Thank you

Dear family and friends,

What a year this has been! So MANY trials, but also many wonderful, unforgettable moments! Our family would like to send a huge thank you for standing so close to us during Bryan's journey which began on April 19th. We had been given such a grave report from the doctors about the burst aneurysm in his brain as well as being told of the second aneurysm that needed to be dealt with. We did not give up hope, but relied heavily on the prayers of our family and friends, and even strangers, we found out! We felt God's comfort and saw miracles and answers to our prayers every step of the way. We have, undeniably, experienced the power of prayer and to that, we give thanks to God.

We would also like to thank those who have supported us other ways...many gestures of kindness with regards to keeping our home and business looked after, weeks of round-the-clock childcare, meals, baked goods, groceries, thoughtful gifts for our children, monetary gifts/gift cards, emails, and comments that were so encouraging on the blog. (bzjourney.blogspot.com). We are humbled, to be part of such a family in Christ.

Along with the surgeons, we are hopeful that Bryan will be able to begin to work again in April. Although we still look forward to our life being "back to normal", we are thankful to have Bryan with us. He can continue to be a husband, father, son, brother, nephew, and friend, with his wit still intact. There are still a few challenges for Bryan, but he is here and well on his way, to what we hope will be a full recovery!!

Please accept this letter as a huge thank you from us. Wishing you a blessed Christmas. We also pray for health and peace in the upcoming year.

Love,

Bryan, Michelle, Breanna, Zachary, Cassandra and Samantha

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME....

First, my apologies with the delay in updating the blog. Daily life has taken over again, which is definitely a good thing and we are thankful for this!

We would like to thank Karen and Mike (Bryan's sister and brother-in-law) for setting up this blog and providing all the updates and prayer concerns . This blog was a wonderful way to get the word out quick. It was also great encouragement for us to read the comments. We thank you for all those prayers and comments!

Our life is beginning to become somewhat "normal" again. Although Bryan is still home recovering, we are thankful for how far he has come already. According to the doctors, and we have known this ourselves, it is a miracle that Bryan is here with us!

Bryan still gets tired quite easily. In part, this is due to the injury on his brain. Anything that takes concentration is exhausting, because he has to work doubly hard at it. Also, he was not allowed to do anything physical for a long time, so now his body has to work up to where he was before this all began in April.

Most people think, when they see Bryan, that he is totally back to "normal".... but not quite. There are still some challenges for him. He can concentrate, but it is exhausting for him. His physical strength is not quite there, which he is now allowed to work on. His memory is not as sharp. He used to pride himself remembering and knowing peoples names, but has difficulties with that quite often. Most people wouldn't know, because he can be creative in the situation. Often if he remembers a first name, he can't remember the last name etc.. (Now I've given away his secret!) A lot of noise or chaos is sometimes challenging for him. It seems to be hard for him to tune that out. With four small children, this is a challenge!!

An exciting thing for Bryan was that he was given the okay to drive again. This has been great for Bryan. It gives him some freedom to get out and do his own thing! (I must say....it gives me some freedom too!)

Our children are doing great. There are still some bad dreams occasionally, or difficulty when Bryan leaves the house. Overall, we are enjoying spending our time together....(when they are calm and quiet....).

We thank God for the miracle he performed on Bryan. We are thankful to all who prayed for Bryan. We have indeed experienced the power of prayer.

We are not sure how many people still look at this blog, but I will have another post next week. :-)

Appointment with Surgeon

This past week Bryan had the appointment with his surgeon that was rescheduled from two weeks ago. He saw the surgeon that performed the surgery on both aneurysms. He was pleased to see how much progress Bryan has made.

He’s been given the okay to start some physical rehab now.

He is not able to go back to work this year. He will be monitored, but the plan is to perhaps start again next April. That will give his body almost a year for healing.

He is still not able to drive, but that will be reassessed in October or November of this year.

He still needs to work on some cognitive issues.

Bryan was pleased to find out that instead of having an MRI every three months for monitoring, they will only need to be done every six months.

So overall it was a good appointment and Bryan and Michelle were able to get some concrete answers to some of the questions they had.

Three Weeks Later . . .

Three more weeks have gone by and it’s time for another update. Bryan continues to do well and is able to do a little bit more all the time. He was able to attend church for the first time last week – a blessing for him and his family . . . as well as the whole church family. Overall it went well but he was surprised that he was not able to sing due to being short of breath . . . probably due to the excitement and physical shape he is in right now. Bryan has also been able to attend a few more events over the past couple of weeks.

Last week Bryan was scheduled to his surgeon for a follow-up visit. He was looking forward to this as he had a lot of questions for him and was interested in his progress from a surgical/medical point of view. Unfortunately his appointment was cancelled due to emergency surgery that needed to be performed by his surgeon. Of course Bryan and Michelle understood this (as this same thing probably happened to others when Bryan had his first surgery) but they were disappointed nonetheless. So now the appointment with the surgeon will happen at the end of this month.

The good thing is that they were able to speak with the nurse practitioner that was involved in Bryan’s care during his hospital stay. They’ve gotten to know this lady quite well and so it was good to talk to her on the phone. She was able to answer some of the questions they had so that helped a bit.

