FAQ’s

Q: How is Lisa doing?

A: She’s doing really well. It is incredible how quickly she was able to recover from surgery. Within 20 minutes of the procedure being completed, we were talking together in her hospital room. She had two internal stitches. To give you an idea of how big the incision is… it’s the same size as the top of a staple – the same width and length. And just one incision. She has about a dime-size drop of durabond (sterilized super glue) on it. The surgeon said that she can take that glue off sometime next week and that she should be completely healed.

Q: So, what exactly does “bed rest” mean?

A: First, she’s not confined to a bed; she is restrained to laying down or reclining virtually all the time. So she can choose bed or couch. And she can choose which bathroom she uses in our home. =) “What about a conference in Michigan in a couple weeks – can she do bed rest at her parents’ house?” The surgeon plugged his ears and shook his head. We took that as a “no.” “What about church – it’s right next door?” He said that his recommendation (a recommendation and not an order) is that the only time Lisa leaves the house is for doctor appointments. We can follow his recommendations as much or as little as we prefer; having gone through everything that we have, we’re going to do continue to do everything we can do. In short, we’re following the recommendation closely. This means – with having a 3.5-year-old and 1.5-year-old at home – that Lisa really can’t be home with the kids by herself; she can’t pick them up or run after them or run them to the bathroom. We’ve been tremendously blessed already with generosity with regard to both meals and help at home; we figure that’s the way to get through this season. (On an ironic note, we can’t help but laugh at our situation. On the one hand, this is a very stressful time, with TONS of details to work out on a daily (and sometimes hourly) basis… so we can’t wait for it to be over. On the other hand, the longer this time of bed rest lasts, the better; the longer the pregnancy, the higher the likelihood is that the twins will both be born well. That’s all to say this: it’s a tough time that we hope doesn’t end any time soon.)

Q: What’s next?

A: It looks like the specialist who caught the TTTS in the first place (from the University of Chicago) is going to be our doctor throughout the rest of the pregnancy. That starts tomorrow morning; we have a 10 am ultrasound scheduled at the University of Chicago with an 11:15 am appointment with the doctor. We hope to get a really good baseline for the rest of the pregnancy. Also we’re praying (and ask that you do, too) for an improved MCA score for twin A. That, of course, falls under the larger umbrella of good health for both girls and wisdom as we move forward.

Thank you again for your love and support. Your kind words, prayers, and acts of loving service have helped us trust even more in our Heavenly Father. God is good, all the time.

~Jeff