Tuesday Jan. 8th 3:30 pm
Pastor Joe went in for heart surgery at 7:30 am and the successful surgery was completed at approx. 2:30 pm.
Initially Dr. Bennett tried to repair the Aortic valve but ended with plan B which was replacing the valve with a bovine tissue valve. This was done with a port access procedure instead of a Sternonomy.
Pastor Joe is in recovery at this time and we will update you when he is awake. It is requested that nobody come to visit until he arrives home due to necessary recovery time.
Jan. 8th 10:35 pm
Pastor Joe was taken off the ventilator around 7:30 pm, and is breathing on his own. He is aware of his family being here, but said he is in much pain, but praising God!! We know he is relieved that it is over. He is in and out of consciousness, and is quite confused, but still knows he wants me to rub his arm with a feather! :-) He probably won't remember what he said tomorrow. He told me to tell everyone to go home as was going to bed, so we know he is very tired (and so are we!) He said he does not want to talk. That is a first. :-) Our famiy would like to express our gratefulness to the many who have emailed, called, or sent messages that they are praying for him/us. We love you all very much and are extremely grateful for your fervent prayers on his behalf. "O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name." Nehemiah 1:11a
With gratitude, Chris, Rachel and Jason, Andrew and Laura, Josh and Jessi, Caylie, Benjamin
Jan 9th 4:00 pm
"Today was a banner day at the hospital! Joe has been properly labeled "A Freak of Nature" by his nurses, due to his rapid relinquishing of tubes, wires, meds, etc from his body. His nurses say he is just a miracle in process, as he moves quickly through the stages of healing. He came off enough to leave the intensive care unit, and move to the progressive unit this afternoon. He was up and walking the hallways today, and felt pretty good about getting out of bed. He is in some pain, but it is manageable. His breathing mechanism has reached a level of 3250. He did that by 11 am this morning, with us cheering him on. Normally, by the first day out of the OR, the level achieved is between 500 and 1000. His goal is to get to 4000 by this evening. As you know, Joe loves a challenge. This will greatly help him NOT get pneumonia. His doctor is very happy with his progress thus far. His night nurse is a Muslim lady, and she remarked that his progress is amazing, and Joe said it was due to the thousands of people praying for him, and she was very inquisitive about that, so it opened a door for witness. "But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place." 2 Corinthians 2:14. Our gratitude to the Lord for His rest and peace, and to you, our friends for your faithful prayers on our behalf. Rejoicing in Him, The Axtell family
Jan. 9 11:30 pm
Pastor Joe is doing very well, however extremely tired from the events of the day. Breathing is going very well, lungs are totally clear, walking slowly and steadily, and always praising the Lord for His healing hands. Dr. Bennett said his recovery time is going very well, but he needs to rest, rest, rest. He is visiting with anyone who walks into the room in his usual manner, so much that he is losing his voice. We've decided tomorrow we need to "pull the curtain", so he rests. Hard to keep him from being "Pastor Joe". But we all are continuing to praise our Precious Heavenly Father for His goodness to His children. It is a humbling experience to be partakers of His goodness in this way. His Word has been so comforting to us during this time of suffering, and we are learning much of His mercies. May He alone be praised. We love you all, The Axtells
Jan 10 3:00pm
Pastor Joe has been untethered from the chest tube and a couple of other obtrusive tubes and wires. He still has the wires attached to the heart to monitor its rhythm. He has discontinued use of the insulin, and one other of the meds. That was a blessing as well. He is very exhausted, and we have limited times to visit with him. He was able to see Caylie and Benjamin for the first time today, and shed many tears. They can only be here a short time, but at least they know Dad is in God's hands and doing well. Please direct your prayers for his heart rhythm to become regular, and for tomorrow, which the doctor says is the critical day for the function of the valve. So far, things seem to be working fine, and tomorrow will be the big hurdle day. We continue to praise the Lord for His goodness to us and the healing that has begun. As a side note, his roommate is named Ralph, talks as much as Ralph, and looks exactly like Tom Mather!! :-) So we feel at home! God's Blessings to each of you as you carry on the work of the ministry to God's people. Our love to you all, Chris and the kids
Jan 10 8 pm