This past weekend, we were able to kidnap Michelle and their oldest daughter, Breanna, for a girl’s weekend away. Okay, that’s not exactly what happened. It was an extremely thought out and well planned weekend. It was the first time Michelle had been away from Bryan for an extended period of time for the last three months so it wasn’t easy for her to leave. But once we were gone, she relaxed and enjoyed herself and we all had a really good time. Oh, and I should mention, this only happened because of the support and assistance from some great neighbours – thanks J & N!!! It gave Michelle peace of mind knowing her hubby and kids were in great hands.

The main prayer request is for alleviation of Bryan’s continued headaches. He still has a few slight cognitive issues – this is to be expected but still something we can pray about. The chaos and noise of four little ones at home is still sometimes a little bit challenging for Bryan too.

The love and support of family and friends continues to surround Bryan and Michelle and the kids. They are so thankful for everything people continue to do for them – the prayers, emails, encouragement, and meals. (Michelle continues to appreciate a few meals here and there – if anyone still wants to help out in this area for the month of August, please send me an email at mk (at) carmtechsolutions.com)

Another update

Not too much has changed over the past week.

Bryan is still experiencing a constant dull headache . . . sometimes worse than others. He is still able to take the Tylenol #3's when needed during the day and of course his regular dose at bedtime.

Things are in an adjustment period with all the kids being home from school now. It makes life interesting and sometimes loud around the house. It can be a challenge for Bryan to come up with ways to cope and still be able to stay home.

He's going for walks when possible (usually in the evening). The whole family – the six of them – have even gone all together in the evening when things have cooled down a bit.

He’s keeping busy with watching a lot of soccer "Hup Holland Hup!" Sometimes he feels the need to just get out and will go along for the drive when someone needs to do an errand.

Bryan looks forward to when he is able to start doing more. He is still very limited on what he can do and how much . . . and for how long. He is learning a lesson on patience.

Bryan has another scheduled appointment with his surgeons in the middle of July. He is looking forward to meeting with them to get some answers as to where he goes from here.

Your support, encouragement and prayers continue to be a blessing to Bryan and his family.

30? 35? 40?

Happy Birthday Bryan!

May God bless you with many, many more happy and healthy years.

Update

It’s been a while since the blog has been updated . . . so here it is for those of you that are wondering how Bryan is doing.

Bryan had his stitches out on Monday. He wasn’t looking forward to it but it went well and it’s nice to have that out of the way.

He still has a constant headache that is controlled with medication. He continues to take Tylenol #3 at nighttime. And speaking of nighttime, he’s been sleeping in a reclining chair (thank you to Mr. and Mrs. D for letting Bryan borrow it at this time) and that has really helped. If he sleeps at a 30 degree angle, his headache isn’t as bad in the morning when he wakes up. Michelle sleeps on the couch beside him which seems to work well. It’s better than her feeling like she has to lie perfectly still when they sleep together in their own bed. So for now, everyone is sleeping quite well. Bryan also takes a nap during the day when he is able to.

Bryan’s jaw is still quite sore from both surgeries. This makes eating a little challenging and he still can’t eat things he did prior to surgery – both due to pain and the fact that he can’t open his mouth fully.

Walking has become part of Bryan’s daily routine again and it gets a little longer every day. He still takes it at a slow pace but being up and about is really good.

Overall Bryan is doing really well. Life is starting to get back to normal in some ways. The kids are starting to notice that there aren’t as many people coming and going as much anymore. They’re able to spend a lot more time together with just the six of them and it’s good to be home as a family again.

As mentioned in a previous post, sitting around not doing much is not easy for Bryan. Thank goodness for World Cup Soccer! When he gets really bored and restless, he’ll go on little outings – even just to the grocery store – with Mom or Michelle. He still seems to get overwhelmed with too much going on and needs to continue taking it easy.

Looking back over the past few months, we are so thankful to God for how far Bryan has come. We continue to see signs of improvement everyday and we know that God continues to hold Bryan in the palm of His hand.

Please carry on with your prayers for Bryan’s complete healing. We are so thankful for everyone who continues to email and post comments and most of all prays for Bryan and his family. It means so much and Bryan and Michelle are blessed through your encouragement.

Home and ready for the World Cup!

Great news . . . Bryan was able to come home today. He had a fairly good sleep last night and the doctors thought he was good enough to be discharged. Obviously having surgery on an aneurysm that hasn't burst is the preferred way to do things! So, seven weeks and two surgeries later, Bryan got to say good bye to his "home away from home" hopefully for good. Although the General is a nice hospital and the medical staff was great, I hope we don't find ourselves back at that place for a long, long time.

Bryan still has a long way to go but recovery has already been better than last time. He still needs to really take it easy and force himself to rest and relax . . . which isn't easy. Hopefully with the World Cup coming up, it won't be too hard for him to sit around on the couch!

I was hoping to post a picture of Bryan from when he came home from the hospital today but I couldn't download it for some reason. So you'll just have to picture him in his orange World Cup of Soccer shirt. Go Netherlands Go! (And Go Bryan Go!)

