IN THE REFINING FIRES!

Seattle,WA Friday, March 4, 2011, Cloudy 45 degrees.

Everyone goes through the refining fires of life. I Peter speaks of a purifying and authenticating quality to that process. He says that faith must be refined and tested in fire like gold to remove impurities. The bottom line is that faith is perfected in the refining process, gold can and will pass away. At our Clinical Conference with our Medical Team yesterday, my attending Physician warned me that the next 10-15 days would be the most difficult for me taking the fast track Prednisone reduction. Some of the new side effects I am experiencing include elevated blood sugar. I have been tracking it four times a day and it is creeping upward to the point that we are currently at SCCA scheduled for Insulin Therapy. Kriss will have to give me the shots either before or after mealtimes, we'll find out in a few minutes. I am not diabetic at this time, it is just another side-effect of all the meds and my Pancreas just can't keep up. I have all the symptoms, dry mouth, thirst, exhaustion and bad attitude. I never counted on having the opportunity to experience so many temporary serious medical conditions when I first came here. I am learning first hand some valuable insights into the medical and emotional challenges of long term critical medical conditions. I pray that it will help me to be more understanding and truly supportive of others in the  future. I may only have a 4-6 week bout with high blood sugar, I truly hope so. Another positive is the need to constantly evaluate what you are eating and how it affects your vital organs and health. Advanced nutrition training comes in handy at any age.

My brother Tom, now almost 6 weeks in Intensive Care at Harborview, is going through a similar 10-15 day trial by fire. We are getting to the point of major decision making time concerning the issue of quantity vs quality of life. We had a very candid conversation with his attending Physician this morning and we are going to give Tom the best chance possible to recover. They will do a Tracheotomy, hopefully today, so they can remove the tube into his lungs. Simultaneously, his body is leaching out 6 full weeks of sedation. They cannot determine what level of brain function he still has from his bleeding and stroke until he is out of the sedative fog that he has been lost in for 6 weeks. By this time next week, they are hopeful that he will be conscious enough to communicate his own wishes concerning further treatment and care.

My next older sister, Kathy, arrives next Friday from Iowa. It is her Spring Break from teaching in Des Moines and she will be a valuable resource in helping make decisions, one way or another. We will consult with all of our siblings, of course, before we make any definitive decisions. The emotional roller coaster of my own medical conditions seems to pale in comparison to the overwhelming needs of those around me. May I be a true "sur-thriver" in the midst of the refining process. Like the three Hebrews  boys thrown into the fiery furnace, those observing suddenly saw a fourth figure, Jesus, of course, who delivered them. He is with us here and we will see his glory and deliverance. Robin