmas through New Year's with Roxanne and Joe in Colorado, and Dan has been very busy packing most all our stuff to FedEx back home. We're 99% done, just need a big picture box and maybe one more medium size box, then we're done. We'll get by with what fits in our suitcase for the next week or so. January 6 is coming up soon! Dan has Mayo visits this week, the last on Friday.

One more prayer request: we both have had colds since we got back from Yuma. Not that serious for me, but Dan doesn't have a working immune system anymore now that he's on anti-rejection meds, and a cold could be serious for him. We've been in contact with the transplant coordinator twice now, he has labs and a chest xray tomorrow so they will advise if he needs antibiotics, in the meantime he is allowed to take Tylenol and Robitussin DM and also Coricidin HBP. Please pray for his healing, particularly with a plane trip coming up next week.

Another prayer request: Dan senses God may possibly be leading him to write a book about his experience and lessons learned (thanks, Roger, for your encouragement, you are a good friend). And he senses God may also possibly be leading to offer to share with pastors, or with churches, or with anyone. He plans to send a letter to Hawaii Pacific churches with more info and how to get in touch with him. For Dan, the most humble and non-self-serving person I know, this is very scary for him to put himself out there like this. We don't know if anyone will contact him, but Dan's passion now is to share what God has been teaching him about living with pain and difficult health situations, so we'll see what God does with Dan's obedience. And how in the world do we publish a book? God, we sure need your direction. I love Psalm 119:105 KJV: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." He shows me just enough of His will...'a lamp to my feet' to see where I am standing (sort of like my current spiritual status, in relation to His holiness)...and 'a light to my path', just enough for me to see the next step (it's best not to know too much too soon...if God had told me years ago that His will for us was to go through a liver transplant and all the trimmings...I'd probably be in Kahi Mohala).

Aloha from the desert,
Debbie and Dan

We're coming home!!!!!!

Halleluia is not a big enough word to express our praise and just plain giddy-ness today!

Gift #1- Dan needs to be able to climb stairs both at home and at church and we weren't sure he'd be able to do this for quite some time. Well, Dan had outpatient PT today, and was able to climb 26 stairs, up and down, unassisted, and wasn't even out of breath! Richard, Dan's therapist, was shocked and could not explain how he was able to do that, as he didn't have this much strength two days ago in PT. We saw several other PTs and OTs who worked with Dan while he was still hospitalized, and they all shared kind words and compliments to Dan on how great he looks now. But the most humbling and blessed of comments shared today was from a lady in the rehab office, we don't know her but she's watched Dan while he's done rehab since November, and she said Dan has given her hope for her own life.

Gift #2- Next, Dan had outpatient OT, this was his third appointment with Michelle who was assessing Dan's ability to start driving again, testing for strength, reflexes, and eye-hand coordination. And he passed! Dan will start driving around the neighborhood at first until he feels confident to try freeways.

Gift #3- Later, Dan saw Dr. Byrne, one of the liver doctors. He also had labs first thing this morning, and results were excellent, the only lab a little off was kidney function, that creatinine number was 1.8 which is great for Dan but normal is lower, the dr. said Dan may never get to that number but he wasn't overly concerned either. It was profound to me that we saw Dr. Byrne today. He was the first doctor Dan saw when he was being assessed for the Mayo transplant program last year, he has seen Dan's health go from bad to worse, and now today told us how fabulous Dan is doing and how good he looks - kind of completes the journey for us to have come full circle with Dr. Byrne. Dan has a few more appointments left like cardiologist, pacemaker check, and 2 more PTs, the last on Dec. 31. So....drum roll please....Dr. Byrne released Dan to return home to Hawaii the first of January!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gift #4- This afternoon, I received a love gift that will cover my airfare for last week's trip to Hawaii.

To be sure, tears flowed freely as we received each of these gifts today. Do we feel blessed? You bet. We are living Ephesians 3:20-21 (HCSB): "Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think—according to the power that works in you—to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever." Amen and Amen!

Can't stop smiling,

Debbie and Dan

(PS: In case you're wondering, yes we already have our flight reservations, we'll be flying home Tuesday, Jan. 6th.)

Praises galore!

We have so much to be thankful for!

Today, Dan had labs, follow-ups with doctors and then PT. His labs are great, as the doctor stated "his liver is stone cold perfect", his creatinine continues to drop, his red cell count is normal, only his INR is elevated, meaning his blood will not clot as well, so they took him off Warfarin for a few days (also called Coumadin, this med is the blood thinner he takes). And today was the first day Dan walked in to these appointments using his cane instead of a wheelchair or walker. Dan was commenting this evening at the great improvement in just a short time, just last week he was struggling to stand up from the wheelchair; as Dan put it "The Lord's just showing off!"

A wonderful surprise this morning, we ran into Tim and Lily at labs this morning. Tim and Lily are from Hawaii Kai, fellow Kaiser patients (even the same Kaiser liver doctor), and Tim just received his liver transplant at Mayo. It was great seeing them again, Tim looks great after his surgery and some challenges that followed. Tim and Lily are also believers, they attend Central Union Church in Honolulu, and actually found our blog a while ago and had followed our journey. We had a great time of sharing and I hope we continue the friendship and fellowship when we all get home.

Dan and I have been out Christmas shopping, eating in restaurants, and just enjoying spending time together. Dan's strength, drive, mental state, and passion for life have improved so much over the past few weeks, every day we notice something new. Like today, we noticed the hand tremors are gone and Dan is able to eat and write with no problems.

Dan woke up this morning cheering, saying "I'm going to be 50 tomorrow!" I don't think Dan has ever rejoiced about getting older before. The last several years, he has been so sick that he said he felt 80 years old; so turning 50 must seem like he's getting younger. We are looking forward to celebrating tomorrow with shopping, lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, then pizza, birthday cake, presents, and games with the family in the evening.

I'll be going home for a week to visit Mom and take her to a few doctor appointments, worship with our Mililani ohana, as well as box up the rest of Amy's stuff and get it sent to her (I know, she's been married for several years now, I guess procrastinating sending her stuff was a way of not completely letting her go - sorry, punkin). I'll be in Hawaii from Dec. 7-14. Then Dan and I will celebrate Christmas in Yuma with Amy, Adam and Swen (who is now walking!) from Dec. 20-25. It won't be long now until we return home to Hawaii together!

Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow....

Debbie and Dan

Swen was in his first rain storm recently - love that hair!

Beam us up, Scotty...

What a terrific weekend! And a weekend of firsts since Dan's surgeries.

On Saturday, Dan and I along with Debbie and the kids went to the Arizona Science Museum in downtown Phoenix, nearby the Convention Center - we saw Star Trek: The Experience! This is heaven for Star Trek fans like us - memorabilia, props, costumes, sets, shuttlecraft simulator, and more (check out http://www.startrek.com/custom/include/community/tour/virtual). We all took turns sitting in the captain's chair on the bridge set of Next Generation (actually, I took several turns). This was the first big "field trip" for Dan, transporting and using his wheelchair and being around a big crowd of people.

Today, we went with Dan's folks to church, Dan's first time back since his transplant on Aug. 25. It was a wonderful time of worship and thanksgiving, church members were praising God for answered prayer for us. And another first, Dan managed all his morning preparation by himself, with just a little help from me. After church, another first, we went to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. If you haven't been there, you must go. I don't know if the menu is the same at all locations, but this location's menu was about 40 pages long! So many choices, you could eat here every day and not make it through the menu.

Dan's next Mayo visit is Tuesday at 4pm for outpatient rehab. Thanks for your prayers for Dan to regain all his strength, he is doing better each day. And fyi, his mental challenges are gone, he's back to normal (for those of you who know Dan, I know you are laughing out loud).

Thankfully,
Debbie and Dan

Friday, Nov. 28th updates

It's been a busy week. Dan's had something to do at Mayo every day this week, except for Thanksgiving day. Labs, PT, pacemaker check, and follow-up with the liver doctors and all went very well. Dan's new liver function is about as perfect as can be, his creatinine is up a little and his prograf level is down a little, so meds are being adjusted. Dan may have a intestinal virus, we should hear the test results tomorrow and then get antibiotics. The next think Dan and I want to work on is a thank-you letter to the donor family. We will give the letter to Mayo to send to the family; the family may or may not respond, again via Mayo to us. After a certain amount of time, it is up to them and us if we actually know each other's names and/or meet. We hear that sometimes the donor and donee meet, other times it is too difficult for one or the other family. We'll send the first letter, then trust God with what happens next.

Thanksgiving was truly a time for giving thanks. Dan's sister Debbie and the kids Tim, Alyssa, and Josh were with us and Dan's dad asked Dan to pray. It was emotional as Dan shared in his prayer that God had granted the desire of his heart, to spend the holidays with family. It was particularly poignant since we had been told years ago right after Dan was diagnosed with Alpha-1 that the doctors were not sure if Dan would see his 50th birthday (next week, Dec. 5); then we were told by Mayo doctors the day after his transplant that Dan probably had only a few weeks left to live.

Today was especially productive, Dan and I dove into cleaning our room, tossing a lot of junk we've been holding on to, packing more boxes, clearing out his desk, my nightstand, and the closet shelf and rearranging the stuff to keep that was strewn all over the place. It will be much easier to pack everything for returning home (still planned for January). Tonite we are relaxing and watching 2 great holiday movies - Polar Express and The Family Man - if you haven't seen these, run right out and borrow them.

