Our Covid Journey...

Jesus Christ is the ultimate healer and physician. Im praising Him every step of the way. As we were walking into Joe's room we were being told that he was able to do 10 minutes of PT, blessed. The settings on Joe's ECMO and vent were decreased, blessed. Both Dr TpChong and his nurse Holly said that they didn't think Joe would get to this point; blessed beyond measure, thank you Jesus. Thank you for all your prayers.

The doctor discussed a stomach feeding tube for Joe. The feeding tube through his nose can cause sinus issues after a wwhile. The procedure will probably be in two days. Please pray that he doesn't lose blood with this procedure.

Praising God for another day. Praising God for decreased settings. Praising God for 10 minutes of PT. Praising God for new feeding tube. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

Thank you Sweet Jesus for one day at a time. Today was another great day. Joe's numbers keep improving; one small step at a time. His humor is in full force. I told Joe that the nurses are letting us decorate his room for Christmas. He shook his head no. I told him his "Scrooge" didn't get his way at home and wouldn't get his way here either. I told him we were going to get him a fiberoctic Christmas tree, he shook his head no. I told him he had no choice and asked him if he wanted multi colored lights; he shook his head yes. We are blessed beyond measure. Thank you for all of your prayers.

Physical therapy will begin again tomorrow. Please pray for Joe's strength.

Praising God for another day. Praising God for improving numbers. Praising God for Joe's humor. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical staff. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

Thank you Lord Jesus for another day. Joe has been stable all day. His vent is set on 50% with a 13 respiration rate, his personal RR is between 22 to 25; blessed. His oxygen saturation has been hitting 100; blessed. Joe has done well on sweeps with his ECMO machine set low. Which means, Joe's lungs are pulling off CO2 on their own, Praise God; blessed beyond measure. Joe has been showing his funny side today with us, blessed. Dr Lee just came in to see how Joe was doing. Dr Lee's eyes lit up as he read Joe's numbers and he mouthed WOW, blessed. Thank you for all you prayers; please continue.

Dr Lee did a bronc today. The lungs are damaged but he doesn't think the bacterial infection is coming from the lungs. Please pray that they find where the infection is coming from and that it goes away for good.

Praising God for another day. Praising God for Joe's humor. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

Thank you Jesus Christ for another good day. Today has been a quiet day. The plan for the day was physical therapy, however Joe's 9am meds had other plans. Joe wasn't awake enough for physical therapy. On a good note, Joe's meds have been decreased. Joe's settings on the vent and ECMO came down,, blessed. Joe is waking up without any anxiety, blessed. We are able to understand Joe better, blessed. His comical side is coming out, blessed. He refuses to say he is older than 39, blessed. I blew Joe a kiss, he blew me one back, blessed beyond measure.

Thank you again for all of your prayers. We see God answering them every day.

Praising God for another day. Praising God for lower settings. Praising God for decreased meds. Praising God for blown kisses. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

Please pray that Joe's bacterial infection that is in his blood does not go to his heart. Please pray that this does not damage his lungs even more. Also, pray that the blood clot in his right shoulder dissolves and not pass.

So thankful for the wonderful medical staff here at Kennestone Hospital. The nurses brought us a Thanksgiving meal. Always checking to see if we need or want anything. Blessed beyond measure!!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Thank you Jesus!!!! Joe's fever broke...98.8. His respirations went to normal. I got see his pretty blue eyes!!!!! We are learning to communicate differently. I was able to figure out he was cold. It has been a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!! Praising God for everything!!!! Thank you for your prayers!!!

Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. —EPHESIANS 5:20

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. —PSALM 118:1

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD. PSALM 89:15.

The sweet, loveable, Sarah Miller Hercey shared with me the Bible verses above in a devotion this morning. They had me thinking about what God has done for us and asking did we have a grateful heart. Well my ADD kicked in and I got distracted from my devotion. Fast forward an hour, we went to Walmart to pick up cake and ice cream so 4 North could celebrate Joe's 51st Birthday. The bakery employees asked me if I was looking forward to the holiday tomorrow. For a brief moment I thought of everything going on and I said "No". Then in a quick second I came to my senses. I said, "Hold on, I am looking forward for tomorrow.". I explained my husband was in the hospital with COVID; we are not with our kids; this will be the first Thanksgiving without my Daddy and my aunt. Then I proceeded to tell them I had a lot to be thankful to God for; Joe is still alive, and our kids will be with family. Even though Daddy and Aunt Patsy are gone, they are where they want to be; enjoying Heaven their Jesus. My mother in law, Nancy was with us and so is my brother in law Donny, so I am very thankful. No matter what valley that we are going through there is always something we can thank God for; we can even thank God for the valley.

