My Near-Death Story

In mid-December of 2010, I started having trouble with pain in my upper left back. There was severe pain under my left shoulder blade running down my arm all the way to my hand. After weeks of treatment to try to relieve the pressure on the pinched nerve in my neck, I called Dr. Eric Amundson of NewSouth NeuroSpine in metro Jackson, MS for an appointment. A friend in choir at church recommended NewSouth. I met Dr. Amundson on December 28^th. After describing my symptoms and what we had done to treat it up to this point, he said that he was pretty sure that I had a bad cervical disc that would need to be repaired. He said that what I described as my pain and what I could do to relieve it somewhat could have come straight out of a textbook. He said we could get the surgery done before the first of the year if it would be financially beneficial to me. I decided to wait until after our wedding anniversary, which is January 4^th.

We did an MRI of my cervical spine on January 3^rd, which confirmed that I had one herniated disc and one bulging disc in my neck. Surgery was scheduled for January 5^th, 2011. Dr. Amundson did my surgery. I awoke from that surgery in the recovery room and stayed there for several hours while the hospital found a free bed for me. I did my best to entertain myself in the recovery room. They had the monitor showing my vital signs in front of me. I would hold my breath to watch the numbers change. I would also try to speed up and slow down my heart rate. From the time that I awoke in recovery, I had no pain in my neck or back, including the 4 inch incision in the front of my neck. I didn't even have to take Tylenol after the surgery and it was a complete success, relieving the pressure on the nerve that runs down my arm to my hand. After a few months I was released to get back to my normal activities.

Fast forward to the end of December of 2011. On the morning of December 30^th, 2011, I woke up with extreme pain in my lower back and going down into my right leg. The pain was so severe that I could not get anywhere close to standing or laying straight. I went to see our chiropractor because I knew that I could get in quickly. She looked at me for about 2 minutes and said that I was beyond what she could do. She made a phone call and got me in for an MRI of my back.  While we waited for the results, she said to go to the emergency room if it wasn't better the next day. The next day it was worse, so we went to the emergency room. They did a CT-scan of my back. They found bad discs in my lower back. The scan also showed a gallstone that the doctor said would not cause me any trouble and a strange spot on my left lung. After a while, they sent us home and we scheduled an appointment with Dr. Amundson. One of the things I like most about Dr. Amundson is that he is NOT a cut-now-and-ask-questions-later surgeon. He scheduled me for a series of Epidural Steroid Injections (ESI) in my lower back. We did the first injections on Thursday, January 5^th, 2012. It was several days before I noticed a change, but did note that it was better, but still not great. I found that I could sleep and survive ok in certain positions in the recliner. I went back to work on January 16^th. Physically I wasn't ready but felt I couldn't afford to miss more time. I was completely drained by the end of each day. The next set of ESI was scheduled for Wednesday, January 25^th.

On Tuesday night, January 24^th, I got a headache. I took some Tylenol and didn't pay much attention to it. Wednesday morning, we got up and went in for the ESI. The injections went in around noon. I wasn't allowed to drive for 24 hours, so I had planned to take Thursday morning off and go in to work after lunch. At lunch Thursday, I wasn't feeling too great, so I worked from home for the afternoon. Thursday night, the headache came back. I suspect that the headache was probably masked on Wednesday by the ESI. When I woke up Friday morning, I had the worst headache of my life. I've had migraines since junior high school, but this was far worse than anything before. I sent an email to work and told them I had a terrible headache and would be in later. Just before noon I started throwing up and Debbie said we were going to the emergency room. I was feeling too bad to argue, plus, I knew she was right. We went in to the emergency room at Baptist Hospital in Jackson, MS. They started running tests on me, including MRIs and CT-scans of my head. Over time I lost track of all of the tests that they ran. They also started pumping large doses of multiple pain medications into my IV. I found it amusing that the doctors were amazed that I was awake and alert and still in pain with all they were pushing into my body — Toradol, Phenergan and Morphine, and Delaudid. After a while, they moved me to a room and continued the tests from there.

Let me take a minute to describe this headache. It felt like someone had put a headband around my head that ran across my forehead, down over my ears, to the back of my head AND they were tightening it like a tourniquet.

While I was out having tests the next morning, Debbie posted this status to Facebook:

Debbie Facebook - January 28 at 8:08am

Larry has left for his MRI. He had a rough night. No relief for the headache and threw up throughout the night. He is exhausted. Your prayers and words of encouragement mean so much to us.