Sunday Update

Bryan didn't really sleep last night . . . at all. For some reason, despite being exhausted, he just couldn't fall asleep. So a lot of today was spent dozing in and out of sleep. He obviously didn't have a lot of energy. But he was able to get up a few times and go for some walks - and the walks today were a little longer than yesterday.

One of the surgeons that did Bryan's surgery on Friday came by to see him today. She said the CT scan results from yesterday were great and she was happy with his progress so far. That was the highlight of the day.

We can see little signs of improvement and healing every day and overall Bryan is doing well. Sleep continues to be a challenge so please pray that tonight he will be able to fall asleep and stay asleep and be able to feel somewhat refreshed in the morning.

Saturday Night

The CT scan went well this afternoon - Bryan said the technician was really quick and so he didn't feel too sick from the dye. Unfortunately we don't know what the results are yet.

Bryan is quite swollen today and looks pretty beaten up (sorry Bry!) His jaw is extremely sore so his diet consists of soup, pudding, yoghurt, jello, etc. His head pain and nausea seem to be fairly well controlled with medication. He was able to get up and go for a few short walks today - nice to see him up and out of bed.

At bedtime tonight Bryan took a sleeping pill along with his pain medications. Hopefully he'll be able to sleep better tonight.

Thank you for your prayers today - a day that started out rough but did get a bit better as it went on. Your love, support and encouragement means a lot.

Prayer for the scan

If you happen to be reading this, please pray for Bryan as he's feeling really anxious about the CT scan that he needs to have today. It's a CT angiogram which means he has to have dye injected into him through his IV. In the past, this dye has made him feel sick and because he's already feeling sick to his stomach, he doesn't want to have it done.

Please pray that Bryan will be calm and willing to go when it's time to have the test done.

Bryan's head pain is quite severe today too so perhaps add that to the list of prayer requests.

Thank you!

Saturday Morning Update

Bryan's night wasn't as good as we had hoped. His jaw is extremely painful, he had a fever through the night and he was still bothered by nausea. All of these things combined don't make for a very good sleep unfortunately. The good news is that he was able to get up and walk a few steps to use the bathroom earlier. He seems to be in and out of sleep this morning so far. Let's pray he can get some solid hours of rest/sleep throughout the day today and that his pain, fever and nausea are kept under control.

Unless something else comes up in the meantime, I'll post again tonight. Oh, let's also pray for positive news from the CT scan results today.

More details

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

As stated in the previous post, Bryan's surgery went well. We left him in the OR at 8:00 am, as scheduled, but the surgery didn't actually get underway until around 9:15 am. Every hour or so, an RN would come out and update us on the progress. After we had been waiting for a while, she came and told us that surgery had started a little later than expected. Then about an hour and a half later, she came and said "the surgeons are almost at the aneurysm". Then quite a while after that she came and said "they're just closing him up now". We didn't have these updates last time so we really appreciated knowing what was going on.

So the surgery took about five hours - the same length as the first one. The surgeons came and spoke to us afterward and explained that it went really well. They said they could see one part of the aneurysm was really thin and that it was good that the surgery was done because, if left, it probably would have burst in the next year or so. Yikes! They said the next 24 hours are critical but that Bryan is doing really well. The risk of vasospasm is there but much less than last time. If the brain happens to swell too much and causes the clip to move a little bit, it could result in vasospasm but the surgeon said it was quite unlikely. After surgery, Bryan was in recovery for a few hours and then transferred to an ICU step down unit.

Once he was settled, we were able to visit with him. He's very tired and understandably quite groggy. He was quite nauseous after coming out surgery but they gave him IV Gravol and that seems to be helping. His jaw is extremely sore - the surgeons needed to cut through his masseter muscles (the muscles used for chewing) during surgery and so that's a major area of pain for him. He is still tender on the other side from the first surgery and hasn't been able to open his mouth fully. So now the soreness is on both sides and will be a major challenge for Bryan.

Tomorrow Bryan will have a CT scan to see how things look.

We’re so thankful for how everything went today. It’s a relief for everyone to have this surgery done and out of the way. It was hard to leave Bryan at the hospital tonight but it’s somehow comforting to know that he’s in a familiar place – a place that has almost become a second home over the last many weeks (as sad as that sounds!) He knows a lot of the nurses and is familiar with how things go there.

Thank you for your continued support. Bryan is aware of just how many people are praying for him and feels encouraged that. What a blessing!

Reasons for praise:

• A good night’s sleep for Bryan last night
• Relatively calm nerves (most of the time) this morning pre-surgery
• Successful surgery
• Amazing medical staff – the surgeons that performed the surgery were a husband and wife team and were so caring and explained things so well to us

Prayer requests:

• A good, deep, restful, long sleep for Bryan tonight
• That Bryan’s nausea would be kept under control
• For physical healing for Bryan
• That God would continue to be glorified through this journey

Here's a picture from before the surgery this morning. Aren't they cute?

Out of Surgery

Bryan is out of surgery and in recovery.
The surgery went well and Bryan has been responsive to the surgeons since being in recovery. Michelle has been able to spend a few minutes with him as well.
Karen will update better tonight when she gets back. (Too much pressure for me to keep up with the quality of her posts!)
Thank you all for your prayers!

On Time

Bryan's surgery is underway and started as scheduled at 8am.
Bryan had a good sleep last night and was relativly calm going into this morning. Thank you all for your prayers!

