Wow. Much has gone on since the end of February, but one thing especially was unplanned for. My son, Matthew had appendicitis and had to have an emergency appendectomy!
Saturday, after I returned home from picking up the second puppy from the vets (they both recovered from the parvo, by the way, and are bouncing all over the place again) my wife informed me that she thought we should perhaps take Matthew in to the emergency room!
What !?!?!
It is very unusual for us to go to the doctor, much less the emergency room! We are not ones to run out to the ER for any little mishap, which have been many over the years. Usually we tell the children to dust themselves off and they are fine. Lisa has an uncanny sense that she knows when their mishap is serious and needs her immediate attention and when it is not serious. The children scream with the same intensity in either case, but she always seems to know what's really going on with them.
The only other time we rushed to the emergency room was two years ago when she recognized that Matthew was having an allergic reaction to a hornet sting. He had never had a reaction before, but by the time we got him to the emergency room, his windpipe was swelling shut and they were afraid he was close to anaphylactic shock! They took him right in (since it was a real emergency) and said that it was a close one. He wasn't complaining much that time either!
Last Friday Lisa and the children spent all day helping with a fundraiser dinner at church. Matthew had mentioned something about an upset stomach, but never complained. They were making and selling chicken and dumpling dinners to raise money for a dear lady who needs surgery. (This was the same cause for which we purchased Little Joe at that charity auction. By the way, our little church raised $4,000 for the surgery fund by selling and delivering those chicken and dumplings dinners over the weekend at $5 a box! Those roosters we recently harvested came in handy.) He took some gas medicine before he went to bed that night and we gave him some Sprite, to see if that would help.
Matthew did not sleep much through the night because of the abdominal pain and some vomiting. He had a very low fever once, but pretty normal otherwise. He did not complain and was looking forward to working on the goat-yard gate and goat house that afternoon, which was our planned activity for the day. He took some medicine for his upset stomach and I left to get the puppy and run some errands at the courthouse.
When I returned, Lisa said she thought it was appendicitis because Matthew had mentioned that the pain had kind of settled in the right side of his stomach. We read all we could find about appendicitis and decided that we better get him to the hospital.
Again, the ER believed us that it really was an emergency and took him right in starting the various tests. They allowed both Lisa and me to be back there with him even though they said there was only supposed to be one person. Erica, Christina, and Simon waited patiently in the waiting room. (They were apparently very well behaved and just colored and talked nicely to one another.) It did not take long before the ER staff agreed with Lisa's diagnosis of appendicitis and had him rushing off to the surgery table!
The whole family was allowed to go back to be with Matthew as they prepped him for the surgery and getting him hooked up with the anesthesia. Again, this was unusual, but the staff saw something in my family that made them want to bend the rules.
Matthew's brother and sisters all told him how much they loved him and would be praying for him. It was difficult for us all not to shed the tears we were feeling, seeing him laying there so helpless. We had a family prayer together as Matthew was fading off to the land of slumber.
The anesthesiologist said afterward that he had asked Matthew to think pleasant thoughts as the medicine was taking effect later. You never know what a person will say under the effects of that type of medicine. He said Matthew spoke about wanting to be home and feeding his pigs and little goat and building a goat house! Those were his pleasant thoughts!
About two hours later he was in the recovery room and coming off of the medicine. Again they let the whole family be back there as he came back to consciousness. Now our tears were of thankfulness and joy, but he still seemed so helpless. It wasn't long before he was sleeping in a regular hospital room. He made me so proud the way he handled everything and was a constant testimony to God's greatness!
We give God the glory for the successful surgery. We thank Him for the way the entire staff treated the situation and how He gave them the knowledge and expertise to do what was needed. The surgeon was new to our area, and was highly trained and knowledgeable. He was going to do the traditional surgery but we asked about Laparoscopic surgery. He said that he was comfortable with either procedure and had done many of both. We learned later that Matthew's surgery was the first laparoscopic appendectomy to ever be performed at this hospital! To God be the glory!
I am also amazed and thankful how God used my family to touch the staff. Some of the emergency room staff even came up to visit Matthew after they got off work! They said we were different... They were amazed at how well behaved the children were and how they seemed to genuinely love one another. They were impressed with how Matthew handled the whole ordeal; his demeanor, calmness, and maturity. Matthew was not the typical 13 year-old that they were used to seeing.
When it was almost time for us to leave, one of the regular nurses came up to Lisa and said, "I don't mean to be rude, but we are all wondering: What are you?"
After Lisa looked quite perplexed the nurse explained that she was talking about our faith. They all recognized that we had something that they do not often see. Lisa and the girls were always in dresses, I had a big beard, and there was such a peace about us. We were not "in fashion" and had a totally different outlook on life.
Lisa responded, "We're Christians."
It is a shame that Christianity has blended in so much with the world that the real thing seems strange. We do not even use head-coverings, and are actually quite "worldly" when compared to the conservative Mennonites or Amish.
Lisa went on to explain that we attend a normal Free Will Baptist church but we have just made a concerted effort to not be "of the world" and that we try to live our lives in a way that pleases the Lord. It was a wonderful opportunity to testify about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
It is a humbling feeling to realize that we can point people toward God just by the way we conduct our lives.
Matthew was released from the hospital Sunday afternoon and was home by Sunday evening. I thought it might be too early, and the first day was pretty painful for him, but he has rebounded wonderfully. He is feeling quite well now, and just can't wait to get back to work around the farm! He felt very badly that he could not help me put the finishing touches on the goat fence and gate, which I have completed now. (We still need to get the goat house built, but Erica is taking Little Joe up to his lot everyday and bringing him back down to the doghouse each evening. Everyone is pitching in with helping feed the pigs.)
I testified last night at church that for this ordeal to have been such a bad experience, it was actually a quite good experience! (in a strange way) We know that all things work together for good to them that love Him. We give Him all glory and praise! Thank you, Lord, for helping us all to handle this situation in a way pleasing to you, and for allowing your protection and peace to fall upon us.
4 comments
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morningsunshine March 8, 2007 at 9:25 am
Hey, prayers to Matthew. I hope he is up and going (safely!) soon!
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LittleHouse on March 8, 2007 at 6:20 pm
Hello! I am glad Matthew is feeling a little better! I am praying that he recovers fast and he is feeling better each day! I hope everything is going well, and tell everyone "Hi" for me! I love you all
Love,
Mary
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HSB Front Porch on March 8, 2007 at 6:59 pm
What a wonderful testimony. Thanks for sharing!! It's amazing to see what God can do in these situations, isn't it?
~Nancy
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Mom on March 8, 2007 at 7:13 pm
Wow! I sure hope Matthew gets well soon.
maa's mom
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mom2ahousefull on March 9, 2007 at 7:05 am
Praise God for Matt's safety, and returning health.
PS- Lisa, dear, check your email.
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