Debbie Facebook - January 28 at 8:52 am

God blessed me with an amazing lady who came to change Larry's bed this morning. She is a prayer warrior and we spent time claiming healing for Larry. This is what I call GOD'S REFRESHING RAIN when he sends me little reminders that He is surrounding us, going before us, and loves us so much! He has this!!

Dr. Amundson had been called in as my doctor because of the prior back problems. Dr. Amundson called in Dr. John Davis, a brain surgeon, to assist in my case. The scans of my brain told the doctors that I had either a tumor or an abscess deep in my brain. They gave me size numbers, but basically, it was about the size of a large grape. After some more tests, they couldn't narrow it down any more and said that no matter what it was, the next step was surgery. I mostly remember Dr. Davis because his in-laws used to live in our neighborhood and we talked a little bit about them. Dr. Amundson's nurse is Jill and we have thought the world of her since the first surgery a year before. Around 4:00 on Saturday afternoon, Jill started making phone calls to their surgical team members and within an hour had NewSouth's top surgical team lined up for surgery on Sunday morning. We saw this as our first miracle of many.

Sunday morning came and surgery prep began. They told us to expect surgery to take a couple of hours and then we would have a couple of days in ICU followed by several days in a room. My mom and sister came up from south Louisiana to be with Debbie during the surgery. I didn't say anything at the time, but it really bothered me that they were there. My dad died almost five years before after a long bout with Alzheimer's. The last time we all saw him alive, he was in ICU after having a subdural hematoma (bleeding inside the skull) drained.  Two days later he died. I look very much like my dad did at my age and I didn't want them to see me looking like that.

I have had a few surgeries before and always when they would give me "a little something to help you relax", it would knock me out. I guess because my headache was so bad, this time it didn't do that and I was awake into the operating room. I remember thinking how cool it was with all of the activity and equipment. Soon I was asleep and in surgery. Somehow, Debbie ended up in a different waiting room than the hospital staff was expecting. The surgery took much longer than expected, but they didn't know where to find her to give her information. As is her custom, Debbie spent a lot of time in prayer claiming 1 Peter 5:6-7: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." She said that God spoke two things into her heart during this time. The first was that there were a lot of people praying for us and that she could relax and rest in His hands. The second was to sit back and watch what He would do. During this time, Debbie received hundreds of messages from people literally all over the world saying that they were praying.

Debbie Facebook - January 29 at 1:18pm

Larry is still in surgery. 3+ hours.

I can't tell you what it means to me to see all the text messages and FB comments that so many are praying for us. My heart overflows!!!

After six hours in surgery, Dr. Amundson found Debbie and told her that surgery was complete, that the spot in my brain was an abscess, and that Dr. Davis had saved my life. He said that just as they got to the spot in my brain, the abscess ruptured. If they had been a few minutes longer getting to it, the rupture would have flooded my brain with toxic infection. As it was, the infection spilled out through the opening that they had made. He told her that I would probably have problems with walking, speaking, vision, and putting thoughts together. I never had any of those problems. (I did use a walker for a few days to help with balance as I got up and down. My eyesight was actually better for a while, but it settled back to "normal" after a few days.)

My first memory after the OR was in the recovery room. I could feel a nurse putting one of the post-surgery compression stockings on my left leg and I lifted my leg to help. The unseen nurse said, "Look at this. Six hours in brain surgery and he's raising his leg for me." A second unseen nurse told me, "Relax, honey, we've got this." I remember thinking it strange that she said I had been in surgery for six hours when the surgery was only supposed to take two hours.  I also remember lifting my leg when they put the second stocking on my right leg, but that is all I remember of the recovery room. The next thing I remember is being rolled through the halls from recovery to ICU.

Debbie Facebook - January 29 at 6:41pm

Larry is in ICU. I got to see him. Hold his hand. He squeezed mine and said I LOVE YOU. Sweet music to my ears. My heart rejoices!!!

My soul shouts HIS praise!!!

My day nurse in ICU was Carla and my night nurse was Angela. They were both great! I was extremely tired, but had trouble sleeping once the anesthesia began to wear off. The incision area on the back of my head didn't really hurt, but leaning it back on the bed to try to sleep was uncomfortable. The other problem that I had at this point was a bad taste in my mouth and lack of appetite caused by the antibiotics that they were pumping into me. My main entertainment in ICU was with impressing the nurses. About once an hour they would come in and ask me my name and where I was, testing my alertness and awareness. Not only would I tell them my name and that I was in bed 5 in ICU at Baptist Hospital, but I would tell them their name and what day and date it was.

