Last night, I had pretty much decided that I really needed to take the kids to see their Daddy. This morning, I was even more sure, and I got an email from a friend talking about how important it is for kids to walk through these things with us. It allows them to be "able to see first hand the work of God."
So, we ate a quick breakfast and were off! Bryan was having a breathing treatment when we arrived (more on that in a minute) so it was a less than ideal time. But, just as I was thinking that, it hit me that the present time is just less than ideal all around! This is a tough time, and it's my job to help them through it, not try to shield them from it.
They were so happy to see him, though obviously a little hesitant about all of the cords, tubes, and the oxygen mask. We explained everything, and all of them got to give Daddy a squeeze. (Carsten was a little stand offish at first, but even he gave Daddy five before we left. He was very concerned about Daddy's scruff. He wants him to shave before he comes home.)
They looked out the window and saw, of all things, a cat on the roof many floors below. It has to be a good place if it has a cat.
They also got to meet a doctor and some nurses, so now they feel like Daddy's getting taken care of. "Those nurses are really nice, Mommy!" All thoughts of kidnappers were forgotten.
We all prayed together before we left, and then I showed them a few things around the hospital so that they would have a better sense of what it's like. We sat down at a picnic table and I answered the questions that they had. All of them were emphatic about the fact that seeing Daddy had helped them feel better.
It felt good to all be together as a family again, even if it was in a little hospital room.
Now, for Bryan's update: He's staying away from the morphine, so his head was clearer. Unfortunately, between the chemo and the fluid he was getting for his kidneys yesterday, he ended up with too much fluid and it was filling his lungs. They put him on a full oxygen mask. Between that, his glasses, and his neck brace, he is pretty uncomfortable.
He is extremely tired. His body is just working so hard to fight everything that just about all he can do is sleep. He did his second day of chemo today. He said at one point that he felt slightly nauseated, but he just slept through it anyway.
At the end of the day, he sat up and ate a little dinner. Even complained a bit about the hospital food! He said it always looks better than it is. He must be improving. He also insisted, in his few minutes of wakefulness, on getting some things taken care of for work.
As soon as they have a room available on the oncology ward, he'll be moving out of the neuro ward. His neck seems to be healing as expected, so it's time to shift the focus.
We're still praying for his kidneys. The nurse said that they're a little surprised, given his young age, that they haven't bounced back a little more quickly. They are stable (meaning they're not getting worse) but they're still compromised.
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