Happy Camper

Mom just called me moments ago to inform me that Dad is being released this morning. Needless to say, he is "one happy camper". The doctors decided to give his body more time to heal before they begin therapy. Thankfully, they are lining up in-home care for a while as well.

Thank you for praying! We will continue to keep you posted on Dad's progress.

Kelly

Jan. 20th Update

Dad had to be moved out of his private room and is now in Rm. 320 phone is (207) 973-5320. Dad has asked us to pray that he would be able to go home soon. One of his doctor's wants him to start therapy right away and another wants him to wait to give his body more time to heal. They will be making this decision tomorrow, Lord willing. Dad would like to be in his own bed so that he can get some real rest before he has to begin therapy. Appreciate your prayers on his behalf.

Kelly

Jan. 19th Update

"My tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long." - Ps. 35:28

Dear Friends,

Today we have much to praise the Lord for...

The lab report came back this morning - the tumour was classed as a T2 (fairly large) and had invaded the wall of the rectum. So, the surgery that was done was definitely the right thing to do. There was NO cancer found in the lymph nodes.

Dad was released from ICU yesterday morning but, since there was not a bed available, was not moved out until 11 p.m. last night!

Yesterday they had weaned Dad's oxygen down from 8 litres a day to three litres. At that time they wanted to keep him on the oxygen so as not to "stress" his heart. Not sure what today will bring in this regard.

Dad woke Mom up this morning at 5 a.m. to tell her that he has a beautiful room! He was so thrilled that the Lord had answered his prayer for a private room. But, as we know, the Lord LOVES to give good gifts to His children, so not only is it a private room but it has a large window and is painted a lovely shade of blue. And, although it is close to the nurses station, it is in an alcove so is a fairly quiet room as well! Mom informed me that Dad is ready to "hold court" :) so if you are in the area please stop by Room 310 to visit with him. If you can't stop by, he would love to speak with you on the phone and can be reached at (207) 973-5310.

We are not sure how long Dad will be in the hospital but he has already asked Mom to start making plans for their move out West!! Guess that he is ready and raring to go! He will be doing some physical therapy and will probably need to do more therapy so that he can learn to walk on his prosthesis without any aids.

Thank you again for all your prayers on behalf of our family and specifically our Dad. It has truly been overwhelming to us the number of people around the world lifting us up before the Throne of Grace. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!! We know that you will be blessed for having spent time on your knees before the Lord.

May you have a most blessed day!

Kelly

Jan. 17th Update

Dad continues in ICU. Of course, having another heart attack during the night didn't help - this one causing some damage. Mom was expecting better news when she went to the hospital today since Dad had such a great day yesterday - sitting up some more, eating his first solid foods, being more alert, etc. Dad continues to be agitated - trying to remove probes, monitors and/or the oxygen mask. He seems to do well during the day but gets quite agitated, sleeping very little at night.

Mom continues to do well. We are so thankful for the Winningham's opening their home to her so that she only has a 5 minute drive to the hospital each day. The days are quite long for her as Dad has been sleeping alot during the day since he doesn't sleep much at night.

Although visits are limited in ICU, Dad is in room 143. Even if you can't see Dad, I know that Mom would appreciate the company - it is a very quiet, subdued place. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers on our behalf. A special thanks to all those who forward these updates on to others - your thoughtfulness means so much to us.

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."
Psalm 139:14

With praise to my Creator,
Kelly

Day 3 - Update

Here is the latest information I have received from Mom about Dad:

"Dad was on the ventilator all night and when they took him off of it this morning, his levels were able to stay up with just the oxygen tube (so far). They removed his epidural line this am as well. Hopefully, he will be moved from ICU tomorrow."

Thanks again for your continued prayers.

Day 2 - Update

Dad had a mild heart attack the day of his surgery. That is one of the reasons he is in ICU longer than originally expected.

Mom says dad is more clear headed today than he was yesterday. They have had him on oxygen all day to due to his low oxygen levels and fluid in his lungs. He is having a difficult time adjusting to the masks due to claustrophobia. Please pray that he can adjust and find comfort in the oxygen treatment and that his levels will return to normal soon.