When Dr. Byers, the Infectious Diseases doctor, came to check me out in ICU, he examined me for a while and asked, "How long have you had the heart murmur? It's not in your chart." I told him that was the first I had ever heard about it.

As I said before, because of the antibiotics, I wasn't interested in eating, but I told Debbie I thought that a popsicle would be good. She asked the nurse if we might could find a popsicle somewhere. I also told her that a grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich sounded good. I don't know that I'd ever had one, but the thought sounded good. The second night in ICU, Angela brought in a male orderly just after dark and they turned me sideways and propped me up on pillows in the bed so I could sleep without my head resting on my incision. I slept really well there for about 5 hours. Angela came in again about 4 in the morning with Skylar B, a different male orderly, and they gave me a bath. I'm pretty sure that's the first bath I've ever had in bed. Angela said I needed to be fresh and clean for Debbie for the first visit of the morning. After the bath, she brought in a cherry popsicle in a cup so I could eat it with a spoon. She had sent another nurse to find it while I was getting my bath. It tasted really good and then I slept for a little while again.

Tuesday afternoon, they moved me to a regular room and told us we would be there at least through the weekend. When the abscess ruptured, the doctors took some of the infection and grew it in the lab, then tested various antibiotics against it to see what was the best method for continuing to fight it. They never figured out what kind of infection it was, so they used a cocktail of antibiotics for a few weeks.

Debbie Facebook - January 31 at 4:43pm

Larry told the physical therapist that he was glad to be in a room. Glad because I could be with him all the time and glad because when he woke in the middle of the night I would be here and he could see my face…

Yeah, it works both ways!! I am GLAD, too!!!

The doctors figure the infection got in through that spot that I mentioned in my left lung. We have known that spot was there for a very long time; we just didn't know what it was or how dangerous it could be. I had a bad lung infection in about 5^th or 6^th grade. For my entire adult life, the spot has shown up on x-rays as a dime-sized spot that we assumed was scar tissue from that childhood infection. As it turns out, the spot was probably the cause of that childhood infection, not a result of it.

Warning: this paragraph is going to be boring and technical. The spot on my lung was a Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation (PAVM). It's a problem caused by a genetic trait called HHT. So basically, it was a birth defect. Normally, blood flows through your lungs from arteries, through millions of tiny capillaries, into veins, and out into the body. The capillaries serve to filter the blood, catch blood clots, and oxygenate the blood for your body. In a PAVM, your blood flows straight from arteries to veins, missing the filtering that is normally done by the capillaries. I copied this from HHT.org: "Shunting of air, blood clots, and bacteria through pulmonary AVMs, thus bypassing the filtering capabilities of the lungs, may cause transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), embolic stroke, and cerebral or other abscess." Some of the symptoms of the HHT trait include frequent nosebleeds (that's me), "strawberry patch" birthmarks (that's me), spots on the skin that look like brown moles but they are red (that's me), and AVMs (me, again). Of course, we didn't know all of this before! Since the HHT and AVMs are hereditary, I have wondered since all of this happened with me if my dad's subdural hematoma might have been caused by a cerebral AVM. I guess we'll never know for sure.

A physical therapist came by to see me a couple of times in the hospital and an occupational therapist came by once. They pretty quickly decided that I didn't need them, so they left me alone.

I had not really had time to think about it before, but during the middle of the night Wednesday night, it occurred to me that I had just been through a life-threatening illness. In my mind, I had come through it, but the doctors and nurses said I was still there. During the night, Debbie would play music on her phone for us. It helped the time pass for me because I would usually go to sleep around 7:00pm and wake up around midnight.  Debbie had choir music from church playing on her phone Wednesday night and the song "One Day Jesus" came on. I have heard people talk about meeting Jesus during their near-death times, but that didn't happen to me. I remembered while I was in surgery feeling like I was walking down a road on my way to heaven. I remembered thinking that I wasn't ready to be there. In the sense of salvation, I am ready, but in the sense of having been the person that I was supposed to be I was not ready. The song "One Day Jesus" says,

One day Jesus will call my name.
As days go by I hope I don't stay the same.
I wanna get so close to him that it's no big change
On the day that Jesus calls my name.

