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Bonfires of Prayer |
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Dear all,
Today I learned from Garrison Keillor on the "Writer's Almanac" about the origin of Christmas lights. Hundreds of years ago they were bonfires, lit tonight, the Winter Solstice, the longest day of the year, to woo the sun back to brighten the earth.
I would like to you light a bonfire of prayer for us, because today seems dark, though I see some light to lure the sun.
Yesterday Karl and I took a spill on the ice. I was holding him tightly as we made our way to the car to bring him to a doctor's appointment. As I stepped onto our sidewalk, I slipped on the sheer ice, and we landed on the grass, but Karl hit his head. Again.
I can't believe it happened--exactly what I had promised Karl wouldn't, as I was teasing him about how it was so slippery, and would he like to fall on his kiester, because I could sure help that happen. And I did, except it wasn't his kiester.
He was fine after the fall, although I called and talked to his rehab nurse, who assured me that everything ought to be fine. And he was fine, but when we returned from his appt., I thought I better call his pediatric nurse too, just to note that it had happened. She recommended that we bring him in.
Which we did, to the ER, where he started throwing up. He got a C-T scan, which showed no notable difference from the scan of two weeks ago, but they kept him overnight for observation. He was fine during the night, but started throwing up again this a.m. If you recall, poor Karl has been suffering from bouts of vomiting over the last several weeks, the reason for this last C-T. We have thought it was vitamins, meds, motion, who knows. But now we think we have a clue; two, perhaps.
Because he continued to vomit today, Karl had an additional C-T, which demonstrated that there was indeed swelling in the 3rd ventricle. Without going into a neurological lecture, bottom line is that we need to reduce that swelling by way of a shunt, and so Karl will have surgery, probably on Thursday. The fall did not cause the swelling--exacerbated it, probably, but the slip simply brought to attention what we had been missing, namely that there is extra fluid there that is not getting out.
I asked the drs. to repeat that for me, that my carelessness/clumsiness did not cause this new round of swelling, and they did, and reassured me that it didn't cause any additional brain damage (though he probably sustained a good concussion). So the silver lining, the Flannery O'Connor-esque element of this story, is that through one more bonk on the head, because Dad didn't have time to buy the "Ice Melt" we had talked about just yesterday a.m., we were made aware of a problem that needed attention anyway.
Too, Karl has gotten a round of X-rays of his belly, to follow barium around his stomach and intestines. I don't know the results yet, but it does seem as if his digestive system is not working properly, and the why will hopefully be more apparent tomorrow.
'Round about now, thousands of years ago, a star lit up the sky to tell the world that a child had been born, and with him, new hope. We will be envisioning that star, and holding onto that hope, on Christmas in a hospital. Not what we had done last year, nor expected to do this year.
But then again, Mary hadn't expected to give birth to the Messiah the year before either, and so who knows what this new year shall bring.
Thank you for your prayers.
Peace,
Anna
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