"Pastor Joe has had a rough day. The nurses were smiling, as they said the "young pups" kinda crash on day two post-op, as they have more muscle tone that has been mutilated in the process and day two seems to be the day for the turbulence. He is resting most of the time, except when we get him up to walk. He has no appetite due to the pain meds causing him much craziness in his stomach. He is also still contending with the heart arrhythmia issues , and we are praying that calms down soon, so he can get some good nutrition to help with his recovery. He is closely monitored by the machines attached to the heart, so we are in good hands. They are changing some things today with meds, so that is also part of the equation. Please pray for the heart to come into consistent rhythm, for pain to subside, for this stomach pain to ease so he can get some proper nutrition, and for peace in the midst of pain. We are pushing the "resting card" hard, so he can heal properly. "But as for me, I trust inYou, O Lord, I say, 'You are my God,' My times are in your hand." Ps. 31:14-15 Our love to all, The Axtell family"
Jan. 11th 6:00 pm
Pastor Joe had a great night last night, comparatively, and this morning, they unthreaded the wires that were connected to his heart muscle, and pulled them out through the skin, an experience Joe said he would rather not remember in this lifetime, and then they watched him closely to see how the heart would respond to this new adventure. He did great, according to the heart monitors, which are still attached, so now they are tentatively scheduling him to leave the hospital to come home tomorrow sometime. They also removed the bulky dressings on his incisions, and all looks well there, too. He is walking well, and was encouraged to climb a few stairs to see how the heart responded to the extra load. His pain levels are tolerable, and his stomach pain is beginning to subside. He still is not eating well, but that will come in due time. He is very excited to be thinking of going home. They are warning us that there is still a long road ahead, but we have walked the steep part already, so we are relieved. We have many stories to tell of God's mercies while we have been here, and are extremely humbled by God's goodness to us. We are so grateful to our Lord and Savior."For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep." Psalm 92:4-5 Our gratitude to you for your prayers, and to our God for His grace to us, Love to all, The Axtell Family
Jan. 12th 1:00 pm
Pastor Joe has had a set back. Overnight his heart rate became very erratic, and so they had the surgeon come back in to check on him and he said he needs to stay so they can regulate the medications better. They warned us that this may happen day 3 post op, but for some reason, he did not respond negatively from being taken off the wires on the heart muscle until today. Joe said he is totally exhausted , and does not feel very well. So today they will try and adjust things to see how he does. He is quite discouraged about not going home, but we are trying to encourage him to rest and think about getting better. Also to be grateful that things happened while we were here under their watchful eye, rather than back home and having to make a trip back up to Albany. So we are in a holding pattern until things settle down. "The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands." Psalm 138:8
Jan. 13th 8:30 pm
"We were very excited to hear of the happenings at Sherman Bible Chapel this morning. It was a blessing to hear of the "rightly dividing of the Word of God". Praise the Lord! May He be glorified by the preaching of the Truth of the Scriptures, and by the 'hearing and doing' of His people. May His Word be the balm to the souls of the needy, and the nudge to the complacent.
Pastor Joe continues to have some issues with his heart rate. They are narrowing it down to the use of some medications that depleted the body of too much fluid too swiftly, and of the normal pattern of aortic valve replacement surgery and the repatterning of the rhythms of the heart. This may take some time for it to balance out, they say, but we are praying that it will settle enough for us to come home soon, and rest in our own environment, and manage it with our own cardiologist at home. Outside of that, he is doing well. This evening, his heart rate has slowed down some and he is feeling some better, very exhausted, but still making his walking rounds. It has given us much time to pray for each one as we pass by their rooms, knowing that they, too, have experienced some deep waters and are fearful at times like we are. One lady in particular asked us what we were doing when we walked by her room and when we told her we were praying for her, she was so very grateful and smiled from ear to ear. Although we are praying for physical healing, we are particularly praying for spiritual healing. This world is so full of spiritually empty people, and it has caused us to have a new vision of the lost who go through immense suffering without a Rock to cling to. We are grateful for the refuge we have in Christ." God's Blessings and our love to you all, Chris and the kids
Jan. 14th 10:30 pm
"The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made. The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love Him...My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise His Holy Name for ever and ever." Psalm 145:17-21 We are praising God for His mercies to us this week. We are HOME!! Praise God! We got home this evening just in time for supper which our kids had wonderfully made for us. Home cooked meals never looks so good as when you have been on hospital rations for so long! :-) Plus they were made with loving hands, and loving arms and wet kisses surrounded us as we walked in the door. A tear-filled time, but what a blessing to be home!