Thanks for your prayers on dad's behalf.

For the family,
Tim

Post Surgery Update

I just spoke with Mom and found out the following details:

• Dad's surgery began 8:15 and did not finish until 1:15. They removed all of the cancer and he was in recovery what was suppose to have been an hour and a half, but due to blood pressure issues and cardiac concerns, he was there until 5:15.
• He is now in ICU where they can monitor his heart. They said he would most likely be in the ICU for another day or two.
  
• Mom was told to bring his prosthesis in so that they can get him up and going as soon as possible.

We will get a room number and phone number posted as soon as he is moved to a regular room.

Thanks again for your prayers!!

For the Family,
Tim

New plans

Dear Friends and Family,
Well, Dad has finally gotten over his cold only to succumb to gout in his foot. But, that is not holding him back too much. He continues to see Dr. Anderson as well as others. Dad went for some tests last week, his "long range" blood sugar levels are good and the keratin levels in his kidney were very good.
Anyway, the purpose of this email is to let you know that, 1.) Dad has been re-scheduled for surgery on Jan. 12th and, 2.) he went into the hospital today to begin in-house therapy in order to learn to use his prosthesis. He was admitted to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor this afternoon and they told him he would be there for a week.
We have enjoyed having Mom and Dad spend a few days with us a couple of different times over these past weeks. It is nice to see them trying to get a sense of normalcy again - a new normal, I guess you would say. Because Dad was not in the hospital, they were able to make their annual trip to NH for Thanksgiving (sorry I missed out this year, Scott and Kelly), this past Friday they were in New Brunswick helping Grammy Porter celebrate her 80th birthday and, when Dad gets out of the hospital next week, they are hoping to fly to Wyoming to spend Christmas with the "Western contingent" of the Allen family. All of this between doctors appointments.
We hope that you had a great Thanksgiving and are looking forward to a blessed Christmas season!

Love,Kelly

PS For those of you who don't know, Tim was in the ER on Saturday with a bout of kidney stones. Haven't heard how he is doing but praying that "this too shall pass". :) Also, keep Gigi and Breanna in your prayers as they both lost their jobs recently. Ben is at Academy for a couple weeks for more job training - keep him in prayer. Peter Quimby is having knee surgery on Thursday of this week. Pray that the surgery will be successful, that he would heal quickly and that Sue won't kill him as he recuperates! Just kidding!!! :) That's the latest family news in a nutshell....

Still Not Time!

Dad's surgery has been postponed...he has been struggling with a cold, and can't get rid of the lingering cough. He has been given some antibiotics which will hopefully take care of it quickly. He also had an x-ray at the clinic and there is no sign of pneumonia or fluid build-up. Good!! So now we sit and wait for the surgeon to reschedule. In a way, it will be nice that he's waiting because now he can really enjoy Thanksgiving rather than being in the hospital. Mom and Dad are planning to go to New Hampshire with our family friends, the Loring's, again this year for the festivities. This is a tradition that our family has kept almost every year for close to thirty years! Man, that can't be right!!! Wow, where does the time go.
We trust all our dear friends will enjoy time with family and friends this week, and remember the goodness of the Lord.

Wait No Longer...

It doesn't matter what your personal timetable is...surgeon's will take vacation and they will get the flu! We just have to be patient for God's timing. But, eventually, Dad did get his appointment with the surgeon. All scans and tests showed that the tumor did not really shrink with radiation and that there are definitely cancerous cells.
Surgery has been scheduled for November 19, which, again, doesn't go according to our timetable. Thanksgiving is definitely not as fun in the hospital!
The surgeon will need to do a colostomy which means cutting his stomach, and one other incision. Since they will be cutting his stomach muscles, he will need to stay at the hospital for at least a week for recovery and rehab.
He is scheduled as the first surgery of the day and will be at the hospital by 6:30 a.m.
As for some exciting news...Dad's fittings for his prosthetic are almost complete. One last knee component is in the mail but then Dad should be up and running!
Lastly, please pray for Dad's wrist. He sprained it a bit while pushing himself off the bed the other morning. This doesn't help much with getting around with a walker!
Pray for continued peace for the upcoming surgery. Dad is understandably nervous and covets your prayers. We serve a God that gives "peace that passes all understanding."

