The First of Many Dr. Visits.

April 23, 2008

Today is Wednesday and we are finally visiting Kaylah's primary doctor. After what feels like an eternity of waiting she comes in and starts asking Kaylah all these weird questions - things that have absolutely NOTHING to do with Kaylah's sickness.

She examined Kaylah and when she pushed on Kaylah's stomach, I thought Kaylah was going to kill all 4 ft 9in of that poor doctor. Kaylah came up yelling, kicking and screaming! The doctor soon realized how serious the problem was and that Kaylah needed to see a specialist - like tomorrow. The only problem was that this specialist is literally one of the very best in the entire MO/IL area, and it was nearly impossible to get an emergency appointment with her. While the doctor slipped out of the room, Kaylah & I said a quick prayer. We had only been dealing with this situation for 3 days, but we were already tired of it - how we have made it seven months is nothing but the grace of God!

Calls were made to this specialist and they had nothing until the following month. We waited for a few minutes to see if the doctor would send us to a different specialist. However, I did not feel comfortable with this decision so I begged the secretary to try calling the first specialist one more time. So he was gracious enough to comply, and come to find out there was instantly a cancelation - for the very next day! I said we will take it!!!! Nothing like my God to take care of His children at the most crucial moments in time.

Of course Kaylah does not remember much of this as she was off in lah-lah land due to the pain medicine. She has said some pretty interesting things because of it all - ask her about it & she denies every last word.

The Journey of Bed Rest

*So the last post started Kaylah's story. I will do my best to continue and remember the events as they happened.

We left Barnes - St. Peters on Sunday night under strict orders for Kaylah to be on bed rest until she could visit her primary. If only she could have followed those orders, but no her body decided it was going to make her sick!

April 21, 2008

Today was supposed to be a typical day of work, and then coming home to take care of Kaylah - who was supposed to be in bed. It started out that way but unfortunately it did not end that way. I came home around 1 o'clock, walked in the door and found Kaylah passed out in the middle of the floor, not knowing how long she had been there. I was finally able to rouse her and asked her if she knew what happened and why she was in the floor. Come to find out she was in so much pain that she literally passed out. So I did what any person would do, I scooped her up and back to the hospital we go.

This time I take her to Missouri Baptist becasue that is the hospital her doctor is based out of. We arrive there, and the place is packed. There was literally no where for me to sit and I had to fight a lady for a wheel chair. While we were waiting I called our second set of mothers (those who take care of us while mom is in Africa) and inform them what is going on. We are still waiting to be seen by the triage doctor, and by this time Kaylah is rocking back and forth in pain. All of a sudden I hear someone asking for us and I look up to see Mama Howell. Thank goodness for a familiar face, even if she was upset. She looked at Kaylah for a split second, turned around and began to speak Spanish to the girl behind the desk. Poor thing did not know what hit her. Needless to say we were next in line to see the triage doctor. As we were coming out of triage to wait for our turn in for an actual bed, in walks Sis Rodenbush - another familiar face. She sat with Kaylah and I, along with Mama Howell.

By this time a good 4 hours has gone by and still no bed. So finally they take us back to a lounge that Kaylah could at least sit in a recliner to go to sleep (they gave her pain meds in triage). While I was sitting there trying to explain to everyone gathered what was going to happen, in walks Granny & Grampy Burk, and I start explaining all over again. During this time they take Kaylah back for an ultra sound and I stay behind to eat. Mama Howell went and bought me some lunch and dinner all combined into one. As I was eating this meal, I did not realize that this would be the first of many lunches and dinners in the hospital. I must say they make mean waffles!!!!

Once Kaylah came back from the ultra sound, they had a bed ready for her. We still haven't seen a real doctor yet, only nurses who think we are crazy. Everyone finally left and it was just Kaylah and I. Bless her heart she was so worn out already and the battle was just beginning. At last the doctor came in and said that the ultra sound showed a ruptured cyst and that her body would absorb the fluid. While we were speaking with the doctor, she asked for more pain medicine. They were gracious enough to give her another small dose of morphine. Almost instantly we discovered that Kaylah is highly alergic to this pain medicine. Her arms from her wrists to her shoulders looked like a toddler had drawn on her arms with bright a bright red sharpie!!! Needless to say things were hopping and popping around that ER - doctors and nurses came running. Finally it was under control and at least we had some answers, and it wasn't as bad as we thought - at least for today. They sent her home at around midnight - we had only been there for eleven hours. Once again she was under strict orders to be on strict flat of her back bed rest, and to see her primary ASAP.

Encountering Endometriosis

*This blog is thoughts, concerns, prayer requests, praise reports, prayers, & everything else in between about my sister, Kaylah's journey of endometriosis. I am starting this as my perspective to her sickness, and she will be creating her own blog to give her side of the story. We know that this journey is for the Greater Good and one day this will be just a stepping stone to the path of great ministry. This blog contains material that is somewhat for women only.*

April 20, 2008.

This was normal Sunday. We had Youth Choir practice at 10:30 in the morning. We had been working on a new song for this month and Kaylah was totally pumped about it. She ventured out on a limb and incorporated some new aspects to our song. She felt like this was what was required for this particular Sunday. Little did we know that this song would change our lives 7 months later.

We woke up that morning, and she told me she had a bad pain on her right side. I asked her if she had her period, and of course in her sweet Kaylah humor rolled her eyes at me and said "Duh!"

We went to church and the Lord really moved. Youth Choir was so anointed and I know it was because of Kaylah's passion to see these kids be used of God. However I noticed that towards the end of the service Kaylah was not upstairs for the preaching, and she slipped in to play the organ for altar call. As it was tapering down, I looked over and she was talking to a man who is an EMT. I asked her what was going on and she began to explain to me that the pain had not subsided. Bro Peyton told me that it was probably her appendix and it would not hurt to take her in to the ER.

So we jet out of church and off the ER we go. We get to the hospital, and for whatever reason we went to a hospital that wasn't even close to our house. It was out past the church, but the Lord knew why. There was no waiting and the staff was so kind to Kaylah. They examined her and all opinions felt like yes it was her appendix. So we waited & we waited some more & we waited a little bit longer, finally they took her for a CT Scan. Oh guess what, we had to wait some more. The results finally came back and her appendix was fine. However, her ovaries looked a little inflamed, but that could be that her cycle just passed - keep an eye on and contact your primary.

During the time in the ER, Pastor Trimble and the Hords were so kind to come and pray. The family of God is so important, especially to 2 Mk's whose family is half way around the world, and your grandparents life on the other side of the U.S. It was during this time of visiting and praying that Pastor introduced the "hand of God" to Kaylah. He pulled a latex glove out of the box on the wall and laid it on Kaylah's shoulder while we were praying. When we were finished he said to her "Always know the hand of God is with you and upon you." Of course this lightened the mood, and made the waiting go by alot faster. Also Breshae - the Hord's youngest, could not understand why her Kaylah was in this weird bed with a "boo-boo". She loves Kaylah so much!!!!

We left the hospital exhausted but relieved that there would be no surgery. Looking back, I wish we could have been given a slip of paper as a warning of the days to come. Oh well life doesn't work that way, and we are making the best of this journey.

The following is the song that Kaylah directed the Youth Choir on Sunday April 20th 2008.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIxyD7iMN7c

Stay tuned for the rest of the story. This site will be updated as I remember all the details.