Day 15

Natalee is now off of the epidural for pain relief and they have switched her to OxyContin. Unfortunately, it puts her right out and makes her moody and uncomfortable.  She hasn't been up for visitors since the switch was made, so they are going to do some experimentation today to find a better pain management option for the day and then take the OxyContin at night.  

We are also hopeful that Natalee will get to go home today, and will post as soon as we find out.  

Sherri feels like she is being reminded that even though the surgery was successful and even though we feel like she is going to recover, we can't let up on our fervent prayers. Those prayers will have an impact on how she recovers.  It is easy to slip into a more relaxed mode of feeling that all will be well, but there is still a long road to go.  Specifically, Sherri is asking us to pray that the doctors make the right choices as far as what to do next.  

She asked the oncologist about the next step, and the doctor said that they are just mainly trying to collect as much data as possible to determine what should happen.  Sherri wants the doctors to have open hearts and minds to all the information that is out there so that they can develop the best treatment plan for Natalee.  Thank you for the prayers you have given throughout the day as well as the prayers you've kept in your hearts.  

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to have the patience the Lord asks us for.  When we have a goal or a recovery point that is on the far horizon, taking the time to map out the best route can be incredibly difficult.  Sometimes inertia feels like movement in the wrong direction. We want so badly to be doing something that gets us closer to our destination and the waiting can subject us to roller coaster feelings of hopefulness and helplessness, anxiety and joy and frustration.   But I know from experience that no matter how much I want everything to run accordingly to my schedule, that I can only to pray and be open to promptings from the Lord and understand that His timetable is the one that we are following.  So while we wait for a plan for Natalee, we can continue our fervent prayers for the doctors to have the insight and information necessary to do what they do best, and know that the faith and patience required is what we can be doing now.