Hello Dear Family & Friends,
Dad Kohls called me with these updates:
There are many things to be so thankful for today (and every day since the start).
*Angela's medical team has decreased her ventilator. She is now breathing 3/4 on her own.
*Her fever continues to hover around 101 degrees but this is positive since a fever indicates that the body is fighting an infection
*She is continuing to experience the vasospasms in her brain, however her team is monitoring this very closely. They are using medication to increase her blood pressure to 150. The reason why is so that when her blood vessels constrict during the spasms, the blood will still be forced through the veins, thus helping to avoid a stroke.
*She is moving her right arm and leg alot. Her left side, not so much. We will need to pray for strength and healing to her left side.
*The medical team has now taken Angela off of sedation and she will gradually become more and more awake.
*The swelling in her brain is now at "medium"
Please continue your diligent prayers. You are all making such a difference in Angela's recovery. I can only imagine the extreme pleasure it is bringing The Lord to hear so many people banding together in prayer for His daughter. When she is able to read this some day, she is going to be so blessed and so comforted because of ALL of you and how much love and support you've shown her through each minute of this experience. You are ALL truly a blessing and a comfort to us. Thank you so much.
Monday, January 15, 2007
**Message in for update **
Hi Everyone,
I haven't heard from the family yet this evening. It's 7:27pm my time at the moment. I have a message in and am waiting to hear back. I'll post again shortly.
I haven't heard from the family yet this evening. It's 7:27pm my time at the moment. I have a message in and am waiting to hear back. I'll post again shortly.
** Mom **
Hi Mom ((HUG))
The new counter is way down at the bottom to keep it out of the way, and the account information has been added to the side so it can be permanently seen.
Love you very much!! These were GREAT suggestions!
Note: I started the counter at 0 and within 15 minutes there were 44 visits. The Lord is really blessing Angela's blog and touching so many peoples lives! I'm amazed and rejoicing at His goodness.
The new counter is way down at the bottom to keep it out of the way, and the account information has been added to the side so it can be permanently seen.
Love you very much!! These were GREAT suggestions!
Note: I started the counter at 0 and within 15 minutes there were 44 visits. The Lord is really blessing Angela's blog and touching so many peoples lives! I'm amazed and rejoicing at His goodness.
Update: As of 10:05am AZ Time
Hello Everyone, thank you for checking in on the blog today.
Mom Kohls called with the following update:
**Angela's night passed well. Today she is experiencing more vasospasms (expanding and contracting of the blood vessels in her brain). *Please continue to make this a prayer point*
**As another post mentioned, her medical team is beginning to wean her off the ventilator in two-hour increments. She begins to become pretty weak toward the end of those two hours, so we also need to pray for her strength to breathe on her own more and more.
**Angela's fever continues to hover around 101 degrees and she is still fighting pneumonia
Note: Overall, Angela is doing very well. All of these things seem troublesome, but her doctor said that overall he is amazed at how well she is doing. He expected much worse, and is saying that Angela is responding much better than he can understand. (*Actually he said "never been down this road before" meaning he's never seen someone recover from such trauma like this) Praise The Lord!!!
** Prayer partners, you are so vital, please continue to pray for Angela's body to continue healing in all ways. Please pray for Troy as he is receiving numerous calls and is finding it hard to have time with his beloved wife because of trying to answer calls. Please pass on to family and friends to check the blog for updates so he can be free to accept only calls from Angela's medical team and his & her immediate family members for a little while longer. He is becoming quite fatigued and needs our help.**
Mom Kohls called with the following update:
**Angela's night passed well. Today she is experiencing more vasospasms (expanding and contracting of the blood vessels in her brain). *Please continue to make this a prayer point*
**As another post mentioned, her medical team is beginning to wean her off the ventilator in two-hour increments. She begins to become pretty weak toward the end of those two hours, so we also need to pray for her strength to breathe on her own more and more.
**Angela's fever continues to hover around 101 degrees and she is still fighting pneumonia
Note: Overall, Angela is doing very well. All of these things seem troublesome, but her doctor said that overall he is amazed at how well she is doing. He expected much worse, and is saying that Angela is responding much better than he can understand. (*Actually he said "never been down this road before" meaning he's never seen someone recover from such trauma like this) Praise The Lord!!!
