Month: September 2008

Mandy’s Challenges with Emesis

Hey Guys,

Just a quick update….

Mandy is doing pretty well. She has so far continued to gain weight. However she is still having problems with vomiting or emesis as it is called in the medical community. This is slowing down her progress.

I have been trying to discover the cause for Mandy’s occasional tummy troubles, but have been unable to isolate it. We have tried different things; including making sure that her formula is made with distilled water. However the problem still occurs.

After two hospitalizations, and Mandy being poked and prodded in every way imaginable, all of her lab tests have turned up nothing productive.

I am very concerned about this issue, but am confident that everything that can be done or checked out has been done. Her Doctor is not overly concerned about the problem. He thinks it might have something to do with the pressure in her brain shifting, or perhaps her intestines. Frankly he doesn’t know. He is staying on top of the situation, and will hospitalize her again if necessary.

I know that God knows what is causing this problem. He is the great physician, and can reveal it to her doctor, or he can heal it instantly. I have learned through much trial and error, you don’t put God in a box. He will take care of it in the way that he wants to and there is no way to pin him down.

So like everything else, I have to trust him and rest in his arms. He has never let me down, and I know he won’t let Mandy down either.

So all of that being said, you now know what the prayer needs are. Also pray for wisdom and direction for Teresa and me.

Love in Christ
Michael and Teresa Blaes

PS. Please feel free to share your thoughts by clicking the comment link below. These comments are always encouraging, and God often uses them to remind us of his love and provision.

Mandy Tune up Round 2

Hi Guys,

This is going to be a long post, because a lot has happened. Its been a crazy time, with a lot of going back and forth.

Mandy is doing pretty well for the most part. She had been transferred back to the nursing facility. She was ok for a few days then she started vomiting. It happened while the doctor was checking on her. So she was sent to the emergency room, where she was admitted back into the hospital. They ran a bunch of tests, and couldn’t really find anything wrong. She has not vomited once since she was admitted, so they will probably release her in a couple of days. They are trying a new formula. Hopefully she will tolerate it well, and start gaining weight again. That has been our biggest concern. She has had so much trouble gaining weight. The doctors are on top of the situation. Please pray that God will give them wisdom and discernment.

Our training is proceeding well. We tried 4 hours a day 4 days a week but it was not sufficient time to train. So we have modified the schedule to 10 hours a day, 3 days a week with a day in between to rest. I think this will work better. Of course it will depend on doctor’s appointments and other scheduling issues.

Teresa completed her testing successfully after 4 days in the hospital. It has been determined that her seizures are non-epileptic. That means they are being caused by something other than her epilepsy. So her doctor has weaned her off her medication, and the seizures seem to be reducing as well. She is having some issues with migraine headaches. It probably has something to do with the medication change. But God is in control and we know he will bring us through this as well. Please pray that God will reveal what is causing these non-epileptic events” and headaches

We sense some major changes coming. We know at some point Mandy will be coming home, and we are preparing for that. We really need God’s direction and wisdom during this time. There are a lot of decisions to be made and not all of them are easy ones.

We will to continue to seek out wisdom and understanding. The best way that I found to find her (Wisdom) as it says in Proverbs is to hit my knees. One thing I know is that my God has never let me down. I will rest in the shelter of the most high.

Thank you for all the prayers and support. It is amazing to me how someone will comment on the blog at exactly the right time and it will exactly what we need. Trust me when I say when you have no one else to rely on, trust our creator. He will never let you down.

Love in Christ
Michael and Teresa Blaes

PS. Please feel free to share your thoughts by clicking the comments link below.