Keeping up with the Williams Family

Well, I posted that last night Payton had begun to have a little pain again but that advil helped it.  Well tonight she is having more pain that advil has NOT helped.  I am afraid that the epidural was not long enough.  We will be seeing Dr. FG in a couple of weeks and we will evaluate then but please continue to pray that her pain will stay away.  We knew from the beginning that to have a new flare up this soon makes a lesser chance of the epidural working as well as the last time.  It had looked like it did but now I am not so sure.  We are being positive for Payton, though.  She needs all the positive thoughts we can give her right now.

Well, that is the update for now.  It is still good to be home!

Well, we had a great Christmas together.  We really missed being in Ponca City with my family but we were so glad to be home and not in the hospital that we couldn’t feel too bad.  We literally slept off and on all day on Christmas Day and the day after!  Why is it that sitting around in a hospital is so exhausting???? 

Until this evening Payton has had no pain at all.  Tonight she began to have just a little bit of pain but advil took care of it.  I can’t help but feel this sense of urgency and fear that the epidural was too short but we just have to trust God that He is in this and is working.  She is resting comfortably now so maybe it was just a fleeting moment of pain. 

Tim found out today that UPS wants to bring him on as a permanent employee beginning Jan. 2nd.  For those of you who do not know, UPS does all of their hiring during the holiday season and everyone starts out as “seasonal temporary”.  Once you work through the seasonal work they decide whether or not to ask you on to be a permanent employee.  Although this is really tough on our family it is an answer to prayer because in 60 days we will be eligible for the health insurance.  We have been nearly eaten alive with medical bills over the years and they continue to pile up.  You put that with our extraordinarily large health insurance premiums and deductible ($6000 this year) and we just can’t afford it.  We had to make drastic decisions.  We had heard that UPS had health insurance benefits for their part-time employees but had no idea it was as good as what we will have.  The Church of the Nazarene is basically set up now for pastors wives to work for their health benefits or for the pastor to be bi-vocational in order to get group health insurance.  The young pastors can get individual health plans for themselves and/or their families but they will have to do something before they begin to age and develop significant health problems.  I predict that the Church of the Nazarene will begin to lose many of it pastors because of this crisis.  It will begin slowly but eventually the denomination will fade away.  It is very sad!  We have spoken to numerous district superintendents and generals about this problem and we are always told that there is a committee working on group coverage but that it just is not possible to get together.  Our district sup. is very active on this matter and has worked on many committees to put together proposals for getting group coverage for Nazarene pastors.  We were recently told that the generals are tired of hearing from him so he has been removed from all committees!  I think that sends a message to us pastors that are in dire need that they just don’t care at all.  We have sacrificed our lives for our denomination but it feels very one sided.  Oh well, I’ll get off of my soap box now!  Feel free to write a letter to the board of generals about this issue.  I believe the only way anything will change is if the local churches begin to make noise about it.  Maybe if enough local pastors have to take second jobs like we have, it will start to happen.  Anyway, for now around here the second job is an answer to prayer!

Merry Christmas!  We are finally home.  We got home late this afternoon to a wonderful surprise.  Santa’s elves had been to our house!  The elves had cleaned our home for us and there were TONS of presents under the tree!  What a surprise.  Santa’s elves also cooked Christmas dinner for us and put it in our freezer and told us they will be delivering more food tomorrow.  Thanks to the College and Career Sunday School Class for organizing the details with the elves and for all the help with helping us finish our shopping and wrapping!  There is absolutely NO WAY we could have finished everything without all of you!  We love you all so much and can’t begin to thank you for such an incredible Christmas gift!

Now…the details about Payton.  They turned off her epidural last night and within a couple of hours her blood pressure went up extremely high and she had a terrible headache with upset stomach.  They determined that one of the medications in her epidural lowers blood pressure (we knew that) and that stopping it must have caused her to have a sort of rebound effect.  It took about 4 hours for her to recover but she did and by this morning felt great.  So, the epidural was removed this morning and we were told we could go home.  She has had NO pain since the meds were turned off and as long as the pain stays away she gets to stay away from the hospital.  If the pain returns quickly she will go back for a longer treatment but we are all confident that this little boost is just what she needed to put her back to where she was.  Thank you all for your prayers and please continue to remember Payton as she settles back into life and protects her leg from all harm.  We will keep the blog updated so you can see what she is up to and how she is doing.  We will post some pictures soon!