The cleaning we did today made me think about how our spiritual lives often need cleaning, how we need to confront and confess sin, rearrange priorities, get rid of unhealthy habits to make room for God and His will for us. When we do this, our lives will truly reflect God's glory, people will see Jesus in us, that's what it's all about.

Thankful,
Debbie and Dan

Great Day!

What a great day today was. Except for the early morning. Dan did great, he likes mornings, but I don't do mornings well and found myself racing to get ready and out the door, but we got to Dan's PT appointment on time. Dan's therapist is Richard, and he worked Dan hard. And Dan loved it. Dan's goal is to be able to walk without the walker, so it's a lot of leg lifts, squats, stretches, and just walking. Dan has "homework", exercises he has to do-5 sets twice a day. We'll see Richard twice a week, next time on Wednesday.

We had a little break between PT (8-9am) and Pacemaker check (10:15am) so we had breakfast in the cafeteria. A nice rest, although PT says "rest is rust", yikes.

Pacemaker check went well, Dan's heart is in sinus rhythm and pacemaker is working fine. Dan has 3 more weeks until he can lift more than 8 pounds and lift his left arm above his shoulder.

We boxed up more books to send back home, now we can finally see the carpet in our room. Tonite we're watching the finale of Dancing with the Stars - we think Brooke will win, but we love to watch Warren.

And we got a call from the disability insurance agent today, who told us they will be sending us a sizable check for monies they should have been paying us (it's a long story), and mahalo to Pastor Derrick for all you did to make this happen. God spoke to Dan in the hospital, clearly telling Dan that He would provide for our every expense during this journey, and this unexpected gift looks like the beginning of God's fulfillment of his word to Dan. We can't wait to see how God will provide for the rest of the bills, including the 6-figure charge for Dan's liver transplant.

"God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won't stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns." Philippians 1:6 CEV

Debbie and Dan

Friday, Nov. 21

Today was a pretty good day, Dan is feeling well and was able to walk out to the dining room table for meals, and he enjoyed reading "The Grand Weaver" by Ravi Zacharias and writing a new blog entry (www.linesfromdanielsden.blogspot.com). We also started packing a few boxes of books to FedEx back home, we figured if we start now a little bit at a time, it will be easier in the long run. We also enjoyed listening to CDs, in particular, Tony Bennett's new Christmas album, and Three Wooden Crosses (inspirational songs by country artists -- thanks for this CD, Karen and Calvin!). Dan's first follow-up appointments are on Monday - 8am outpatient PT and 10:45am pacemaker checkup.

Aloha from the desert,
Debbie and Dan

Home again!

It's Thursday, Nov. 20 and we're home from the hospital again. Sorry for not updating since Sunday, I haven't been home until today.

Dan's heart procedure on Monday went very well. They did the cardiac ablation and then implanted a very high-tech pacemaker. It's called an ICD (implantable cardioverter-defibrillator) and it has 2 leads into the heart and 1 lead on the outside of the right ventricle. It will keep Dan's heart from going too fast or too slow. He's doing very well, he seems to have more strength and is breathing easier. The pacemaker is permanent, along with taking coumaden (a blood thinner).

The liver doctors decided on Tuesday to do the ERCP procedure (removal of the bile duct stent). This procedure also went well, it is done endoscopically so not real invasive. They removed the stent along with a biliary stone and put in another stent which will also have to be removed in a few months. Dan was fine and able to eat a regular dinner that night, he just had a scratchy throat.

Wednesday was a rest day, meaning no procedures, but PT and OT were back to get Dan up and around. He was able to walk a lap around the nurses' station, he hasn't done this in weeks. Yay, pacemaker!

Today was very busy, with doctors' last rounds with Dan, PT and OT getting in a few more exercise times including the rehab gym, removing the PICC line and catheter, discharge instructions, prescriptions for more meds, we ended up leaving around 4:30pm.

Dan now has outpatient OT and PT twice a week, labs twice a week, pacemaker check-ups a few times in the next month, cardiologist follow-up, liver doctor follow-ups, dietician follow-up, you name it. And now we start trying to follow the low sodium diet at home, along with fluid restrictions, he only gets to drink one 16 oz. bottle of water in a 24-hour period. This is sure different from the instructions after transplant, to drink 6-8 bottles of water a day. They tell us it is a different way to get the excess fluid out of his tissues and into the plumbing, he gets a huge amount of diuretics and drinks very little fluid. Go figure. He also has new instructions and restrictions with his pacemaker, like no more MRI's, no airport security systems, cell phone and ipod on the right side, etc. and my personal favorite...no arc welding.

Thanks for your prayers and support. Continue to pray for Dan to regain his strength, and for me and Dan's folks to stay healthy, and for all of us to continue living together in harmony and love...it won't be long now until we hele on home.

Aloha,
Debbie and Dan

Prayer Request

Things change so quickly.

The round-the-clock diuretics seem to be working, fluid is getting through the plumbing much better. They put compression stockings back on Dan's legs to force the fluid up and out, which is working but they are a little painful, so they plan to switch to ace bandages this afternoon. And he is getting used to his low-sodium diet.

Dan's heart went back into afib last night while he was sleeping. This is the first time it's done this during rest, the other times it was during exertion. So, the teams have decided to postpone the ERCP (procedure to remove the bile duct stent) in favor of the cardiology team's recommendation to first do a cardiac ablation and pacemaker implant (www.heartrhythmcenter.com/myweb2/av_nodal_ablation2.htm has a good explanation of this.) Surgery is scheduled for Monday afternoon, we don't know the time yet, and it will take a few hours. This is a fairly common procedure and is minimally invasive, and hopefully once his heart is pumping normally that it will help the kidneys along. And yes, the pacemaker will be permanent, the battery will need to be replaced, usually after 5+ years, depending on the rate it "paces".

Thanks for your prayers for Dan tomorrow, as always. Life is hard, but God is good.

Aloha,
Debbie and Dan

Thursday, Nov. 13 - the saga continues

Dan is still in Mayo. He is breathing better, and his new liver is working well, that's the good news.

Yesterday's chest xray showed his lungs are worse, meaning more fluid surrounding the lungs. This morning's labs showed elevated heart enzymes, elevated creatinine level. So 3 teams are working on this - liver transplant, cardiology, and nephrology (kidneys).

The main problem keeping Dan in the hospital is the fluid that won't go away, resulting in shallow breathing, swelling in his abdomen, legs and feet. Dan's kidneys are not functioning well, and we were told this morning that he has had kidney disfunction even before transplant, which makes sense since he had so much leg and feet swelling for so long. There are several solutions to this problem, one they tried on Sunday, to drain the fluid via thorocentesis and pericentesis. The doctors do not want to continue this, as it is risky for Dan's liver. Another solution is meds, this is the plan now, to give Dan a high dose of lasix round the clock now for 24 hours, along with the metolazone, these work in different parts of the kidney. We also learned that Dan's kidney problem may not be "cured" even after the fluid is under control. Which brings me to another solution - dialysis and kidney transplant - they tell us this would be considered if nothing else worked and it is a decision to be made "way down the road." Let's hope so. The doctor said 5-10% of liver transplant patients need this done, since the liver disease can cause kidney problems.

The echocardiogram showed Dan's heart is only pumping at 35% (normal is 55-60%) so that's not at a danger level but it is a decrease. This could be caused by the anti-rejection meds Dan is taking, along with the stress and trauma of Dan's transplant. The cardiologists will follow on Dan's labs, they are more concerned with getting the fluid moving through the plumbing, and more tests may be needed once this is better, including a nuclear stress test.

The liver doctors changed one of Dan's anti-rejection meds (cyclosporin) to prograf last night, in case the cyclosporin is hurting the kidneys. Both can do so, but prograf is less likely to do so, but it has other side effects including confusion, so I'll be watching this carefully.

Dan and I both were busted yesterday for Dan eating way too much sodium. He needs to be on a low-sodium diet, which means less than 2 grams (2,000 mgs) of sodium a day, or about 600 mgs. per meal. I was eating salad with honey mustard dressing last night and noticed the sodium in the dressing was around 550 mgs. by itself, that puts this in perspective. Or as Dan says, he is allowed to eat air. The dietician gave me a booklet on how to cook and eat with this limitation, and the nurse is examing everything he eats and drinks now. Between this dietary restriction and others for transplant patients, life as we knew it is now over - aloha fast food, pizza, shoyu, soda, salad bars, salsa - and hello to no-salt or low-salt everything, Mrs. Dash seasonings, and homemade meals.

All this to say they are getting Dan healthy enough to do another procedure on Monday, to remove the stent they put in his bile duct about a month ago, and put in another stent if needed. So not sure if Dan will get to come home before that.

This is all pretty depressing, and Dan and I have been praying and trying to encourage each other. Dan occasionally talks in his sleep, most of the time I ignore it, but last night I enjoyed listening to him PRAY in his sleep! He doesn't remember it, but I'll never forget it.

A BIG mahalo to our ohana in Hawaii (Roger, Joy, and Clyde) for the surprise package from Bath and Body Works - bubble bath, here I come!

Aloha,
Debbie and Dan

Still in Mayo

Dan is still in Mayo, we hope he gets to come home tomorrow. Sunday night after he moved to a room back on 3West, they did the thorocentesis and took out a lot of fluid from the lining of the left lung. The rest of the night was miserable for Dan, he coughed all night, apparently the lung was a little compressed from the pressure of the fluid and once it opened up there was plenty of fluid in his bronchial tubes. The pulmonary guy gave him an albuterol breathing treatment to get the tubes opened up. Once he stopped coughing around 6am, he got a little sleep, and later on the morning he felt better and was breathing better.