Even though they had told us to expect to stay through the weekend, the doctors came in on Thursday and said that I was doing so well that they were going to go ahead and send me home. Debbie got training on how to administer my antibiotics through the PICC line they had put in my arm while I was in ICU. It's basically a "permanent" IV line. The line was inserted in the artery in my right arm just in front of my bicep muscle and ran all the way up past my collar bone almost to my neck. Thursday evening, we went home and our home health company brought medications and supplies for us.

 

 

Debbie Facebook - February 2 at 4:26pm

Larry is home!!!

We both had tears in our eyes as we drove down Lakeland. Thankful to be able to make that drive together again realizing how close we came to losing him.

Giving thanks for the miracle that he is home 4 days after his brain surgery.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE!!!

Debbie Facebook - February 3 at 1:16pm

I think Larry's status from this morning says it all…

Listening to the rain falling outside my bedroom window, the most peaceful sound in this world! Thank you, Jesus.

Although he had to sleep in the recliner in our room, it was good to be sleeping at home last night. The IV antibiotics have been easy so far. My nursing skills are increasing. Again, your continuous prayers on our behalf are PRICELESS!!

I lived most of the next few days in the recliner in our bedroom. I used a walker for a day for balance when getting up to go to the bathroom but mostly stopped after that.

Our 2^nd daughter's Facebook status: Heather - February 4 at 7:11pm

"Dad's having brain surgery in the morning." Hard to believe it was this time a week ago I was hearing these words! "Dad could be a House episode" were Josh's words a few days after surgery. So thankful that the doctors were able to remove the abscess after a long six hour surgery on Sunday morning. Thankful for everyone who has prayed for my dad and family over the last week. Thankful for God's protection over us all the past week. One brain surgery, two nights in ICU and 2 more days in a hospital room dad was able to go home! Please continue to pray for dad as he continues to rest and heal, mom as she plays nurse giving dad antibiotic cocktails in his picc line, for Rachel, Ashley and I as we are far from home, and the lil guys as they are home helping mom and dad on the road to recovery! I love you team Clegg! Also pray for the doctors as they monitor a smaller spot that we pray antibiotics shrink and as they look at dads AVM.

Debbie Facebook - February 4 at 7:53pm

I helped Larry with his shower. He said he sure does appreciate the small things in life such as a warm shower, clean hair, clean clothes, and deodorant so that he doesn't smell too manly. He is resting now. His energy level is still very low. He is having some problems with the vision in his left eye. Getting from bedroom to living room wears him out.

He has a long road to recovery but we are so thankful to be on that road. Thank you, Father, for giving us more days to journey together.

(Comment from a dear friend) Shaunna A.  I know he is so happy to be home with all of his favorite people! God is so very good to us to let us keep our sweet loves! Every day is a great blessing. I know that both of you know this. You have built an amazing family & life together. Can't wait to see what's next!

Thank you Lord for all the answered prayers they have received & all that are yet to come. Thank you for peace & joy in the midst of chaos & uncertainty. Thank you for the way you love us all so well!

Our friends Marty and Paula came over Sunday afternoon, February 5^th, to visit for a while. Debbie and Paula sat at the kitchen table and Marty and I talked in the living room, where I was in the other recliner. I noticed after a while (around the time the Super Bowl started) that I was feeling kind of funny and just decided that I was tired. Marty kept looking over at the ladies in the kitchen with a funny look on his face. After a little while Marty and Paula left. I watched the football game in the living room recliner, mostly watching with one eye open and one eye closed. I had noticed that since surgery, the vision in my right eye seemed to be very clear, while my left eye seemed about the same as before. Heather, our second daughter, and I love to watch football together and when we can't be together, we text a lot or converse via Facebook. We exchanged a few text messages during the game, but it just wasn't the same. When the game ended, I went to the recliner in the bedroom and went to sleep.

Debbie Facebook - February 5 at 7:34p

This time last week I was at Whataburger with Heather and Colin trying to grab something to eat between ICU visit times for Larry. I had seen him for only a few minutes in ICU right after surgery. As I started to give thanks for the food and God's blessings of the day, my mouth would form the words THANK YOU and my lips would move but my heart was so overwhelmed with joy that no sound was coming forth. Instead I cried tears of THANKFULNESS…

Tonight as I reflect back just one week ago my heart is still crying tears of THANKFULNESS!!!

When we woke up Monday morning, I had a bit of a headache and was running a low-grade fever. Debbie also said that I was not as responsive to her as I had been before. Debbie called the doctor's office and they said to head back to the Emergency Room.

