Recently I've been asking for prayers on behalf of Nick and his back and that we would know if the Dr Miller that he had an appt with today would be a good Neurosurgeon. When moving to a new area finding random doctors is always hard and you never know who you can trust and who is good.
(*this could become long*)
Ive been asking around for recommendations and have never gotten any and in fact was advised to go to Nashville for a great Neurosurgeon for nick. Well, we couldn't get into nashville's Vanderbilt Hospital for 2 months so nick looked up the UT Medical Neurosurgeons here and took the first available doctor. (dr. miller)
On Monday I help teach a class called "just moved". Its for those who are new to knoxville and its a great class that helps you meet knew ladies and find different things going on around town. Monday was our first class for this semester and a gal named Christy walked in (been here 3 months). She overheard me talking about nicks back and how we are seeing a neurosurgeon here. She got into the convo and to make this portion of my story short basically said "I know of one neurosurgeon here that would be a good fit. He is very conservative and doesn't do surgery unless very necessary and he is a christian man". I simply asked for his name so incase Dr. Miller didn't work out we had another name to fall back on. Well, much to my surprise his name was Dr. Miller!! I was simply thrilled that one day before nick's appt I find out that Dr Miller is a great doctor... so she says.
Well, at the end of this class we are able to give prayer requests. So I brought up my prayer request that we would know if Dr. Miller was a great doctor and that we could trust him and that we want to know for certain if surgery was the way to go for nick's back....thats when Dana(who has lived here for several years and helps teach the class spoke up). She said that two semesters ago we had a lady named susan miller in our class and that she was certain her son was a neurosurgeon here. No one knew for certain so that night I called Susan Miller (I had her phone number from when she was in the class) and I talked to her on the phone last night with much excitment as I found out that Dr. Joshua Miller was indeed her son. Found out that he was the top of his neurosurgeon class and has won awards for being a great neurosurgeon!!!
Thank you LORD for showing us all this prior to our visit today. God truly is amazing and answers many prayers.
The visit went well today, he was extremely nice, and encouraged us that since nick has already taken the conservative treatment approach by seeking chiropractic help and has tried other measures of healing like prednisone and traction that surgery was probably the best choice of action to take at this time. So on Feb 9th nick will be having his back surgery and we can't wait for that day to arrive so he can be instantly pain free!!!
Side note #1: of course I told dr. miller that I had spoke with his mother on the phone the night before and that I know who she is. He seemed thrilled to know we knew his mom.
Side note #2: one of nicks questions to the doctor was..."will I be able to ski and do water sports this summer?" Doc replies "of course"!!!! Nick smiled from ear to ear!!!
Thanks one and all for your prayers. They have been answered! We are now praying for a safe, successful and uneventful surgery on February 9th.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Snow Day!!
Well, today is Martin Luther King Day and the kids are out of school. As we woke up this morning Elijah and Caden came running into my room exclaiming "its snowing out, its snowing out...can we go out and play in it"?? So I got myself out of bed, proceeded to get them their breakfast and make them clean up a few toys first as the house was a disaster!! Then bundled them up and got them their sled as they just HAD to sled down our hill in the back yard. They were out there for nearly an hour playing and having fun. I know...don't everyone laugh at once when you see this. It amazed me that they could think that playing in this amount of snow would be so fun. I am anxious for them to someday get to play in "real" snow and do some "real" sledding!!! Enjoy the pictures:)
Notice....Elijah has a pair of boots and he said he had to wear them....I just about laughed at that thought....does he think he needs boots for this amount of snow??? Of course I let him wear them...gotta get some use out of them before they get passed down the line of boys.
Currenlty it is still snowing, however it is no longer sticking as the ground is just to wet. I think its suppose to snow pretty much all day, but with no accumulation Elijah will be back to school tomorrow.
Notice....Elijah has a pair of boots and he said he had to wear them....I just about laughed at that thought....does he think he needs boots for this amount of snow??? Of course I let him wear them...gotta get some use out of them before they get passed down the line of boys.Currenlty it is still snowing, however it is no longer sticking as the ground is just to wet. I think its suppose to snow pretty much all day, but with no accumulation Elijah will be back to school tomorrow.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Results
Hi fellow bloggers...
