Impatiently waiting

Impatiently waiting. That is what we are doing. I just wanted to update quickly on my sister and thank so many of you for your prayers, emails, phone calls, and support! It has been so hard being so far away from her and I am overwhelmed by this feeling of helplessness!

Nikki remains in the hospital. She still has her nasogastric (NG) tube in her nose that is draining her stomach. She is still not eating anything and we are still just waiting for her ileus to resolve. She did however, get a PICC line placed yesterday so she is able to receive some much needed total parental nutrition (TPN) and lipids (fats) through her PICC. (TPN is a fancy word for IV fluids with essential electrolytes, amino acids, and other goodness needed when your body is not eating and you are depleting resources.

She is still having bouts of nausea and her NG tube is being difficult at times. One of the most frustrating things for me has been hearing about the poor care she is receiving from the nursing staff. It isn't every one of course, but those bad eggs sure spoil the lot! Fortunately, her mother-in-law and husband have been amazing advocates for her care and are keeping everyone in line since Nikki feels so awful!

We are also very fortunate that one of her physicians, Dr. P (surgeon who performed her 1st surgery) has been with her throughout this all and is doing an excellent job advocating for her care as well! It is unfortunate that things are so slow, but we are confident this is the best plan for her. Dr. P has reassured us that this is a very SLOW process (waiting for her bowel to "wake up") but he feels this is the best option for Nikki. Surgery right now just isn't ideal and it will only slow the process even more, if not make things worse. Especially since they think that might have caused this ileus!

My dad is driving out there right now and is going to relieve Nikki's mother-in-law of her role on the front line! I am just so thankful that Nikki has such wonderful in-laws who are caring for her as she is their own daughter. What a blessing! I know that has made it more bearable for us who are in Grand Forks.

This picture is hanging in my kitchen. How often do I allow life to pull me in every direction and forget the bigger picture?

Thanks again for the prayers and please keep 'em coming! I will do my best to update as I can. We are also confident that God is in control and He has a plan. What more can you ask for?