Emergency Surgery Update

Thank you Lord! And thank you all so much for praying!

For those who may not have heard, Curt was experiencing some abdominal pain after the surgery, and when they couldn't find the source of the pain, they re-admitted him to the hospital to do some more tests. They did a CT scan at 4pm yesterday and it showed a perforation in the bowel, which is a very serious situation that requires emergency surgery. The surgeon was not very encouraging when he spoke to us just minutes before they took Curt into the operating room a little before 6:00. He said "It doesn't look very good... I'll do my best." Three hours later he met with us in the waiting room and said he couldn't believe how good it looked when he got in there, compared to what he saw on the scan. He said the small intestine had actually "reached over" and sealed off the perforation in the large intestine. As a result, there was very little spillage into the abdominal cavity. He cautioned us that we are not out of the woods yet, and that the next 5 days are critical.

Our admitting nurse just stopped by to see how Curt is doing, and she said she asked the surgeon today how the operation went. He told her that in all his years as a doctor (he's close to retiring) he has never seen anything like it. The small intestine actually compensated for the defect in the large intestine. He said "That guy is a fighter! His body really fought that thing."

Of course, we all know who did the fighting, and who directed that healing!! Your prayers were heard, and we are all so grateful for God's power and His mercy.

Thank you again for faithfully praying over this last week, and please stand with us in prayer especially over these next few days as Curt recovers from this surgery. He is in a lot of pain, but his body is strong. He definitely is a fighter...he's getting through this.

We're still trying to limit his visitors - pretty much to family. He needs all of his energy to help him heal right now (it really takes a lot out of you to carry on conversations when you're dealing with pain, it can be pretty draining). Overall he is doing well, and we hope to have him home soon. We thank you all for your support and prayers!

With our love and gratitude,
Patti and Family