I just wanted to update you all on a few of the results we got back in the last couple of days. First off we will discuss nick's results... He has a torn disc. 9 times out of 10 the tear is located along the edge of the disc, however, his tear is exactly in the back of the disc behind the spinal cord which makes for a more complicated procedure if surgery is the way he would go. However, we are at the point where we are against putting nuts and bolts into his back as over time artheritis will set in causeing more of a problem in the future if nuts and bolts are to be used. We are currently looking into a surgery called Microdiscectomy. This would not include nuts and bolts and could possibly be the best and quickest fix. Until then Nick continues his chiropractic care 3 times a week(actually this week its been every day!!!) and he will continue getting decompression done on his back 3 times a week for 30 minutes now instead of only 10 minutes which is what we have been doing for the past month. Of course we are also going to other doctors to see what they suggest and of course all medical doctors say pretty much the same thing "a chiropractor isn't going to help this". But that is to be expected as most Dr's aren't fond of Chiro's. Nick has also been perscribed numberous medications. One being Prednisone to reduce swelling in the back/disc area so that healing can start to take place and scar tissue can form over this tear. He is also going to be on a pain killer as he needs to get back to work and yet his pain is far to much for him to bear. Nick however did go to work around 1:30pm this afternoon and will make it a short day and leave work around 4:45 to make his chiro appt.....I told him that if he is "so in pain" that he should come home and not over do it as we really need his back to heal and any kind of wrong move can make his healing process all that much longer. So as you can see we don't really have much answered over here but it is good to know exactly what we are dealing with and now to find a solution to cure my man???? Any advice is appreciated if anyone reading this has gone thru similar situations. Thanks!!
Now onto results of my ultrasound that I had today. Previously I had written about the "bright spot" on our little boys heart that was of concern. Today they redid an ultrasound to see if that "bright spot" was gone. It currently is still there, BUT my doctor is in no way worried about it any longer. She said many children are born perfectly normal with a "bright spot" on their heart and sometimes that "bright spot" shows up and means nothing. With the fluid being perfect measurement, the baby being perfect size for the stage Im at, and the movements of the baby are great and his heart beat is prefect and my test results for chromosome disorder (which is what the "bright spot" can mean) came back negative my doctor said "no worries". So with that being said, I am going to just continue praying for a healthy little guy to arrive pretty much on schedule as Im measuring 29 weeks:) He weighs 2 lbs and 10 oz currently and is VERY active. I only gained 5 lbs this past month so that was encouraging, however I still think I'll reach the weight gain I did with my other two boys. Im currently at 25 lbs gained which seems like a little, but in reality its quite a bit!!! But I usually gain 40 so Ive got myself a little ways to go yet.....and I have 2.5 months left!!!
Today I decided to walk thru the baby isles at target. Ive not done that yet since Ive gotten pregnant and decided to just look and see what is new out there or what I need to get or should I say "want" to get:). Nothing caught my eye and I walked out empty handed amazingly. I might swing by there a few more times in the near future and prehaps find a few things that I should get. This poor little fellow is going to have nothing new as he has all his hand me downs from his brothers!!!! Might just have to splurge and get a few things just cause:)
Thanks again to all those who have kept us in your thoughts and prayers. Of course nick isn't out of the woods yet, so continued prayers for his back to heal are much appreciated. And I haven't delivered a healthy baby yet, so continued prayers for a healthy baby boy is much appreciated too:)
Have a wonderful day y'all.
I just wanted to update you all on a few of the results we got back in the last couple of days. First off we will discuss nick's results... He has a torn disc. 9 times out of 10 the tear is located along the edge of the disc, however, his tear is exactly in the back of the disc behind the spinal cord which makes for a more complicated procedure if surgery is the way he would go. However, we are at the point where we are against putting nuts and bolts into his back as over time artheritis will set in causeing more of a problem in the future if nuts and bolts are to be used. We are currently looking into a surgery called Microdiscectomy. This would not include nuts and bolts and could possibly be the best and quickest fix. Until then Nick continues his chiropractic care 3 times a week(actually this week its been every day!!!) and he will continue getting decompression done on his back 3 times a week for 30 minutes now instead of only 10 minutes which is what we have been doing for the past month. Of course we are also going to other doctors to see what they suggest and of course all medical doctors say pretty much the same thing "a chiropractor isn't going to help this". But that is to be expected as most Dr's aren't fond of Chiro's. Nick has also been perscribed numberous medications. One being Prednisone to reduce swelling in the back/disc area so that healing can start to take place and scar tissue can form over this tear. He is also going to be on a pain killer as he needs to get back to work and yet his pain is far to much for him to bear. Nick however did go to work around 1:30pm this afternoon and will make it a short day and leave work around 4:45 to make his chiro appt.....I told him that if he is "so in pain" that he should come home and not over do it as we really need his back to heal and any kind of wrong move can make his healing process all that much longer. So as you can see we don't really have much answered over here but it is good to know exactly what we are dealing with and now to find a solution to cure my man???? Any advice is appreciated if anyone reading this has gone thru similar situations. Thanks!!
Now onto results of my ultrasound that I had today. Previously I had written about the "bright spot" on our little boys heart that was of concern. Today they redid an ultrasound to see if that "bright spot" was gone. It currently is still there, BUT my doctor is in no way worried about it any longer. She said many children are born perfectly normal with a "bright spot" on their heart and sometimes that "bright spot" shows up and means nothing. With the fluid being perfect measurement, the baby being perfect size for the stage Im at, and the movements of the baby are great and his heart beat is prefect and my test results for chromosome disorder (which is what the "bright spot" can mean) came back negative my doctor said "no worries". So with that being said, I am going to just continue praying for a healthy little guy to arrive pretty much on schedule as Im measuring 29 weeks:) He weighs 2 lbs and 10 oz currently and is VERY active. I only gained 5 lbs this past month so that was encouraging, however I still think I'll reach the weight gain I did with my other two boys. Im currently at 25 lbs gained which seems like a little, but in reality its quite a bit!!! But I usually gain 40 so Ive got myself a little ways to go yet.....and I have 2.5 months left!!!
