Update: 7/06/2024
Hello!
Praise our Lord we are home! He got released the same day from the ER. His electrolytes balanced enough….IF this is the issue. We are believing it is this simple as an imbalance of minerals etc. We both take supplemental drops added to our water called Keto Chow. So if he forgets to add them I believe he suffers plus after having the seizures it taxes his body of them & water. All a great learning experience! We are praying about a good neuro doc as I want him to do a sleep study. So that’s where this is at….& finding a fam doc as that’s been a challenge with believing as we do:)
Next Thursday is his return visit for fittings for his “leg”. He’s had one fitting & maybe a model will be made by then for him to try. His incision is still healing as his previous seizure, falling on his stump 3x, opened it back up. So we start anew!
He did not stay on their meds of Kempra (1000 mg a day) as he had one dose from them, & he felt the side effects…irritability…etc. & confirmed to not take this, with his sis, who is a nurse. Side effects always worse than symptoms. So crazy!
Thanks for calling him! We go to bed at 7:30 pm est & wake at 3:30-3:45 am, to eliminate his seizures & that my friend works! 3 alarms set now lol!
Thanks for the prayers & love for my warrior! Stay fierce!
Hello!
Long time but I know you & Doug have had some correspondence. So today it is me. Doug has had 3 seizures since we’ve been back to MI. (May - now). We changed some things in our diet & bedtime routine & did a 30 day trial of it. We were able to manage the seizures so that we would wake at 3:45 am & stay awake for the day. His seizures happen 4-6 am & grand maul. He wakes from sleep when they happen. So i sadly missed the alarm & woke at 4:15 & woke him & it happened. I kept him awake for 4 hours & thought he’d be ok to take a nap. One hour nap he woke to another seizure. Took me 2 hours to get him able to get into the car & go to the hospital. Lack of foot is no help.
We don’t use our local hospital so we are in Grand Rapids (50 minutes away from our campground) at one of the major hospitals here. He has a high potassium count & is dehydrated but mostly from the seizures & he empires his guts, puking, guessing from pain & nausea. They have hydrated him, checking potassium again, & just ran more blood tests. The scare is high potassium could result in an heart attack. Supposedly he’s had a silent one in the past…we both didn’t know of it…heart doc mentioned to us back in January of this year when he was in the hospital then.
Is this a kidney issue? Circulatory issue? Heart? Brain? Oh my! So so nuts all of this! Today he said he’s tired & wants to meet his maker. I get it! I do too! What a phenomenal 6 months of 24!
Sorry for it not being better news! One year ago was his first seizure (one for a whole year) & now 2 in one day, on the “anniversary of it.”
I will keep you posted until my warrior can:)
Please give love & hugs to all, most especially Teresa:)
Update:6/16/2024 Doug reports that he had 12 days with no seizures. Praise God! He says he is feeling great.
Please remember Doug L. in prayer. His wife, Mindy contacted us to let us know that Doug is in the hospital with heart issues. This is very serious.
Update:2/9/2024
Doug was discharged last night & had his first & best sleep in our hotel room! Thank you Lord! He would love to connect with you & will. Hope y’all have a wonderful weekend!
M
Update:2/6/2024
Hello!
Prayers are so beautiful coming from people we don’t even know or have met! So thankful:) Thanks to all of you!
Good morning:) Doug officially looks like a warrior, a battle wound to prove it. A new level of pain but different as he journeys with one less limb. He has had many rough sleepless days as the doctors tried to “under dose” him. All got figured out, as we have learned, one needs an advocate to speak for them. So sad the ones who don’t have anyone. Another reason the medial field is called a practice….they practice on us & even more when we consent or have no one to help speak for us. Learning so much! Once they got his pain meds right (yesterday) he was able to sleep. I have never witnessed such human superpower strength & will so it is ONLY through the power of our LORD! It’s incredible! Am organization came in to start the fit of a prosthetic for him. Let the rehabilitation begin! Miraculously his heart seems to not be a concern. They had a scheduled heart surgery next week! I convinced them otherwise & not sure why they didn’t see that losing a limb & then having your chest sawed open, a week later, would not be detrimental! His leg looks so much healthier! Praise our Lord! Now prayers are for his whole healing, no infections, learning a new walk, mental motivation & in a nutshell, this new journey, for us both:)
More 2 come!
Thanks Charlie!
