The Latest and Not-So-Greatest
Last week we were all over the map with Kylie's blood work. We were at the hospital on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of last week and Monday and Tuesday of this week.
On Friday we had an appointment with our Infectious Disease doc to see if we could figure out her blood work issues and get the MRI results.
The blood work fiasco was a bit of mystery but turns out that it's been solved. You'll never believe this but the whole issue with her blood levels had to do with the time change. Strange, but true. So at least it's not something weird and wild going on in her foot.
The MRI results were good news and we are so thankful for that! Kylie's area of infection inside the bone has certainly shrunk, meaning that there is bone regeneration happening in there. Praise the Lord. However, it's not solid bone. There's still a little patch of infection livin' it up in there, so the plan is what the plan has always been. She stays on the IV meds until March. (For those of you who like/understand the medical stuff, there is residual edema showing on the images of her MRI.)
The news we didn't see coming (and probably should have but we are so NOT medically minded people) is that AFTER we're done with the PICC line and the medications in mid-March, we have to stick around for another six months. Kylie's blood work will have to be closely monitored after we stop the meds.
Because there's no actual way to tell that the bug inside her foot is dead, we have to continue blood work to make sure it doesn't rear it's ugly little head again once the meds have stopped. The doc told us that if the bug is still living in her, we'd start to see her CRP numbers creep up again. Hence the six months of testing.
Six. More. Months….after March. September.
September 2014 was when we thought we'd be coming home from our two years in Africa.
This is a bummer. More than a bummer. But we've been here before, so we take a deep breath and yet again realize that our plans are not His plans and that if we're smart, we'll stick with His plans…even if it's not what we want to hear.
When I asked our ID doc about the timing of our return to Togo she said, "You know I'll never give you my blessing to go back, right?" Yes. I know that. She then said that she could see no reason to give us medical clearance (and she stressed those two words MEDICAL CLEARANCE) in September.
In the few seconds after I heard her say that, I remembered that we had been praying for wisdom on when to know when it was time to go back. And it dawned on me - this doc is the wisdom we've been asking for.
It reminded me of the story of the guy who was caught in a flood. The water was rising and he begs God to save him. A boat load of friends go by his house and tell him to get in. He tells them no. He's waiting for God to save him. As the water continues to rise, a helicopter flies over and they tell him to grab the dangling rope. Again he refuses the rescue. He's waiting for God to show up!
By ignoring the medical wisdom of this well-known and respected doctor, we would have been like that guy. We have no medical training. We have very little medical experience. These issues with Kylie and Ethan have been seriously educational for us. So in asking for wisdom, and having been given wisdom, just because it's not what we want to hear, does that give us the right to refuse it?
I don't think so.
And so I told her that. I told her that I believe (and I do!) that God has placed her in our lives to speak the wisdom that we don't have. That she has been strategically placed in our lives for this purpose…and you know what, she cares about our kids. She's not telling us what we want to hear, she didn't tell us what we'd prayed to hear. But perhaps she spoke what we needed to hear.
And for that we need to be thankful. We have to be thankful. What else could we be?
On Friday we had an appointment with our Infectious Disease doc to see if we could figure out her blood work issues and get the MRI results.
The blood work fiasco was a bit of mystery but turns out that it's been solved. You'll never believe this but the whole issue with her blood levels had to do with the time change. Strange, but true. So at least it's not something weird and wild going on in her foot.
The MRI results were good news and we are so thankful for that! Kylie's area of infection inside the bone has certainly shrunk, meaning that there is bone regeneration happening in there. Praise the Lord. However, it's not solid bone. There's still a little patch of infection livin' it up in there, so the plan is what the plan has always been. She stays on the IV meds until March. (For those of you who like/understand the medical stuff, there is residual edema showing on the images of her MRI.)
The news we didn't see coming (and probably should have but we are so NOT medically minded people) is that AFTER we're done with the PICC line and the medications in mid-March, we have to stick around for another six months. Kylie's blood work will have to be closely monitored after we stop the meds.
Because there's no actual way to tell that the bug inside her foot is dead, we have to continue blood work to make sure it doesn't rear it's ugly little head again once the meds have stopped. The doc told us that if the bug is still living in her, we'd start to see her CRP numbers creep up again. Hence the six months of testing.
Six. More. Months….after March. September.
September 2014 was when we thought we'd be coming home from our two years in Africa.
This is a bummer. More than a bummer. But we've been here before, so we take a deep breath and yet again realize that our plans are not His plans and that if we're smart, we'll stick with His plans…even if it's not what we want to hear.
When I asked our ID doc about the timing of our return to Togo she said, "You know I'll never give you my blessing to go back, right?" Yes. I know that. She then said that she could see no reason to give us medical clearance (and she stressed those two words MEDICAL CLEARANCE) in September.
In the few seconds after I heard her say that, I remembered that we had been praying for wisdom on when to know when it was time to go back. And it dawned on me - this doc is the wisdom we've been asking for.
It reminded me of the story of the guy who was caught in a flood. The water was rising and he begs God to save him. A boat load of friends go by his house and tell him to get in. He tells them no. He's waiting for God to save him. As the water continues to rise, a helicopter flies over and they tell him to grab the dangling rope. Again he refuses the rescue. He's waiting for God to show up!
By ignoring the medical wisdom of this well-known and respected doctor, we would have been like that guy. We have no medical training. We have very little medical experience. These issues with Kylie and Ethan have been seriously educational for us. So in asking for wisdom, and having been given wisdom, just because it's not what we want to hear, does that give us the right to refuse it?
I don't think so.
And so I told her that. I told her that I believe (and I do!) that God has placed her in our lives to speak the wisdom that we don't have. That she has been strategically placed in our lives for this purpose…and you know what, she cares about our kids. She's not telling us what we want to hear, she didn't tell us what we'd prayed to hear. But perhaps she spoke what we needed to hear.
And for that we need to be thankful. We have to be thankful. What else could we be?
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