During the last 48 hours, Joe's meds were changed and regulated to help with the rapid heartbeat. I was too scared to tell you how fast it was, for fear I would have a heart attack telling you, but they were upwards of 135 beats a minute and were erratic, so things were very stressful at times in the last 2 days (normal is 60-80) . This was due to several things--the effect of the surgery on the heart and the need for the heart to "remodel its rhythm" as they call it. Also the overuse of some of the medications whose purpose was to make sure the heart did not have too much fluid around it. Unfortunately for Joe, they usually deal with older patients, and with Joe being young and active, his fluid levels did not need alot of medicinal help, and the same dosage was given to him as it is to older patients. After Joe and I analyzed everything, we presented it to the nurses, who then talked with the doctors, and we asked for him to be taken totally off from the Lasix and one of the other drugs we thought seemed to be presenting a problem when he took it. It took some time, but by this morning, the cardiologist, who started seeing him after the surgery, agreed that they had not paid enough attention to his fluid levels, and had overmedicated him in that department. They said things could have gotten out of hand quite quickly had they not discovered this, so as usual, we are grateful for the wisdom that the Lord gave us while we were there. We had asked for specific prayer for that in particular, and it was graciously answered!!
So by 11 am, the heart rate came down to around 100, so they felt it was safe to send us home this afternoon. Okay, so we begged a little....but we feel comfortable knowing that things were beginning to level out and we are confident in our health professionals here to continue to regulate things at home. Besides it is quite an expensive hotel to stay in. :-) Joe is very happy to be home in his own bed, as he is still extremely tired out.( me, too!) He is in some pain, but it is manageable with little medication. His Word has been so real to us this week, and it has been a comfort to know we are in God's hands completely. We have felt so totally surrounded with your prayers for us. Joe and I have said repeatedly to each other this week of how we actually feel His presence so acutely, and know the prayers of His people are rising as a sweet aroma to Him. What a precious place to be in! Thank you so very much for your encouragement through your prayers and cards. It has sustained us through a very difficult week.
Our love to you all, Joe and Chris, Rachel and Jason, Andrew and Laura, Josh and Jessi, Caylie, Benjamin
Jan 15th 9:00pm
"Today Joe is making some slow progress. We both slept very soundly last night, but he is still feeling very exhausted most of the time, but has short bursts of energy that last about an hour, then he needs to rest and recoup again. He gets his walks in during those short periods of time, then he is exhausted again. I guess that is the way it will be for a bit, and he is learning to deal with it. His pain is up quite a bit today, but we are attributing it to the long ride home in the car. He is happily eating some great home cooking, and enjoys his fresh fruit again, which we hope will help him gain the weight back that he lost last week. His heart rate continues to be too high, but we have been in contact with his surgeon today to see about adjusting his meds. Besides his frustration with his energy levels, he is annoyed with his memory lapses. I guess that will pick back up as time goes on and the effects of the anesthesia and the new medications are adjusted. I told him as long as he knows who he is and who I am , that's all that matters. :-) The long standing joke here is that he had about 15 books ready for me to load in the car for him to study at the hospital!! They still lie untouched in their stack. {:-) There will be time for that later in the healing process I am sure. Please continue to pray for his heart rate to adjust to this new valve and for his pain to subside. God has been very good to us and we are thankful for each baby step that he is making. "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." Ps. 94:19
Rejoicing in Him, The Axtell clan
Jan. 16th 7:30 pm
"Please pray for Pastor Joe as he is in much pain today. He said it is the worst he has had since the surgery. We are trying some things to ease it under Dr. Bennett's advice, so please pray that it kicks in soon. "
"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." 1 Cor. 10:13
Love to all, Chris and the kids
Jan. 17th 1:00 pm
