Health Challenges

I need to be careful what I pray for my family. I have been praying that the LORD would enable us to move closer to Him in preparation for the trying days ahead. So... we have been experiencing numerous on-going health challenges.

Louis has had sinus problems for years & a sinus infection since Nov. 2008. He was placed on strong antibiotics off & on with some relief while taking the medicine & a rebound back into full-blown problems after. Scans revealed that the sinuses on the left are totally without an outlet due to thickened mucusa resulting from the long-term infections. The outlets on the right are extremely narrow. So corrective surgery has been set for August 13th. It starts with a Septoplasty, scrapings, cutting the turbinates down to size, etc. Supposedly this will all be out-patient surgery. We'll see. About 4-5 weeks ago, Louis broke out in total body hives along with another rash that looked more like multiple tiny bites. The doctors are thinking this may be the reaction to so many strong antibiotics for his sinus problems. Well, Zyrtec, Benadryl creams, Prednisone, etc. have not touched this rash that now has definite hard lumps & bumps under it. Louis says he now empathizes with Job, as he sits & "scrapes" his sores upon arriving home from work. Needless to say, he has little energy for much of anything. The Dermatology appointment ended in 6 sores where the PA took 6 biopsies - 2 of the rash & 4 of other areas suspiciously looking like basal cell & squamous cell cancer. We should get the biopsy data back in a couple of more days.

Our daughter has had health issues of her own. She developed Strep. Throat back 3-4 weeks ago & then added an intestinal component later. After attending the funeral of an 8 year-old she has babysat a lot in the past, (the sister of her best friend, who was electrocuted on the top of her church building while watching fireworks on the 4th of July), she started having trouble keeping even fluids down. Esther ended up in the hospital ER getting IV's for her severe dehydration. Obviously there is an emotional component tacked on to the underlying health issue. Well, she is keeping sips of gatorade & other fluids down now, but is afraid to eat much of any solids. I have talked to her about the complications that accompany anorexia. Yet, she likes the fact that she has lost 20 pounds in the process. Sadly, these types of losses come from muscle as much as fat stores in the body. Esther & I talked about how she needs to turn to God during this time. I left her my copy of "The Message", Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of the Bible. Reading the Word from a fresh perspective may perk her interest...I can always hope.

My health is "ok" except for a small sore on my inner lower lip, where an irritation fibroma was removed by a surgeon a week ago. It has festered instead of healing. But in comparison with my husband & daughter, this is "small potatoes".