Up and at em

Today Judy continued to shine. She was given the challenge to walk to the nurses station and did just fine, not only once but twice. She had a very able, inspiring, and caring staff today that cheered her on with each step. Judy really responded to an aide called Stephanie. Dr. Bayles was able to adjust her feeding tube at the bedside, so a trip to interventional radiology was not needed. The nutrition seemed to perk her up quite a bit and tomorrow she will get a boost from a blood transfusion and another dialysis session. We hope that this will help to reduce the swelling, which by the way, is a source of discouragement for Judy. She looked in the mirror and saw how swollen her neck was and you could see the dissappointment in her eyes. She has been encouraged by her medical team that it is only a temporary setback and it will eventually go down, but may take a few weeks to get back to normal. Her surgeon is very happy with the graft on her tongue. Judy also saw the speech therapist today for the first time she was very nice to Judy and told her she was doing just fine. Tomorrow Ingrid will bring in the grandkids to the hosital for a visit. This will be good therapy. Elin (one of Judy's granddaughters) says that she is going to teach grandma Judy some sign language so she can comunicate! Today we see Judy's biggest struggle is her self image. We ask for specific prayer in that area. Thank you for loving Judy and praying for her. Bill and Ingrid

Graduation Day, but more hurdles to jump

Mom was transferred from ICU to the floor today after tolerating dialysis well. Her spirits are good inspite of some set backs. Dr Bayles, mom's surgeon was happy with how the flap in her mouth looked. He is concerned about some swelling in her neck. The swelling seems to have increased all day, despite the two neck drains. She may have a hemotoma forming. At this time he does not feel it is jeopardizing her flap (skin graft on her tongue). Please pray for this because she has had a history of internal bleeding before. We don't want history to repeat itself. Remaining are two more minor issues. Her feeding tube has a kink in it and needs to be repositioned by interventional radiology. The doctors hope to fix that tomorrow so that she can start getting nutrition. She also had to get a new IV this evening. The old one was infiltrating into her arm. She needs the IV for hydration and a place for pain medication. Mom continues to smile and have good humor with the staff. I am amazed at her patience with us trying to guess what she is saying. I am sure that it is very frustrating when you can't communicate. I was reminded to be patient and let her take her time to write her comments before I try and finnish her statement. Talk about holding your tongue!! You can call dad and mom in her hospital room (206)624-1144 and ask for the 16th level. Judy is in room #1678 with a beautiful view of Seattle. Thank you for your prayers Ingrid and Bill.

Mom's the Bomb!!

Tears overwhelmed my eyes when I saw my mom after surgery. She was awake, scared and the nurse was attending to her pain. She immediately blinked her eyes, smiled and squeezed my hand. She used her hand to draw in the air the work "LOOK." She wanted to know how she looks! She looks beautiful. Her smile is still there and it is full! The next comment she made was "I was surprised that I woke up." Boy, that is when I lost it. She went into surgery knowing that she may not wake up. She was prepared to meet her Maker, are you? Thank you for your prayers. I had an incredible peace today. Glory to God! David made the comment that dad and I were waiting room bandits. Yes, waiting room bandits, we showed those people in the waiting room how to wait. We are really good at it! Dad and I laughed, cried, prayed, and talked to most of you on the phone. All I can say is that mom is the bomb. She is amazing. Glory to the Lord our God! Ingrid Hope

Surgery finished.

Ingrid just called from the hospital . . . Judy is out of surgery and into the ICU. Judy will be there tonight and into tomorrow. Ingrid has not actually seen her yet, but she said that the doctors were happy with the procedure. Judy will now enter the recovery phase. Nobody knows for sure what the exact outcome will be yet. We are all a bit concerned about her ability to talk in the future, but we will just have to wait and pray. Ingrid will update with more details later this evening when she gets back from the hospital. David, for Ingrid

4 hours in, 2 to go.

This is David, Ingrid's husband. I just got off the phone with Ingrid. At 2pm Bill and Ingrid got an update at the four hour mark of the surgery. The initial tumor removal from her tongue has gone well. The surgeon was able to remove the tumor "with good margins." This means that the tumor was well defined and that they feel that they got it all. More importantly, Judy is stable with the anesthesia (there were some concerns here due to some of the "stress test" results that were done prior to surgery. The surgery so far is at the 4 hour mark and probably will continue for another 2 hours. The next process is to do a graft and repair the missing tissue in her tongue and to also remove her lymph nodes. We'll keep you posted, probably no more updates until this evening.

The Day Before Surgery

Those of you that know my Mom, Judy are well aware that she is contagious with Christ's love. She is having surgery tomorrow on her tongue at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle. She has been so encouraged by your prayers, words of blessing and hope. She is clinging on to her hope that is in Christ, knowing that He is Sovereign and and her Jehovah. Please pray for her, Dr. Bayles and the nursing team that is caring for my precious mom. Her Surgery is starting at 9 am. We will update you as we know information. Please feel free to post as you feel led. Please pass this web page to those who know and love my mom. For my mom, Ingrid Hope