We very much appreciate your prayers for this pain issue that Joe is currently in. After talking to Dr. Bennett at length late last night, he upped his pain medications to every two hours , alternating with three different kinds, and it finally kicked in and the pain dropped down some from the "plus 10" it was at. He is sleeping alot today, I'm sure due to the pain medications, but at least , he is not in excruciating pain. That is hard to take, and hard to watch! Dr. Bennett called us early this morning to see how he made out through the night, so that was pretty encouraging to us, too, to have him check back up on him and make sure his plan he placed in our hands last night worked. :-) He reminded me again how much he had to do inside under the rib cage, and knew that eventually, his pain would be up there pretty good. Once again, not sure why it kicked in late, rather than early, but no one avoids the pain entirely he said. We have been faithful to remind Joe of God's promises to him even during his intense pain, and he knows that God will be faithful to him as He promised. Again, His Word has been such a source of strength for us, and His wisdom that He gives for each moment is comforting to me. I can't say this is easy, but as Joe says, " Hard is not bad, hard is just hard!" Isaiah 35 was sent to us this week and has been particularly piercing to our hearts. "The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, 'Be strong, do not fear; YOUR GOD WILL COME! ' And He has been with us.....and we are grateful. Hanging on to Our Savior, The Axtell clan
Jan. 18th 9:30 pm
Today was a good day all and all. It started quite rough with increasing measures of pain from not resting comfortably during the night, but by early afternoon, we seemed to have things under control again, and tolerable. I am finding this is a full time job. He is in good spirits now, and the pain is doing much better. Joe does have some fluid buildup in his abdominal cavity and around through the back, which is common with this surgery, but needs to be reabsorbed so more of his pain can subside. His several incision points are healing nicely, and he has gained a couple pounds that he has lost. Many of you have mentioned the blessing of knowing how to pray specifically for him, and we are grateful that you are praying specifically! :-) Psalm 91 has been very dear to us this week. We can only find our true rest in our Almighty God. "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
Trusting in our God, The Axtells
Jan.19th. 11:00 pm
Well , we are calling today the "over the hump" day. We think that we have reached the peak of the pain and are starting down the other side. Hallelujah!! The last three days have been intense at various times of the day or night, but Joe feels he finally is past the peak of the pain and is beginning to see the light of day once again. He actually picked up one of his stack of 15 books that he wanted to take to the hospital, and began to read it. That made him pretty happy to feel well enough to study. We have also enjoyed the reading aloud of God's Word as we had looked to it for our strength for the moment, and each time we welcomed it as He promised. One thing that we received in the mail was this "One of the ways we share God's love is through encouragement. The word 'encourage' means 'to fill the heart, to puff it up, to enlarge it.' By encouraging a friend, we give that person a special heart-filled gift." Now due to knowing of Joe's enlarged heart caused by the congenital defect, we seem to always see things in a different way when we read them. When we read this note, it made us be encouraged in a new way....to remember his enlarged heart has been encouraged and enlarged in a new way, by so many of YOU throughout this difficulty that we have been wading through. Your reading of the Word to us, your prayers, cards, emails, gifts, calls, visits, meals and other goodies have so inspired us as we walk this path. We cannot begin to thank you enough for how you have blessed us throughout this difficulty. May God richly give to you as you have given to us. "We were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you, not only the gospel of God , but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us." I Thess. 2:7-8
Our love to you all, Joe and Chris and family
Jan. 20th 9:30pm
Praise the Lord for His marvelous gifts and blessings! God is good ~~ all the time. He has remained ever so faithful to my family and me as we have gone through the most amazing adventure of our lives thus far. This has been one of the most incredible roller coaster rides I have ever been on (and I do not like roller coasters at all!!!!! I like my feet firmly planted on God's green earth.) There have been a number of ups and downs in the recovery process. We have learned much and still have more to learn as we grow in His grace and learn what it really means to trust God in the middle of the raging storms. Prov. 3:5-6 (which you all know by heart) is a constant reminder of where our trust must be, but in verse 7 it says "Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil" is every bit as important as the two preceding verses. Letting go of what we see and feel physically and trusting others with their understanding and knowledge and experience has at times been a challenge for me. We always want to trust our own thinking, rather than God. Thank God for His incredible patience with us!