We just finished our traditional mexican family Christmas Eve dinner and are settling in for the night.  I in my kerchief and Pa in his cap….  I checked the NORAD Santa radar and see he is in San Antonio right now so off to bed……

Merry Christmas!

We have had a lazy Sunday just resting, watching TV and visitng with guests.  Zane just left to spend the night with his cousins in Mansfield (Tim’s brother John and his wife Kelley and their two girls Maci and Mia).  Tim just left to go home to go to sleep before he has to be at work at 3 am. 

Payton has had a good day without pain despite the epidural having been turned down even more.  At this point we think we will go home tomorrow afternoon but we have not seen Dr. FG today to see what exactly he is thinking.  We don’t have any idea what the plan will be for continued treatment or if this will be considered finished when she goes home.  We are just “playing it all by ear” so to speak.  Today the physical therapist and the nurse came in and told us all about how if we do have to stay that Christmas around here is pretty exciting with a lot of gifts and special visitors.  So, I guess if we do have to be here we will have a good time regardless and then have a second Christmas when we get home!

We’ll keep you all updated as to what happens tomorrow.  Payton says “Merry Christmas”!

The past couple of weeks have been extremely difficult in our family.  There have been many people who have shown us their love and support and who have taken the time to love on Payton specifically but I want to take a minute to tell you all about something that happened to us yesterday.  You know, in life we cross paths with many different people.  Being in the ministry over the years, we have had the privilege of serving God with several churches and literally thousands of different people.  There are always those few that stand out as extraordinary people and lasting friendships.  Typically in each church, there are one-maybe two families that we stay close to and continue to keep in touch with and see from time to time.  However, in 1997 when we moved to Batesville, Arkansas we never dreamed that we would become so close with an entire church who would continue to love us and take care of us long after we served together with them in ministry.  Batesville First Church of the Nazarene is a church full of people who CARE.  During our years there, they took such good care of us and loved on us like crazy.  They were always giving us gifts.  From recognizing all of our birthdays and our anniversary, each year and every holiday this church was so giving and spoiled us like crazy.  The people in this church have a real gift for looking beyond themselves and recognizing when someone else is in need and then taking the extra step to help meet that need.  It was hard to leave Batesville when God called us to a new direction in ministry in Texas .  We literally felt like we were leaving family behind – not just a church with a few close friends – but an entire congregation full of moms, dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, sisters, and brothers.  Even though we are no longer their “responsibility”, this past year this church has continued to love on us and support us as we have gone through everything this year has held for us.  We have so appreciated the prayers, cards, messages, and phone calls to encourage us this past year.  Then, this week once again we were touched by this group of people in a way that a mere “thank you” cannot even cover.  We received a monetary gift in the mail that was so sacrificial that everyone must have had to sacrifice and dig deep to give.  We are so blessed, honored, and touched by this gift.  There is no way to appropriately thank this group of people for their love and sacrificial giving.  Once again, you have allowed yourselves to be used by God to bless us and help us during a time when we needed it most.  We love you all dearly and miss you so much.  Thank you for thinking of us and for sacrificing to make things better in our corner of the world.

Today began the hard work of physical therapy for Payton.  We did our usual walking the halls and talking about everything under the sun.  At least we are on a different floor this time so the view is not the same.  The therapist had her walking up a step and back down several times.  When she returned from an hour of therapy she was not in pain.  Her face was flushed and her leg was mottled colors which shows that she would have been in pain without the epidural but she was feeling nothing.  Her doctor is so awesome - once again he got the location of the epidural exactly perfect and her right leg has full feeling and function and her left leg is now only numb from the knee to the ankle.  That is a miracle to zero in that close!  Last night she slept well.  She was doing that really slow and deep breathing that people do when they are deep in sleep and resting comfortably.  That was wonderful for this mama to see.  She had a busy day today with nurses and people who remembered her from being there in October coming to see her.  She made such an impact on so many people during those 23 days we were there in October that these people remember her and wanted to see her again and wish her well. 

Today she went to a Christmas party for the patients and won a GIANT stuffed puppy.  No joke - lying in the bed next to her it is almost as big as she is!  That really lifted her spirits.  When Dr. FG came in this afternoon he said if she keeps up her progress we will be on target to go home on Monday afternoon.  So, continue to pray that she keeps progressing as the level of the epidural is turned down she will continue to be pain free.  The scariest part is when they start really turning down the levels.  It has been turned down some since it was put in but that was just to decrease her level of numbness from the waist down to just her leg.  Dr. FG’s assistant told me this morning that they really did not think this epidural would work this well so quickly.  The severity of her pain and the way the leg looked on Monday when they saw her really made them concerned that this would be another long battle.  Thank God that she has responded so well and quickly! 

