Thursday, December 9, 2010

HOME!

We finally made it home last night around 9pm! It was a last minute change to plans, as we were going to stay with my parents in NE City for the night. We were glad to be home, and Mike was definitely glad to be done driving!!!
We were very thankful for the safe travel. We were stuck in St. Louis traffic for over an hour as there was a bad accident on one of the interstates and we had to re-route through town. The weather was great though and the car was fantastic.
The boys are still getting used to us again. Please pray for the transition for all of us. With my pain meds I am very sensitive to sound and most of you know that 2 little boys can create quite the ruckus.
I am feeling pretty badly today, but am glad to have my family back together to try and redirect my focus. We picked out our Christmas tree, and we are all excited to have it standing tall in our living room.
Thank you to each of you for reading this, and I will write more here and there.
Lynette

Monday, December 6, 2010

Prayer Requests and Meal Train

The last 48 hours have been very rough. I started reacting to the medications and having heart palpatations, severe nausea and migraines. So I have been pretty much confined to my darkened bedroom since I am sensitive to light and sounds. Today has been a bit better, but the nausea and migraines are still lurking, and we haven't been able to go out and do much. Mike has taken very good care of me, but I know he is getting cabin fever.
Pending my early appointment tomorrow morning, we will be heading home. Please pray specifically for our journey home that it would be safe, and nausea and migraine free. Please also pray for Mike as he will have to drive the entire 900 miles home.
We would also like to ask you to take a look at our Meal Train calendar. Since we will be home this week, we were hoping to have people sign up as I will be on light duty, so Mike will be working, taking care of the boys, and cooking. We have been very blessed in the past by people's generousity by bringing us meals and we thank you for taking a look and seeing if you are able to bring us a meal during these times. We do have freezer space for frozen meals, and we are open to store boughten food, and gift certificates as well.
http://www.mealtrain.com/?id=maxu2v91c4dt
Thank you for keeping up with us, and for praying for us.This has been quite the journey, and I do not know how people go through such things without faith! God has been so good!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Mason's 1st Birthday

In two hours, it will have been exactly 1 year ago that I woke up with contractions that continued all day and led us to the birth of Mason, our sweet smiling little baby boy! I am missing Mason and Logan so bad this morning that I cannot sleep. Skype has been an awesome thing so that I am able to see them in action, but I still want to be able to hold them, hug and kiss them. I know it is better that they are not here right now because I am in no shape to take care of them, but that doesn't make it any easier.
I called the doctor again yesterday because I had some "popping" sensations that made me super uncomfortable at first, then by the last one I felt better. He had no idea what that could have been, and said that he wasn't concerned unless the uncomfortableness worsened over time. It has not, so here we sit waiting for Tuesday morning to come so we can start rolling home. Mikey is good about reminding me that we started with 9 days and we are down to 3-4 days before we see them again.
Some praises we have are that the surgery went so well and that the doctor's seem so confident in their work that we should be able to have another baby. This was sort of the point of it all, so we ask that you pray for us in that area. We will not be trying any time soon, but I have been praying for God to prepare my womb for about 9 months now, and I believe this surgery was part of that preparation.
Another praise is that so farI have not had a reaction to any of the meds that I am on. This is a concern because I am allergic to, or have become allergic to a lot of medications in the past.
I am also thankful that my children seem to be doing well. Mich has taken good care of them and every time we talk to them they are happy. We are very thankful that Mich was willing to do this - even when she developed a cold the day we dropped them off. And we are thankful for Amy for heading down to watch the kids and give Mich a break yesterday, not just anyone would go do something like that.
God has been good to us, and we have been very blessed by actions, support and prayer. I hope each one of you has a blessed day. And if you are lucky enough to get to see my Mason today on his birthday, please give him an extra hug and kiss from his Momma.
Lynette

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Saturday

Well, I'm not usually one to take any medications, but I'm definitely glad to be loaded up on them since this surgery! Last night I had to have Mikey call the doctor because I was restless and in a lot of pain and I just couldn't get comfortable. So around 11pm he went out and grabbed some heavy duty pain killers that also helped me sleep - thank goodness! I'm feeling okay today. I've been awake for about 3 hours and watched a movie and texted some people.
I'm going to venture out with Mikey for lunch now. Just wanted to post a quick update.
Have a good day :)

Friday, December 3, 2010

Day after surgery

I will be getting out of the hospital soon. I'm very tired, very sore, but doing well. One of the doctor's came in today and said everything looked good. He explained some things to us too. He said I had a grapefruit sized cyst on one of my falopian tubes that they removed and it didn't cause any damage. I have had pain there for quite some time, so it is interesting that there was really something there...not just my imagination.
The nurse's here are fantastic, and Mikey and I are the buzz of the hospital since we are from Nebraska. They seem to think that is pretty cool. When we tell them we came to see Dr. Furr, they smile and tell me what a good doctor he is, and how much everyone likes and respects him. They said he is a slower surgeon, but only because he wants it done right the first time. If he doesn't like how it looks, he'll cut the sutures and start over again, which sounds like what happened with me. Since there was so much damage, they had a hard time figuring out what to attach everything to. I also had a small hernia on my bladder, which they corrected.