When we got to the ER, they did an MRI of my head and we waited. After a little while, the nurse came in and said that the abscess was back and they were going to re-admit me and the doctor would be around in a couple of minutes to answer any questions we might have. This was at 9:40 on Monday morning. By 12:30, we had still not seen anyone and I was getting a little antsy. Debbie went out to the nurse's station to try to find out what was going on. The nurse that was there said she didn't know anything and that our nurse was gone to lunch and she would have her come see us as soon as she got back. Around 1:30, our nurse came wandering in. Debbie asked her about the test results and plans. The nurse was surprised that the doctor had not been in to see us. They eventually got us into a room. Dr. Amundson said the abscess wasn't "back", but that the MRI had shown the "hole" that was left in my brain where the abscess had been. They put me on a group of antibiotics to fight whatever infection was causing my fever  Many, many tests were run over the next few days.

Debbie Facebook - February 6 at 10:03pm

The Lord your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.
(Zephaniah 3:17)

On Tuesday February 7^th, a new doctor came into my room. He introduced himself as Dr. Weddle, a neurologist. He asked if he could sit on the sofa while we all chatted. He and Debbie sat there. I, of course, stayed in my bed.  He did a little small talk for a minute or so and then said, "So you had this stroke and…" he just continued on with something. This was the first we had heard about a stroke, so we stopped him and told him to back up a minute. He told us that I had had a very, very mild stroke and that the blood clot had lodged exactly between two lobes of my brain, so I should have no ill effects from it. He explained to us the difference in a stroke and a TIA (transient ischemic attack) and said that what I had was a full stroke. He went through all of the risk factors for stroke with us. I've never been in any of the risk factor groups, so the doctors assumed that the clot "snuck" in through my AVM.

Debbie Facebook - February 7 at 7:49pm

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
(Matthew 11:28-30)

We had a long night last night. Larry had severe pain in his upper back between his shoulder blades. This made each breath painful. In the wee hours of the morning, he was able to finally rest after they gave him a muscle relaxer.  This pain has continued today. The doctor is concerned that he has a fever even with all the antibiotics they are pumping into him. They are also concerned about this new pain. The doctors are seeking answers. More MRIs, blood cultures, etc. Trying to find source of infection. We are thankful they are diligently seeking answers.

We are both very tired. Praying for a good night of rest. I know that many of you have sore knees from all the time you have spent in prayer on our behalf. I don't have words to tell you how much your prayers, words of encouragement, and acts of kindness mean to us. God has poured out His love for us through you. Thank you for being His vessel!

Karen W. We love you both and are truly burdened for all that everyone is going through.

Chantelle A.We don't get tired of praying. It is always an honor to stand in the gap for someone. You would do the same for any one of us.

Debbie Facebook - February 8 at 10:54pm

My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
(Psalm 121:2)

This verse is written on a big wall plaque in Larry's hospital room. What a great reminder for us!!! The CREATOR of this great big world is the same CREATOR of each of us and is our HELPER!!!

We both had a good night of rest last night. We know God heard your prayers!

Today has been a better day. Less pain. Very little fever. More alert. We even had a short date time sitting on the couch together! (treasured time)

Larry's incision from the surgery is healing nicely. The doctors still need to find the source of the infection. They are still trying to determine the best way to treat his infection. These things will determine how long he will be in the hospital… Days or weeks. Keep praying! Tonight please pray for another good night of rest and for God to give the doctors EYES TO SEE the infection.

Blessings,

Debbie

Larry Facebook - February 15 at 12:37am

I may have never seen the road
That I am walking on.
But I know the one who built the road
And he never lets me walk alone.

During this stay, the Infectious Diseases doctor ordered a sonogram of my legs and heart. He was checking my legs to watch for blood clots and my heart for the murmur that he had heard the week before. He came in later and listened for a long time to my heart and told me that the heart murmur didn't show up on the sonogram and that he couldn't hear it any more, but he knew it was there before.

I had a number of good visitors over this stay, but I particularly appreciated my "old" friend Mark Square driving up from south Louisiana and my brother Roni driving in from Houston, where he was working.

The doctors increased me to 3 antibiotics via IV and sent us home on February 13^th after six days in the hospital. Our daily schedule for the next several weeks was:

• At 6am, 9am, 12pm, 6pm, 9pm, and 12am, Debbie would connect one or two medicines to my PICC line
• Depending on the medicine, each one had to be disconnected 30 to 90 minutes later.
• Each dose had to be refrigerated and set out 3 hours to warm up to room temperature before being administered.

