Update #2: (Friday) My sister had a CT scan today and they think she now has a blockage! AHHHHH! This is what they originally were expecting to find when she had surgery the first time. She has been miserable again today and throwing up. It has been so frustrating being so far away and not able to be there for her or be there to ask questions. I am so thankful her mother-in-law is there to help advocate and that our own mother will be there tonight. Last I heard, the GI specialist was meeting with the surgeons to determine what the next step is and the surgeon does not feel comfortable operating now. He feels her CT scan looks the same as it did before (when they thought it was blockage and it was infection). The plan is to wait until tomorrow and the surgeon and GI specialist will meet with Nikki, her husband and my mom. Please continue to pray for her! Thank you for lifting her up. I am trying to be patient and reminded of how the Lord is all knowing all powerful and is in control!
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Update: My sister was doing well throughout the day yesterday and ended up throwing up and feeling very nauseous last night so they had to place a nasogastric tube to drain her stomach. I have not been able to talk to her because she is too sick and now it hurts to talk with the tube in. I know last time she was in before surgery she said this was a very painful procedure for her and very uncomfortable. Her mother-in-law has been doing an excellent job advocating for Nikki and keeping the rest of us informed. My mother is headed out there today. Our other sister (Laura), has a cross country meet in Bozeman tomorrow and God's timing is so wonderful! My mom had already purchased a plane ticket to make a quick trip for the weekend to watch Laura run and now can see Nikki too!
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(My sister and her hubby Tom)
They removed the lymph nodes and sent off tissue samples to try discover what was causing all her pain. The pathology reports came back normal and after reviewing her lab work they determined she had gastroenteritis (inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract) and possibly a viral infection. She was hospitalized for 4 days and has been struggling with similar symptoms since her surgery. She has had a hard time eating anything and has been back multiple times to see why she is not feeling better.
This past week she was back in the ER for the same symptoms that brought her in the first time. After many more tests, they determined she needed to see the GI specialist, who was unavailable until today. She was finally able to see that doctor today who has now diagnosed her with a paralytic ileus (basically her intestine is paralyzed and not allowing anything to pass through). As a result she has been having diarrhea and throwing up! She was readmitted today and is NPO (not allowed to eat), receiving IV fluids, and some medication for her pain. I am not sure about the plan of care after that.
Our mother was able to spend a week with her after she was released from the hospital the first time. Her mother-in-law so graciously headed out there yesterday and is caring for her so her husband can continue working. (He just started a new job a few weeks before her first surgery and has been missing quite a few days due to Nikki not feeling well).
Please pray for healing and that she will FINALLY be better after this admission. Also pray for their jobs. I am not sure how understanding or flexible they have been through all this. We (our family) is grateful that her mother-in-law is now able to be out there caring for her since we can not! We are also so thankful for her wonderful husband who has been doing an excellent job taking care of Nikki, working, and keeping the rest of us updated!
They do not know anyone else there yet so it has been very stressful dealing with this by themselves. Nikki has also been too weak to care for herself often.
Lord, we know you are the ultimate healer. I lift my sister up to you and ask you comfort her and wrap your arms around her! Please give her strength and allow her body to rest and heal as it needs too. Please give the medical team wisdom and guide their decisions Lord. I pray their jobs are gracious and understanding throughout all this! I pray too for this to strengthen their new marriage. Thank you Lord!
**On a lighter note, Jonah is convinced Nikki's tummy hurts because she must have a baby in there. I have explained to him multiple times that she does not have a baby in her tummy but is just sick. He responded by saying he figured she had a baby in there because she is always sick like me! He also said he was glad she isn't because "I would like to know if I have a cousin!" Elijah has been praying for Nikki to feel better so she can eat cookies and ice cream!**
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