This page contains affiliate links and Faith's Mom may earn a commission if you use them. As an Amazon Associate, Faith's Mom earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more. Ever since Faith was born, she has struggled with her digestion. When she was in the NICU, she would spit up after eating even the tiniest amount of formula. Her dad and I were convinced her tummy was too small to handle large volumes of food. Sometimes when she ate, her heart rate would drop really low, which is why she needed to be in the NICU for longer. She just could not get the hang of eating and breathing at the same time! Faith receiving food through an NG tube in the NICU. Grandma giving Faith a bottle when she was 2 months old. After finally bringing her home, eating continued to be an issue as she struggled with severe reflux and constipation. We tried various formulas, but she was never able to drink enough formula to gain a lot of weight. She also had trouble burping, and she...
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One Year Ago: My Trip to Mayo
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Today I thought it was quite fitting that on my one-year anniversary of my new pacemaker, I was wearing a 24-hour Holter monitor! It's not because I'm having any issues with my pacemaker. Instead, I'm just preparing for my upcoming cardiology appointment next month.
Thankfully, my cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN comes here to Bismarck, so I don't have to make the 1,000-mile round trip again! By the way, isn't amazing how small these Holter monitors are nowadays? I remember having to wear much larger ones that could not be hidden very easily, plus it was hard to sleep being attached to a big clunky machine. Last night, I hardly even knew this little one was there!
I got my original pacemaker in August of 1999 but because the lead was getting old, my cardiology team wanted me to get a new one. It was last year on this day that I was recovering from the procedure. It still bends my mind how God took care of every single detail and that I had found enough people to look after Faith for the five days (and four nights) that I was gone.
I am still incredibly grateful for all those who stepped up to look
after her. I'm also thankful my sister was able to take me to Rochester. Faith
still talks about it like it just recently happened. She often mentions
that her aunt and little cousin stayed with her a couple of nights and
how patient she had to be.
She also talks about how our friend Mandi looked after her, and she even had her kids and husband come over to visit.
I don't know what I would have done without her as she came every
morning to relieve the overnight staff and get Faith out of bed. She
even sent me a picture of Faith every day!
Faith had loads of fun while I was gone!
Faith told me when Grandma and Grandpa were here, Grandpa did his
crossword puzzle and then took a nap. (I think it's cute which details stick in her mind!) There was also the respite care
staff who stayed over a couple of nights and also a few other friends
who helped out. She will truly never forget it. Most of all though, I
think she is proud of herself for getting through that time and being so
mature. It helped that I got to talk to Faith every day and even did a
couple of video chats with her, which she loved.
Even though
it was for a medical procedure, my sister and I made the best of it and
had plenty of laughs along the way. Especially when on the way home our
sister was heading back from a work trip and we managed to catch up to her on
the Interstate, which you can see in the video below!
The double rainbow we spotted just as we crossed into Minnesota
After driving in the dark (and rain) through the Cities, we were thankful to reach our comfy hotel room.
Our hotel was conveniently located just across the street from where I would be having my procedure. This is also where I had my last open-heart surgery in 1999 and my original pacemaker implantation.
Taking the shuttle from our hotel to the downtown campus for a day of medical tests.
Hanging around waiting for the last appointment of the day.
My sister even was able to get some work done!
After a long day, we were able to eat at our favorite restaurant in Rochester!
Me after my procedure...I was just a tad groggy!
Grateful that things went so well!
After a night in the hospital and an extra day recovering, we were ready to hit the road again!
Who is that ahead of us on the Interstate? Let's find out!
Tired but happy sisters reunited in Bismarck!
Grandma is there too, and Faith is super excited to have us all there!
Hopefully it will be a while before I need to go to Mayo again for a medical procedure. If I do though, I know God will provide and Faith will be well looked after!
Guest Post by Stephen Gallup Last week, a columnist for the local newspaper interviewed me in connection with a memoir I wrote that’s being published this year. It was a comfortable, low-key discussion in which he asked about the basic facts regarding my disabled son Joseph and what I’ve learned that might be of value to other families. It was the sort of dialog that required no special preparation in advance. I just sat down with him and talked about the subject closest to my heart. But looking back on it now, one thing bothers me. In concluding the interview, the reporter expressed heartfelt sympathy for everything I’ve endured. He was being more than polite. I mean, he laid the compassion on with a spatula. Startled, and already thinking ahead to what I had to do next that day, I just thanked him and said goodbye. But now that final note troubles me. I don’t want sympathy! First of all, from the point of view of a new author hoping to promote his book, sympathy...
This page contains affiliate links and Faith's Mom may earn a commission if you use them. As an Amazon Associate, Faith's Mom earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more. Last year, when I heard the news that Pat Sajak was retiring from Wheel of Fortune , I knew I better prepare Faith. When season 41 began, I told her, "This is Pat's last season. Next year, there will be a new host." Faith likes Vanna but loves Pat! Faith and I have faithfully watched Wheel of Fortune every night since she was about 5 years old. It's how she learned that AEIOU were vowels. The show was also a great way to reinforce the rest of the alphabet. Counting was reinforced, too. When Vanna turned the letters, she counted how many T's, N's, or other letters there were. She also learned some geography skills with the different trips they gave away. Upon winning a trip to Aruba, she would ask, "Where's that?" Sometimes I honestly didn't know and had to loo...
This page contains affiliate links and Faith's Mom may earn a commission if you use them. As an Amazon Associate, Faith's Mom earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more. Ever since Faith was born, she has struggled with her digestion. When she was in the NICU, she would spit up after eating even the tiniest amount of formula. Her dad and I were convinced her tummy was too small to handle large volumes of food. Sometimes when she ate, her heart rate would drop really low, which is why she needed to be in the NICU for longer. She just could not get the hang of eating and breathing at the same time! Faith receiving food through an NG tube in the NICU. Grandma giving Faith a bottle when she was 2 months old. After finally bringing her home, eating continued to be an issue as she struggled with severe reflux and constipation. We tried various formulas, but she was never able to drink enough formula to gain a lot of weight. She also had trouble burping, and she...
Did you know there are 1 million people in the United States who have cerebral palsy? I guess that means Faith truly is one in a million! Faith was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was six months old. Prior to that, she had been given the diagnosis of Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL). During her premature birth, there was a lack of oxygen to her brain, which resulted in damage to the white matter, or inner part of her brain. I will never forget receiving that news. Faith's Dad and I were told that nobody knew what the long-term effects of PVL would look like for her. All I could do was stare at my tiny daughter lying in her isolette, hooked up to all kinds of tubes and lines, and choose to believe she would be okay. Faith in the NICU a few days after she was born. After over 70 days in the NICU, we finally took her home to Watford City. There, she would receive regular visits from an Early Intervention team who would assess her and ensure that she met al...
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