More updates to come ...

One more sleep . . .

Just in case you needed a reminder to pray, this is it. Bryan had his MRI today and is all set to go early tomorrow morning. Please pray specifically for the following:

A good night's sleep for Bryan (and Michelle . . . and the rest of the family)

“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety”. Psalm 4:8 NIV

Calm nerves and peace for Bryan (and Michelle . . . and the rest of the family)

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go”. Joshua 1:9 NIV

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”. 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”. John 14:27 NIV

Steady hands and wisdom for the surgeons and other medical staff

“‘But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD”. Jeremiah 30:17 NIV

That the surgery will happen at the scheduled time - 8:00 am

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer”. Matthew 21:22 NIV

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him”. 1 John 5:14–15 NIV

Thank you again for your continued love, support and prayers.

Two more sleeps . . .

Yesterday Bryan had his pre-op appointment. This included an ECG, blood work, chest x-ray, discussion with the doctors, etc. It was a LONG appointment. Having “been there, done that” already six weeks ago, there wasn’t a lot of new information.

The good news is that the MRI that was supposed to be Thursday night has been rescheduled for Thursday morning. That means Bryan can be home and in bed on time and hopefully have a good sleep the night before surgery. Thankfully he’s still allowed to take his pain medication right up until surgery and also his sleeping medication the night before.

So . . . two more sleeps until surgery . . . let’s pray they’re long, deep, restful ones!

Sleep and headaches and surgery . . . oh my!

Bryan is thankful for sleep (and drugs). The doctors feel it is extremely important for Bryan to get as much rest and sleep as possible before next week’s surgery and since that just doesn’t seem to be happening, they’ve given him some medication to help him sleep. Last night was the first time taking it and he slept really well. So he will likely be on this medication until the surgery.

Also, regarding Bryan’s persisting headaches, he’s been bumped up from Extra Strength Tylenol to Tylenol #2 now and that seems to be helping more with the headaches.

And that brings us to next week . . . a busy week for Bryan with respect to his medical care. Bryan’s surgery to deal with the second aneurysm has been scheduled for Friday, June 4 at 8:00 am. On Tuesday he is scheduled for his pre-operative appointment with the surgeon. On Thursday night, Bryan needs to be at the hospital for an MRI. The time is unfortunate because Bryan and Michelle would just like to be home relaxing and trying to get to bed on time instead of being at the hospital. But the doctors want the MRI to be as close to surgery as possible. Hopefully it won’t go too late because they’ll have to get up quite early to be at the hospital two hours before surgery on Friday morning.

So that brings us to specific prayer requests:

• For Bryan to continue sleeping well at night
• For Bryan’s headache management to continue to improve on the increased strength of Tylenol
• That Bryan and Michelle (and the rest of the family) will remain calm and at peace as they await next week’s surgery
• That surgery will actually happen at the scheduled time and that it won’t get bumped for something more urgent
• That God will continue to be glorified through this journey

Thank you for your continued love and encouragement and especially your prayers.

A Quick Update

Bryan is thankfully getting over the bug or whatever it was he was experiencing – thank you for your prayers in this area. He's had to change his medications a little bit to deal with his headaches better – they are still constant, but somewhat controlled. Sleep continues to be an issue. He still sleeps with his upper body somewhat elevated and is unable to sleep in positions that used to be comfortable for him. It seems that moving from his bed halfway through the night to the couch is allowing him to change his position enough to fall back to sleep again.

Thankfully Bryan has been feeling well enough to get up and around every day. He has been going for short, slow paced walks daily, which he really enjoys.

Thank you for your continued prayers. Please keep praying for Bryan – specifically for the headaches and the sleep issues.

Feeling Yucky

I’m writing this post to ask you to please pray for Bryan as he’s feeling a tad under the weather. The last three days or so haven’t been very good for him. He may have a touch of a bug of some sort as he’s been feeling kind of nauseous and has had a slight fever. He also hasn’t been sleeping well at night. He’s still taking his Tylenol, Advil and Gravol as needed.

As you can imagine, this is all making Bryan feel quite anxious. He’s worried about the nausea . . . scared of the thought of throwing up and putting pressure on his head where the second aneurysm still is. Feeling generally unwell is making him frustrated as he wants to rest up and gain as much strength as possible for the next surgery.

So please pray for the following:

• That Bryan will get over the sickness he’s dealing with
• That Bryan will be able to physically relax so he can rest and sleep
• That Bryan’s mind will be at ease and his worry will subside
• That Michelle and the rest of the family will remain relaxed and calm so they can continue to support Bryan

Follow-up Appointment

Bryan had his follow-up appointment today with one of the neurosurgeons and the nurse practitioner that he often saw at the hospital. It went well and there was a lot discussed.

The CT scan that was scheduled for the end of May has been cancelled. The last one he had was good and since he’s had so many scans in the last month, they would like to avoid exposing Bryan to any more radiation.

Surgery to clip the second aneurysm is going to happen at the beginning of June. The exact date will be confirmed in the next few days.

Bryan’s blood pressure was checked and it was good.

With respect to medication, he is going to finish off the last three pills that he has for his neurological pain and then he will just be on the Tylenol and Advil.

