Trip to AR and Papaw update

I ran up to Searcy early Tuesday morning because Papaw was having surgery. He had gotten sick again and couldn't keep anything down. The doctors ran a test and sure enough there was blockage, but they couldn't really tell how much until. They scheduled the exploratory surgery for Tuesday morning. It was one of those times when I just felt like I had to be there!

I wanted to get going early, so I had to wake Jonas. Of course, he's still only nursing, so he had to come with me. Here's what I found when I went in to get him:

We have a problem! Pacifier shunned and thumb in place. Fantastic.

Johnathan and Kalleigh stayed home with John while I was gone. Chelsea kept the kids part of the time and the Deans kept them the rest of the time while John was at work. We could not make it without our church family!

On the way there, I thought I'd take a little video with my camera. This way none of you will feel like you missed out on the trip there:



Now, wasn't that exciting?

I got to Searcy and picked up lunch for Mamaw, Mom and me. They were still waiting for Papaw to get out of the surgery. Having Jonas there was a good distraction, I think. It kept our minds off of worrying so much about the surgery.

They finally called us to a room nearly three hours after the surgery was supposed to have started. We waited forEVER for the surgeon to come in, but at last he did. And told us the yucky, yucky news. Papaw's cancer has indeed come back, but nobody expected the mass to be as big as it is. It has taken over the lower abdomen as if someone had poured cement and filled his abdomen up to his bellybutton. They were thinking they might need to do a colonoscopy, but the surgeon couldn't even get to the colon. It would've done so much damage to try to remove the tumor that they decided not to do that.

Papaw has about three feet of good intestine before it turns down into that tumor. So, the surgeon did a jejunostomy, and brought the jejunum, or upper small intestine, over to the abdomen wall and created the stoma (hole in the side of the abdomen connected to a bag) there to relieve the pressure from above and below. The problem is that now there isn't enough intestine left to process the nutrients from food that Papaw needs to live.

He made it through the surgery just fine and felt better, except for the surgery incision, so that was good. I spent most of my couple of days there at the hospital right by Papaw because I didn't want to be anywhere else! Thank you for your continued prayers. Specifically pray for wisdom, courage, peace and comfort!

Here was the crew yesterday morning right before I left:

Papaw's room is always hopping! The nurses comment on what a wonderful family we have. They're absolutely right!

And now for the drive home. I tried to keep my mind from worrying, so I took pictures to document the drive home. Again, you'll feel like you were right with me!

The daunting AR sky.

The impressive Little Rock skyline. :)

Why I hate I-30.

Seriously? Look at them all!

C'mon. That's ridiculous. I think I could count 21 trucks that I could see right then.

We made it to Texas!

Jonas enjoys the view.

The nasty Dairy Queen in Linden. Don't forget to pick something up in Atlanta to eat, because between there and Gilmer, this is it. Seriously, try not to stop here.

You think I should wash my windshield?

Bison sighting in East Texas. No, they're not cows.

The projects in Avinger ... and my TxTag ... and the Little People's School signs with my kids' names on them and what color room they're in. Who thought of that, anyway? What a great idea! I digress ...

Lake-O-The-Pines. Really, that's what the sign says!

Texas tree weeds.

Look at this logging place. Each one of those is telephone pole-size!

Charming little town of Winona. Where you have to slow down all the way to 30. For like 30 feet.

I told you we have a problem.

So we're home sweet home. But now the laundry is taking over our bathroom. It fills the garden tub. I refuse to put a picture of that on here. So I'd better get to it ...

Thanks again for your prayers. We do feel them!