Today Joe had a CT scan on several areas of his body. He is currently having an ultrasound done. He is running a fever due to a bacterial infection. This could set him back two weeks. His respirations are running around 30 to 32, they need to be around 24. Please pray that the infection does not set him back 2 weeks and his respirations decrease. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers. I love y'all

Praising God for His Son Jesus Christ, who defeated the cross for our sins, so we can have eternal life. Praising God for another day. Praising God for Joe's 51st Birthday. Praising God for Thanksgiving. Praising God for our family and friends. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God for this valley. Praising God for Joe's healing to come.

This is the day that the Lord hath made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24.

Thanking Jesus Christ for another good day. Did it go as planned? No, Joe had to be sedated a little this morning that caused him a day of rest. So PT could not be done today. Joe's sense of humor came out today, which brought me joy. The nurses were bathing him and one went to wash his hoo haw and he waved his finger to say "no, no". In the other units he told the nurses it was my job to bathe him. In 4 North he has no choice, blessed. Joe's brother Donny has been driving loads in and out of Georgia so he could be close. He is with us for a couple of days, blessed. This evening before we left Joe had an anxiety attack that lasted longer than usual. The nurses and doctor were on top of things, blessed. We were trying to think what could be causing the anxiety.. I explained to the team that Joe has never been hospitalized for anything. Joe is a strong man physically and verbally. His charge nurse said his body is in shock. Joe eventually calmed down, blessed.

Thank you for all your prayers, I see them being answered each day. Will stood up by his bed. An elderly lady took her first steps with her vent and ecmo. It was a beautiful sight, blessed.

Please say a special prayer for the family with 5 children. The young father passed away around noon. Please say a prayer for the medical teams that work with these patients. Joe's nurse, Allie, is so heart broken. With tears in her eyes she stated that they work so hard to help patients and it seems that it is never enough. Then she stated there are times when a patient survives and she knows it was all God, blessed.

Allie started playing songs by Casting Crowns. It brought joy to my heart to hear the nurses sing with the music, blessed. When we left for the evening the nurses hugged us goodbye, blessed. Hug your loved ones tight tonight and tell them you love them. Don't forget to thank God for them.

I love y'all, good night

Praising God for another day. Praising God for stable. Praising God for a day of rest. Praising God Donny is visiting. Praising God for Joe's sense of humor. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

I cannot say thank you to Jesus enough for all He is doing for Joe. Today Joe has been remaining calm when awake; thank you all for your prayers. Physical Therapy came in and worked with Joe today. He sat up on his own for 6 minutes and he swung out his legs.

Praising God for another day. Praising God for calm. Praising God for stable. Praising God for 6 minutes of sitting at the edge of the bed. Praising God for strength. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

Thanking Jesus Christ that Joe is having a good day and another day. They are bringing him off of his IV sedations and switching over to oral. Please pray he remains calm when he wakes up from sedation. The plans are to start PT as soon as they can find a happy place while he is awake. Thank you all for your prayers. We see God moving everyday.

Praising God for another day. Praising God for the happy place. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

I cannot thank Jesus Christ enough for what He has done and what He will do. Joe held my hand and he held it tight. I asked him if he wanted me to rub his feet. He shrugged his shoulder as if to say "sure, if you want". They are still trying to find his happy place. My heart is over flowing with Joy.

Joe is doing well this morning. His stats and oxygen saturation is great. The vent has been down to 50% since 7am. He was responsive earlier this morning. They did a bronch so he is sedated for now. I will wait patiently. I feel like I did at Christmas when I was a little girl waiting in bed to open presents. Thank you for your continuous prayers. Most importantly we are thanking our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for a great day.

Praising God for another day.Praising God for the trach. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

Please pray for Joe to remain calm when he awakens. His heart rate shoots up and they have to medicate him to bring down his heart rate.