** Prayer partners, you are so vital, please continue to pray for Angela's body to continue healing in all ways. Please pray for Troy as he is receiving numerous calls and is finding it hard to have time with his beloved wife because of trying to answer calls. Please pass on to family and friends to check the blog for updates so he can be free to accept only calls from Angela's medical team and his & her immediate family members for a little while longer. He is becoming quite fatigued and needs our help.**
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Evening Update as of 9:40pm AZ time
Hello Everyone,
Greg sent an email that had the following updates:
"The pulmonologist is beginning to wean Angela off the ventilator. She was off for 2 hours this evening and for the most part did well. They may try a couple of two-hour sessions tomorrow.
She still has a moderate fever - probably related to the pneumonia that's hanging on. The nurses took a culture from her lung this afternoon for further testing. Angela continues to have the vasospasms and the medical staff is doing everything possible to minimize the impact."
I will update the blog with further updates tomorrow once I hear from the family.
Have a blessed evening,
Sherri
Greg sent an email that had the following updates:
"The pulmonologist is beginning to wean Angela off the ventilator. She was off for 2 hours this evening and for the most part did well. They may try a couple of two-hour sessions tomorrow.
She still has a moderate fever - probably related to the pneumonia that's hanging on. The nurses took a culture from her lung this afternoon for further testing. Angela continues to have the vasospasms and the medical staff is doing everything possible to minimize the impact."
I will update the blog with further updates tomorrow once I hear from the family.
Have a blessed evening,
Sherri
***YOU make a difference!***
Hello Everyone,
As I was spending time with The Lord this morning He brought a word for us that He wants me to post.
There are many precious people who are trying desperately to express how much they want to help Angela, help Troy and help our family in some way because of how much they care about what’s going on. Some of our beloved friends and family have said “I feel so helpless or like I’m not doing anything significant and it makes me so sad and frustrated.” The Lord wants to tell you something important and to encourage you.
The Lord has a word for us today and it is so wonderful and full of love. He wanted me to write the following:
He has made each and every one of us on purpose. No two of us are alike, and He wants it that way. He wants us to celebrate that. He shared Psalm 139: 1-18
“You have looked deep into my heart, Lord, and you know all about me. You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts. You notice everything I do and everywhere I go. Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say, and with your powerful arm you protect me from every side. I can’t understand all of this! Such wonderful knowledge is far above me. Where could I go to escape from your Spirit or from your sight? If I were to climb up to the highest heavens, you would be there. If I were to dig down to the world of the dead you would also be there. Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean. Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me. Or suppose I said, “I’ll hide in the dark until night comes to cover me over.” But you see in the dark because daylight and dark are all the same to you. You are the one who put me together inside my mother’s body, and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous. Of this I have no doubt. Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together deep in the earth below, but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do. Your thoughts are far beyond my understanding, much more than I could ever imagine. I try to count your thoughts, but they outnumber the grains of sand on the beach. And when I awake, I will find you nearby.”
What is the message of Angela’s life at this time? To stop and take stock of our lives and to make sure that we are living in such a way that if we were suddenly taken away, that those left behind would have had their lives touched by us in our own unique way. That our fingerprints would be on the lives of each person The Lord had brought into our life whether brief or long. That’s one of the reasons He made us. No one can touch somebody else like you can, because He gave you unique and unspoiled gifts that no one else has. Look at the comment Tracy left today on the Update Post. Angela left a coffee cup at her home and now it is there reminding Tracy of her and being a small touch of Angela with her every day. It was just a coffee cup…. but because it came from Angela, it has turned into a precious and priceless gift for Tracy.