So now they are trying to figure out why the kidneys are not functioning well. He didn't have any problems pre-transplant other than a kidney stone, so we know it's from the transplant, these organs aren't fully "awake" yet. It's a vicious cycle. The kidneys need plenty of blood flow and lots of fluid from water we drink to work well. Without those, the kidneys get sleepy and fluid we consume needs to go somewhere, so it fills up either the tissues or the blood vessels. Healthy kidneys can get working again when we drink more water, that's why we run to the bathroom more, which is a good thing unless you're stuck in traffic on the H-1. Dan's kidneys aren't healthy so he has swelling in his feet and legs, tummy, around the lungs (which they drained on Sunday), even his scrotum (don't tell him I told you this one). For Dan, they don't want him drinking more than 1 bottle of water a day, they want to treat his swelling with meds, like albumin (draws the fluid from the tissues to the vessels) and then lasix and another diuretic I can't remember the name, that should get the fluids excreted through the kidneys and bladder. Please pray the doctors can figure out why the kidneys and bladder are still sleeping and this will be an easy and quick fix. With his legs and feet so swollen, it's hard for Dan to walk and he needs to do this daily to get stronger.

Aloha,
Debbie and Dan

Back at Mayo

Dan has had a hard time breathing the past 2 days, more swelling, and drinking a lot of water without much output. So we called the transplant coordinator this morning and she spoke to the doctor and told us to go in to the ER. After labs, a bladder ultrasound and a chest xray, they decided to keep him overnight. They are going to do another thoracentesis and parecentesis, but prior to that they will give him blood plasma to amp up his platelet count in hopes of not too much bleeding from those procedures. They put in a foley catheter to help the bladder along to get rid of the large amount of fluid there. The kidney doctor will visit tomorrow also. And his labs showed very low sodium and pretty high potassium, both of which may be caused by the diuretics but they need to watch his electrolites carefully as this could signal a rejection coming on, and don't worry - they would adjust his anti-rejection meds if this happens.

The doctors tell us it is not that unusual for a transplant patient to come back in the hospital a few times after the initial discharge to get things regulated. Hearing that didn't make it any easier on Dan, though. I'm home for a short time now to blog, pick up his contac case and glasses and ipod, and then head back. My heart hurts for Dan that he has to be back there, but he will go back to 3West where we know all the nurses so that will be nice, plus selfishly speaking...I will get a little reprieve from lifting Dan. If anyone knows any good stretching exercises for my back and legs, let me know.

TTFN ("ta-ta for now" as Tigger says to Pooh),
Debbie and Dan

Saturday, Nov. 8

Sorry I haven't blogged in a few days. Having Dan home is great, however taking care of him is an all-day and all-night activity. I'm getting pretty good at helping lift Dan out of a chair to his walker, who'd have thought someone my size (5'3") could deadlift a 6'4" guy, thanks to something called a posey, a sturdy canvas strap that tightly belts around Dan's chest. And a huge thanks to Dan's dad who helps me lift Dan when needed.

Like today, Dan started walking with his walker the length of the lanai, about 100 feet from end to end, and he made it one round trip for 200 feet, probably the longest he's walked in a long while. The rest of the day, his legs were very wobbly and we were so thankful Dan's dad was here to help.

And a special thanks to Dan's mom for "encouraging" him today - "you go, girl!"

I gave Dan his first insulin injection this evening, not really his first but first since he got home. He's only diabetic since transplant, this will go away hopefully after he stops taking prednisone, but until then we check blood sugar before every meal, and if the count is over 150, he gets an injection based on a "sliding scale". We opted for the insulin pen rather than a syringe, my mom uses the pen and it seemed much easier to do and less scary to me than a syringe. Dan said he didn't even feel the needle or the insulin, so I hope I did it right.

By the way, last Thursday's doctor appt. went well and his labs were good, his kidney function is still not 100% so they scheduled a follow-up with the kidney doctor a week from Monday. We go back to Mayo on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the round of labs, doctors, PT and OT, squeezing in meds and blood sugar tests when we can.

Have a wonderful day of worship tomorrow and remember...you can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you (paraphrase of Philippians 4:13 NKJV, emphasis mine).

Aloha from the desert,
Debbie and Dan

First day home, and LInes from Daniel's Den

Today was Dan's first full day home from the hospital. He enjoyed sleeping in a more comfortable bed with me, his wife (giggle). He really enjoyed getting to eat whatever he wanted, including tacos and bean burrito from Taco Bell for lunch. He tried to start getting on a schedule, one he'll need to follow the rest of his life. There are a few extra chores we need to do for the first few months or so. It was a non-stop day of taking about 15 pills at 8am and 8pm, meals, and a lot of effort just getting to the bathroom with his walker, sometimes it took both Dan's dad and me to get him up from the chair to his walker. We also had lots of phone calls, a rental wheelchair delivered and I had to learn how to get Dan into the chair and then how to fold it up and hoist it into the back of the van. We should only need the chair for going to church, the mall, etc.; it doesn't fit in the house doorways and Mayo has a "garage" of wheelchairs plus volunteers who greet you when you drive up with a wheelchair and a smile. All in all, we survived the first day, with a lot of worrying and nagging on my part, and Dan patting me on the back saying "relax".

Check out Dan's new post on his blog www.linesfromdanielsden.blogspot.com.

Tomorrow we go back to Mayo for a full day of labs, visits with the post-transplant coordinator and doctors, OT and PT. We'll be there from 7:05am thru 2pm, we have short breaks and a lunch break and the cafeteria there is great.

Stay tuned,
Debbie and Dan

Out of the hospital!

It finally happened...Dan was discharged from the hospital today, November 4. It was a very long day of meetings with everyone - doctors, PT, OT, endocrinologist, post-transplant coordinator (3-hrs and more to come on Thursday), then the nurse has to review a 20+page discharge paper and we sign when she's done and most of this was repeat from the previous meetings. The icing on the cake was getting to hear a noon-time concert by Vicki and her combo - she's a professional jazz singer and fellow pastor's wife and she has visited Dan faithfully several times a week to fellowship and sing wonderful jazz numbers with Dan "be-bopping" along with her. Dan is pretty tired but glad to be out of the hospital. He had some strong mixed feelings leaving the hospital, both happy and sad and emotional, as the Mayo staff on 3West and 3East have become family. And just getting around the house with his walker and in and out of chairs takes a lot of energy, more than we realized, so recovery will continue. Dan is also anxious to post a new blog entry to his 'Lines from Daniel's Den', so keep watch!

Soaring again,
Debbie and Dan

Aloha in the desert for Halloween

Check out my Halloween gift to Mayo Hospital at www.debsturntoblog.blogspot.com. Dan told everyone he was a munchkin for Halloween (as in Wizard of Oz). It was fun. I did see a funny costume in the store today, a blind referee - black and white striped shirt, dark glasses, and a white cane. Pretty funny.

Plans are still in the works for Dan to be discharged on Tuesday, however a few more blips have come up since yesterday. Dan's bladder is still having a hard time and the doctors ordered several catheterizations a day to empty the bladder, a painful procedure, and he needs to drink at least 4-20oz. bottles of water a day, not to mention his 5-8oz. bottles of Ensure a day.

Dan also now has a urinary track infection and he is on antibiotics (Keflex tablets) and they did an extensive ultrasound today on his kidneys and bladder. Dan is scheduled for a large number of lab tests tomorrow, the liver doctors want to follow up on everything.

We look forward to a visit tomorrow from Dennie and Bev Little, and Ted and Matthew Stout. I've already reserved the activity room in rehab for the visit, we expect lots of rowdy laughter and plenty of craziness with these dear friends from our Mililani ohana, although the Littles recently moved to Las Vegas, they will always be ohana to us. Ted and Matt have been visiting family in Tucson.

What a joy and major surprise it was to have Jane Bishop and Jeri Boland visit us at the hospital yesterday. Jane is with the North American Mission Board in Atlanta and she and Jeri visit Hawaii every year to help with our Wives in Ministry Retreat every April, and they have become dear friends and have faithfully prayed for us at Mayo. They happened to be in town for the weekend and were so thoughtful to spend part of their "girls weekend" visiting us. Thanks, ladies, for the smiles and joy; and thanks, Father, for nudging them to visit us.

How great is our God!
Debbie and Dan

Thursday, Oct. 30th updates

Our wireless internet connection has been down for a few days, that's why I haven't blogged in a while, but we're up and running again now. Funny, how did we live all those years without a computer and the internet? We are so grateful for these luxuries that enable us to stay connected with our ohana in Hawaii and all over the world.

Great news...looks like Dan will be discharged from the hospital next Tuesday! He will then have outpatient rehab every Tuesday and Thursday, along with regular labs and doctor appointments. We haven't been told when Dan can finally return home to Hawaii, we'll let you know as soon as we know. His outpatient rehabs are scheduled through the 2nd week of December, so maybe by January we'll be home!