That's about all for now. Thanks for checking in, and thank you for all of the warm wishes, thoughts and prayers.
Lynette :)

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Surgery Day Post 4

It has been a long day just sitting in the hospital waiting. The doctor final came out to talk to me after 4 hours an 45 minutes. Dr. Furr said that Lynette did great during surgery. There was more damage then he had anticipated, but he did get everything fixed. Right now she is in recovery and will be there for 45 more minutes before I can see her. Please keep praying for my wife, that she will be back up to herself shortly. Also, please pray for Logan and Mason for we are not with them. Will keep you posted on her recovery.

Surgery Day Post 3

Just got an update from the nurse. Lynette is doing good, but there was more damage than the Doctor had seen on the X-rays. Nurse said that she should be out of surgery in about an hour. More to come when I hear anything.

Surgery Day Post 2

Lynette when in the surgery room at 1 pm Tennessee time, that would be noon in Nebraska. The nurse said that they had to restart her IV for the third time. They started the surgery about 15 minutes ago, after they restart her IV. The nurses said that the surgery could take any where from 2 to 4 hours, but would update me every hour, so when I hear more I will let you know more.

Surgey Day

We are sitting here at the hospital waiting for Dr. Furr to get here. Anesthesiologist has been here talking to us. They gave her a patch behind her ear, to help with the medication. Lynette is nervous, but doing good. Will update later with more information.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Post Script

Also, my Dad, Steve, will be having x-rays and a colonoscopy in Nebraska very early tomorrow morning. Please pray that all will go well with his hospital visit. He was on the liquid diet as well today...apparently he is being teased by the smell of leftover Panera bagels in their kitchen...

I am not a jell-o making Master!

I was waiting to write today until I had something more clever and interesting to say...however, I still have nothing coming to mind...lol...
The day has passed relatively quickly. This hotel room is very cozy, and I was able to hang out for most of the morning, make jell-o (poorly- but still mostly edible), and then Mikey and I went out for a movie.
I've shuffled through my surgery paperwork numerous times and some of the things that pop out to me are things that you can pray about for me...
First off, my surgery is not until noon (11am CST). This is a concern only because I will have gone without food for so long and I am already a little crabby. Please pray that the morning will go just as quickly as today has, and that I will keep my cranky demeanor from lashing out at my husband.
Secondly, there was a whole page of things that could happen because of anesthesia and surgery, etc. Anesthesia is always hard, I'm sure for everyone. I have a bit of a tolerance to it, so usually I end up getting doused with an extra heavy dose to knock me out. However, I then have a hard time waking up and I thrash about - definitely a concern when I am supposed to be still and recover! Please pray over the hand of the anesthesiologist, the surgeon, and that my body would cooperate and respond well to everything happening to it.
Thirdly, lactation...I won't go into detail, but my history with mastitis is not a comforting thought when I am not sure how much I will be able to pump on surgery day. So far things have been fine and I would like them to keep being fine!
Lastly, I know I read somewhere that I needed to have someone stay the night at the hospital with me. I am not sure what conditions Mikey will have to sleep or do work, but he will not have any other option. Right after we met I had to have my gall bladder out and Mikey came up from Kansas to be with me. He slept all night on the floor under the counter in my hospital room! He is a good man, but I know that was uncomfortable, and though he is willing to do it, I sincerely hope they have better accomodations for him. Seems silly to pray for, but he is taking very good care of me, and I want him to have a good nights sleep so he can work well the next day.
We got to talk to the boys today via Skype. I have to say, technology is a wonderful thing!!! I am missing them terribly, but getting to see their sweet faces and goof off with them via video is really helping with the need to hug and love on them. I am definitely thankful that they are not here - low blood sugar Momma and busy little boys would not have been a good combination today!
I'm going to sign off for now. Thanks for reading, and hopefully Mikey will get on here and update everyone as I have asked him to do.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

We made it!!!

