He walks with me

I've had permission to go on two walks per day for about 15 minutes. We tend to stretch it out a tad bit longer because I need fresh air and it takes longer than that to get to a door that leads outdoors. Today, the doc gave me permission to go for a third walk each day. On one of the walks, we got to meet a few of the other families on the Epilepsy Floor.

This first picture is one of the patient's on the floor, C. She is 23 and has been having seizures since she was 15. She has been on every single anti-seizure med out there and still isn't seeing results. So, they are giving her the last drug available and then moving on to surgical options. Say a special prayer for C's healing. The man in the pic is one of our favorite nurses, R. He has been wonderful and such a blessing to us. The sweet little girl in front of him is J. She has been having seizures since she was born and they have tried brain mapping, meds, a Vagus Nerve Stimulator, etc., and she is still having seizures. Isn't she a cutie?

This picture is Joey's precious family. This is where we go first on each walk...to go see them. Amidst all they are going through, they still hug on me and pray for me each time we walk up there. They told us their pastor (the one that prayed over me the other day as Joey's lungs were collapsing) called today to get my name because he had me written down in his prayer journal as "the girl with all the wires coming off her head."

L to R: (front row) Joey's uncle, Joey's aunt, Joey's Mom's best friend
(she's fighting her third round of cancer-be in prayer for her)

(back row) B, Joey's brother, Joey's Mom, Joey's cousin, me,
Joey's wife, Joey's grandmother, Joey's Dad.

Tomorrow is a big day for Joey. They will, Lord willing, begin the grafting process. The bandages were removed for the first time today. It was, to quote the family, "a horrific experience." There are very few spots on his body that aren't covered in 3rd degree burns. So, finding skin to graft is going to be the first challenge. The descriptions they shared are too graphic to list on here, not knowing all that are reading this. Joey is also battling pneumonia, but they can't wait for it to clear up to do the surgery.

Pray for Joey's strength to endure all that tomorrow will bring. Pray also for his family and the strength they will need to endure the day.

Finally, the doc believes the pain I'm experiencing is a side effect of the steroids. He wants to watch me an extra day to make sure it doesn't get worse and to watch how I respond to the increased doses of meds. So, I should probably leave Friday, maybe Saturday. I had two seizures today. One was while we were out on one of our walks. The other was in the room, while doing a crossword puzzle together. It was a very weird one. B and the nurse both said it was different and much longer than they usually are...of course, we don't know why. Once we talk to the doc tomorrow, maybe we'll know more.