Dan is getting stronger and feeling better each day. Rehab keeps him busy almost all day until about 3pm, then he and I go for our "walk" to the healing garden or wherever. One day we sat on the bench outside the hospital door and played a game of guessing the make and model of each car driving by just by looking at the front of each car. Dan loves cars and before transplant would watch Motorweek on tv, read "Car & Driver" magazine, anything to learn more about vehicles, so this game was good for him and fun also. Mentally, Dan is also improving. He has a ways to go, but he is doing so much better, this was probably the hardest thing for me to handle, and I praise God for the healing, slow but steady. By the way, his color is all better (no more "golden boy"), he wants to keep clean shaven so no more beard and mustache - it might take you some time to get used to this new look, but I think he's quite handsome! And he's decided that drinking V-8 juice is better than eating those vegetables! But I have pictures of him eating peas, etc. - I can probably use this to my advantage sometime (wink wink).

Soaring like an eagle,
Debbie and Dan

Friday, October 24th updates

Dan's first 2 days in Rehab sure have been busy.

Mornings start with breakfast group at 7:30am in the activity room. Dan may be the youngest one there and also may be the only transplant patient (for now), and they eat together and enjoy conversation. The rest of the morning is a whirlwind of activity: OT (occupational therapy), PT (physical therapy) in the gym, RT (recreational therapy - yesterday the group played Wheel of Fortune, Dan guessed all the letters even though he couldn't see the board!), and in between he gets visits from the doctors, labs, meds, and ST (speech therapy - they are exercising his throat muscles to help the swallowing, exercising his voice which is still a little raspy probably from various scope procedures, and also cognitive therapy to help the confusion). Lunch is in his room at 12noon, then so far the afternoon is free time except for meds and blood sugar monitoring. Yesterday he had dinner in his room, tonite Dan and I ate dinner together in the cafeteria; the hospital gives a $5.00 gift certificate to use for meals eaten in the cafeteria. Yesterday and today, we spent most of the afternoon outside in the healing garden, walking around the hospital parking lot (actually me walking, pushing Dan in the wheelchair), and in the hospital lobby listening to music, yesterday 2 nurses were there singing and playing on the piano "It is well with my soul", today a retired volunteer was playing showtunes on the piano, Dan particularly enjoyed the medley of songs from Wizard of Oz.

Dan's favorite part of today was a visit from Amy and Swen. They walked with us to the healing garden, with me pushing Dan in his wheelchair next to Amy pushing Swen in his stroller, Dan and Swen held hands and did fist bumps in the hallways. We got to our favorite bench in the garden, under a shade tree opposite the waterfall and Swen sat on Dan's lap for quite a while goofing around with his grampa. It was an emotional time for Dan, and another one of those "kisses from God". My turn to be emotional will be tomorrow when I have to say aloha to the kids, they return to Yuma Saturday morning. We really enjoyed another special visit this evening in the garden, Debbie and Tim came by. Tim is turning 17 on Sunday and what a fine young man he is becoming, his dad would be extremely proud of him and I'm sure he is, as well as the rest of his family.

Weekends will be less activity, Dan has OT at 9:15am and PT at 2:15pm, both for 45 minutes. I'm sure afterwards we'll be back walking around outside, Dan loves being out of the room and it is really nice out now, today it was in the high 80s.

It really is "well with our souls",
Debbie and Dan

Rehab!

Thanks again for praying, Dan moved to rehab today. It was a little bittersweet to leave 3West, we know all the nurses and workers and we will really miss them, they've become like family to us. It seemed like all the nurses came by to say goodbye to Dan with lots of hugs and congratulations. They even took his picture as they were wheeling him out, they told Dan to give a thumbs up, but Dan said "that's not how we do it in Hawaii" and gave them a shaka.

Rehab isn't far away, it's on 3East. His room looks the same as on 3West. They have the gym that Dan has already used and will continue to do so. Past the gym and 3 patient rooms is a big open area, the nurses' station is there, a big wall chart which will show each patient's daily schedule (there are 7 patients in rehab at a time), then there are 4 patient rooms on the right, Dan's room is in this group. And right in the middle of this large open area (and outside Dan's door) is, of all things, a full size car. The patients will learn how to safely get in and out of a vehicle. Down the hall on the left of this big room are other patient rooms not with rehab, a doorway leading out to a lanai (patio) with tables and chairs, and at the very end of the hall is the rehab activity room which has a long table and chairs where the patients eat breakfast together, there's a piano, a large screen tv, a computer, a kitchenette.

Dan's schedule for his first full day in rehab tomorrow wasn't posted this afternoon, so I'll blog more about this tomorrow. Dan's a little nervous but really looking forward to it, and seems to have a renewed hope for the future. Praise the Lord!

By the way, more answered prayer. They did remove the nasal packing early this morning and Dan said it wasn't that bad and no bleeding, and he loves to be able to breathe and taste food again. They also removed the catheter, but they put another one back in tonight, his bladder is going to need some time to adjust since he's had one for 8 weeks now. And Swen's cold is much better today. All in all, a pretty good day.

Aloha from the desert,
Debbie and Dan

More Answered Prayer!

Dan had his procedures today and they found no bleeding, no ulcers, no anything. They decided the passing blood must be from the nosebleed or the old red blood cells passing. He recovered well from the scopes and then enjoyed a big dinner: lasagne, breadstick, salad, spice cake, iced tea, protein shake, and milk. The ENT doctor will probably remove the nasal packing tomorrow, wish they could have done it today while he was under anesthesia, but they felt it needs one more day to be sure it doesn't start bleeding again. His INR count is up, meaning his blood is clotting well, so hopefully this will be an uneventful procedure without much pain.

So we look forward to moving to Rehab sometime this week! Thank you so much for your prayers.

God also answered our prayers - Dan is doing so well mentally. This came about right when the "mother of all nose bleeds" happened. Not sure why these two happened together, but isn't it just like God to answer our prayers in ways we never could imagine? And he has hope again, now that he knows he is going to Rehab and will be discharged from the hospital soon.

"Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!" (Psalm 42-5-6a NLT),

Debbie and Dan

Answered Prayer and More Tests

Dan received 2 more units of blood today and is still passing blood, so tomorrow they will do a colonoscopy and an upper GI series (or as Dan says "scopes at both ends"). The doctors have a few theories:

* Red blood cells live about 120 days, then your spleen recycles them to make new ones. Since Dan had his spleen removed, his new liver excretes them out of the body, and since he's received many transfusions at Mayo, this may be the reason for the bleeding. OR...

* Months before his transplant, Mayo discovered a stomach ulcer. They thought it was "cured", but the doctors wonder if it flared up and may be causing Dan's bleeding. The tests tomorrow will show if this is it, or if there is anything else going on.

The ENT doctor is also planning on removing that awful nasal packing after the scope procedures and hopefully while Dan is still under anesthetic (one of the nurses told us today she had that done and removing it was more painful than inserting it).

And now for the answered prayer. The Rehab doctor visited this afternoon, spoke with us both and said if all goes well with the procedures tomorrow and after Dan recovers, he can move to Rehab! So by end of the week, he should be there. And, the doctor said he'd probably be there only 5-10 days and then they might discharge him from the hospital! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, prayer warriors, here are more requests:

* For the scope procedures tomorrow and for quick recovery.
* For the nasal packing removal - no bleeding or pain.
* For Dan's heart rhythm to stay regular, it went afib again but is back regular now.
* For rehab to work out as planned.
* For Swen, he has a cold (he's still the cutest 15-month old on the planet)...and for the rest of us to stay healthy.

Gratefully,
Debbie and Dan

The mother of all nose bleeds

Remember that bleeding episode I blogged about on Tuesday? Well...

Yesterday (Friday), he had a nose bleed around 6:30pm that lasted until 7:00am this morning (Saturday). And not just your regular, garden-variety nose bleed, this one was the mother of all nose bleeds. Our night nurse, Mary, sure earned her salary last night with us, I think she was helping Dan with something at least every hour and sometimes several times an hour. She packed his nose with what she called a "nose sling" - a 2x2 gauze pad rolled up in each nostril, then a thick strip of gauze covering his nostrils from cheek to cheek and taped firmly on his face. She replaced this several times in the night along with applying an ice bag on Dan's face, and when she wasn't doing this she was helping Dan clear his throat and lungs from the blood draining down his throat. And as if this wasn't enough, he had bleeding episodes from the other end about every hour from midnight till 7:30am. Sorry for being so graphic, this is probably more info than you wanted to know! I don't stay with Dan overnight anymore, but I did last night.

This morning, the ENT (ears, nose & throat) doctor checked Dan and determined he needed posterior nasal packing, a painful procedure but it stopped the bleeding. The packing remains in for about 5 days, and praise God for pain meds to endure this. Dan also needed another transfusion, 2 units, due to losing all that blood. The doctors are monitoring the blood in the stool, thinking it is from the blood that drained into his stomach or possibly internal hemmoroids.

The interesting thing is during all these adventures, Dan was more mentally clear and has continued to be. Go figure. Despite the low blood count, Dan's other labs are excellent and his liver and other organs continue to work well, Dan continues to gain physical strength as well.

Prayer request: Dan will be re-evaluated for entering rehab this Monday and we pray this goofy bleeding episode won't keep him out of the program. Dan is getting discouraged that he hasn't "been allowed" to enter rehab, though the PTs take him to the rehab gym for a little exercise, but we want him to move to those rooms and be in the entire program. There is an opening now and it would be fabulous if Dan could get it, but he needs approval from the head of Rehab. We'd appreciate your prayers for this. Thanks!

