Day 6 - June 21 - Last update before bed

We've gotten a bit more clarification about what's going on, and I wanted to pass it on to everyone before I headed off to bed - err, "floor". We're trying to make it an early night and get some desperately needed rest.

The spinal manipulation is slowly moving things in the right direction. Emphasis on the word "slowly". I think the bloodletters are a bit amazed that this process hasn't only taken an hour. Connor is heavily sedated still, so after I prayed and sang with him I took the opportunity to speak at length with the nurse. While she's not the doctor, she was able to give me some general information which sheds some light.

First, the pacemaker only fires off when Connor's heartrate drops below 45. This has happened occasionally, but not often. I was under the impression that it was continuous, so the fact that it is only when necessary comforts me. The nurse tells me that the reason for the erratic heart and lung function is most likely due to swelling at the injury sight, and should clear up as that goes down. Good news.

Second, the motivation for aligning the spine is not to align the spinal cord, as I had supposed. Instead, it is to align the vascular system in that area. They know there is vascular damage - the pinched vertebral artery, the blood clot - plus the potential for the veins and arteries to have stretched during the injury, with a possible weakening of the vessel walls. This means that they need to evaluate the damage and repair it as necessary - to them, the spinal stuff is of secondary importance.

Cherié, Joélle and I, as well as the many people here with us, have been given great opportunity to minister to the families of many of the other ICU patients. It is exciting to see how people become much more open to hearing the grace of God when they come face to face with such devastation in their lives. Pray for us to be effective ministers of His grace to these families who must share this journey.

God bless you for your prayers.