Here is what God wants to say… “Pay it forward” if someone does something good for you or to you, do something good for or to someone else," “Demonstrate your gifts by expressing them to those around you” “Do not compare yourself to any other, because I made YOU on purpose and I like YOU just like you are.” If you have the gift of crafting, make a special gift and show someone they are special. If you have the gift of music, make a tape for someone to listen to. If you have the gift of writing, write a special note to someone and let them know how important they are to you. If you have the gift of service, demonstrate your love to someone by doing an act of service for them (no matter how small or how big). If you have the gift of peace, speak peaceful words to those around you. If you have the gift of beauty, teach someone how to bring out the best in themselves. If you have the gift of wealth, share your money with someone who needs it or just give it away even if they haven’t asked you for it. Send your pastor a gift card to a restaurant, or book an appointment for a friend to have a massage, or find a way to gift someone and be a blessing to them. If you are a carpenter, repair or build something for someone for free. If you are a construction worker, gift your excellence to your boss and company or teach a rookie how to do the job with excellence. Take someone under your wing and teach them how to be a person who does excellent work. If you are a teacher, take extra time with a student who seems to have learning difficulties. Give them encouragement and hope even when others think it’s a waste of time. If you are a young person, take time to thank an adult for something they’ve done or said that you are planning to use in your own life to be just that much more of a better person. There are endless possibilities. Do not cut yourself short.
Take Angela’s circumstances and let them change you or encourage you to find the value in others, the preciousness of life, the preciousness of your spouse, the preciousness of each child. Allow them to work within you to remind you to be less angry with others and more patient, less judgmental and more forgiving, less focused on what you need and more focused on how you can meet the needs of another person. It might not be Angela or Troy or the family that God will use you to minister to, but because of her circumstances God may speak to you about how you can bless someone else who needs you more at that particular time. In this way, you are doing something very significant that would make Angela very happy to hear about.
The most important thing you can do during this time is to minister to others about The Lord. If you know someone who is watching these events unfold and they have not made a personal choice to give their lives to Christ yet, begin to speak about how He’s working in all of this, how it’s affected you, and how much they mean to you. Life is in God’s hands for us all and as He said before in the post “Calling all prayer warriors”, ..”No man can count the number of his days, but I know them all.” We saw that in the above passage Psalm 139: 16. Life can change in an instant as we are seeing… and once a person has passed away there is no second chance for them to change their mind about God.
Angela made the choice to give her life to The Lord several years ago, and she is secure forever. She would be the first one to say that believing in Jesus and surrendering control of your life to Him is the most important choice any person can make. After that, no matter what happens in your life, you have the assurance and 100% guarantee that you are going to be okay and that God is on your side forever. Hebrews 13:6 says “That should make you feel like saying, “The Lord helps me! Why should I be afraid of what people can do to me?”
Each and every one of you is a powerful and important, vital part of this season. Just your positive words of encouragement are like a mighty weapon for the Bible says that “The power of life and death are in the tongue” If you’re walking around your house or walking around work with Angela on your mind... you can whisper or say out loud something positive that will make an eternal impact. Science teaches us that sound waves ripple just like what happens when you drop a stone in water. The ripples go out and out and out into space and there is no stopping point except at The Lord’s ears.
YOU make a difference! (((HUG)))
As I was spending time with The Lord this morning He brought a word for us that He wants me to post.
There are many precious people who are trying desperately to express how much they want to help Angela, help Troy and help our family in some way because of how much they care about what’s going on. Some of our beloved friends and family have said “I feel so helpless or like I’m not doing anything significant and it makes me so sad and frustrated.” The Lord wants to tell you something important and to encourage you.
The Lord has a word for us today and it is so wonderful and full of love. He wanted me to write the following:
He has made each and every one of us on purpose. No two of us are alike, and He wants it that way. He wants us to celebrate that. He shared Psalm 139: 1-18
“You have looked deep into my heart, Lord, and you know all about me. You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts. You notice everything I do and everywhere I go. Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say, and with your powerful arm you protect me from every side. I can’t understand all of this! Such wonderful knowledge is far above me. Where could I go to escape from your Spirit or from your sight? If I were to climb up to the highest heavens, you would be there. If I were to dig down to the world of the dead you would also be there. Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean. Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me. Or suppose I said, “I’ll hide in the dark until night comes to cover me over.” But you see in the dark because daylight and dark are all the same to you. You are the one who put me together inside my mother’s body, and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous. Of this I have no doubt. Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together deep in the earth below, but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do. Your thoughts are far beyond my understanding, much more than I could ever imagine. I try to count your thoughts, but they outnumber the grains of sand on the beach. And when I awake, I will find you nearby.”