Debbie and Dan

Thursday, Oct. 17th updates

Praise God, Dan hasn't passed out again, so the adustment to his heart and blood thinner meds must have done the trick. FYI, VP Dick Cheney was treated yesterday for afib and received the cardiac ablation procedure - this is what Dan has and the treatment I blogged about on Tuesday - you can read about it at www.honoluluadvertiser.com and search back issues for Wednesday, October 16 (or just google it) - pretty good info on afib and cardiac ablation which the article calls "electric shock".

Today's good news: Dan went to the rehab gym again and rode for 10 minutes on the NuStep Recumbent Cross Trainer, reminds me of a sitting down Nordic Track, it exercises both arms and legs. Dan then walked with the parallel bars, he walked forward then backward then side steps. A very good day's workout. The PTs said they notice a difference in just the past few days. More good news: we enjoyed visits today from Nancy Norwood, pastor's wife from First Southern Scottsdale; Sean Lathrop, director of Next Generation Ministries at my workplace-Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention; and Vicki McDermott, a professional jazz singer and also a pastor's wife who visits Mayo Hospital to sing for patients. And praise God for Dan's sister Debbie getting to visit during the week while she's on fall break from school, and of course I am grateful for Dan's folks being here every day, they are the best.

Today's challenges: Actually beginning Wednesday evening. Dan coughed up some blood and also passed some blood in the stool. Doctors are watching this closely, they do not think it is an active bleeder but old blood, and they suspect all the blood thinner he has been getting has something to do with it. His labs show his blood count stable, if this number had decreased that could indicate internal bleeding. They decreased the coumadin hoping this will take care of it. Again, the doctors do not want to stop his PT exercises and are keeping close watch of this.

Things change so quickly and we never know what to expect each day, and it's pretty unnerving. God reminded me of this promise today, I really like it in The Message version: "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." (Matthew 6:34 The Message)

Aloha from the desert,
Debbie and Dan

Tuesday, Oct. 14th updates

Dan is making so much progress and getting stronger each day, so it was a surprise to everyone that his heart went back into afib and when the OT tried to get him to stand up, he passed out 3 times. They got him back to bed and comfortable, and the transplant team and cardiologists examined him, they ordered an EKG and ABG (arterial blood gas test -- hope you're googling all these medical terms). The doctors are unsure why he passed out, but they think it's because Dan's body being so weak it is unable to tolerate the afib. They increased his beta blocker med (Coreg) and his heart returned to sinus rhythm this evening - yay! There is a good possibility Dan will need to have a heart procedure called a Cardiac Ablation in the future, that will correct the afib problem, but they don't want to do this now since Dan is still weak and recovering from the 4 other surgeries he's had in the past 2 months. Dan's uncle had afib and underwent Cardiac Ablation with great results.

Despite being in afib or abnormal heart rhythm, the doctors asked PT to come back this afternoon to try to get him up again for therapy, and this time he did not pass out. They took it slow, and Dan was able to walk with a walker and the PTs' help, then sit in a wheelchair and go for the first time to the Rehab area and work out in their gym. He loved it! He lifted light weights, played "dodgeball" with the therapist using an exercise ball, and other activities. He also fed himself all 3 meals today for the first time. The Rehab doctor did another eval to see if Dan is ready for moving over to Rehab full time, he thinks when Dan's heart is more stable and when there is an opening (they only have room for 7 patients at a time), Dan will be next, possibly the end of this week. Yippee!

God sure is the "Alpha and the Omega" (Rev. 22:13 NIV) - He knows the end from the beginning, rather He knows why things happen before they happen, in this case, when we couldn't figure out why in the world the doctors moved Dan to the 7th floor on Sunday and then back to the 3rd floor Intermediate Care on Monday, God knew Dan would pass out 3 times on Tuesday (today) and all the caregivers on the 3rd floor know us very well now and were right there on hand to provide the best care for Dan. If we were still on the 7th floor (no transplant nurses and a non-lifting floor, meaning they might not have been able to lift Dan back up to bed), who knows what might have happened.... so if your circumstances make no sense to you, think about Dan's episode today, and remember God is your "Alpha and Omega".

Loving God's amazing grace,
Debbie and Dan

Monday, Oct. 13th updates

Dan is now on the 7th floor at Mayo. It's not rehab, but they have more equipment etc. including lifts and slings enabling nurses to get Dan up and in a chair. The chair sling doesn't work that well since Dan is so big. Here's what it reminds me of:

The 7th floor is a relatively new addition to Mayo, and it is nice and spacious, we call it "the penthouse". Dan moved in yesterday. It was a difficult day yesterday, as the doctors decided to also remove his catheter before moving to the new floor. Getting the catheter out after about 45 days is a good thing, however, the nurses on the new floor are not familiar with us like the 3rd floor where he was, the 7th floor does not usually take transplant patients, and the day nurse was not very responsive. By the time I got home Sunday night and after processing the disastrous afternoon and evening with Dan's folks, I went right back to the hospital and was able to speak with the transplant PA on duty (Mark Burns, one of our favorites) and the lead nurse on the 7th floor. On the drive back, I prayed God would fix everything that needed fixing, and also hold my tongue so I could be forthright with my complaints in kindness and not exploding in rage like I felt. And God heard my cry. By the time I got back, the night nurse had taken care of the immediate needs already, Dan was comfortable and stable, and peace filled the room. Mark Burns came up to visit and explained why things happened the way they did. And the team leader for the night nurses came in to hear my story, thankfully by that time I was in more control and was able to share my concerns, and within minutes several other needs were met. I decided to stay the night to be sure Dan was cared for well, and he was. Dan's folks are there for the morning and I came home to update the blog and catch a nap before returning to the hospital this afternoon.

By the way, Dan has been exercising like crazy the past few days, on a tilt board standing at 30 degrees and doing squats (up to 3 reps of 15) and doing arm exercises with a weighted pole. He's able to stand straight up now and we hope PT will get him walking again. I am also hopeful to take Dan outside again in the wheelchair, with no more IV's connected, it will be much easier and we can stay out longer. The weather turned cool the past few days, highs now in the 70s, so what a beautiful time to be outside enjoying Mayo's healing garden.

God is sure good,

Debbie and Dan

Another great day, Thurs. Oct. 9

After a great day yesterday and being warned by the nurses that their could be setbacks, we were not sure what today would hold. We are thankful that today was another good day. Today, the PT and OT folks brought in a tilt table to get Dan standing up straighter (google "tilt table" and pick a website to see what these tables look like). We took 2 walks today outside but had to cut both short due to the IV stand beeping again. We figured out how to do these walks with just me and Dan - the handle on the IV stand encircles the entire stand and it's at Dan's arm height, so his "job" is to hold the handle while I push the wheelchair. This works well except for getting in and out of his room and the elevator. The doctors also confirmed everything is working well - labs ok, new liver working great, other organs seem to be in sync - so now we work on getting stronger and continuing eating well. And the hope continues that the more active Dan gets, the more his mental state will get normal (ok, those of you who know Dan well are saying "normal?")

Aloha from the desert,
Debbie and Dan

Rejoicing today - Wed. Oct. 8

God sure did answer my prayer requests quickly! Miracles happened today.

Dan's folks asked the doctor if Dan's bed could be changed back to a regular bed and she said yes! Much better for his breathing and much better for him to regain muscle strength.

God provided Philip as Dan's nurse today (and tomorrow). We've had him a while back also. Philip has a wonderful attitude and way with Dan and Dan responds to him so well.

The plan beginning today is for Dan to sit up in a chair most of the day for as long as he can tolerate and to eat all meals sitting in a chair. He did this today! We still help him with eating, but he was able to eat a little on his own today.

And the highlight of the day...Dan and I took a "walk" outside the hospital! Actually, Dan was in a wheelchair, I pushed the chair, and Fred (more about him below) pushed the IV stand. It was a short trip, but Dan really enjoyed it. We visited the hospital's 'healing garden' - a lovely place with desert plants and flowers and a stone wall waterfall. All donated by individuals, it really is a beautiful place, and the temp is finally in the 90s so it was comfortable. We can take these "walks" several times a day if we want. After all the activity today, Dan was pretty tired, in fact went to bed asleep around 7:30pm. He should sleep well tonite.

Who's Fred, you ask? He is a hospital volunteer, retired, and the first liver transplant patient Mayo Hospital in Phoenix performed 9 years ago, in fact he had the same surgeon Dan had, Dr. Mulligan (golfers dream name). Fred is in great health and now volunteers at the hospital and enjoys visiting other liver transplant patients like Dan. Fred loves to talk and share his story, I call him our hero, he is very inspiring.

AND, with all this activity today, Dan's heart rate and blood pressure stayed pretty normal!

Dan's mental state today was better, Dan's nurse Philip warned us that things may go up and down, so we pray God "renews a right spirit" in Dan (Ps. 51:10 KJV), that God will give Dan "the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:16 NIV), and that God will fix his thoughts on what is true (Philippians 4:8 NLT). If you've never prayed Scripture for people, this is one way to do so. Give it a try!

He Nani No (How Great Thou Art),
Debbie

Tuesday, Oct. 7th updates

Dan moved to another room today, from Intermediate Care to a regular room. Not as many high tech gizmos in the room but a few of the same nurses. They took out his arterial line so all he has now is his picc line for IV meds, oxygen nose tube thing, and the catheter. His labs look good, his liver is doing well, his heart is still in sinus rhythm, and his blood pressure is staying normal. Now the hard work of getting out of bed and walking and exercising begins. He's in an air bed that sort of sucks him in like a hammock, it's supposed to be easier on his skin and pressure points since he's been in bed so long now. However, it also makes it harder for him to scoot up in bed to catch his breath, or to even want to get up at all. Dan's folks and I would like to see him go back to a regular patient bed like he had in the beginning.