Thanking our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Joe is at a happy place. His oxygen saturation is good. The vent has been on 60% since yesterday morning. The ECMO machine is quietly working. The trach will happen at noon. Joe is retaining fluid, however the ECMO is happy. They will work on fluid after the trach. Susan, his nurse, said that it is one day at a time. I told her there is a gospel song that says, "One day at a time Sweet Jesus, that's all I'm asking from you." She said it is a miracle that he made it this far, thank you Jesus

Thank you for your continuous prayers. Please pray for the procedure and Joe's medical team.

Praising God for another day. Praising God for the trach. Praising God for stable. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

Thank you Jesus, Joe's trach procedure went well. We are waiting for his nurses to finish cleaning Joe up so we can see him. Thank you for your prayers.

Praising God for another day. Praising God for the trach. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

Thank you to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!!! Joe woke up around 3pm. I was able to see his pretty blue eyes. He was able respond to questions by nodding his head yes or no. He was able to move his toes on command. Joe's heart began tachycardia, which is normal, so they gave him some medication to calm him. He has been stable since 9am on the vent set at 60%. He has been breathing some on his own. The plan was to do a trach today but the doctor wants to hold off until tomorrow. Joe's platelets are in normal range and the doctor wants two days of normal range before he inserts the trach. The medical team calls this a baby step but to me it's a huge step and I will celebrate this moment. Thank you all for your prayers. God is an amazing God.

I'm giving all the Glory and Honor to God!!!! Praising God for another day. Praising God for baby steps. Praising God while waiting. Praising God for Joe's pretty blue eyes. Praising God for Joe awakening. Praising God for stable. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

One of the lessons I'm learning through this storm is that COVID is a waiting game. It will be 4 weeks from tomorrow that Joe has been in the hospital. It has been two weeks from today that Joe has been on the vent. It was two weeks yesterday that I last talked to him. Like Elijah, we are waiting until it's time for God to move and while we wait God is providing. There is a gospel song that I have been referring to a lot lately, even before Joe got sick. The name of the song is, In His Time.

"In his time, in his time

He makes all things beautiful

In his time.

Lord please show me everyday

As you're teaching me your way

That you do just what you say

In your time."

Thankful to our Lord Jesus Christ that Joe has been off of the paralytic since yesterday's procedure; the belly breathing is very few; and his stats are good. We cannot say "THANK YOU" enough for all of your prayers.

The plan today is to wake up Joe a little bit at a time, one sedation at a time. Right now he is in a happy place. His oxygen saturation is good. His blood flow in the ECMO is good. The vent is set at 15 respirations, he has added up to 5 more above that on his own.

The other day they tried to bring Joe off of the paralytic. I excited him when I declared my love for him. He started moving and his machines were sounding off. I was telling him to breathe from his chest an not his diaphragm. The ECMO nurse told me I had to stop. His nurse, Patrick, tried to make me feel better by telling me that men like to hear that their women love them, however in Joe's case he needs to stay calm. So, today, I am quietly sitting by his side; quietly cheering for him; and quietly watching his monitors. Looking forward to seeing Joe's pretty blue eyes.

Praising God for another day. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

When we came in to see Joe this morning they were doing a bronch. They took longer because they had to change his vent tubing. They discovered he had 3 or 4 leaks through the tubing. Dr Lee said they verified several ways to ensure the new tubing is not leaking. The procedure to move the canula will be at 1pm and he will receive a new ECMO machine. Joe is still status quo, which means he hasn't gotten worse, thank you Jesus please say a pray for the procedure at 1pm. Thank you for all your prayers, sweet messages, and generosity. You put smiles on our faces and joy in our hearts. We are blessed beyond measure.

Praising God for status quo. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

They had to push out Joe's procedure to 2:30. Dr Lee said he wanted to give Joe more blood and platelets for support.

Praising God while we wait.

Thank you Jesus, the procedure went well. They are cleaning Joe up and they will be taking some x-rays. We will be able to see him in an hour. Thank you for all your prayers.

Praising God for a successful procedure.

We got to see Joe; his neck and face are swollen, but he looks good. Dr Lee turned off the paralytic, and then one sedation at a time. So far, no belly breathing, thank you Jesus. Again, thank you for your prayers.