If you do the math, you can see that the longest period during the day and night that Debbie didn't have something to do was 3 hours. After a little while, the kids and I would get the meds out of the refrigerator so she could get a little longer rest period.

Debbie Facebook - February 20 at 7:44am

Not by my strength, Lord.
Not by my strength.
Fill me up with You.
Fill me up with You.

I wish I could say this was always my first thought as the alarms and timers go off especially during the night BUT as I focus on Him, I am thankful that He supplies my needs. Larry and I are in our routine for the meds and are counting down the days. We are starting week 3 of 6. Larry continues to grow stronger and we continue to count our blessings. We are so grateful for our gifts of more time together as a family, loving friends, and opportunities to serve our Lord

Debbie Facebook - February 21 at 10:12pm

Larry saw the infectious disease doctor this afternoon. The doctor was very pleased with his progress and all of his blood work looked great!! (insert shouts of joy!!)

We will continue our present course. We have 4 more weeks of the IV antibiotics at home. We will return to the infectious disease doctor in 2 weeks. If all continues to look great then they will schedule the repair of the pulmonary artery malformation sometime during the end of the IV antibiotic regimen.

We have a follow up appointment with the neurosurgeon on Thursday and another MRI.

We are so thankful. Larry was able to walk into the doctor's office on his own!! As we reflect on all that has happened in the last two months, our hearts overflow with thanksgiving for all that God has brought us through. May our gaze continue to remain steadfast on Him… TO GOD BE THE GLORY, GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE!!

A couple of years ago, a good friend of ours was badly injured in a car wreck, and that got us to thinking about and praying about buying short-term disability insurance. We did that back then and it sure was nice to not have to worry about money while I was out sick. We found out over time that the short-term disability didn't cover all of our income. Between the generosity of friends bringing food, not having to buy gas to drive to work and back every day, and other unexpected gifts, this gap disappeared.

On Sunday February 26^th, I got to go see the kids performing in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown". Several people told me how impressed they were with our kids and how strong they had been as we've gone through this trying time. They had been going to rehearsals several times a week while I was going through all of this and they had held up very well. Their performance was great! Joshua was Charlie Brown. D'Lynn was his sister Sally. Caleb worked stage crew and Winnie helped with a number of things. We were so thankful for the friends who made sure that they got to practice each night and our Black Rose Theater family who loved on our kids during this difficult time and invested in them.

I started running a low grade fever that day and not feeling very well. Not really sick, just feeling more yucky than usual. The antibiotics have made me feel pretty yucky all along. We went to the Infectious Diseases doctor on Monday the 27^th and did a lot of blood work and x-rays. The doctor decided that I was having an allergic reaction to the meds. He stopped one of the antibiotics. By Wednesday I was having more allergic type symptoms, so he stopped the second antibiotic. On Thursday, he stopped the third antibiotic and put me on a new one. The nice thing about this new antibiotic is that it only has to be administered every 24 hours, so Debbie's nursing schedule was greatly reduced!

I drove for the first time in seven weeks on Tuesday March 13^th. It felt a little strange after being chauffeured by Debbie all this time.

On the morning of Wednesday March 14th, we went back to Baptist Hospital for a procedure to correct the AVM in my lung that the doctors are certain was responsible for my brain abscess, emergency surgery to clean out the abscess, and stroke. I explained the AVM a couple of pages back in a paragraph with a warning that it would be boring and technical. Dr. Usey, a preventive radiologist, was scheduled to do my procedure.

The procedure to fix this thing is to push a small catheter into the main vein in my right leg, run it up through my right lung, through two chambers of my heart, down into the left lung, and into the problem artery. All of this is watched by the doctor (and me!!!!) through the marvel of x-ray technology. Once the catheter is in the AVM, they push this really thin wire through the catheter into the AVM, where it coils up and slows down the blood flow. This really was the coolest thing to watch on TV that you can imagine. I wonder if they could give me a DVD of the procedure?

Anyway, there were several times during the procedure that the doctor stopped and said, "Hmmm." No, I didn't ask. I figured he would tell me when he was ready. :)

The procedure was supposed to take about 30 minutes, but went a couple of hours instead, partly because of problems guiding the catheter through difficult turns in my blood plumbing.

Finally, we got two coils in and they sent me back to the recovery area.