Specific prayer requests today:

* Pray that the doctors etc. will be open to moving Dan back to the regular bed.
* Pray for Dan's mental state. We don't know if it's the meds he's on or the air bed or what, but he is still quite confused and is trying to give up trying to get out of bed or do anything he used to do like reading, he won't even move his arms to try to eat, he says he can't and his folks and I are still feeding him his meals. The doctors mentioned that if this doesn't change, at some point he might need to be moved to another facility like a nursing home, and our hearts hurt. He had been doing so well, even bragging about the laps he was taking around the floor, now he doesn't seem to want to try anymore.
* Pray for stamina, health and patience for us as we minister to Dan's needs, also for the hospital staff working with Dan.

Sorry to paint such a dismal picture, it's a tough time right now, and I figure it's better to be honest and ask for your continued prayers.

Mahalo (thanks),
Debbie

Praising God today, Friday Oct. 3rd

We are praising God for many improvements today!

* The aggressive treatments for getting rid of the fluids are working, Dan's lungs sound clearer and his swelling is better, also his labs look good.

* Dan's hemoglobin level is over 11 now, higher than it's been in a long time.

* The doctors changed his heart meds AGAIN, this time giving him the super strong Amiodarone by IV along with Heparin by IV, a blood thinner that also flushes the IV lines to prevent clots. This worked, and his heart returned to "sinus" rhythm today, meaning it is beating normally! And, today's EKG reading is the same as Dan's EKG before transplant! I was dancing in Dan's hospital room today!

* Dan is eating like crazy and drinking about 5 cans of Glucerna (a protein shake) a day, and yesterday's calorie count was 2,400...so no feeding tube yet. Because he is using up so many calories in healing, he may yet need the feeding tube at nights only, we'll see.

* The central IV line in his neck was removed today, always a good thing to get these out.

Wonderful things Dan said today that I have to brag about:

* When the night nurse, Ashley, came in tonight and did the usual asking him questions like what is your name, do you know where you are, then she asked if he knew my name and get this - he answered "gorgeous".

* The head day nurse came to visit this afternoon and asked how we were doing. After catching up on all the clinical info, I mentioned that we were still fighting to get better, and Dan said "no" - I asked him what he meant and he said "we're not fighting, we're winning". Made both the nurse and me a little misty eyed, and very blessed.

God bless you as you win your daily battles,
Debbie and Dan

Wednesday, October 1st

It's October already! Yes, we're still here in Phoenix, yes, Dan is still in Mayo Hospital. The past few days have been very busy. Many teams of doctors from liver transplant, cardiology, respiratory, and kidneys have been to see Dan the past few days, sometimes as many as 15 people in the room at one time. Dan has had a hard time breathing the past few days and his heart rate has been irregular and sometimes afib again, so the team approach seemed needed. It was a little stressful for the family, we don't understand half of what they are saying, but thankfully someone translates "medical-eze" into English for us.

The consensus is a process using medications to aggressively go after the fluid that the kidneys are not getting out, which affects Dan's breathing and heart. They started a different diuretic called Bumex, that got things started. Today, he got a huge dose of albumin which will force the fluid residing in the tissues back into the vascular system, then he got a huge dose of lasex to get the kidneys to process the fluid out. The extra diuretics have also loosened up fluid in his lungs and he is coughing like crazy which they encourage. They monitor his potassium regularly since a loss of liquid will mean a loss in potassium which could affect the heart, and so far his potassium is normal. Respiratory therapy is also ordering a breathing treatment, the kind some use for asthma, in hopes of loosing up more fluid in his lungs. They also drained about 1 liter of fluid yesterday from the outside of his lungs (thorocentesis).

As they work hard to get all his organs working well again, amazingly his new liver is working "beautifully" according to the doctors. I need to keep remembering this and this amazing gift from the parents of a 19 year old boy. I pray God will keep reminding us of this when the road to recovery is long and frustrating.

We enjoyed a visit today from Alan and Carol Ann Watanabe visiting from Hawaii and we look forward to seeing them again on Saturday along with their daughter Cathy. God sent them at just the right time, we laughed and prayed together, and were encouraged in our faith. God takes care of our every need, but sometimes He knows we need a hug or a laugh, so he sends His people. I wonder how many times in the past that someone popped into my mind, someone maybe in the hospital, someone sick, or someone I hadn't thought about in a long time, I wonder if was God prompting me to meet a need for Him! This really changes how we can think about visiting or calling someone, or writing a letter or card... instead of an interruption to our schedule, maybe it's an invitation and opportunity to be God's arms or laughter, to someone praying just for that need. Things that make you go "hmmm....".

Aloha from the desert,
Debbie and Dan

Sunday, Sept. 28th updates

After one unsuccessful try to get up and walk with the PTs this morning, Dan was able to do so this afternoon and walk with the PTs one lap around the floor, and his heart rate never went over 115! We praise God for this victory!

We also enjoyed a visit from Joan and daughter Becky today, and they brought a wonderful goodie bag filled with all kinds of chocolate goodies. Joan is Dan's auntie's sister and she told great stories of spending many Thanksgivings with the Van Alstines and remembering Dan and his sisters as little kids running around and playing. We also enjoyed hearing them talk about their faith in God. It was a refreshing visit.

And thank you, Mr. Shamir, for your comment on yesterday's blog -- he is the author of the "Advice from an Eagle"! Visit his website at www.yourtruenature.com to learn more about his work to create a greener planet.

And today's funny: David, one of Dan's PTs, is the funniest guy. He introduced his partner Selena and himself today this way: "I'm 'Ex', she's 'Lax', and we're here to 'move' you."

Standing on God's promises,
Debbie and Dan

Saturday, Sept. 27th updates

Dan's back on the 3rd floor Intermediate Care Pod, and we are relieved. The care he gets on the 3rd floor is exemplary, we feel like family there, and nurses on the floor have stopped by to see us and share kind words...we're sure EVERY nurse on the 3rd floor has been assigned to Dan at some point during this month plus.

They did take out the airway and a number of other tubes, etc. before moving him to the 3rd floor. He still has the picc line in his upper right arm (for IVs, taking blood for labs), an arterial line in his inside right wrist (to constantly measure his blood pressure), and a central IV in his neck also on the right side (not sure what all they use this for). He also still has a catheter and both calves wrapped with a gauze dressing (for the open sores he's had since pre-transplant) and compression stockings covering them. The doctors want his feet in compression also to relieve the swelling he still has, hope they do this soon but gently since he has broken toes on both feet from previous injuries. Dan's breathing is still shallow since this last surgery, so he's on oxygen - the nose tube that wraps around his ears, and a mask when he's sleeping. Today's chest xray showed a little fluid in the bottom of the lungs, so he has to work harder with his breather to reinflate the lungs. Thanks to Dan's parents, he is also working hard at exercising his legs while in bed.

Yesterday and this morning, Dan got food - clear liquids, still thickened. The doctors then decided to increase his caloric intake and give him a regular diet, so lunch appeared -- spaghetti and meat sauce, zuccini, breadstick and butter, salad and french dressing, fresh pineapple, and iced tea with sugar and lemon. Quite a change from just a few hours previous getting broth, jello, and a protein drink. Dinner was just as good -- beef burgundy and rice, etc. He didn't eat everything, but did quite a bit.

And more thoughts for the day from a bookmark "Advice from an Eagle" (by Ilan Shamir):
* Let your Spirit Soar
* See the Big Picture
* Cherish Freedom
* Honor the Earth and Sky
* Keep your Goals in Sight
* Bald is Beautiful
* Fly High!

Soaring,
Debbie and Dan

Thursday, Sept. 25 updates

It's been a very long past few days. Results of the perecentesis showed more infection, plus Dan was in great pain and the confusion was back. The doctors decided it was time to do more surgery, this time go through the transplant incision, drain out any remaining fluid pockets, and then wash out the entire abdominal cavity with antibiotics. The plan was to do this surgery on Tuesday.

Dan went to pre-op Tuesday around noon and we waited for Mayo to get a supply of Dan's special blood in case transfusion would be needed (turns out they had to do a national search). So they sent us back to Dan's room on the 3rd floor to wait since it would take hours. I went home to take a short break and when I returned, Dan's heart went afib again so they postponed the surgery to Wednesday if his heart rhythm was back down to normal. The goal for the rest of Wednesday was pain management and heart meds, he received morphine every hour until about 10pm, then about 4 more times the rest of the night. Dan could not be left alone and a nurse had to be present, later in the evening the nurse checked on him every 15 minutes or so. His heart returned to consistent regular rhythm about 2am.

Wednesday, the doctors decided to try for the surgery again, so it was back to pre-op around noon. Pain meds continued as well as anti-anxiety meds, to keep Dan calm and relaxed so the heart would also be calm and relaxed. He went for surgery around 3:15pm and it took 3 hours. The doctor (Dr. Mulligan, same one who did the transplant) told us they did the abdominal wash and also removed Dan's spleen as it was enlarged and diseased. Without a spleen, Dan will need various vaccines, some of which he already received. Then in recovery, his heart rate dropped suddenly. They stabilized him and he did 3 different scans to check for possible clots or other heart problems, all were negative. He spent the night in CCU sedated, with an airway, feeding tube, and a bunch of IVs, drains, etc.