M
PS
My website (Doug’s is under construction Men2Warriors.com) is Women2Warriors.com. Please check it out when you can:)
Update: 2/4/2024 <<<Back to Top
Yes the toes weren’t enough as the blood flow is weak in his foot. So on Tuesday that’s the plan at 3:45 est. He will be fitted for a prosthetic within 2 months. Our prayer is…the heart doc & team are pressing us with having his heart surgery one week out from this surgery. We both believe he needs recuperation & this surgery too will tell how much so. He’s not had much sleep in nearly 3 weeks…maybe longer. Not a healthy thing for him. He’s always had a blood disorder where his red platelets over multiply but finding out he has coronary artery disease & peripheral vascular disease was our shock & now he’s losing limbs? Nuts! I will soon update you after his surgery for that update. Thank you so very much!
Mindy
Update: 2/2/2024 <<<Back to Top
Hello Charlie,
Wow! Thank you for ALL of your mentions of my sweet amazing warrior & the prayers! We know the Lord is walking this with us & appreciate this so much!
Doug’s update is removal of his left foot at his shin/calf this coming week, & he will then be fitted to wear a prosthetic. This is 2-3 month process & healing. We will be staying in Michigan (home state) while he heals. They want to do heart surgery soon after, but we don’t feel the Holy Spirit leading him to have back to back surgeries. Doug’s pain & lack of sleep are still miserable for him so my biggest prayer…rest for him.
I will keep you posted on his updates & next surgery.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Mindy
Update: 1/26/2024 <<<Back to Top
Hello!
Doug asked me to update you:) And I should have by now so forgive me as I’m trying to get word out to all:)
He had 3 toes removed...leaving his big & next toe. He will learn to walk again & should quickly b/c he’s a warrior…he’s staying positive. And prayfully they can manage his pain as his tolerance is extremely high so much so that it would be a lethal dose to an average person. He has a heart ablation next if they can keep his heart rate under control as it is “irregular”. I listened the other day to it. I was curious to hear it & wow he actually has a dancing heart! It skips like dance steps. So sweet! Made me smile & tear. Doug is suppose to have next a scheduled open heart surgery (couple of weeks) where they will bypass up to 5. This all is nuts! But our Lord is showing us the way & illuminating it! So many people & paths He’s opened for us. We came back from California for our son-in-love (laws) funeral & planned on taking our daughter & their 18 month son back to Cali. We stay there in the winter months…living in our RV..sold our home etc to wake up people to His kingdom! We live truly an amazing life & this is just another plot change for us. Doug has some “sick” insides & prayfully we can figure this new journey out for & with him. The hospital finds him to be a marvel & he professes Him & has prayed with docs. It’s incredible, educational, scary, exhilarating, exhausting, & we are learning this medical industry, but knowing our Lord….we are more than covered! We are witnesses! Like even now…I’m on my way to get my 3rd rental car (2 failed before & have been towed) & Doug has yet to see me as he is in recovery from his foot. I’m 2 hours away to get it, oh my! I’m in the humor stage with all of this now;) It’s way healthier to laugh! Thank you for reaching out to Doug! He’s very thankful:) More funventures to come…
Mindy
Update: 1/24/2024 My hubby’s update: <<<Back to Top
Good morning beautiful people! So day 7 & my guys pain is ultra horrible & they can’t get it under control. His foot is even worse…may lose a toe….but believing not! The surgery is tomorrow & proceeding the heart ablation because of the blood flow in the legs. He also needs open heart, another story. Not sure of much else other than the pain at the moment & his lack of sleep has him about to go crazy! It’s about 10 nights now without it. Had a wonderful pain management doc come in & even pray with us. So cool! But I do have to leave at some point to sleep & keep myself healthy…the night is horrible for him for pain…worse. Anyways so much I can’t text to keep you posted. Thank you for your prayers already! If you are willing…I’m fasting & praying today…if you would too…in the way our Lord leads you to. Thank you!
Update: 1/22/2024 <<<Back to Top
I’m astounded but we have besties who are docs & they both believe it’s been lifestyle induced, past lifestyle so to speak….because Doug is an athlete (set world records in his 30’s) , weight lifted since age 12 power & body, ran companies, opened businesses, raced dirt bikes, plus a marriage & fam…& all of life!!! Well it all added up & his heart was taxed & some of his vascular insides are, well, as if he’s a 90 year old, to put it simply. He overproduces red blood cells (Polysythemia) too & so these docs are in a quandary because he is so young & has these issues. He has an electrical & plumbing issue with the heart is their layman’s terms. He’s in the hospital for this week, may get a short break to leave & then do the scheduled heart surgery. So YES, please include my incredible warrior hubby in on the page:) Thanks again |