Balancing Ministry N' Work

I have been waiting till I went back to work to determine if I agreed with something the Drs told me. They told me that while I was going back to work I would be very tired for 6 months to a year. They believe it will take that long to get back to where I was before the operation. They have told me that I should not work 2 jobs for a year, in my situation that would mean I could only work at Eaton or Pastor at New Life Chapel. I wanted to see how I did for a week or two before I made a decision on what I was going to do. I have been praying that God would give me the strength and endurance to be able to continue with both. This week has shown me that having brain surgery takes a lot more out of you than I wanted to believe. After 3 days of being tired, today (Thursday) was pretty bad. For the first time in over a month I have gotten dizzy several times and lost my balance. I have also been so tired in the evening that there is no way I would be able to spend time prepping for a Sunday ...

The week of July 19th was an exciting week. It symbolized a major step in my recovery, I was going back to work! It was hard to get back in the habit of waking up early every morning, but I was glad to do it. Monday morning was exciting seeing everyone for the first time in roughly 6 weeks, since we popped in for a quick visit. For the most part things picked up rather quickly and returned to normal during the first day or two. I was very happy to see that my team was successful in staying on top of everything while I was gone. While some of the team felt stretched, they kept all of the department metrics moving in the right direction. I was very pleased with the team as I looked over the data. Thank You, Jackson SCM Team! Overall work was uneventful, by Wednesday I was realizing how little energy I had in the evening. I was beginning to believe the Drs about not being able to work and do ministry for 6 months to a year. I did not want to believe it, but on Thursday as I was walking do...

God is Good! Today I met with the OTO (ENT) surgeon as my follow up to my surgery. He was very happy with my progress, and believes everything looks good. He pulled up the presurgery MRI and the MRI taken yesterday, and the 2.3 cm mass is no longer there. From what we could see and the MRI Dr wrote up, THERE IS NO TUMOR LEFT!!! PRAISE GOD!!! At this point in time, I do not see him again for 2 years. So July of 2012 (unless the Mayans are right or our Lord Returns) I go in for a follow up MRI and appointment with him. If at that time everything is clear I am done with the follow up. :) We talked about the leg numbness I have been feeling and he said that has to do with positioning during surgery. It happens to some people and I got the short straw. It will take some time to heal up. I need to keep walking and it will get better, just not over night. The other short straw I drew has to do with the ringing in my left (deaf) ear. The tinnitus or ringing was one of the signs I was having a ...

Even though I was spending part of my birthday at UofM Hospital, it was a good day. My darling wife made me breakfast and it was GOOD! My first appointment was with the Physical Therapist at 2pm. This appointment went really well. We talked about how I have been feeling and if I have had any dizziness recently. I told the only activity she had given me that caused any problems was while I was walking and turning my head to the right or left. It is not a major problem, but it does alter my step pattern. She had me show her what I was doing, and she agreed it was very minor and I was turning my head rather quickly, so it made sense. Told her I tried it on the treadmill once, and she said that was a big NO NO (I am paraphrasing). We went through a couple of the other exercises and she was very happy with the results. She game me another exercise to try while there, and it to was no problem. She then told me that I should be OK to drive. I told her good since I have been driving for two we...

Well today is a good day and a UGH day! First I am celebrating another birthday, but had my youngest remind me that I am 30 years older than him. Made me feel old. In a couple of hours I will be heading to the UofM hospital for a Physical Therapy Evaluation followed by an MRI. Not the best way to spend your birthday, if you ask me. I will found out the results tomorrow when I visit the surgeon. Please keep up the prayers and may God Bless You! Robert

I am now 6 1/2 weeks post op. Besides the slow start to my recovery due to the CSF Leak and the leg cramps after I got home, I would have to say that I am doing great! God has been very good to me! For 2 weeks now I have either walked around my neighborhood for 30+ minutes, or spent an hour or two walking around the mall or other stores. Getting out everyday has been very helpful in building up my strength and stamina. It is rare now that I take naps during the day and I have not felt exhausted for a while. The difference from where I am at today and where I was even two weeks ago is night and day! Thank you Jesus! This past week was hot and very humid so most of our walking was at the mall or some store, I even spent some time on the treadmill. On Tuesday I actually had my first outing without Alexis for the first time post op. I drove about 20 minutes to have breakfast with a group of local pastors. It felt good to be confident enough in my abilities to go spend some time with this g...

As I continue remembering my time at UofM, I am reminded of how Jesus was present in everything. This next and final phase at the hospital is not a pleasant one, it is one where I saw Jesus working. The decision was made that I was going to have a Lumbar Drain put in. A Lumbar drain is essentially an Epideral that many pregnant women have during child birth. With the Drain though they are pulling out spinal fluid instead of putting in pain killers. Needless to say, after my experience I have a LOT more respect for those pregnant women getting epiderals, IT IS NOT FUN! The difference being for those in childbirth this is the begining of relief for me it was the begining of a nightmare. Thankfully they let me get a good nights sleep with a 40% incline in the bed before we got started. The next morning after breakfast and a couple of laps around the floor, it was time to have the Lumbar Drain installed (sounds like a car stereo). The Dr. prepped the room as I made one last try at escaping...