Oh em geeee! It's been over two weeks, you guys! Life has been so busy! In a short amount of time, we've had a birthday, and an epic party to celebrate it at a waterpark, a pastor's conference, VBS, lots of swimming, planted flowers, welcomed a dear friend (or two) to stay with us, as well as a mother-in-love simultaneously, and a bunch of other things, all while watching my dear husband melt away like an ice cream cone on a hot summer sidewalk!
I have to go back a bit so I can chronicle for you all of the changes happening daily. Patrick weighed in at 439.5 at the six week mark on Thursday; a post surgery weight loss of 52.5 pounds in that time. There have been some incredible changes in the past two weeks since my last update. He's had me put his wedding band away for safe keeping for awhile, until he reaches what will be his final, maintainable size. It became so loose that it was in danger of falling off. He still wears the brand of the ring creased into his finger. 14 years, which we celebrate on Tuesday, is a long time for the skin to remember, and it isn't quickly forgetting! He, of course, wants to get a tattoo on his finger. We shall see...
One of the most exciting things, to me, is included in the pictures today. At the four week mark, he was so tired of taking the ground up blood pressure meds (they tasted pretty awful) that he asked me if he could please skip it one night. The next day, without any meds taken in over 24 hours, he used my mom's blood pressure machine with an extra large cuff to check his blood pressure. It was the lowest I've ever seen, with or without medication, for as long as I've known him! As long as we've been together, he has needed medication to stay in a normal range with his blood pressure. Even then, it was still a little high, but this...this was astounding! I was told by the doctor and his staff at the hospital that within a month, he would no longer need blood pressure meds. The timing was about right, but it left me no less incredulous that this was actually happening. From the time we arrived at the hospital in Mexico, his BP had reached the highest I'd ever seen for him, and continued to be above even his normal. And here we were, four weeks from surgery, and his blood pressure was in the normal range. I'm beyond excited about his results so far!
He's been able to start wearing lots of shirts that he hasn't worn in a very long time. It's so encouraging to see. His energy levels seem to be increasing. He doesn't seem to need the daily nap every day now, that was such a necessary part of his healing in those first weeks. He is less frequently forgetting things or losing his train of thought as he did in the early days, as well.
His struggle to stay hydrated is getting easier. He's found some dissolvable electrolyte tablets that he puts in his water daily, and works hard to finish his large cup of water by day's end. He's also added some sugar free popsicles to his daily regimen, that really helps with liquid intake. I don't worry so much about him not getting enough liquid now, or the many complications that can arise from regularly not getting enough to drink. He is finding his balance.
One challenge that has arisen with feeling better is the simple remembering to be slow and intentional about eating. He needs to adjust his bite size to less than half of what he's used to, and chew food until it's almost the consistency of a puree. The better work he does of chewing, the easier the work of digesting is for his stomach. He's still having trouble being mindful when he eats. He's not eating too much, as he adjusts his portion size of food to the correct amount when he fixes his plate. He's truly just eating too fast, and that makes him not feel very well for awhile after he eats. He is being intentional about making adjustments to how he eats his portions, and I know he won't make this mistake much more. This journey is a learning one, and there has to be grace for the learning. I'm thankful he hasn't made himself physically sick. He didn't feel well for awhile, but improved fairly quickly.
Yesterday, we were running errands at Sam's Club, and stopped to get the kids something to eat at their cafeteria. We all sat down together at the fixed seat benches while the kids ate. He looked at me, smiling, and said, "I was able to sit down, and the bench doesn't move." This was huge! He's always had trouble sitting at tables where the benches don't move, and he didn't have a bit of trouble sitting with us that day. We were able to sit together, face to face, and talk for a few minutes while the kids had lunch. What a precious moment, that wouldn't have been possible a few months ago.
Today, though...today came the moment that has me undone. Before I tell you today's pinnacle, I have to give a little background info. When we bought Patrick's truck (that he absolutely loves), the seatbelt was too small. So, my one condition for buying the truck was that he had to be able to wear a seatbelt, so I purchased a seatbelt extender for him before he even brought the truck home. He put it in the buckle and it has stayed there since he got the truck. Now, with that piece of information, let's head back to today. He went to my mom's with Zoe while I stayed home and let the baby finish out her nap. We were finishing up dinner at home, and he FaceTimed me when he was about to be on the way home. He held something up to me...it was his seatbelt extender...his seatbelt was securely buckled, without the need for the extender! This...this reduced me to a speechless puddle of tears, standing at the island in the kitchen. I took in deep breaths of God's goodness as I stood staring at the screen, tears rolling down my face. This victory came on the heels of a somewhat personally draining few days for me. It was a breath of fresh air to a heart that ached with the hurts of living in an incredibly human world, where rejection seeks to find you when no one else is looking for you. Quick words without thought offer wounds to the quick of the heart, and offense stands ready to pounce and weigh me down. It can make me tired to walk through these thick times where I have to constantly cast off offense and rejection, choosing life, trust, joy, and faith in God's goodness within the hearts of people. But this--this victory right here--it was breath of life in my lungs. It brought joyous refreshing to my soul. He is a good, good Father, and His timing is impeccable. Everyday His faithfulness abounds to us in immeasurable, heaping buckets of graceful goodness. And. I. Am. Undone.
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