It is a week and a half after 7 months of hospitals and surgeries…And Chris is in the outside world now and it is good.

There has been a lot of making up for lost time and the time is coming when Chrise will head back to hospitals for more surgeries.

This week he has met up with some of the guys from volley ball at a high school game that Debbie took him to. He has had visits from cousins, relatives and family. He has gone out for meals a few times, done some shopping, had some business to take care of and spent the day with family watching a major backyard expedition.

All these things are helping with getting back into a regular living mode, as regular as it can be under the circumstances. There are still so many changes ahead (it is kinda like knowing things will work out well at the end but not knowing the timing and what is on the road ahead. Just knowing Jesus is holding your hands.)

Thank you for your prayers for peace as there are many times when peace from God is the only thing to hold us through.

This week Chris had two appointments. The first one we went to was with a hand and wrist specialist at St. Paul’s. We didn’t really know what to expect. This doctor was to look at Chris’ wrist and see if they could do anything about the severe carpal tunnel they said he has from the injury to his wrist. This Doctor specializes in the nerves and the upper extremities.

When we went in, a young intern came into see what we were there for. We told him the rehab place had booked the appointment and we were there to see about the carpal tunnel in Chris’ wrist. He looked at his wrist. Then got out his note paper and began to ask questions.. The more he asked and the more he discovered about the injuries Chris had received from the accident… the more unsettled he became. This was not a straightforward case…. He took off the bandages on Chris’ arm and did a little examining and then he said that this was quite complicated and that he’d better see if he could get the X-rays up, and that he was going to have to talk to the specialist.

It was quite funny because when he came in he was quite smooth and seemed to know what he was up to but sort of unraveled the more info he got. This wasn’t just a straight forward case.

When the specialist came in he was really easy to talk to. He asked again lots of questions and talked with Chris about the accident. Seems like some of the feeling and movement restrictions he is having in his hand comes from other complications from right at the beginning when he first arrived at Kamloops. Maybe even to do with the fact his artery was severed in his arm.

Any way… this doctor knows the doctor that was on Chris’ case in Kamloops and said he was a very good surgeon. We thank God he was there. He began to talk about how he could do the surgery on Chris arm and maybe he would have to lift the flaps and graphs to get the arm surgery done…

I am thinking the ortho specialist that did his leg and arm originally had already talked about his arm… but this Doctor talked about the other Dr. on a first name basis. He said they worked together and he would talk with him and though he didn’t want to step on his toes… he thought he could do this surgery. There were things he could see that were important. He sent us right away for X-rays on it.

Chris and I talked about coming for a small wrist surgery that we were told could be just a day thing and this guy is talking about removing the bone growth on the elbow and removing the bone growth between the two bones in the fore arm… while we are sitting waiting for X-rays… Chris told me he could hear them sharpening the knife while we waited.

We were #10 on the waiting list for X-Ray’s, and had our ticket in hand. The woman that was keeping everything in order came out and called others in. Next thing we know she is saying… “This lady was next I know” she said.. “I saw her here first.” Who can argue with that? Though she spent quite a time trying to reassure us and others… that she was right. The other woman didn’t even have a number. and had come along quite a bit after we had sat down to wait with #10 in hand. Next thing along she comes asking for #12….. Chris holds up his number #10…. She still tries to excuse herself…. Which lead to quite a discussion about why even have numbers if she isn’t going to do it that way. When Chris went inside for the X-rays, one of the workmen that was working in the hall right there came over and said to me, “Your son was here first. He was before that lady. I saw it.” It made for an interesting discussion later as well. It’s fun to find the humour in the small things in life.

When we went back to the surgeon. He was on the phone with the ortho surgeon from VGH they were discussing Chris’ arm… He took us right in… told us the ortho surgeon would be happy if he would take over the arm and he would handle the leg.

So if we wanted to talk about it and be sure we were comfortable with it… he would set everything up. His concern is that there is only so much time left to be able to do the arm surgery and have it work. It needs to be done before the year is up or it won’t work… and now time is limited. So we need to get things moving. He explained the process and said that in working with a tourniquet he would only get a 2 hour window so he needed to really look at everything and see if it could be done in one surgery or if there would be a need for two.

One for removing bone from the back of the elbow and the other for the bone growth between the two bones in the lower arm to give him rotation and the wrist will need something as well….( we are not losing hope there will be an overriding miracle, Chris is in God’s hands and we know that… it will go well with him and THAT’S A PROMISE! From Father God for sure.)

He said after the surgery Chris would have a sleeping partner (a movement machine)for some time… it was necessary to keep his arm in constant movement so the boney spurs would not get a chance to re-grow.

He said there is already a year waiting list but he would see to it this was done. (Yah God!) Chris is waiting for a cat scan on his arm… this too is quite a waiting list.. so please pray he will get one sooner that expected. It is very important.

Chris had an appointment with the speech therapist this week and he is doing amazingly well.

We thank God. So many people say they cannot tell he has had a brain injury from just a normal conversation with him.

Even some of the testing he has completed he has done remarkably well on.

We are so thankful to God for the wonderful miracles He has already given to Chris and for what He is continuing to do each and everyday.

It has been a good week. It is quite different being at home where you have to do it yourself but it feels good also.

Chris is managing really well He is a champion scrabble player.. Hitting on seven letter words several times in a game and scoring sometimes near a hundred point for a single word. No Kidding… He is incredible… It is a highly competitive game and there is intense strategy happening.

The wounds on his arm and leg are healing remarkably fast now… we are praising God again for this. This is what we were hoping for. It is good because they would not be if the infection thing was getting worse. He has more appointments with the Doctor regarding this at the end of the month.

This week his physio program begins full force. We are thanking God for “strength for the day and hope for tomorrow”.

Chris also has an appointment with the dentist this week… we are hoping the new bridge of teeth will be coming sooner than later.

Well here we are thankful family and friends

Chris is thankful too…..

for the faithfulness of God.

He is our Hope and the Strength of our lives..

We will trust in Him.

He says He has gone before us and will prepare the way.

So we will walk with Him each day,

Not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take of it self.

Trusting in His unfailing love.

Here is a rendition of Matt 6:34

Let the present days troubles be sufficient for a man and

let him not rashly increase it by anticipating the care of days to come.