That night Dr. Usey came in with this very perplexed look on his face. He even told us that he was "perplexed". He said that part of the reason that it took so long was that he found an AVM pretty quickly, but it was too small to be the one that we were there to correct. He said he couldn't find the big one that we were doing the procedure to correct. He went ahead and put the coils in the small one anyway. He said he wanted to do another CT-scan in the morning so he could compare it to the one from six weeks ago that he had been studying ever since. He didn't know if there were two AVMs and one had been "hiding" on the first scan, or what other possibilities might exist. He just wanted to look and see and told us that he was available to do the procedure again in the morning if we wanted to do it on the second AVM.

Some time during Wednesday evening, I told Debbie that I thought he couldn't find the big, original AVM because I believed God had already healed it. Our friend, Sandy said it very elegantly that night in a comment to Debbie's Facebook status, "Prayers for a VERY clear picture of what God has already done!" Debbie and I both prayed that all night.

The floor nurse told me that the CT-Scan was scheduled for 7:00 Thursday morning and I was awake and ready to go. They didn't actually get there to take me downstairs until about 8:00. The man from "transportation" that came to wheelchair me down to radiology is one that we had met before. His name is Walter and he is an associate pastor at a church in Canton. He sings, in this deep full baritone voice, while he wheels patients around the hospital. January last year, when Debbie was discharged from the hospital, he rolled her downstairs while singing "Blessed Assurance". What a ministry!!

While driving me down to radiology that morning, he was singing the old Gaither song "He Touched Me". He finished the chorus just as we got to the CT room. (The chorus lyrics are below if you need a refresher, but the last line is "He touched me and made me whole".) I told him that it was the perfect song for my morning, described what I was there for, and told him that we had been praying for divine healing.

They got me on the CT table and ready to get started. The doctor came in and told the techs to keep an eye on me because I am a trouble-maker. :) He went behind the little wall with them to watch as the scans were done. They first did two without contrast and one scan with contrast. The AVM shows up bright and clear with contrast!

After the scans were done, the doctor came around and stood in front of me with that same perplexed look on his face and said, "That huge AVM that we were trying to fix yesterday… isn't there." I told him that I was expecting that. He also told me that the "new" small AVM that he put the coils in yesterday was already clotting and shriveling up, doing exactly what it is supposed to do, but very quickly. No surprise to us!!!! Dr. Usey later told us that he had been studying the CT scans since before the brain surgery in preparation for the repair and this was the largest AVM he had ever seen. Later in the afternoon, he came to our room and told us that he had spent a long time studying the original CT scan and the one he supervised this morning. His explanation: GOD!

AVMs are hereditary and you are born with them. We are quite humbled that God chose to heal this particular "birth defect" in this way and at this time. We can only call this a miracle!!

He Touched Me (Bill and Gloria Gaither)

He touched me, Oh He touched me,
And oh the joy that floods my soul!
Something happened and now I know
He touched me and made me whole

On Thursday March 22^nd, Dr. Byers took my PICC line out. He left me on oral antibiotics for a couple of months, even though there has been NO sign of infection for a long time. He laid out a treatment plan after the initial surgery and hasn't known what to do but continue with it.

For years I have had a big problem with the word "deserve". You know, "You deserve a new car" or "You deserve a vacation". What we "deserve" is far below what we want. Going through all of this, I have really struggled with why God has chosen to bless me, while others who "deserve" much better continue to suffer (and sometimes die). We had three close friends that died suddenly during the weeks that I was sick. That honestly caused me a good bit of what they call "survivor guilt". While doing my daily Bible reading on March 27^th, I read John 5:21, which says:

And just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to anyone He wants to. (HCSB)

I had to decide at that point that if the Son wants to give me life, that should be good enough for me.

Debbie Facebook - March 29th

Two months ago today I was sitting in the waiting room while they did surgery on Larry. We were not sure if he had a brain abscess or a tumor. A two hour surgery turned into a six hour surgery. Today we walked three miles together. We know that God has done a miracle in Larry's life. TO GOD BE THE GLORY… GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE!!!

NEVER ONCE by Matt Redman kind of sums up how we feel. We cannot begin to find the words to thank all of you for your prayers, words of encouragement, meals, and other acts of kindness on our behalf. We feel very blessed and loved.