Specific prayer requests:

• For rest for Bryan so he can gain strength and be as ready as possible for surgery #2
• For Bryan and Michelle and the kids as they gear up and prepare (emotionally) for surgery #2
• Thankful for all the support – emails, blog comments, meals, childcare and other practical things, etc. . . .
• Thankful to God for his faithfulness to Bryan and his family

13 Years!

Happy Anniversary Bryan and Michelle!

Praying that God will bless you with many, many more happy and healthy years together.

Love you!

Thankful for Meals

Thank you to everyone who offered to help out with meals for Bryan and Michelle. We have three meals booked every week until the end of June! We’ll leave it at that for now and reassess later to see if more will be needed after that point. It’s amazing how many people have come forward to help in this situation – and not just with food.
Many times during the past three weeks, Bryan would comment on how overwhelming it was that so many people wanted to help him and his family. At one point he said he couldn’t believe how many people care about them. Like any good sister, I assured him that it wasn’t him, but rather Michelle that people care for. LOL! Good thing he can take a joke eh?

Anyway, it sure is a blessing to have so many family and friends surrounding Bryan and Michelle and their children during this challenging time. Thank you for your continued love and prayers as well as providing the practical things . . . particularly meals.

Meals

Three weeks ago, life drastically changed for Bryan and Michelle. Now that Bryan is home from the hospital, life is a little bit easier but definitely not back to normal. Bryan still has a long way to go in his recovery. Without going into a lot of detail, he has a lot of limitations that restrict him from doing the things he used to do . . . and at this point these restrictions are place for an indefinite period of time.

So in order to make life easier for Bryan and Michelle, we would like to arrange meals for them . . . if possible three times a week. If you are able and willing to help out in this area we would love to hear from you. If you are a member of the church where Bryan and Michelle attend, please contact Ida K. to offer to help out. If you are not a member of their church, you can contact Karen (Bryan's sister) at mk@carmtechsolutions.com to offer to help out. We know that Bryan and Michelle will appreciate this as it will give them one less thing to think about. Thank you in advance for blessing their family in a practical way.

Home Sweet Home!

Yep, that's right . . . Bryan is home. Three weeks exactly from the day he was rushed to the hospital - he's home! God sure is good and we are so thankful for the healing that has happened and continues to happen in Bryan's body.

I know it seems like we've perhaps over-stressed the whole issue of Bryan not having visitors but I feel the need to do it again. Just because Bryan is no longer at the hospital and it would be so easy to stop by at his house, please repect the fact that Bryan needs his rest. He was told today when he was leaving the hospital that he should still have a NO VISITORS policy. Having a lot of people coming and going is way too overwhelming for him and he needs to get rest. He needs to continue to heal and gain strength so he'll be ready for the next surgery to repair the second aneurysm in a few weeks down the road. So thank you for respecting this request.

Bryan still spent most of the day at the hospital today. He slept most of the afternoon away. He still has a headache bothering him a lot of the time and so he needs a lot of rest. Once he woke up though, he got all cleaned up (even shaved) and was ready to go. It took him a long time to actually leave because he had to say bye to all the friends he's made over the last three weeks.

Bryan has a follow-up appointment next week Monday to see how things are going and then he's going back again on the 27th for a CT scan. We will continue to update Bryan's progress on the blog (maybe not everyday) so stay posted.

Thank you for your continued prayers for Bryan and his family.

Pictures, cards, poems and notes from his kids and nephews and nieces hanging in the hospital room:

Sleeping the afternoon away: Ready to finally head home: Sweet reunion with the kids:



Welcome home signs for Papa: Family picture with everyone finally all together at home again: Oh wait, here's what they're really like:

Sunday Update

Bryan spent some time this morning with his family - Michelle and the kids (and mom) came to visit for a while this morning. He's always excited to see the kids and it makes his day. Even though Bryan's confined to the hospital, he made arrangements to have flowers brought to the house for Michelle and wrote out a beautiful card for her. (I think there may have been some tears!)

Unfortunately Bryan had a headache all day today. The nurses said it's probably from him being weaned off his pain medications. Thankfully the low back and leg pain seems to be under control.

The prayer request tonight is for Bryan as he starts to think about coming home. It's going to be a huge adjustment for him and it's not going to be easy. He's not going be able to physically exert himself at all, he still won't be able to have visitors, he's going to have to work on activities that exercise his brain and he's going to tire a lot easier than before. There will be a lot of limitations and restrictions that he's going to have to get used to. It's going to be great to finally have him at home again but it's going to be a big change for everyone. Please pray for Bryan and Michelle and their kids that they will have strength and patience as they adjust to their new normal.

Saturday Update

Bryan had another good day today. He has been up walking around his floor a fair amount and saying hello to all the people he's met along the way. The nurses have begun weaning off his pain medication - which has gone really well. His pain has been mild today - He even made it to 2:30 this afternoon without the need for any Tylenol 3.

Bryan and the family are so thankful for the progress he has made, a great nursing staff, incredible prayer support and most importantly - an awesome God.

