Tuesday, February 8th

After 16 days without even a sip of water, Laura finally was allowed to take a small drink of water today.  I am so proud of her.  Some of you might remember me saying that I am still impressed by my wife.  Well, today I realized that she did not just wait 16 days for water.  She rinsed her mouth out after brushing her teeth but did not swallow.  She used her little vacuum to suck any excessive amounts of saliva out of her mouth.  She considered medicine put into her PIC line in her arm a cool drink a few times a day.  All this, while waiting, through strength she wants no credit for.  She considers that time a TRUE FAST, which she says she has never done.  Yes, my wife still impresses me.  I just don't always think to tell her.

Our day was so uneventful until that moment.  She had a good night's rest and some great visitors and just rested.  She had a scan on her pseudocyst, and we did not get results until Dr. Bosco said it was time to try a liquid diet.  Actually, I was on my way out the door tonight when the doctor came in.  It's funny how when Dr. Bosco enters the room all conversations stop, and people give him complete attention.  He is well-regarded at that hospital, and Laura and I are so grateful that God chose him for Laura.  I heard today that Aunt Denny actually prayed for him while he was in the room prior to surgery, and he did not really know how to respond to that.  Does not matter.  God was going to use him, regardless of what Dr. Bosco had in mind.  It reminds me of what Lance used to say to us old Roseville Hope members: "God will oftentimes use us in spite of ourselves."

Back to the cyst...it is smaller and seems to be going away, according to Dr. Bosco.  I am fairly certain that all we are waiting for is Laura's body to give the green light on food and liquids.  She does still have pain from the surgery, so that is also being monitored.

HERE'S THE THING TO REMEMBER:

How Laura's system responds to all of this is the key to Laura coming home.  If she is in pain or has any fluids build up in her stomach (or anywhere else), we could very well take a few steps back again. So tonight is SO important.  She even had some broth tonight as well, so we need to cover her in prayer for this.  It is a little bit scary for her, because this has been so long and hard.  The blessings that have come from this have been amazing, and without a doubt God's total timing, but we both just want to come home together and have our family whole again.

I know my wife well enough to know that there is a bit of nervousness there still.  When she asked us to pray before we watched her sip water, I realized that I will never eat or drink anything again in the same way.  Laura was grateful for her first sip, not excited and ready to down a glass of water.  She was cautious and concerned as she thought about taking a sip of water.  But most of all, Laura was thankful to her God for bringing her to that very moment.  I could see it in her face, that it was Him who brought her through 384 hours without a trace of fluid in her mouth.  It is recommended that an average person drink half their weight in ounces of water per day.  So, in 16 days I should have drunk 1,360 ounces of water.  Laura took a very small sip, then put down the cup and said, "That's good.  It's nice to have something cool go down my throat."  I had to ask her to take another drink before I left.  She just smiled and said, "I want to take it slow."  As if there has been any point of this journey that has been fast!

She does not only still impress me, but she strengthens my faith.