 

NEVER ONCE

by MATT REDMAN

Standing on this mountaintop
Looking just how far we've come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us

Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You've done
Knowing every victory
Is Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Carried by Your constant grace
Held within Your perfect peace
Never once, no, we never walk alone

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we'll be breathing out Your praise
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Debbie Facebook - April 9 at 2:07pm

My gift from Larry. (Picture of a glider with a “roof”)

I have cried such tears of joy watching him build this for me. It will be a great reminder of all God has done in our lives over the last few months!! I want to paint the words "Be still and know that I am God" across one of the top boards. Over and over I have heard God telling me "Watch and see what I will do!"

I sat on it last night and cried tears of joy while singing "Never Once". It has become our theme song for this Odyssey.

Chorus:
Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

 

On April 12^th, I saw Dr. Amundson and he cleared me to go back to work. He said that if one of his colleagues looked at the latest MRI of my brain, they wouldn't know that I'd ever had an abscess or surgery. He said he can only see the spot where the abscess used to be because he knows where to look for it. He said there was no reason to restrict my activities at this point.

I went back to work on Monday April 16^th. The company had a little breakfast get-together in my honor to start the day. My friend Keith joked that I looked like I could do pushups. I asked him how many he wanted and (again joking) said he'd like to see 10. I dropped to the floor and did 10 pushups, just for fun. It really was easy! It has been great being back at work and feeling useful again.

Debbie Facebook - April 16 at 9:20am

Larry's FB status this morning!!!!
 Hi-ho
 Hi-ho
 It's off to work I go

So thankful he is able to return to work today. BUT I miss having him at home!! I like hanging out with my best friend all day every day!!!

Went to see Dr. Byers, Infectious Diseases, on Thursday May 24^th. All my blood work was AGAIN clear and he took me off all antibiotics. He wants me to come back periodically over the next 12 to 18 months to recheck my blood.

Many, O Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.
Psalm 40:5

Debbie has said that she now has some favorite seven-letter words and phrases:

• Abscess — Given the choice between Abscess and Tumor, this is an easy choice. When the doctors told us it was one or the other, I was in too much pain to care either way, but Debbie was grateful that it was "just" an abscess.
• Praying — It was amazing to us how many messages we got with this one simple word. For some time, I have made a special effort to not tell someone that I was going to pray for them, but to get right down to it right then and there. This has continued. My prayer life has grown tremendously over the last few months!
• Surgery — Thankful that surgery was an option and for the wonderful surgeons that God has gifted. Our family doctor who is a long time friend told us that if he had to hand pick a medical team to take care of him that he would have picked all the doctors that were a part of our medical team.
• Be Still — God has shown us over and over the importance of BEING STILL and resting in His presence.
• Friends — We are so thankful for the blessing of Friends. God's love was poured out mightily to our family through the gift of friends.
• Recover — A beautiful word to hear after a loved one has been in surgery.
• Healing — Means so much more than the physical.

Several people have asked if all of the problems in my head were related to the back problems that I was having before. The only relationship between the two is:

1. The back problems introduced me to my brain surgeon
2. The CT scan they did of my back at the end of December gave the doctors a really good picture of the AVM in my lung.

Way back in high school and college, I was a runner. I wasn't all that good, but I loved doing it. I started walking as part of my recovery. I started with about 50 yards down the street and back. I eventually worked up to a three mile walk about every three days. After a while, I started jogging part of the three miles and by the end of May, I could jog the entire three miles. On June 2^nd, I ran the Magnolia Speech Sprint 5K race held at Jackson Academy. I expected to make the run in about 37 or 38 minutes, but finished at 33:05 which was good enough for 4^th in my age group. I was very pleased with my run. I plan to do more 5K runs. A couple of friends have suggested that I will get the bug and want to do longer races, but I don't expect that to happen.

Debbie Facebook - June 2nd

And he finishes!!!

Counting our blessings through my tears! 18 weeks post brain abscess/surgery!! What a miracle!!! WE SERVE AN AWESOME GOD!!!!

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. — Romans 12:12

As we have looked back at our journey, we have reflected on a Proverb's 31 Ministries' post that Debbie had shared back on January 4^th.

Proverbs 31 Ministries

When God allows extraordinary trials for His people, He prepares extraordinary comforts for them. ~Corrie Ten Boom {"For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13}

Little did we know at the beginning of our odyssey the extraordinary trials that we would be facing in the days ahead but we rejoice in the extraordinary comforts that our God provided for us. Our hearts continue to be full to overflowing as we rejoice in all that HE has done. We desire to share our story and give HIM the glory!!