CT Scan Results

Bryan had his CT scan this afternoon and the results were good. There is still some mild vasospasm but that's what the doctors were expecting/hoping for. Last week the vasospasm was quite severe so they were hoping it would now be mild. We're almost at day 21 after the aneurysm burst so that means Bryan will be over the time period when there is a risk of vasospasm. So at this point, it's extremely unlikely that those mild vasospasms would get worse.

Bryan will remain on the IV overnight tonight so that the saline will sort of flush his system of the dye that was used for the CT scan today. And then tomorrow he will come off the IV again. The nurses are also going to start weaning one of his pain medications by 50% tomorrow and then hopefully even more on Sunday. The plan is that by the time he's ready to leave the hospital, he will only be on Tylenol #3 which will be much easier when he's at home.

So please pray that the reduction in pain medication will go well and that Bryan's pain will remain under control and be manageable on less medication.

Thursday Update

Thank you for your prayers for the CT scan today . . . but it didn't happen. For some reason there was an oversight and it didn't get booked. So now the CT scan is supposed to happen tomorrow (Friday).

Bryan had a good day today. His pain was relatively well controlled - it seems to be better now that he is able to get up and stretch his legs a little more.

There was a little bit of an upset that happened this evening. I'll start by saying that Bryan's nursing staff has been absolutely incredible. Every nurse that has taken care of him since his admission two and a half weeks ago has been so kind and caring - often going above and beyond. It's been such a blessing and comfort to know that Bryan is in good hands as he's recovering. And honestly, Bryan deserves it, because he's been a stellar patient - which isn't always easy when you've been stuck in a hospital for that long. Anyway, tonight he had an unpleasant experience with a lady that was scheduled to be his nurse. She was extremely unkind and rude – it was unbelievable. Bryan was really upset because she was so heartless and it was clear to the other nurses that she was making Bryan upset. So they made some switches and arranged for someone else to be Bryan’s nurse for tonight. Thank you Lord for looking after Bryan and his needs. He seriously couldn’t have handled having her as his nurse (and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to leave the hospital knowing that woman was in charge of my brother!) Thankfully we don’t have to worry about it. This has just been another one of those God moments where we can see that He is in charge and knows exactly what we need.

So when you’re saying your prayers and thinking about Bryan, please remember to thank God for His amazing, love, care and provision.

Wednesday Night

I wasn’t going to do a blog post tonight because there’s not really that much to say. Today was rather uneventful for Bryan – which isn’t a bad thing.

Tomorrow morning Bryan will go for another CT scan to assess the status of the vasospasm. Please pray that it all goes well and that there is no sign of vasospasm anymore.

Family Reunion

The much anticipated family reunion finally happened today! The kids were so excited when Michelle told them they were going to be able to see Papa today . . . and perhaps Bryan was even more excited.

Michelle talked to the kids and prepared them for the visit. She explained to them that Papa would have something connected to his arm for medicine (the IV) so that he could get better. She told them that he would have a scratch on his head. She told them that Papa might cry a little bit but that it would be happy tears because he was so glad to see them.

The visit was amazing. The kids were so happy to see Bryan and vice versa. The kids checked everything out and asked lots of questions. They found it quite interesting when the nurse came to take Bryan’s blood pressure and give him some more medication. Breanna was the most clingy to Bryan and wanted to sit on his lap almost the whole time. Zachary was just a cool dude (sunglasses and all) the whole time acting as though nothing really fazed him. Cassandra was the most interested in Bryan’s incision. She kept pointing to it and asking him if she could see it again. Samantha was very serious at first just kind of looking at Bryan and then she totally gave him lots of smiles and giggles and showed off how good she’s gotten at walking over the past two weeks. Bryan kept commenting on how much she’s grown. I have to say though that my favourite part of the visit was when three-year-old Cassandra blurted out, “we have a broken Papa!” Good thing Bryan has a sense of humour!

Anyway, here are a few pictures from the visit (posted with permission from Bryan).

Oh and just to give you a quick update on Bryan (minor detail after the family visit), he had a pretty good sleep last night - only waking up to go to the bathroom and for a new IV. His pain was quite severe this morning but by this afternoon it seemed to be better controlled. His blood pressure was low this morning so he's been put back on some IV medication to help that. It needs to stay above a certain level to help decrease the risk of vasospasm.

We're so thankful that Bryan had another fairly good day . . . and made even better by the visit from his kids. What a blessing that they were finally able to get together and that the visit went so well. Please continue to pray for healing for Bryan so that he can come home and see his kids every day!

Monday Update

Bryan had a really good sleep last night. When he woke up this morning, one of the first things out of his mouth was, "that was the best sleep I've had at the hospital ". So that was a good start to his day. His pain again was off and on. It was pretty intense around lunchtime and then again after dinner.

Michelle showed Bryan some of the blog posts today and he read some of the comments that have been left. He was a little emotional when reading it all - it's so overwhelming for him to realize how many people have been thinking about him and praying for him over the past two weeks. Thank you so much for the love and support you've shown to Bryan and his family. Please continue to pray.

Bryan was able to go for a few walks again today. He didn't seem to be as short of breath with that today. In true Bryan fashion, he says "hi" to everyone as he walks. He recognized different nurses and other medical staff that he's met over the past two weeks. They all remember him and love him and are happy to see him up and walking around. He has definitely made a lot of new friends and he always makes a huge effort to remember their names - which of course makes everyone smile. It's great to see him walking around and sitting up in his chair instead of being confined to his bed all the time. Every day we see more and more signs of the old Bryan coming through.