Praising God for another day. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God while we wait. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

Thanking Jesus Christ that Joe had a stable night. They tried to drop his vent to 90 last night. Joe's lungs did not like it, however, he still had a stable night. Dr Lee has ordered his paralytic to be stopped this morning. He wants to see how Joe will do on just sedation. The last two days we were told Joe was status quo. He has not improved but praise Jesus he has not worsen.

Sam, the ECMO nurse, gave us hope last night. He took the time to go in great detail what the medical field has been dealing with from the beginning of COVID. Sam has been working on the front lines with COVID from the beginning. He has been an ECMO nurse for 22 years. Sam was a God send.

Please pray for Joe to become less dependent on the ECMO and vent. Please pray for safe travels for Sandy and Julie. Please pray for the medical team. Thank you for your prayers, sweet messages and generosity. We see and feel God through this storm.

Praising God for status quo. Praising God for stable. Praising for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

Nancy and I just spoke with Dr Lee. They tried to bring Joe off of the paralytic. When he is coming off of it Joe wants to belly breathe because his lungs are stiff. When he belly breathes he cuts off his ECMO canula that is in his groin. ECMO is his life support. A few minutes ago they did an ultrasound on his neck and heart to see of they can move the groin canula to his neck. The belly breathing will not affect the canula in his neck. If Dr Lee does this procedure then it will be done tomorrow. There is a chance that Joe will not make it through the procedure. Please pray for no more belly breathes. Please pray for the procedure. Please pray for the medical team.

Praising God for another day. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

Thanking our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that Joe had another good night. That makes three nights in a row...woohoo!!!!! The plan for the day is a bronchoscopy this afternoon and to try to bring him off of the paralytic sedation. He is still on blood thinners so the trach will probably not be done today. Derek, Nick, and Rebecca Lynne arrived safely. Please pray that Joe does not breathe from his diaphragm as the sedation is being weaned. Please pray he can be less dependent on the machines. Please pray that everything will go alright with the trach.

Praising God for another day. Praising God for stable. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God for Joe's healing that is to come.

Joe has a bacterial infection in his lungs. He is stable on the machines. They are wanting to do his trach this weekend. They are treating him with antibiotics. He needs to not be fully dependent on the machines. To be considered for a lung transplant he has to make two complete rounds on the unit floor. Please pray.

Thanking Jesus that Joe is status quo. They are increasing the air pressure a little bit at a time so the lungs will not rupture. They went in and cleaned out the passage ways. They are starting to bring him off of sedation. With the high dosages of steroids they had to put him on an insulin drip. His oxygen saturation is in the 90s. Praising God for another day. Praising God for status quo. Praising God for insulin. Praising God for high oxygen saturation.Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Praising God for being the only Source.

Thanking Jesus the "Great I Am" that Joe had a stable day. They tried to bring Joe off of sedation but he is not ready. His oxygen saturation stayed in the 90s. The medical team is very optimistic and continues to fight. Joe's sister Sandy and cousin Julie came to visit from Minnesota. Praising God for another day. Praising God for stable. Praising God for high oxygen saturation. Praising God for being the Awesome God He is.

Thank you all for your prayers. I called to check on Joe for the night. His nurse said his oxygen is back up in the 90s, thank you Jesus. Praising God for increased oxygen. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team who doesn't quit fighting. Praising God because He is the ultimate healer and physician. Thanking Jesus for being the great "I Am".

We are still waiting to speak with the medical team. Joe's oxygen is running low today. They had to up his vent. Please say a prayer. Thank you!!!! Praising God through this storm.

Joe's oxygen levels have been hovering between 83 and 85 today which was concerning. The medical team spoke with us on what is happening with Joe. My greatest fear was confirmed; Joe's lungs are becoming fibrotic. Dr Lee informed us that his survival rate is low but they have not given up the fight. They are working to get Joe ready for a double lung transplant. He has to meet certain criteria. Their goals for today and tomorrow are to wean him off his sedation, and build up his blood and platelets for the trach. Once he has the trach they will be able to see if he has the strength for PT.

We are praying for God's healing. We are asking for your prayers. If it is God's will for Joe to be healed by the lung transplants then please while praying for Joe say a special prayer for the individual and his/her family who's lungs Joe will be receiving. When it comes to organ donation, one's gain is someone else's loss. Hug your loved ones extra tight tonight and never stop saying "I love you".