Thank you all so much for your prayers and cards and thoughts and meals. I look forward to seeing all your faces soon. Lord willing, I will be back with you all very soon. I love each and every one of you and pray for you constantly. God is doing great things in our midst. For this, we are rejoicing.
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25
With His Amazing love,
Pastor Joe
Jan. 21 11:30pm
Today Joe had a appt. with his cardiologist in Binghamton. Dr. Ryder said that everything with the heart sounds very good, and everything in his body seems to be progressing at a fairly normal clip for recovery from open heart surgery, except for he has some infection going on somewhere that they have yet to determine. Dr. Ryder sent him for tests at Wilson Hospital today after we left his office, so we had a long day there. The results will not be back until Wednesday or Thursday. Joe continues to run a fever which varies from day to day, and this indicates to Dr. Ryder that something is going on somewhere in connection with the surgery. We would ask that you pray, once again specifically, that they find the origin of the fever, and are able to control the infection. Joe mentioned that he hates roller coaster rides, and I am beginning to think he may have to learn to like them for a time. :-) It was somewhat discouraging, but then again, we know that our Sovereign God knows where we are and what we need and we will continue to trust in Him. Today we talked while we traveled of God's faithfulness to us and the joy we have in His people and the love they have shown to us continually. "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not YOU? Indeed, you are our glory and joy." I Thess. 2: 19-20 We give Him the praise that is due His Name.
Resting in Him, Joe and Chris and kids
Jan. 22nd 8:30 pm
Pastor Joe continues to run a fever tonight. It seems to creep up as the day wears on. He was pretty exhausted from yesterday's adventures, and slept most of the afternoon, which was good for him. Hopefully we will find some answers tomorrow to this current issue. In the meantime, we are resting in the Lord, knowing He is caring for us. " 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 (a love too great for words), He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17 He is faithful to the prayers of His people, and we are thankful for each one that is faithful to pray.
Blessings and Love! Joe, Chris and kids
Jan. 24th 10:00 pm
Today we were again in Binghamton to see our Cardiologist, Dr. Ryder, due to the fever that Joe has been running for the last 6 days. The tests results came back from Monday, except for one blood culture. The X-rays indicated something called "pleural effusion" in the chest cavity between the lungs and the ribs, and it also revealed "postpericardiotomy syndrome" , which is in essence, inflammation around the heart. His blood work showed a high sedimentation rate of 54, normal is 15. This number also indicates much inflammation around the heart. Again, his meds were changed to try and bring that down without steroids, which we want to avoid if at all possible. Dr. Ryder does not like to use steroids, so his current protocol has been put in place, and we will try to ride this out. He will go back into Lourdes on Monday for some more tests on the heart to determine how much this postpericardiotomy syndrome is affecting the function of the heart. Dr. Ryder said his valve sounds like it is working very well, and his lungs are still clear inside. His white blood cell counts were very good, which is a very positive sign. The statistics on this are 10-15% of open heart surgery patients acquire this condition. Statistics and medical terms aside, we would ask that you would pray for God to heal this condition Joe has, so his fever can subside, and he can begin to heal properly. We knew it would be a rough ride for some time, but with this current condition, it poses issues of its own, so we really need to get this under control. Our God is an awesome God, and He has the ability to heal anytime He chooses, and we are ready and excited about that healing to be granted. We have great faith in our Lord, and in His divine plan, He will orchestrate His work in Joe's body. We are assured of His hearing of our prayers and those of His chosen people, and we have great confidence as we approach His Holy Throne. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrew 4:12 "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." Jeremiah 29:12
Coveting your prayers for us,
Joe and Chris and family
January 25,
