Morning

It was a long night with not much sleep. Docs arrived and determined dehydration is the name of the current enemy. He was allowed clear, liquid diet with the goal of IV nutrition at 6 pm. If he vomited again, the tube would return.

J’s singular goal is to not have that tube placed again. Ever.

Afternoon

More liquid. More no sleep. If you have never been dehydrated, you are blessed. It comes with insomnia but also what I think feels like a creaky door. Think of the Tin Man when he can’t move from the rust. He moves his knee or his arm, even turning his neck yields crrrreeeeaaak. When you’re dehydrated, and try to turn to the side to get more comfortable, it’s as if you can hear your body creaking loudly inside of your head, the same intense decibels you hear crunching when you chew potato chips.

If he had the energy, he’d be like Nipsey singing “Slide some oil to me,” …he wants toes again!

J had a bout of nausea around 5. There was an intensity in his face like when he was in 5th grade traveling ball as he told me didn’t want to vomit: “No NG tube. If I vomit, they’ll place the tube.” He told me to go get dinner, which I did. When I returned 10 minutes later, he was walking the halls with Jalal the nurse, talking basketball. Oh, what a delight to have a moment of normal!

He said the walk helped the nausea. YAY!

Evening

Getting to know you…getting to know all about you! The docs came to observe J as the IV nutrition started. They order it by 11 am from an outside agency and it arrives by 6. It’s a special concoction free of his allergens. It takes about 24 hours to administer. Imagine a raisin…the bag contents are to transform J into a grape. (I’m just full of metaphors over here! LOL!)

Not 2 hours into the IV bag, he took a medication by mouth. And then vomited. That earned a visit from the doc team. By the grace of God he decided not to re-place the tube.

J is fearfully and wonderfully made. I recall his father’s comment just after he was born in reference to the entire birth process and all the piping and placenta…all the things: “That’s a fine piece of engineering.”

If you know any engineers, you know that is the highest compliment on a design. That fine piece of engineering is designed to function with hydration. We praise you Lord that every cell in J’s body absorbs the IV nutrition; we bless you and thank you for the vitamins, nutrients, minerals that serve to build and grow him, restoring his health so that he can emerge from this bed with greater strength, resolve, and purpose to serve Your purpose in the kingdom. In Jesus’ might name, Amen!!

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139:14

Messages left in blog comments can be seen by our prayer community with access to this page.

Use this form for notes to J & A; these will go directly to Stephanie, and she’ll pass it along to J&A.

Send a Note to the Family