Surgery

Our pastor's wife, Karla, is going in to surgery tomorrow morning to have a defibrillator lead changed out (it was recalled).

Please lift her up to God and pray she has a smooth surgery and a speedy recovery!!!

XterraXtian wrote:

Our pastor's wife, Karla, is going in to surgery tomorrow morning to have a defibrillator lead changed out (it was recalled).

Please lift her up to God and pray she has a smooth surgery and a speedy recovery!!!

Got it coverd

Email from our Minister

Quote :

This morning as I sat in the waiting area of Johns Hopkins hospital during Karla's surgery, I received an email from a friend at Mountain. She told me about her 6 year old nephew who was in Hopkins as a cancer patient. His situation is gravely serious, and he begins 8 months of chemo today. So my brother-in-law Ken Lund and I paid him a visit. Amazing little guy. We tried to have some fun with him, and then we prayed for him. He's been here a long time, and will be here for a while longer yet. His mom looks really tired. They have a long road in front of them. You can't help but have your heart go out to a very sick little guy, and his family. We talked about motorcycles and losing teeth and angels and church and then prayed for him and his family.

A short while later, while Luke, Holly, Jael and Dave Erickson were visiting with us, Dr. Henrikson came to tell me that Karla's surgery had gone well and that he was finished! I have learned over the years to hold in my emotions, as I'm doing now. But I'm a happy, relieved, and thankful guy. The lead extraction went pretty smoothly. There was apparently no damage done to the vein, the heart, or surrounding vessels – all very good. There was no damage to the heart itself. Because it came out fairly cleanly, there was no need for the laser work or other nasty stuff they sometimes run into and which they were prepared for just in case. They went ahead and replaced her generator with a new one (that's the little device that carries the charge – a little smaller than my Razor phone). Her battery still had some life, but would likely need to have been replaced in a year or so anyway. So they just switched it out while they were in there. So it should be good for another 6 years or so. So my wife is freshly charged up and should be able to keep going, and going, and going....

She is in recovery now and I'll be able to go be with her shortly. She'll return to the same room she has been in for a week. We expect to head home tomorrow. There will be some soreness and she won't be able to fly a kite or get charismatic with the hand waving for a while, so that's putting a crimp in the lifestyle. When the nurses described the limits in her range of motion on her arm, I asked if Karla would be able to play the violin. They said no. But that's okay, because she couldn't play one before anyhow. We're very grateful. Karla's mom, Helen, and brother, Ken, have been here which has not only been helpful and important for the kids and me and Karla, but fun. The love, calls, cards, emails, and visits and words and actions of support from family and friends is a special thing and we're grateful. The prayers beforehand were for grace and God's goodness. Now they are in gratitude for his grace and goodness.

And part of our minds are still with the little guy on the pediatric ward. And all the others like him who did not receive good news today, those who have a long road of suffering and pain ahead of them. God's heart must be very, very large so as not to break from the pain of this old world. Somehow he holds us all in the palm of his strong hands, and loves us through the good news and the tough times. I'm feeling like I appreciate Him a bit more today. And I appreciate you, too. Thanks for being friends, and for praying, and for caring.

Now, thank the Lord with us as Karla goes through some very sore times and a while of recovery.


In Jesus' care,

Ben