Today Joe seemed to feel some better. His fever still is an issue , but was lower today than yesterday. We talked to Dr. Bennett , the surgeon again today to discuss this current issue with him, and he said to continue on the protocol, but that it would take some time to get the inflammation down especially around the heart. Now that Joe is moving around more, due to less pain, it will also help the fluid and inflammation around the lining of the lungs to decrease. He's not running a marathon yet, but at least the absence of the intense pain makes his walking more enjoyable. We will be sure to update you as things change, whether it is daily or every few days. The cards of encouragement, your reading of God's Word to us, your prayers, have all been a source of joy and lift up our spirits as we work our way through this. We are continually reminded of His hand in this.... "God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; He does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,' and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.' So that ALL men He has made may know His work..." Job 37:5-7 This is God's work among us...He has many purposes to show us through this personally and for those in our circle of influence. His plans are far greater than ours, and His wisdom can feather out to affect more than we could ever know. We rest in Him alone.
Praising Him,
Joe, Chris and clan
Jan. 28th 9:30pm
Today we went back for our scheduled appointment with Dr. Ryder. He did an echocardiogram today and after reviewing it , told us that the heart seems to be adapting quite well to the new bovine tissue valve, the function of the heart looks very good, and there is no fluid buildup around the heart. That was very good news for us, as Joe has been having considerable pain at night when he is trying to sleep, and it seemed to him to be fluid moving around in there just below the heart, and also around his lungs. The Dr. also sent him to have another chest x-ray which showed that the fluid seems to be less than when they did it last Monday, another good sign.
After reviewing all of Joe's test results again, he explained to us that the pleural effusion and the postpericardiotomy syndrome are still the causes of the pain that he continues to have. He said that when the chest tube was removed a couple days after surgery, apparently the fluids in the tube leaked back into the chest cavity. These fluids , which include blood, are very irritating to the pleural sacs inside the chest cavity, and cause them to become inflamed. The inflammation, which takes a long time to subside after surgery, is lubricated by the fluids that are floating around in there. When the fluids reabsorb into the body, as they should do, there is less lubrication, and the pleural sacs rub against each other, which causes the increased measures of pain. As the inflammation decreases in these sacs, the pain will also decrease. Again, he said he could give us a quick fix using steroids, but would rather not, as they cause so many issues of their own, that he would rather slowly get rid of the inflammation using Advil in larger doses. We agreed with that.
He also decreased the heart medication again, which is what causes Joe to be so exhausted every morning. (that and lack of sleep!) So with these two medication changes, we hope to be more on our way to full recovery. I keep reminding Joe that he did just have major surgery, and he needs to just realize that the Lord is forcing him to rest, rest, rest..... Pretty hard to do for someone who is used to go, go , go! "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." Psalm 37:7 He is about His business of causing us to learn more of Him during this difficulty. It was a blessing for us to be among God's people yesterday at our church. Your love and prayers have been the stability to us in the storm. As unnerving as storms can be, we do know that they come through the loving hand of our Father in heaven, and it is in Him that we trust. "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusts in You." Isaiah 26:3
Praising Him,
Joe , Chris and kids
Feb. 1 10:30pm
We are very grateful that we went yesterday, rather than today to Albany to have our followup visit with the surgeon. With this ice storm today, I am sure it would not have been a fun ride. Dr. Bennett said that Joe is progressing very nicely from his surgery, and that everything looks and sounds very good to him. He reviewed the x-rays that we brought with us and said he can understand the pain issue from seeing the pleural effusion. That will subside in due time, and it has quite a bit the last couple days. The beginning of the week was pretty difficult, but slowly we are seeing improvement. He also said the postpericardiotomy syndrome will gradually fade each day, and now that the pain in subsiding, each day he should feel a little stronger.