Praising God for another day. Praising God for the trach. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Thanking Jesus Christ for being our Lord and Savior.

Joe's ECMO nurse is an Army Vet. She is addressing him as if he was still in the military. She is telling him to bring out his Army strong.

Thank you all for your prayers. I called to check on Joe for the night. His nurse said his oxygen is back up in the 90s, thank you Jesus. Praising God for increased oxygen. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team who doesn't quit fighting. Praising God because He is the ultimate healer and physician. Thanking Jesus for being the great "I Am".

Thanking Jesus that He is getting Joe through each day. We are finding out each day that COVID is a Rollercoaster ride. I waited to update because I wanted to get the results from different tests Joe had today. There were several emergencies on the floor today so we didn't get to talk to the doctor. The nurse could not talk about results with me but she did tell me they will be notifying me about putting a trach in Joe tomorrow, please pray.

Like I stated before COVID is a Rollercoaster ride. Joe has his ups and downs. We are Praising God for stable. We are Praising God for another day. We are Praising God for the trach because it is going to help him. We are Praising God for this hospital. We are Praising God for this medical team.

Thank you all for your prayers, love, and generosity. We are truly blessed beyond measure. My life verse is Pslam 28:7 "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart celebrates, and I give thanks to him with my song." Think of all the blessings that God has given you throughout all the years, thank Him and sing a song of praise to Him. We love y'all.

Joe got agitated early this morning. They were concerned they were going to have to put him back in the paralytic state, Praise God they did not. The sedation meds kicked in and he went back to normal. His temp spiked but after he calmed down his temp is at 99 and holding. Today's plan is to just rest. Thanking Jesus they did not have to return him back to the paralytic state.

Thank you Jesus that Joe's day is ending on a better note than it started. Joe is starting to breathe more on his own. Which means the vent is doing less. The nurse told me we were fortunate for Joe to be able to get an ECMO machine. They do not have many that are available. We are blessed beyond measure.. Please say a prayer that Joe does not become agitated throughout the night. Praising God for increased independent breathing. Praising God for stable. Praising God for the ECMO machine. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team.

Due to several emergencies, not being Joe, they had to postpone bringing Joe off the paralytic state. They will try at noon. Nancy and I will return at 4pm. I appreciate the doctor coming to talk to us every time we come in to see Joe. I do not have to go searching or asking, he always comes and gives us an update. He is originally from Pittsburgh and his father was a professor at WVU. Feeling blessed. Praising God for the wait.

Thank you Jesus!!!! Joe opened his eyes. The nurse asked him if he was in pain, he shook his head no. The nurse told him to squeeze her hand, he squeezed her hand. The nurse told him to move his toes, he moved his toes. The nurse told him that his wife and mom had been there earlier. She asked him if he wanted us there, he shook his head yes. As soon as she hung up from calling me Nancy and I walked through the door. He opened his eyes for us and squeezed our hands.

Joe's body is taking in more oxygen. They are able to lower the settings on the vent and ECMO. He is also breathing some on his own. The x-ray on his lungs does not show improvement, however, it does not show them getting worse.

We are Praising God for a good day. We are Praising God for higher oxygen saturation. We are Praising God for lower settings. We are Praising God for lungs not getting worse. We are Praising God for Joe waking up. We are Praising God for this hospital. We are Praising God for this medical team. Thank you for your prayers!!!!!! I love yall!!!!

Joe had a good night, he was stable. They had him on his belly all night, till 9am. Praising God for another day. Praising God for stable. Praising God for this hospital. Praising God for this medical team. Most importantly we are Praising God for loving us so much that he gave his Son Jesus Christ, who died on the cross, so we can be saved.

Joe had a good day today. He was stable and they were able to take his oxygen from 70% to 60%. The doctor said he likes 50% but he will take 60% with Joe's condition. Joe's COVID is the Delta variant, which is why it hit him quick and hard. He will be taken off the paralytic meds in the morning, and we should see results around 12pm. While we are waiting we are Praising God for another day. We are Praising God for stable. We are Praising God for 60% oxygen. We are Praising God for this hospital. We are Praising God for this medical team. Thank you for your prayers.

John 3:16...For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosever believes in Him should not parish but have everlasting life.