What is the message of Angela’s life at this time? To stop and take stock of our lives and to make sure that we are living in such a way that if we were suddenly taken away, that those left behind would have had their lives touched by us in our own unique way. That our fingerprints would be on the lives of each person The Lord had brought into our life whether brief or long. That’s one of the reasons He made us. No one can touch somebody else like you can, because He gave you unique and unspoiled gifts that no one else has. Look at the comment Tracy left today on the Update Post. Angela left a coffee cup at her home and now it is there reminding Tracy of her and being a small touch of Angela with her every day. It was just a coffee cup…. but because it came from Angela, it has turned into a precious and priceless gift for Tracy.
Here is what God wants to say… “Pay it forward” if someone does something good for you or to you, do something good for or to someone else," “Demonstrate your gifts by expressing them to those around you” “Do not compare yourself to any other, because I made YOU on purpose and I like YOU just like you are.” If you have the gift of crafting, make a special gift and show someone they are special. If you have the gift of music, make a tape for someone to listen to. If you have the gift of writing, write a special note to someone and let them know how important they are to you. If you have the gift of service, demonstrate your love to someone by doing an act of service for them (no matter how small or how big). If you have the gift of peace, speak peaceful words to those around you. If you have the gift of beauty, teach someone how to bring out the best in themselves. If you have the gift of wealth, share your money with someone who needs it or just give it away even if they haven’t asked you for it. Send your pastor a gift card to a restaurant, or book an appointment for a friend to have a massage, or find a way to gift someone and be a blessing to them. If you are a carpenter, repair or build something for someone for free. If you are a construction worker, gift your excellence to your boss and company or teach a rookie how to do the job with excellence. Take someone under your wing and teach them how to be a person who does excellent work. If you are a teacher, take extra time with a student who seems to have learning difficulties. Give them encouragement and hope even when others think it’s a waste of time. If you are a young person, take time to thank an adult for something they’ve done or said that you are planning to use in your own life to be just that much more of a better person. There are endless possibilities. Do not cut yourself short.
Take Angela’s circumstances and let them change you or encourage you to find the value in others, the preciousness of life, the preciousness of your spouse, the preciousness of each child. Allow them to work within you to remind you to be less angry with others and more patient, less judgmental and more forgiving, less focused on what you need and more focused on how you can meet the needs of another person. It might not be Angela or Troy or the family that God will use you to minister to, but because of her circumstances God may speak to you about how you can bless someone else who needs you more at that particular time. In this way, you are doing something very significant that would make Angela very happy to hear about.
The most important thing you can do during this time is to minister to others about The Lord. If you know someone who is watching these events unfold and they have not made a personal choice to give their lives to Christ yet, begin to speak about how He’s working in all of this, how it’s affected you, and how much they mean to you. Life is in God’s hands for us all and as He said before in the post “Calling all prayer warriors”, ..”No man can count the number of his days, but I know them all.” We saw that in the above passage Psalm 139: 16. Life can change in an instant as we are seeing… and once a person has passed away there is no second chance for them to change their mind about God.
Angela made the choice to give her life to The Lord several years ago, and she is secure forever. She would be the first one to say that believing in Jesus and surrendering control of your life to Him is the most important choice any person can make. After that, no matter what happens in your life, you have the assurance and 100% guarantee that you are going to be okay and that God is on your side forever. Hebrews 13:6 says “That should make you feel like saying, “The Lord helps me! Why should I be afraid of what people can do to me?”
Each and every one of you is a powerful and important, vital part of this season. Just your positive words of encouragement are like a mighty weapon for the Bible says that “The power of life and death are in the tongue” If you’re walking around your house or walking around work with Angela on your mind... you can whisper or say out loud something positive that will make an eternal impact. Science teaches us that sound waves ripple just like what happens when you drop a stone in water. The ripples go out and out and out into space and there is no stopping point except at The Lord’s ears.
YOU make a difference! (((HUG)))
**UPDATE - Sunday as of 11:55 am AZ time
Happy Sabath Day Everyone,
Troy just called to give me an update so I could post it for you.
Angela's night passed well. There are a few updates to her condition that we need to focus our prayers on. Again, The Lord has been reassuring us through all of these days that He has Angela safely in His hands and not to be afraid no matter what happens.
*Angela's brain is beginning the process of going through spasms. Now this is something that her doctor has seen time and time again with his patients and he had prepared us to expect it but didn't expect this to begin until around day 7 after her second surgery. She has actually begun early which is strangely enough a good sign.