Suzanne, for the kids

Forging New Trails on the Frontier of Faith

Dad had an appointment last week with the cardiologist to determine if his heart could handle the "stress" of wearing a prosthetic. The report came back as follows:

• his kidney function was "very good"
• his "long-term" sugar levels were good
• the "squeeze rate" for his heart, in March it was at 20%, is now at 60%!!!
  

Consequently, he has been approved for a prosthetic!

Also, they determined that Dad's heart is strong enough to handle another surgery.

Our prayers for a disappearing tumor have been answered with a "no" or "not yet." When they checked Dad to see if the tumor had shrunk from the radiation, they discovered it had not shrunk as much as they hoped. Due to the size and location of the tumor, dad will have to have a colostomy bag after the tumor is removed.

Yesterday, the doctor ordered a CT scan because she was concerned that the cancer might be spreading. The scan showed a nodule on Dad's lung which the doctor feels is probably benign. To be on the safe side she has ordered a PET scan which will take place next week. The doctor has not yet set a date for the removal of the tumor.

Mom and Dad's plans to go to Cheyenne are on hold as of now.

Dad continues to grow stronger physically as he tries to get around without the wheelchair.

Thank you for your prayers, cards, and calls and may the Lord strengthen your faith as He is ours!

For the family,
Tim

"Will work for fun!"

Well, we've put Dad back to work. I hope he wasn't expecting to have it easy for too long. Mom and Dad were visiting me the other day, and I realized that my lawn needed mowing...! It didn't take long to convince him to do it. It did, however, take awhile to actually get him ON the mower. It was probably amusing to see three relatively intelligent adults staring at a lawn mower like it had just talked to us. But, we rose to the situation, and the lawn got mowed.
Another praise...I know aren't we getting sick of those. There are soooooooo many!!! Anyways, Mom and Dad got a new-to-them vehicle last week. It is a Ford Escape, kind of a smaller version of an Explorer. It is so much more comfortable for Dad and much easier for him to maneuver in and out of. Yeah! Also, he is back behind the wheel a bit. He is so enjoying this new freedom.
Something humorous...a new doctor was checking up on Dad the other day and had never seen him before. The doc was reading Dad's chart out in the hall and then came into the room for the visit. He took one look at Dad and said, "Wow, you look good!" He had assumed from the chart and all Dad's issues that he'd look much worse.
Prayer requests...one week from this Friday, Dad meets with the surgeon to decide about removing the tumor...do we or don't we. Pray that the tumor will be gone!
Also, we are waiting to hear about an appointment with the cardiologist. This is important to Dad because a comment has been made by another cardiologist that just came on to Dad's case that maybe he should not get his prosthesis. She felt that using one would be too much of a strain on Dad's heart. My reply to this was, "Hopping around on one leg isn't a strain?!" Anyhoo...Mom and Dad are going to try talking to this other cardiologist about it as it will be his decision. Pray really hard...Dad had been so excited about getting started on therapy with his new leg.

Thank you so much for all your love and prayers,
Suzanne, for the family

Home at last!

Just wanted to let you know that Dad DID make it home on Friday - and he is THRILLED!!! I asked him how his first day at home went and he replied "Interesting". Not sure if that was a good or bad thing but I didn't have time to pursue it. :)

The "Maine" Allen's all got together today (Saturday) to help Mom celebrate her birthday. We met in Bangor at Olive Garden as it is most centrally located for all of us. It is a little hectic with 4 little ones under 4 but we managed. And, Dad managed very well also. He is quite adept with his walker but felt more comfortable using his wheelchair for this outing.

Dad is looking forward to getting his prosthesis. He will not be able to get this until they remove the stitches from his stump. So, that would be our next request - healing of his leg so that he can go on to the next "step" (pardon the pun - I am my father's daughter!) of getting his prosthetic leg. Also, remember Dad as he continues his radiation treatments every day.

What a blessing to see Dad pain-free and enjoying life and his family again! Thank you so much for all of your prayers on our behalf.

Love,
Kelly