Fun....and Not so Fun

So its been awhile since we spoke and much has been going on! We had a baby shower preparing for our new cousin Mitchell, a week long trip to the lake...and a stay in the Hospital for Rainer! All is well now and we are resting settled back in at home. Ann Edwards is so happy to have her daddy home and healthy (and so is mama!)

Here is a little catch up of the Hospital fiasco in case you missed it...

Rainer and I both caught a virus the end of last week on our vacation that we thought was just a normal crummy stomach bug. However, Rainer continued to feel badly through the weekend and on Monday early am he started to have chest pains and shortness of breath. After 2 trips to the ER and many heart tests the doctors found that the virus has caused myocarditis. Basically, there is infection around Rainer's heart that is causing inflammation to the walls of his heart.. His heart ultrasound showed damage to the lower right side of his heart and his Ejection Fraction was at 35% when normal is 60%, so his heart was not pumping as it should. The virus he has is called coxsackie b and there is no antibiotic to cure it, so we have to wait for it to run its course and assess the damage on his heart after the virus has subsided. He is on medicine to ease the work load on his heart so he can heal and begin the restoration process. He was in the Cardio ICU since Monday, then in a private room Wednesday & Thursday, but we got to come home Thursday! Yeah!! He is feeling great, no more chest pain or discomfort, just tired. The doctors are encouraged by his progress. He will continue on his heart meds and have limited physical activity. We go back to the cardiologist in 3 weeks for another Heart Ultra Sound to assess the damage. Though we believe that God will completely heal and restore his heart. We would ask that you join us in that prayer/praise that the scans would show NO trace of damage to his heart!

First and foremost we want to give God the Glory for the healing he has done in Rainer so far!! What could have been a very grave outlook is looking up. We know that it is nothing short of the power of God and all the prayers you all have sent up on our behalf. We are overwhelmed and humbled at the out pouring of Love that you all have given. From the many, many prayer lists at Churches Rainer has been added to, our PRECIOUS small group, friends and family who have been on their knees for us, all the emails, texts & calls...we are SO very appreciative. We are so blessed to have you all walk through this time with us, and now we just feel renewed and excited that we have such an audience to watch God heal Rainer and bring His Glory. Rainer and I have had a supernatural peace throughout this time that we know is the unmistakable peace of our Father. We are finding great comfort in the cross...that when Jesus died his heart was pierced, as His word tells us that the blood and water separated. We know because of this that His heart was pierced so that all our hearts, and Rainer's heart may become PERFECT, without blemish. That is the miracle that we are believing for now. That His heart will be completely restored beyond what heart ultrasounds and doctors have found.


Meanwhile, Ann Edwards was content and happy playing each day with her grandmothers so that I was able to be with Rainer in the hospital.....and even got her first baby doll (Thanks Shelley!) so our little angel did wonderfully throughout the whole week, but missed her daddy.

The next post will be more fun I promise...pictures of the lake week are coming :) Until then, here is a little preview.