Phillipians 4:13... I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I spoke with the nurse last night. The CAT scan showed that a blood clot moved to Joe's lung. He was stable and responding well with the ECMO. Praising God for another day and Joe's medical team. Please say a prayer for safe travels. Joe's mom, Nancy, is flying into Atlanta this morning. Her flight will be taking off shortly. Thank you for your prayers and sweet messages. We are truly blessed beyond measure.

We were not all able to see Joe today. Nancy and I went and spent some time with him. Joe is stable. He is doing well on the ECMO and he was able to be taken off of his blood pressure medicine. They did add a heart med to prevent his heart rate from dropping too low. The plan is to bring him out of the paralytic coma on Saturday. We are just waiting. So while we wait we are Praising God for another day. We are Praising God that Joe is in this hospital and is being treated by this medical team. We are Praising God that Joe is stable. We appreciate your prayers, sweet messages and musical numbers. They all bring tears and smiles. We are blessed beyond measure. The kids and Eugenia will be heading back home tomorrow. Nancy will be staying with me.

Thanking my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!!! The hospital got in touch with me at 5:15am to tell me that Joe took a turn for the worst, he had to be vented at 4:45am and he wasn't expected to make it. I headed over to the hospital and as I was pulling into the parking garage I received a call from a specialist. He said that he was going to try ECMO on Joe but he could still not make it. Fast forward to 8:30am, the doctor said that everything was looking good. They went in and washed out his lungs, he is on ECMO and he is stable. They did a CAT scan to see if his clots moved. I do not have those results. I haven't been able to see him yet. They moved him to another floor in another ICU. I thank God that he brought Joe to this hospital. He has COVID Pneumonia, which does not follow a time table and it does not follow the rules. I give God ALL the glory, honor and praise. Please pray for safe travels for my sisters and our kids. Kathy is coming to be with mom and Eugenia is on her way to Georgia with our kids.

I finally got to see Joe for 5 minutes. Joe is on the vent in a paralytic coma. He is hooked up to the ECMO machine. The kids are 120 miles away. Thank God for the trained medical staff that is taking care of Joe. Thank you for all your prayers.

This following verse was a "go to" verse for my Daddy throughout his life. My family and I have been quoting it a lot this year....Romans 8:28 "We know all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord, who are called according to his purpose."

I am asking again for special prayers for Joe this morning. Today they will try to wean him from the bipap. We appreciate all of your prayers and sweet messages.

Praising God for a good day. When I first arrived the nurse came to me said Joe was asking for me. As I was getting dressed to see him she informed me that he had a rough night and he could not be weaned. However, they were trying one more thing, nitric oxide, which is used by deep sea divers. The PA came to speak with us. The x-rays are showing holes in his lungs caused by the COVID Pneumonia, which is allowing air to fill around the heart. They are hoping that the nitric oxide will help move the air.

Joe has kept a fever since he has been in the hospital. His blood work and kidneys are good. They figured that the COVID Pneumonia was the cause of the fever.

Our God has a sense of humor. Joe kept telling his nurses that he had not had a BM in five days. They kept telling him that he was getting laxatives everyday. Well, his wonderful nurse today listened to him and brought in a soapy enima. The enima worked, Joe's O2 went up to the 90s and his temp went from 103 to 99. Praising God for a bowel moment, not on a vent, and a good day!!!!

Joe and I said we are going to take one day at a time and give God the glory throughout this storm. Thank you Jesus!!!! We greatly appreciate your prayers and sweet messages. We are feeling them and seeing them. Please continue to pray. Pray the nitricoxide will work, pray the Pneumonia will go away and pray the lungs will heal.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts

Joe is struggling to keep his stats up where they should be. They are going to put him on the bipap and leave him there for now. Please pray for him to remain calm for the duration. After a while this horrible monster plays with the mind. Praising God for the medical team that is taking care of him.

The doctors came by. It is very imperative that Joe stays on the bipap all day and all night. He needs rest. They will try to wean him to the heated High Flow tomorrow morning. If they cannot then he will more than likely be vented. He now has a blood clot in his right arm

Praising God for good day. The day started a little scary but it settled. Even though Joe is on the bipap his stats were good and he stayed calm. He was able to get some rest. Please pray that he has a good night. Again, we greatly appreciate all your prayers and kind words. I do not understand how someone can get through life without God.