What is going on is that because of the trauma to the brain, the blood vessels are expanding and contracting in spasms. The danger is that during these spasms the blood supply is being cut off and if any of them lasts long enough there could be risk of a stroke. Her medical team is monitoring this very, very closely. **Please make it a point of prayer that as her brain is trying to heal itself, that the spasms are short and do not lead to a stroke, however, again The Lord is saying "Do not be afraid" and to lean on Him through each phase.**
*She is still running a slight fever and experiencing some effects of pneumonia. The medical team is going to assess what further steps to take to minimize the infection so that they can assist her in getting ready to breathe on her own off of the ventilator as soon as it's safe to do so.
*Her heart rate is a little slow and her blood pressure is high, so they are working on some medications to get that a little more stabalized for her.
*Angela's medical staff is deciding that they are going to slowly start bringing her out of sedation within the next few days as soon as it's safe to do so. **Please make this a prayer point, that she will have peace and comfort as she becomes more aware of her surroundings and relies on her team and her family to take care of her and do for her what she can't do for herself temporarily.**
*Troy said she looks even better today than yesterday. He said he's so proud of her and how hard she's fighting. She is a very strong woman and she is giving it everything she's got.
Prayer Points:
*The spasms occurring in Angela's brain
*Continued prayer intervention regarding pneumonia
*Angela's heart rate and blood pressure
*Rachel and Anna
*Strength for Troy & the family & our friends to endure the time period of these spasms. Our faith is very strong, but as you can imagine we don't want to see Angela have to endure a stroke. Ultimately, we are united in our faith that The Lord is in complete control no matter what lies ahead, and we trust Him.
**Note: Troy wanted me to tell all of the guys at work "Thank you for everything you are doing to support and encourage us. I am just blown away by your generosity and how much you guys have done for me. Thank you so much! You have no idea what a blessing you all of been and how much pressure you've taken off my shoulders."
Troy just called to give me an update so I could post it for you.
Angela's night passed well. There are a few updates to her condition that we need to focus our prayers on. Again, The Lord has been reassuring us through all of these days that He has Angela safely in His hands and not to be afraid no matter what happens.
*Angela's brain is beginning the process of going through spasms. Now this is something that her doctor has seen time and time again with his patients and he had prepared us to expect it but didn't expect this to begin until around day 7 after her second surgery. She has actually begun early which is strangely enough a good sign.
What is going on is that because of the trauma to the brain, the blood vessels are expanding and contracting in spasms. The danger is that during these spasms the blood supply is being cut off and if any of them lasts long enough there could be risk of a stroke. Her medical team is monitoring this very, very closely. **Please make it a point of prayer that as her brain is trying to heal itself, that the spasms are short and do not lead to a stroke, however, again The Lord is saying "Do not be afraid" and to lean on Him through each phase.**
*She is still running a slight fever and experiencing some effects of pneumonia. The medical team is going to assess what further steps to take to minimize the infection so that they can assist her in getting ready to breathe on her own off of the ventilator as soon as it's safe to do so.
*Her heart rate is a little slow and her blood pressure is high, so they are working on some medications to get that a little more stabalized for her.
*Angela's medical staff is deciding that they are going to slowly start bringing her out of sedation within the next few days as soon as it's safe to do so. **Please make this a prayer point, that she will have peace and comfort as she becomes more aware of her surroundings and relies on her team and her family to take care of her and do for her what she can't do for herself temporarily.**
*Troy said she looks even better today than yesterday. He said he's so proud of her and how hard she's fighting. She is a very strong woman and she is giving it everything she's got.
Prayer Points:
*The spasms occurring in Angela's brain
*Continued prayer intervention regarding pneumonia
*Angela's heart rate and blood pressure
*Rachel and Anna
*Strength for Troy & the family & our friends to endure the time period of these spasms. Our faith is very strong, but as you can imagine we don't want to see Angela have to endure a stroke. Ultimately, we are united in our faith that The Lord is in complete control no matter what lies ahead, and we trust Him.
**Note: Troy wanted me to tell all of the guys at work "Thank you for everything you are doing to support and encourage us. I am just blown away by your generosity and how much you guys have done for me. Thank you so much! You have no idea what a blessing you all of been and how much pressure you've taken off my shoulders."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)