He's come a long way and we're thankful to God for the healing in his life.

Sunday Update

Very little sleep was had by Bryan last night. He was moved in the middle of the night (still in the ICU) and the guy in the bed beside him is very loud. So that doesn't help at all with Bryan's sleep issues. His pain was also hard to control today. The nurses and doctors have been trying to wean him off his pain medication, or at least spread the doses out a bit, but they haven't been too successful. The pain seems to finally be better controlled this evening. It's still loud there though so let's pray that Bryan can have a good sleep tonight so he'll feel a little better tomorrow - he's really tired tonight.

The main prayer request tonight is for separation issues. Please pray for Bryan and Michelle's kids. They're having a hard time not being able to see their "Papa" for so long. Their lives have been turned upside down, and although they've been really good, it's been so hard on them. Today was particulary hard and when the kids are sad about not seeing Bryan, then it's not always easy for Michelle to leave them to head to the hospital again. Bryan too is having a hard time not being able to see the kids. Tomorrow marks two weeks since he's seen them and each day gets harder as he misses them more and more. So please pray for the family as they go through this difficult time of separation.

A Good Day

Today was one of the better days for Bryan. He had a good sleep last night - only awake when he had to be (for vitals and to use the bathroom) so this morning he seemed quite well rested and refreshed. His leg/low back pain seemed better today too. It still comes and goes and when it is present, it can be quite severe.

Bryan went on a couple of walks today too. The longer one this afternoon felt really good for him. It seems to help him to stretch his legs and he also feels a sense of accomplishment and improvement when he is up and about. His face was just beaming as he was walking.

I think that's it. There isn't really much to report today. Things went relatively well and at the end of the day Bryan even said, "I had a good day".

Answered Prayers and One Step Back

Thank you so much for your prayers for Bryan this afternoon as he underwent the angiogram. I’m happy to report that God heard our prayers and granted Bryan peace as he lay still for more than four hours. He was slightly sedated during the procedure but still needed to be awake. Bryan was aware that there were a lot of people praying and he definitely felt it. He managed to lie still the entire time and was finally able to get up and move around at 6:30 pm this evening.

The result of the angiogram showed that there is some vasospasm present. (As explained in an earlier post, a vasospasm can occur after a patient has had a subarachnoid hemorrhage - which is what happened last Monday after the aneurysm ruptured - the brain artery over-contracts or spasms and causes it to become very narrow.) The artery in the brain is constricting too much and so Bryan needs to be closely monitored. So this afternoon he returned to the place we didn’t think we’d have to visit again – the ICU. If the vasospasm gets worse and a specific medication needs to be urgently administered, this can only be done in the ICU and not in the other unit where he was staying. To help prevent the vasospasm from getting worse, Bryan also needs to be continuously hydrated so he’s back on the IV.

As far as the other aneurysm goes, the neurosurgery team will meet to look closer at the imaging done today and make a decision on how to proceed.

Although Bryan is extremely disappointed with the move back to ICU, we know it’s the best place for him right now. He has one nurse taking care of just him 24/7 and they have the resources there to treat him better. It does seem like a bit of a step backwards, but we continue to trust God that he will completely heal Bryan in His perfect timing.

Immediate Prayer Request

Bryan needs to go for an angiogram this afternoon at 1:00 pm. The point of this test is to look at the aneurysm that was operated on last week to confirm the surgery was successful. And they are also going to look closer at the other aneurysm that is still there so that they can determine what the best procedure will be to deal with it.

Here's where the prayer request comes in: Bryan needs to lie still during the half hour procedure and then for four hours afterwards. This would probably be a challenge for anyone but because Bryan is still in so much pain, it will be extremely difficult for him. So we’re asking you to pray continuously this afternoon for this specific need. Although we know this will be tough, we know that all things are possible with God and that He can give Bryan the peace, comfort and relief from pain that he needs to get through it.

A little better . . .

Today was a bit of an uneventful day - but we'll take that over the other kind. Bryan had a hard time falling asleep last night and even when he did, it still wasn't the best. The pain in his legs was on and off all morning and then this afternoon it seemed to be a little bit better. He went for a long walk this morning with the physiotherapist and another one this evening. Although it takes a lot of effort, it helps him to move around and stretch his legs. He also seems to feel a little better when he lies on his side rather than his back - it takes the pressure off his tailbone. He was extremly tired when we left the hospital tonight so let's pray he has a good night's sleep.

Hope for the Pain

Bryan didn’t sleep as well as we had hoped last night so he was quite tired and in a lot of pain again this morning.

Another CT angiogram was done and it was fine. There is still some swelling but apparently that’s normal and the doctors were happy with the results. There was more testing done this morning too and everything was clear – they were looking particularly at his legs to see if there were any blood clots present to explain the pain. Today was particularly horrible for Bryan with respect to pain. He said tonight that today was "the worst day yet" because of the pain.