Today I decided to walk thru the baby isles at target. Ive not done that yet since Ive gotten pregnant and decided to just look and see what is new out there or what I need to get or should I say "want" to get:). Nothing caught my eye and I walked out empty handed amazingly. I might swing by there a few more times in the near future and prehaps find a few things that I should get. This poor little fellow is going to have nothing new as he has all his hand me downs from his brothers!!!! Might just have to splurge and get a few things just cause:)
Thanks again to all those who have kept us in your thoughts and prayers. Of course nick isn't out of the woods yet, so continued prayers for his back to heal are much appreciated. And I haven't delivered a healthy baby yet, so continued prayers for a healthy baby boy is much appreciated too:)
Have a wonderful day y'all.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Prayer Request
Hi y'all,
Awhile back (in october) I had asked for specific prayers on behalf of Nick who had been having back pains from a pinched sciatic nerve. Well, I thought Id let you know that we thought we were on the mend. The past two weeks were great, he was feeling almost normal. However sunday morning he woke up unable to move again. He came to church with the boys and I, but I ended up having to help him get around church. He came home, and layed on the couch the rest of the day. He is currently getting an MRI (as I type this) to see exactly what is going on and what can be done (minimally without a major surgery). Please pray that God would lay his healing hands on his back and take away this pain that has been so bothersom to not only him, but to his boys as they don't get to rough house with him and tackle him on the floor like they would like to and me as I have to do heavy lifting which I shouldn't be doing but someone has to do it. We would love for this to be healed in time for our little boy to arrive, but only God knows what is best and I just pray that it is his will to heal nick soon!!
Yesterday as Elijah, Caden and I were walking out of church Elijah asked "is dad going to have to be in a wheelchair"?? It broke my heart to think that Elijah was thinking about stuff like that. Poor little boy wants his daddy back to normal!!!
Thanks for your prayers!! I'll keep you updated as to what the next step is in this long drawn out process of recovery.
Awhile back (in october) I had asked for specific prayers on behalf of Nick who had been having back pains from a pinched sciatic nerve. Well, I thought Id let you know that we thought we were on the mend. The past two weeks were great, he was feeling almost normal. However sunday morning he woke up unable to move again. He came to church with the boys and I, but I ended up having to help him get around church. He came home, and layed on the couch the rest of the day. He is currently getting an MRI (as I type this) to see exactly what is going on and what can be done (minimally without a major surgery). Please pray that God would lay his healing hands on his back and take away this pain that has been so bothersom to not only him, but to his boys as they don't get to rough house with him and tackle him on the floor like they would like to and me as I have to do heavy lifting which I shouldn't be doing but someone has to do it. We would love for this to be healed in time for our little boy to arrive, but only God knows what is best and I just pray that it is his will to heal nick soon!!
Yesterday as Elijah, Caden and I were walking out of church Elijah asked "is dad going to have to be in a wheelchair"?? It broke my heart to think that Elijah was thinking about stuff like that. Poor little boy wants his daddy back to normal!!!
Thanks for your prayers!! I'll keep you updated as to what the next step is in this long drawn out process of recovery.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
All At Once
Thats right...everything falls all at once around here when it becomes Christmas Season. We started off with our own family christmas, then we drove to Indiana for 6 days to spend christmas with Nick's family, my grandparents christmas, and nick's grandparents christmas. Then we drove home just in time for all of my family to come here to Tennessee for christmas and new years, and then to top it off, my birthday was yesterday (Jan 5th), and our 8th Anniversary is tomorrow!!! Nothing like cramming it all in at once!!! (and this is the reason for the lack of posts lately)
Here are some pictures from the past 2 weeks of celebrations.
Waibel's Family Christmas:
This is the Harold Gutwein Christmas:
Gutwein Christmas and New Years Eve in Tennessee:
Here are some pictures from the past 2 weeks of celebrations.
Our Own Family Christmas:
Waibel's Family Christmas:
We always have an appetizer meal with about 12 different appetizers to choose from. Always so fun and yummy.
Here is a picture from the Wyss Christmas:
This is the Harold Gutwein Christmas: Gutwein Christmas and New Years Eve in Tennessee:
Uncle Jason made cookies with the kids.
A huge mess of christmas paper...as Aunt Raquel said "Christmas Threw Up" :) We enjoyed our time celebrating Christ's Birth with family!!
I enjoyed my day yesterday on my birthday. Played games with the kids, and we made Chess Squares instead of cake as Im not a cake gal really. Nick got me a some much needed comfy pants from gap and a few other items. And on Thursday we are going out to eat at Copper Celler or Bonefish for our 8th Anniversary.
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