This morning, the cardiologists came by, their findings showed Dan's heart is very strong and no defects or other heart problems although he is still afib and irregular heart rate. They hope to remove the airway sometime today, although the airway has been good in that it has been inflating all his lungs, he has been breathing so shallow since transplant. Dan actually looks better than even after transplant, he's awake and his eyes are very clear, like the mental fog is finally gone. We hope this is so - praise God!

Thought for the day: I've been thinking alot about the 23rd Psalm the past few days. What a comfort it's been to visualize God as our shepherd, loving us, leading us, and protecting us. I remembered the part about God leading us through the valley of the shadow of death, that's always a comfort when I think of our mortality and I've been thinking about it the past few days. One word popped out at me: through. God is leading us through the valley and God spoke to me with a vision of walking through a dark, scary valley with high mountains on each side blocking the sun; but after the valley are those green pastures and still waters and sunshine. Unfortunately, we sometimes have to walk through and the shadowy valleys of hard times when we would prefer to walk around them. But the rest of the verse promises our Shepherd will be with us to comfort and protect us, and we don't have to fear. Walking in the comfort and light of life feels better, but walking through the shadowy valleys brings a closer walk with God and each other, and unleashes amazing possibilities of growth and adventure.

Sheltered in His arms,
Debbie and Dan

One Month Today - Monday, Sept. 22

It's one month today that Dan has his new liver. And today, they moved Dan to the room where he was admitted back in June when I first arrived in Phoenix. The Intermediate Care pod is reopened today after being redone, and everything in the room is new, including upgraded computers and monitors.

We still remember the parents of the 19-year old boy whose liver lives on in Dan, and pray for their comfort and that will know what their gift has meant to us.

Dan continues to recover from transplant and battles the same things:
* He is getting another pericentesis this afternoon to remove more fluid from his abdomen.
* He received 2 more units of blood this morning, his hemoglobin was 7.4 this morning.

This morning, his scar was red and swollen, so the doctor made a small incision to drain the swollen part and took a sample to test for infection. They did this right in Dan's room. I have enjoyed learning about everything to do with Dan's physiology, HOWEVER watching a mini surgery was a bit much, even for me.

Funny for the day: The OT worked with Dan this morning in sitting up and doing some arm exercises. Prior to starting, she asked Dan his name and birthday, the same question every doctor or nurse asks Dan, which he answered correctly. She then pointed to me and asked him who I was. I stepped closer to him so he could see me clearly, he said I was Debbie. The OT asked if I was related to him. He said "no, she's Barbara Bush." Thankfully he then said "no, she's my wife Debbie." The OT told me I've been "promoted" but all I could think is that I must look 25-30 years older now. Gotta keep finding the humor in everything!

"Laughter 101" - Debbie and Dan

Saturday, Sept. 20th updates

Dan's doctors continue to be pleased with how his new liver is functioning. Plus the change from Procraf to Cyclosporin (anti-rejection meds) cleared his mental fog - yippee! And he continues to eat very well, still eating the pureed vegetables, except for the carrots - oh well. The doctor removed the staples from his incision today. I jokingly asked "so will you use a staple remover?" thinking about the one on my desk at work. He said "Yes!" and pulled out a staple remover that looked alot like mine except the part you hold looked like the finger holds on scissors.

He was in considerable pain the last few days in his lower abdomen, the doctor did a CT scan and didn't find anything wrong, they did see the kidney stone still in his left kidney but it's not moving and shouldn't be causing that pain. They did another peracentesis and removed 2-1/2 liters of fluid (that's like a big bottle of Mt. Dew). The pain med made him sleep most of the night, a nice break for him. They are testing the fluid for infection, results won't be back for a few days. This morning's labs showed a slight elevation in white blood cells, so Dan's getting a few new antibiotics, more to be proactive in case there is infection in that fluid. Labs also showed elevated potassium and low calcium, both of which were corrected with medications. The doctors suspect this is from the kidneys still not working at 100% and not flushing out the potassium, not sure about that calcium since he's drinking a lot of milk. He also got more lasix and albumin to push the kidneys more. And Rehab doctors did their assessment yesterday and said he's still not ready to move to Rehab, that's disappointing but I know it will happen in good time.

Ministry happens in amazing ways. Along with getting to know the doctors and nurses very well, we've gotten to know some of the other patients' families, a few have been here almost as long or longer than Dan. God's love has been shared with so many people and in so many extraordinary yet ordinary ways.

Oh how He loves you and me....
Debbie and Dan

Thursday, Sept. 18th updates

The last few days have been pretty good. Dan's liver and kidneys are doing better every day, his blood sugar has been just about normal and he is eating well. The doctors finally changed his Prograf to Cyclosporin, these are anti-rejection meds, in hopes of clearing up the confusion and quieting the tremors, both of which seemed better this morning. He has been up walking a lap with the PT and OT the past 3 days and no heart afib. Rehab will reassess Dan tomorrow to see when he can start rehab. And it's possible Dan will be taken off "intermediate care" tomorrow, we hope he gets to keep his room, we've gotten to know the nurses in this pod very well.

Soaring,
Debbie and Dan

A Great Day - Tuesday, Sept. 16 updates

What a great day! Dan was able to sleep for 5 hours last night (me too!). And the PT and OT came by again this morning, and Dan was able to get up and walk around the floor one time, then sit up in a chair for an hour, all without any afib! The cardiologist thinks they have the right medicine and timing, however he said the afib might come back, but we are grateful for a good morning. He is eating very well. Get this, part of his breakfast this morning was a high protein chocolate shake! Where do we sign up?!

The doctor ordered the catheter to be used again to help the kidneys a little longer with the fluid retention. And the wound nurse decided to replace the dressing on his 2 leg sores.

Funny of the day: A few nurses were helping change Dan's bed and helping him clean up while I was out of the room chatting with Dan's folks. We walked back in a few minutes later and the nurses told us that Dan had been flirting with them! I looked at him and he was grinning. I told him "the wife leaves for a minute and you start checking out the nurses." He nodded and said he has the prettiest nurses and told them so. Leave it to Dan to keep everyone laughing.

Praise God who gives songs in the night,
Debbie and Dan

Monday, Sept. 15 updates

Today is Dan's 3 week "re-liverance day" anniversary and it's been a busy one already. He had breakfast, then the kidney doctor came by - Dan's creatinine level is down to 2, that's the lowest yet, so good news there. One of the liver transplant surgeons came by, the liver is still doing well. The speech pathologist helped him with his breakfast and his swallowing is doing better, liquids are still thickened and food is still pureed (don't tell him I told you, but he is actually eating pureed vegetables, including peas!). The PT and OT came by to try to get him walking, and sure enough, his heart went afib again, so it's back to bed. The afib lasted longer this morning, they gave him the heart medicine in pill form first, then in his IV. It took a few hours, but his heart rate finally slowed by lunchtime. They also removed the catheter which was causing a lot of pain, and no wonder, they found it was clogged probably after being in for 3 weeks. Hopefully the pain "down there" will go away now.

The doctors ordered a Paracentesis and ultrasound to see if he needs a Thoracentesis (google these to get more info, basically it's draining fluid from his abdomen and between the lungs and chest wall). My mom has had thoracentesis several times, it's a little painful but sure helped her breathing. I don't think there is a part of Dan's body that hasn't been poked, scoped, imaged, or connected to sensors or wires or IVs. And I am continually amazed at the grace God has given Dan to handle everything. He is my hero.

Calgon, take me away...
Debbie and Dan

Sunday, Sept. 14 updates

Dan is enjoying getting to eat again, meals are pureed and low sugar, and liquids are still thickened to a nectar consistency (Hawaii ohana, think POG juice consistency). His heart has been fairly stable, just a few afib "blips" last night and this morning, and a few flutters as the cardiologist called it. The PT should be back this afternoon and hopefully his heart will remain stable so they can get him standing up and then sitting in a chair for a while.

PTL for the 2 wonderful nurses last night, who came in every few hours or so to change Dan's position in bed and massage his back - that really helped his back feel better and he was able to rest better.

The doctors are considering changing one of his anti-rejection meds from Prograf to Cyclosporine, hoping this will calm the hand tremors and take away the confusion that still is there.

I visited the chapel at Mayo early this morning, very peaceful environment, encouraging scriptures all around, confortable chairs with kneeling benches, a prayer journal anyone can write in. I spent some time reading scripture and praying with a kneeling bench. I felt very Catholic! But there is something to be said for kneeling humbly before God. This is one of the verses displayed in the chapel, and it spoke to me this morning: "My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever." Psalm 73:26 (New Living Translation). The Contemporary English Version says it short and sweet: "My body and mind may fail, but You are my strength and my choice forever." Amen!

Debbie and Dan

Saturday, Sept. 13 updates

Dan went last night without pain meds, even though his back is really really sore. The doctors wanted him to go as long as possible without the pain meds so he can be more "awake" mentally. He had a few hours sleep last night, then off and on from 1am on. I got him to lie on his side so I could massage his back for a while, Dan's dad did this yesterday afternoon and it seemed to help, so I tried it last night. Dan says some crazy nonsense things from 1am on, things like "the little horses are our friends", "saguaro cactus are beautiful", "my mom is watching the fights", "Debbie, call your mom and ask her to change the oil". I can't wait to tell him this stuff when he's more "awake".

