Still Grateful for Sundays

First up: The results of Ryan's ultrasound were normal; no blood clots in his legs!

Second: Ryan is now able to direct his hand/fingers directly to the itchy spots on his face! It's still not as controlled as normal, but it is definitely progress! And when Ryan's cousin's daughter waved "goodbye" to him this evening, he was able to raise his fingers a little in reply. :)

Ryan had a really rough night last night while I was sleeping at a hotel with our girls. We discovered that he gets very anxious, even terrified, when he's left alone. When I took the girls to dinner last night, he had some hallucinations, or maybe it was a nightmare, that something was on fire and he was terrified that his daughters would get burned. He told me that he tried yelling for help, but no one would come help him. He actually kicked so hard that he fell out of bed. 😥 When he's left alone too long, his heart rate sky rockets, and he gets incredibly agitated. But as soon as someone comes into his room and begins speaking to him, he calms back down. This evening I left for less than an hour, and when I got back he had ripped off a bunch of his leads and had been pulling at his trach and trach mask. He told me and his nurse that he was choking. She explained that he had a trach in his throat, and she would help clean it up, but that he needed to not pull on it. He apologized, but said that no one explained that to him and he just felt that something was stuck in his throat and it was choking him. :(

Today was a little better with keeping the pain under control, but he still has times when he's just hurting a lot. It was really good for him to get to visit with family, though! It's so good to see him smile and be a little silly. 💜

Tonight's big hurdle seems to be a lot of itching. Poor Ryan is itching all over his head and face. I scratch his itches as best as I can, but we're pretty sure it's a neurological thing and there isn't much else that can be done to ease it. We don't really want to give him Benadryl, because that will sedate him and dramatically slow the healing process.

Having the girls come to visit this weekend has been wonderful! I wish we had more time together, but it is hard when Ryan needs so much care right now. I am so grateful for all of the family that helps take care of us all! 💜💜💜

At church today we sang the hymn, "How Firm a Foundation". I'm going to share the words here, without the repetition of some of the lines as they are sung.

How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in his excellent word!

What more can he say than to you he hath said,

Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?

In ev'ry condition-- in sickness, in health,

In poverty's vale or abounding in wealth,

At home or abroad, on the land or the sea--

As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be.

Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.

I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause they to stand,

Upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,

The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o'erflow,

For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,

And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,

My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply.

The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design

Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

E'en down to old age, all my people shall prove

My sov'reign, eternal, unchangeable love;

And then, when gray hair shall their temples adorn,

Like lambs shall they still in my bosom be borne.

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose

I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

I'll never, no never, no never forsake!