Hi!
After a super long time in the car we finally made it to our hotel in Chattanooga!!! PTL!!! We left at 7:15 am from Edgerton, KS, and made it here by 10:15 (11:15 local time). We stopped often and took a planned scenic route through the Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky. We just found that place by accident while driving back from North Carolina a few years ago so we wanted to see it again- and it was just as cool! You should totally check it out if you are ever in the area.
The drive was great, the new car drove well and we didn't encounter any problems - nor did we see any deer! Mikey had me scoping the scenery for "a big one", camera ready, but all of those back road tobacco farms and all we saw were hawks.
When we got close to Nashville we decided to check out the GPS for restaurants and found Logan's Roadhouse or Mason's Restaurant (BTW - we also saw Logan's college of Chiropractic and Mason Rd on the way down here). We opted for the Roadhouse and enjoyed some tasty steaks there. We had to go all out since it is my last meal until Friday morning!!! :*(
We had some problems with check in at the hotel, but Mike is a good negotiator and got us a good deal. We did not get a fireplace room as requested, but this room is nice enough and we are both exhausted and ready for bed!
Thanks for checking in, and I will write more tomorrow. Thank you also for all of the e-mails, facebook comments and texts! Tomorrow and Thursday will be the most trying times, and I am definitely needing all of the positive support I can get.
Good night, and blessings to each of you,
Lyn
PS- all 4 of our boys are in good hands and doing well. Man do we miss them.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Mason's birthday party

I just want to put a little something in here about how smoothly everything is STILL going for us! Mason's party was today, and I had the cakes done last night - and it turned out pretty cute! Today I had no worries that everything was going to fall into place, and I was thanking the Lord that I kept things simple and very small. THose of you reading this most likely know that I like to do birthday parties in a big way, only because I have a HUGE family, and know A LOT of people! :)
My little boy walked around (most of the time), played with the older kids (including Uncle Dale!), ate a little bit of his cake before flipping it over onto the floor, and opened his gifts. Time is such a precious thing, and I am blessed to have not 1, but 2 beautiful baby boys to give my time to. God is good.

Anyway, our bags are all packed, so we are just putting together the final items then it will all be loaded and we head out tomorrow evening. I have a ball of stress in my stomach from knowing I will be leaving my babies (in good hands-but still leaving them!) so I ask for prayer specifically for my feelings of not being able to change that.
THANK YOU to those praying for us - I have to say again that I believe His hand is guiding us and making things go so easily. This is an amazing feeling!!! PTL!!!!!!!!
We'll keep you posted, and thanks for reading!
Lynette

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Validation

So I ended yesterday right before I met Dr. Furr. Kathy's appointment was first and I was really anxious to meet him. When he walked in he barely peeked in the door and introduced himself and told me he was not feeling well and his kids had been very sick over the weekend. He knew I had small children and was headed for surgery so he did not want to expose me to any illness. He slipped back out and I met with one of his fellows. He was a very nice man, asked me a lot of questions and gave me all the time in the world. Later Dr. Furr came in briefly again and the appointment ended with me signing paperwork for surgery. I can't tell you how relieved I felt that I wasn't crazy, that I infact have this issue, and that it can be corrected with surgery rather than hysterectomy! Kathy noted that I must have just needed that validation and she is right. After all of the doctor's appointments I've had in the last 3 1/2 months have led to this and I was very glad to finally meet Dr. Furr and his fellow doctor.
So we left and headed to the hospital for my pre-testing where we met the most wonderful RN named Karen. She also gave us all the time in the world and we enjoyed sitting and chatting with her. She even stayed late to chat with us which we thanked her for and she smiled and said, "I stay late for people from Nebraska".
So again, I just have to point out how smoothly everything has gone for me and I know God's hand has made this path. Now my nerves are kicking in at the though of surgery in 10 days, so I could really use prayer for this. Anesthesia is a very scary thing for me, on top of us being away from home and the boys. Please continue to pray for us for these things, and thank you again for taking the time to read about my journey :)
Time to board my 2nd to last plane home. Can't wait to see my 3 men!!!

Monday, November 22, 2010

scenic route

Well, Chattanooga is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have been! The little bit that I have seen has definitely made my journey worth it. And, even with Jeremy's awesome Garmin GPS guiding me, I missed one of my last exits and took the scenic route! At least I can laugh about it and we got here safely.
Thank you for all of the prayers and warm wishes. Please keep praying that we will journey home safely.
Now I meet the doctor :)

Friday, November 19, 2010

Kegels

DISCLAIMER - I am not a medical professional, I am just sharing the knowledge I have gathered over the last 3 years with childbirth and all of my recent health issues. Please contact your doctor if you are not sure you are doing your kegels correctly or if you have further questions. Also, this topic is not your everyday comversation, so be prepared to read about body parts and functions. :)

Ok, so some of you read my first blog and were like - What is a 'kegel'??? It is such an important topic that I am going to write about it today, and hopefully save you from having to wear adult diapers when you are older- or surgery, like I am having! MEN - listen up - You need to be doing kegel muscle exercises too!!! Kegels are not just for women and pregnant women!