Dr. Bennett was very helpful to answer all our questions and took plenty of time to discuss the surgery with us. With our emotions a bit more settled this time, I think he shared more than he could have with us before, due to us being so close to the heart of the issue. :-) One of the big questions we had was how he put the rib back into place after he completed the replacement of the valve. He explained that he very carefully cut the tissue that surrounds the bone, sawed it in two places to remove it, proceeded with replacing the valve, then sewed the bone back to the bone on either side of it. Puzzled with that description, we asked how could he possibly put a needle and thread through the bone, to which he replied, "I drilled a hole and put the needle through , then sewed it all together, then sewed the tissue back over the bone." The thought of using a saw to take the rib out, and a drill to bore a hole through the bone to put it back, gave us a new understanding for why there is so much pain involved!
On a funny note for all you farmers, my dad asked me to ask Dr. Bennett if he used a Registered Guernsey cow tissue valve to replace Joe's. :-) He was filled with laughter and said he had never been asked that before, and even though they have a registry for where each of the bovine tissue comes from, and where they are implanted, he doesn't think the registry is sophisticated enough to know if it was from a Guernsey! :-)
We also once again took the opportunity to tell Dr. Bennett that there were literally thousands of people all over the world, praying for him to have a really good day on January 8th! He said he felt so honored to know that, and asked us to please tell everyone thank you so very much and to KEEP praying for him! So there you have it! Each day he has someone's life in his hands, and he certainly needs wisdom from the One who created life, to help him in the tasks laid before him each day.
Again, we would like to express our gratefulness to the hundreds of cards and emails you have sent to encourage us. Until the Lord places you in a position of needing encouragement, you do not fully realize the importance OF encouragement. Each one has come at the time when we were needing it most.
So now that another hurdle day is crossed, we have been contemplating it all. In Joel 2: 13-14 it says "Rend your heart, and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing." We have seen and experienced God's graciousness and His compassion in new ways through this valley of vision, and we are looking expectantly for the blessing that He will leave behind for us........and we will be careful to, once again, praise His Holy Name.
Our gratefulness to God, our Healer, and to you, our praying friends~
Joe, Chris and family
Feb. 11th
Pastor Joe continues to have issues with pain and the effects of the medication. It has been a constant reminder to us of how dependent we must be on Christ, and His strength and not our own. A good place to be.....for sure! Due to Joe not resting at home, we hog tied him :-) , and put him in the car and headed to Rachel and Jason's for some R & R. It has been very helpful to him, and has given Rachel an opportunity to be part of the recovery process with Daddy. It is difficult when you are so far from home to feel a part of the process of helping, so this has been good for them as well. Our car gave us lots of trouble on the way down, so once we got here, it headed into the garage for repairs, so we ask that you pray for that as well. While we are here, the weather has been very nice and given us opportunity to walk several times a day, which we know will help with building back what Joe has lost during surgery and recovery. It is amazing how quickly we lose muscle mass when our bodies are not worked efficently on a daily basis. A spiritual lesson as well....how important it is to be getting spiritual exercise every day in God's Word. " Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." Romans 8:5-6 A reminder for us to be sure to have our minds set on the things of the Spirit. That is a huge spiritual exercise in itself. May it be said of all of us--Our love to you all, Joe and Chris and kids
Blessings!
Joe and Chris
Feb. 28th
Many have asked for another update on Pastor Joe. We passed the 7 week mark from the surgery, and are amazed at how fast the last 3 weeks have gone in the recovery process. After we spent time with Rachel and Jason, we stayed with my mom and dad and enjoyed some Florida sunshine. The first week we were there, he was pretty slow and not wanting to do much at all, other than his normal daily walking. This also provided a place for us to swim every day. At first, Joe paddled around the pool like Benjamin would, but by the time we left, he was swimming the breaststroke again as his muscles healed and strengthened. We think it was a very effective therapy for the area of the chest that was most affected by the surgery. By last week, his walking had improved to the point where I was having to keep up with him, rather than him keeping up with me, or for us having to take breaks for him to rest before going on. That has been very encouraging to him.