The PT and OT came by this morning and got him up and sitting on the side of the bed, that will be his big activity for the day. His heart rhythm was stable. He also got to eat lunch, the first he's eaten since his surgeries this week. If all goes well, the PT and OT will be back tomorrow to help him stand up and then sit in a chair.

Amy, Adam and Swen go back to Yuma tomorrow morning. We will really miss them, but they will be back in a few weeks, Adam has another trip in October. Adam enjoys his job with Kiewit, and he has been commended by his boss and others higher up, saying he is the best maintenance engineer in the region. Great job, Adam!

Aloha from the desert,
Debbie and Dan

Better days

Thank you for your prayers for Dan. God has answered!

1- The doctors said the kidneys are functioning better now than they have in days and the swelling is almost gone. They told us they expected the kidneys to be seriously harmed because of the dye used in the surgeries, and they fully expected to have to do a few days dialysis. The doctors told us they could not explain how this happened (but we know why!). God is good!

2- They were able to do the 2nd surgery yesterday - their was a narrowing of the bile duct and they were able to insert a stent to keep it open and functioning - they do this endoscopically (down the throat - how in the world to they get to the liver that way?). The procedure went very well, and this morning his liver counts were the lowest yet, the ultrasound looks good, even the creatinine level went down more showing his kidneys are working even better.

Please keep praying for Dan's heart. He went afib yesterday morning and again this morning, both times when he was getting up to use the bathroom. So the cardiologists are back doing further testing, giving him diltiazem IV to slow down the heart. The doctors would like to get Dan up walking again, so we appreciate your prayers specifically for his heart.

Great is His faithfulness,
Debbie and Dan

New development - please pray

The results of Tuesday's ultrasound and biopsy showed a blockage or restriction in Dan's hepatic artery, so they did an angioplasty yesterday, a catheterization going through the hepatic artery, then inserting a balloon to open the artery (similar to how they do it for the heart). The results were complicated and the surgeon said they have not seen such a complicated case before, and if you know Dan, this is not at all surprising.

1- Dan's hepatic artery, the one that delivers blood to the liver, was not getting enough blood so the liver was not getting enough blood, which could be causing the tiredness and confusion. The artery that supplies blood to the hepatic artery also supplies blood to the spleen - think of a V in the road. Turns out there wasn't a blockage in the hepatic artery, but the speen artery had greatly enlarged and was getting all the blood, this happened in the last few days and they don't know why. So to help the liver, they blocked the speen's artery so all the blood will flow to the liver, this leaves the spleen essentially "dead" and it may have to be removed at some time. The spleen fights certain infections, but they have immunizations they can give Dan for this.

2- There is a restriction in Dan's bile duct and the plan is to insert a stent via endoscopy sometime today depending on how Dan is doing.

3- The dye used in the angioplasty harms the kidneys, and his kidneys are not functioning well anyway, so they gave him medication during and after the procedure, but they may have to do a few days of dialysis to help the kidneys along and get rid of the fluids he still has.

We just got a call this morning that Dan's heart rate started racing again, so I'm headed up to Mayo now. They did move him back to the Intermediate Care pod on the same floor. I will blog more when I get more info, but for the meantime, please pray. Actually I know you are praying all along, but if you could pray specifically for these new complications, we would be grateful.

More later....
Debbie

Tuesday, Sept. 9 updates

Happy Birthday to our Amy! Her name means "blessed one" and she is that to us. We are grateful that God allowed us to be her parents, and now that she's 23 and a wife and mother herself, we are blessed to call her friend. Her presence during Dan's recovery time has been a delight and we are grateful for every moment spent with Amy, Adam, and our grandson Swen.

Dan's kidney CT scan today did show a small kidney stone in his left kidney, however the placement and size would not cause his back pain. So the doctors are convinced the pain is still from the fall and also from lying in bed for so long. So the doctors and PTs have decided to push Dan a little in sitting up more and walking. He walked 1 lap today around the floor, sat up for about an hour then sat up for all 3 meals today. Hopefully these activities will help his back get stronger and lessen the pain.

Meds and meals were more in sync today and his creatinine level didn't change from yesterday, the doctors will still monitor and they are hopeful the kidneys and liver are getting more in sync. His blood sugar is still high though not as high as yesterday. Dan is enjoying reading his new book "Take The Risk" by Dr. Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon at John Hopkins and a man of faith. He's also reading "The Few and the Proud" by Larry Smith, stories from Marine Corps Drill Instructors. It's great that he's able to read again.

Aloha,
Debbie and Dan

Monday, Sept. 8 updates

Happy "De-Liverance and Re-Liverance" Day to Dan today -- it is 2 weeks today that Dan received his gift of a new liver and an extension of life.

Results of yesterday's back xray were normal, nothing broken or out of place. Dan's dad remembered his recent kidney stone problems and maybe that is causing some/all of the back pain, so we mentioned that to the doctors and they will be doing a kidney ultrasound tomorrow morning to check on that.

Results from the liver biopsy showed several things. One, he had a slight rejection issue which raised the liver counts and the bilirubin which explained the jaundice yesterday. Also there was concern about imflamation or something with his bile ducts, but after further review of the biopsy, doctors decided all is well there. For the rejection, they increased his anti-rejection meds and his steroids, and by this morning the jaundice was gone and the labs looked good. However, his kidney output was down a little and his creatinine was up, most likely from the increased anti-rejection meds and the anti-fungal and anti-viral meds they are still giving him. And his blood sugar went very high, up to 375 this morning, also due to the increased meds.

Today was a crazy day with meds and meals. They brought Dan's breakfast, but he couldn't eat because the doctors made med changes, meds that must be taken 2-hours before or after meals, plus the timing of eating is also based on a blood sugar test then the appropriate dose of insulin is given, then he needs to eat, so he finally got to eat his breakfast at 11am. Then as luck would have it, his lunch arrived at 11:30, but he wasn't hungry then so lunch was held till 1:30, again after all the meds protocol, so the PT and OT had to come back later to get him up and walk around, which he did only 1 lap around the floor today due to the back pain. Dinner came at the usual time and Dan's folks were there to help him while I took a little break. He rested most of the evening while we watched Star Trek Next Gen on Sci-Fi channel. Sure hope tomorrow things can be more "normal" for meals and meds, whatever normal is these days. And now it looks like rehab will be delayed until end of the week, they are waiting for his kidney and liver function to be stable and in sync.

More lessons from everyday things: I'm reading this great book by Francine Rivers called "The Priest". It's another Biblical novel, this time about Aaron and Moses. As I read about the Hebrews praising God one minute and then grumbling the next, how God answered their prayers for freedom in His time, how He provided for their needs one day at a time, how He led them to the promised land the long way through the desert rather than the quick way through the land of their enemies, which the Hebrews didn't understand. I can see how God is doing the same thing for us. He answered our prayers for a new liver for Dan in His time, He is providing for our needs one day at a time, He is leading us to our promised land (Hawaii nei!) the long way through the desert of recovery challenges, rather than the quick way which might have been through the land of our "enemies" of pride and self-sufficiency. And funny how we are actually in the Phoenix desert as well. Our "desert" road leaves us with no self-sufficiency, we only have open hands to receive each day's strength from God, and open arms to praise Him for it. So, it's time to rejoice and remember Dan's "De-liverance and Re-liverance" Day, and to not be dismayed by the long recovery process but expect and receive God's gift of strength for each day.

Now I'm having a 70's flashback..."I've been to the desert on a horse with no name..." Was anyone else an America fan?

Debbie and Dan

Sunday, Sept. 7 updates

I took another day off yesterday (Saturday) to rest from this pesky cold, and I am better today and back at the hospital. Thanks to Dan's folks and sister Debbie for spending long hours at the hospital yesterday and keeping me updated.

They moved Dan to a different room on the same floor yesterday, due to needing to consolidate patients as they are doing some construction or maintenance on the floor. So we lost his "suite" and got a smaller room, which is close to the heated blankets "oven", so I can get blankets whenever Dan or I need (yes, it's cold in the rooms).

Today, Dan is having another liver ultrasound and biopsy, along with that lower back xray. His kidney function is lower, so they decreased his anti-rejection meds which improved the kidney function and lowered the liver function/raised the bilirubin so he's a little jaundiced today. Based on the results of the ultrasound and biopsy they will probably increased the anti-rejection meds for the liver. It's interesting how with a new liver they have to give anti-rejection meds, which can cause infection so they give antibiotics for that, which can cause other problems with kidneys etc. so they give more meds for that, and it goes on and on, until his body adjusts to all the changes and grows stronger, thereby reducing the need for the additional meds. Because of all this, his move to rehab may be delayed a few days.

Tomorrow will make 2 weeks since his transplant and a long 2 weeks in bed in the hospital. So many things have happened in that time, we are so grateful for the gift of life for Dan and continue to pray for the donor's family. The funeral is probably over, the out-of-town family probably leaving soon, and life will have to go on for the donor's parents. They may start going through his/her room and continue dealing with feelings of loss. Thanks for joining us in prayer for the family. We will be sending a thank-you letter to the family via the hospital, since we will not be told their names. I think at some point in the future, that option may be given, but for now, we trust them to God.

More updates to come. Enjoy your day of worship and rest today, and enjoy the first Sunday of the NFL! We have a new interest this year in the Redskins, since Colt Brennan from UH is there. And of course, we continue to cheer on the Vikings, hopefully this will be their year.

Debbie and Dan