Kegels refer to your pelvic floor muscle. It is one big muscle that is holding up all of your innerds. If this muscle is not exercised then you will have a weak pelvic floor and this will cause slipping down of your bladder and possibly other organs, and then you could lose control of your urinary function -aka incontinence. Next time you are going to the bathroom, try and stop your urine mid-flow (just once or twice - NO giving yourself a bladder infection from not emptying your bladder!!!) This is a kegel. Make sure you are not using your rectal sphincter muscle (your poo hole). It should be relatively easy to do, and you should be able to do it while brushing your teeth, talking, driving, etc. If you cannot do it easily, then most likely you are not doing it right. Keep trying. It will be worth it.

Now that you know what muscle I am talking about, trying working on doing kegels 3 times a day, ten times per time. Gradually work up to a number that you are comfortable with, and then try holding them for 3 seconds at a time, then 5 seconds, all the way up to 10 seconds. With Logan I was doing 250-300 kegels per day (and was doing them correctly at the time), but it isn't necessary to do that many to keep the muscle in shape. Please ask your doctor or research to find a number you are comfortable with. You can make this fun and challenge yourself to do kegels everytime you stop at a stop light (my toLabor doula instructor put KEGEL on her license plate- ha!), or during every commercial, etc. Whatever works best for you. Just remember you are doing this to keep your pelvic floor in shape, and avoid wearing diapers as an adult!

A good way to find out if you are doing kegels correctly is during intercourse. Do a kegel during and your husband or wife should be able to tell you that you are squeezing those muscles, and as you strengthen them they should be able to tell that the muscle is getting stronger.

So, did you try a kegel while you read this post??? I know it's a funky subject, but I hope someday you are able to look back and be thankful that you read about it and took the initiative to take good care of your body.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Meal Train

Thanks everyone for the e-mails, prayers and comments for our blog. They are much appreciated!
We have created a meal train for the 6 weeks that I will be home and recovering. During this time I will be on very light duty, so any and all meals will be appreciated - especially by my husband who isn't used to cooking 3 meals a day :)
Thank you for considering bringing us a meal during this very busy time of year. Remember, Jesus is the Reason for this Season!
http://www.mealtrain.com/?id=maxu2v91c4dt

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Why surgery...

Ok, so I just want to start out by saying that this is a lot of personal info, so I hope if you are visiting this page you will be respectful of our privacy and be considerate of what a private matter this is for us.

At the end of July of this year I discovered that I have a prolapse issue. Many things have contributed to this; my weight, birth of two 10 lb babies, incorrectly doing kegels, and some genetics. In May I started a rigorous workout video in effort to shed some pounds and I believe that all of the jumping jacks and running in place really gave everything a shove.

When I started exploring what options I had all I found was medical personnel telling me the only fix was a hysterectomy. Totally not what I wanted to hear as we still would like to have 1 more child. After some more asking around I realized a good friend of mine had the same issue in 2009. She did a lot of research and basically laid the path to where I am now. She found a doctor in Tennessee that does not believe that a hysterectomy is the answer every time, so my friend had a successful corrective surgery last December. She sent me all of his info and so now I am in the swing of having surgery by the same doctor.

Dr. Furr believes that he will be able to correct the issues that would keep me from carrying another possible 10 lb baby, then post-baby (another prayer request!) I will be returning to the surgical world to have everything corrected, and then about 15 years down the road I will most likely have a hysterectomy.

I will meet Dr. Furr on Monday and have hospital pre-testing. I was totally scared to go on my own (I've watched WAY too much CSI!) and so I prayed about it and asked my good friend to go with me. Those of you in MUMs will understand that this was one of those "God loves you so much, why wouldn't he allow a friend to be able to go with you?" moments. To be honest, I believe God has been guiding us through this whole journey. At the beginning I prayed that everything would go smoothly and fall into place, and it really has. That does not mean that it has not been stressful, but I believe He has made things much easier for me to handle and prepare.

Part of this stress has been numerous doctors appointments. I have been going to a physial therapist, a chiropractor, and getting massages to help with the pain this is causing me. Some mornings the pain in my lower back is so severe that I cannot get out of bed. But I have 2 boys, so I force myself and up I go. Along with the help of my husband carrying Mason and Logan around instead of me doing it and being careful about bouncing, running and lifting things have calmed a bit.

So, for now we are asking for specific prayer for safe travel for the 2 trips - me flying on my own next week ( my friend will meet me there) and then safe travel when Mike and I drive there the following week. My surgery is December 2nd and we will be updating this blog along the way. Also, my step-mom, Michell, will have our children and we will be away from them for a long time. Please pray that things will go smoothly while she has them- for them, for her and for us.

Thank you for reading and keeping up with us on this. Prayer is what we need most, but if you feel like doing more, we will be making a meal train calendar for meals in December. I know this is a busy time of year for everyone, but we would most appreciate any offer for meals or gift cards to eat as I will be on light duty for 4 weeks post-surgery.

God Bless!
Lynette and Mike