So, that is the news for today.  We appreciate your prayers and comments on the blog.  Thanks for the support you all have given to us during this difficult time.

The procedure to put the epidural in went fine and Payton was settled into her room by late afternoon.  The night was fairly restful for her sleeping off the anesthesia and resting without pain.  She was totally numb from the waist down which causes a few problems so this morning at 6 am the doc turned her epidural down some.  By Lunch time she was able to walk with crutches a small distance to the nurses station.  Tomorrow she will get another wax treatment like lat time so we will get another “Wilson” only he will be green.  Ha Ha  Tomorrow will also begin intense physical therapy twice a day so please pray for her.  It is very hard work. 

The epidural is keeping her leg pain free just like last time so hopefully those nerves will reset themselves again and she will go home without pain.  The doc is hoping to send her home on Monday but in case she has to stay they have told us that Christmas Day around here is quite the event.  There will be famous people here but they cannot tell us who but they said last week the Dallas Cowboys and Mavericks were here so I guess it won’t be them! 

Thanks for all of your prayers for Payton (and her parents).  We will update more tomorrow.

Payton checks in at the hospital at 10am and her procedure will be under general anesthesia sometime after 11am.  She is what is called an “add on” at the hospital which is kind of like flying stand by.  Her doctor reported to the OR scheduler that he was available from 11am to 3pm to do procedures so Payton has to be there one hour before the earliest time in case a room is open then.  Basically we wait until a room is open so we could be waiting until 3pm before she goes back.  That will be difficult.  Payton does not know that because she is so worried about being hungry I figured she would totally panic if she knew she might have to wait until 3pm.  We will deal with that as it comes!

We will update tonight and let you all know when she is safe and settled in her room.  Please pray that everything will go well.  There are so many variables that make this first 24 hours difficult and Payton is worried about all of it.  After this procedure those first several hours can be pretty miserable and she is not looking forward to that part of it.  I feel so bad for her…poor baby…

Maybe the word “tragedy” is too strong of a word but right now it doesn’t feel strong enough.  Payton has endured an extreme injustice and is paying dearly right now.  A friend of hers got upset with her and in an act of anger she stomped on Payton’s bad leg right in the place where the RSD has been.  Within hours her pain was returning in full force and within a week she was even vomiting from the severe pain.  We saw our doctor (Dr. FG) today and he thinks the only way to get her back to having no pain is to “re-do” the epidural.  At this point with only a little over a week into her return of pain he believes it will only take about 14 days.  She is supposed to go into the hospital tomorrow (Wednesday) providing our insurance company approves an epidural this soon after the last one.  She will be in the hospital until Christmas Eve and then hopefully will get to come home for Christmas.  Dr. FG said he would do his best to get her home for Christmas even if she has to go back to the hospital the next day.  The catch is if the insurance wants to wait a few weeks that gives her more time to be in severe pain and more time for the RSD to settle back in which will mean a longer epidural when she finally gets it.  So, we are praying that insurance asks no questions and just approves the procedure. 

We are asking that you all please please pray for us.  I don’t think we as a family have ever been this down in all of our lives.  We were just getting our lives back and moving on from the terrible year and things were good.  It really makes you realize how one moment of poor judgement can ruin a lot for a multitude of people.  Please feel free to come and visit us at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas.  Since Tim is working nights at UPS now I will be the only one at the hospital with Payton.  No trading off and letting me get home and rest - just one more reason why this whole thing just makes us all so hurt and angry.  My body just can’t take that kind of abuse but there is no choice in the matter this time.  I know it hurts Tim as well because he wants to be working nights about as much as he wants to be submerged in boiling water.  I know he would rather be helping out at the hospital. 

Please pray for our spirits and that Payton will have a pain free Christmas.  Pray also that this epidural will work efficiently and quickly without any complications.  This will be her 7th time to be put under general anesthesia in 7 months! And of course pray for the strength and stamina of Tim and I since this time will be very difficult with his other job.  Please pray for Payton’s emotional health as well.  She is extremely hurt right now and feels betrayed.  I think that aspect of it makes it even more difficult to handle the physical because her emotions are all over the place.  We will keep you updated as things develop.