Most of the pain medication has been discontinued, but the pleural effusion is still present to some degree, and causes discomfort mostly during the night and when he gets up in the morning. We would be grateful for your prayers for this in particular to heal to the point where it is back to normal. The pain in his diaphragm has greatly diminished, and his appetite is coming back. Overall, we have seen much improvement in the last couple weeks. Another area of concern is the effects of the medications on other things in his body, so we would ask prayer for that as well. As the heart gets into proper "normal" rhythm, our doctor said we may be able to decrease it further and thus avoid some of the side effects that come with that. We are now back at Rachel and Jason's for the last leg of our time away, and are looking forward to see the improvements that the Lord has for us this week. His Word continues to be our strength during the many uncertain moments we have had the last couple weeks. "This is what the Lord, says: 'Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, or the strong man boast of his strength, or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this; that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the Lord." Jeremiah 9:23-24 This has been a time of seeing our weaknesses, and seeing the importance of boasting in the Lord's strength,but also of seeing God's kindness to us. It is very humbling....A good place to be for each one of us. We miss you all and look forward to seeing you all soon. May His grace be upon you as you faithfully serve our Savior.
Our love to you all~~ Joe and Chris , Caylie and Benjamin
March 28th '08
Our hearts are full to overflowing with the grace and mercy of God that we have experienced so deeply in these last 11 weeks of uncertainty. We are reminded in His Word of the many blessings He grants to His children, and we are mindful to give Him the praise that is due Him. "Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. ....Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me." excerpts from Psalm 86. God has heard our prayers, answered us mightily, guarded our lives, saved His servants, had mercy on us as we called on Him all day long, brought joy to His servants, forgiven our fears and insecurities, covered us with His love, came to us in our day of trouble, gave us a sign of His goodness, silenced the enemies, helped and comforted us....... That's just the tiniest glimpse of what we have seen Him do in our lives during these last few months. Joe's pleural effusion is slowly making its way out of his body, pain is subsiding, and many of his normal activities are being done comfortably. The medications are still affecting him some to the contrary, but he is finding it less and less as his body adjusts, and his heart rate comes into proper rhythm. The doctors say it will take six to nine months to remodel itself, and become normal again.
He has been back in the pulpit for two weeks now, knowing this is where God wants him to be, and enjoying the everyday activities that he used to do. His cardiac rehab begins this next week which will last for 6 - 12 weeks, depending on his progress each week. We are grateful for God's provision in paying for the rehab through a program within the hospital, since our insurance denied it. God's goodness is seen on so many turns, it staggers us at times. Our insurance covered the majority of the hospital and doctor bills which have risen to over $ 127,000 already, with just copays to deal with at this time. We could give you many more stories of His goodness throughout this adventure, but will save them for another time. We are most grateful for the many, many cards, phone calls, emails, visits, gifts, and other specific acts of love that were given to us during this time. It always amazes us as to how the Lord brings particular things to our door at just the moment of need. Is He not good to His children? We offer to Him our sacrifice of Praise.....to the One Who deserves ALL the glory for His mighty works among men, and in particular , this man. Thank you so much for your continued prayer for us. We are so grateful~~
With our Love, Joe and Chris, Rachel and Jason, Andrew and Laura, Josh and Jessi, Caylie, and Benjamin
April 12, '08
I would like to thank each and every person who called, sent us cards, expressed concerns and most importantly, prayed for me during the time of my open heart surgery and recovery. God surely answered your prayers and extended much of His grace to myself and my family. I am recovering very well. One of the joys of growing up and living our lives in a small, rural community is the blessing of sharing one another’s burdens. All of you-- family, church family and friends have been used by God to make the weight of the burden much lighter. For this we will always be grateful. Most importantly, we praise the Lord Jesus Christ for His answers to our prayers and yours, and for His healing power and strength. “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20,21)
With much joy and appreciation,
Pastor Joe Axtell and family
|
|