The good news is that the doctors think they know now what is causing all the pain in Bryan’s low back and legs. Another test also done this morning revealed that the blood around the brain (from the aneurysm that burst last week) is causing irritation in the spine and in turn causing the pain in Bryan’s low back and legs. This apparently isn’t uncommon but the reason they didn’t look into this earlier is because pain from this spinal irritation doesn’t usually radiate to the legs – but rather is just in the low back/tailbone area in most patients. That’s why they assumed the pain in his legs was muscle spasms from being immobile for so long.

So the treatment for this spinal irritation is a new medication – very potent – that Bryan needs to take every six hours for a 48 hour cycle. It will cause Bryan to be quite “out of it” and confused – worse than the side effects of morphine. In the meantime, they were trying to switch him off the morphine because they’d like to wean him off his IV. They were giving him pain medication in the form of a tablet earlier today but tonight they finally gave him more morphine because he wasn’t having any relief from the pain. He’s just now finally starting to relax and sleep a little. The nurses said that hopefully by the third dose of this new medication (which will be at midnight tonight), Bryan will start to feel the severe pain subside and then hopefully he won’t need the morphine or the other tablets for the pain. Please pray that this really is the cause of his severe pain, that the new medication will work quickly and that the side effects won't be too harsh.

I was listening to one my favourite songs today and wanted to share the chorus with you here:

And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

It’s hard to remember and it's not always easy to praise and worship God when things aren’t going so well. But this past week, despite the storm, we’ve seen so many signs of God’s presence – some obvious and some more subtle. It’s been amazing and we know that God hasn’t left our side and He’s been right beside Bryan this whole time holding his hand and giving him strength to fight. So let’s remember to “praise Him in the storm”.

Tuesday Update

So if it's possible to have a worse day than any of the days last week, then this may have been that day. Bryan had a good sleep last night (thank you for praying) but was quite tired again this morning. His legs and back were giving him a lot of pain again too.

The main issue today was his breathing. He seemed short of breath and it just wasn't normal. One of Bryan's previous nurses happened to walk by this afternoon and mentioned that Bryan's breathing wasn't very good. It went from bad to worse and when the physiotherapist came to take Bryan for a walk, he barely made it out the door. He had to lie back down on the bed and his breathing just got worse and worse. He got to the point where he was hyperventilating and was very confused when they asked him his name and where he was. He was panicking and not sure what was going on - he was getting really scared (and so were we.) It ended up that a whole bunch of nurses and doctors (a resident, two of the surgeons that did Bryan's surgery last week, a heart specialist and maybe others) were in the room working on him. They gave him oxygen and it finally seemed to calm him down. They did some blood work and ordered an urgent CT scan. When the one doctor spoke to us, he said they were concerned about the possibility of either blood or water on the brain but more likely a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs). As we waited for the results of the CT scan, we prayed, pleading with God for everything to be okay. Well, God answered our prayers and the CT scan was clear. The brain looked fine, the other aneurysm was still intact and there was no pulmonary embolism visible.

By the time Bryan was back to his room (his original bed back in the ICU), he was doing quite well. It almost seemed as though nothing had even happened - except that he was exhausted. They have done some more tests (ECG's and more blood work) and I think tomorrow they will be doing a CT angiogram to look at things a little better. They've put him on IV Heparin just in case there is a blood clot they missed. I did hear a nurse say that perhaps there was a small blood clot causing the problem, and if it was small enough, his body may have just absorbed it.

When we left the hospital tonight, Bryan was resting and hopefully he's exhausted enough that he'll have a nice deep sleep. There's no one in the bed beside him so hopefully it will be quiet enough for that to happen.

Obviously we need you to continue praying for Bryan's physical healing but please also pray for Michelle. She's such a trooper and God's giving her strength exactly when she needs it but she's exhausted - physically and emotionally.

Thank you for your continued love, support and prayers.

One week later . . .

Raise your hand if this has been one of the longest weeks of your life. I can guarantee Bryan and Michelle and both of their families are raising both hands! BUT we've gotten through each minute, hour, day with the support of so many family, friends, complete strangers and most important of all the love of our Father in Heaven. Thank you Lord for giving us strength!

Today started out with Bryan feeling extremely tired. He slept pretty good again last night (keep praying for his sleep) - being woken up at 2:00 am for meds and staying awake for about an hour and a half and then slept again until about 6:30 am. He still felt really fatigued and dozed on and off for the first part of the morning. He was dealing with some nausea again today so he's been put back on the anti-nausea medication. The leg spasms were pretty severe again today too - another specific item for prayer.

The highlight of the day was that Bryan was able to go for a little bit of a longer walk down the hall. Up until now, it's been only a few steps to the bathroom and that's been a huge challenge. But today the physiotherapist helped him walk down the hall and he made it to the next doorway. And then later he was able to take another walk all the way to the end of the hall! Hooray!!! So thankful for signs of improvement.

Thank you again for your continued love and support. It means so much to Bryan, Michelle and the rest of the family.

Sunday Night

Today wasn't a very good day for Bryan unfortunately. As mentioned in the previous post, his legs and back were quite sore and the pain medication didn't seem to help as it usually does. That makes him quite restless and uncomfortable . . . plus his stomach was a little upset today too.

Then around mid afternoon, Michelle was helping Bryan in the shower when he suddenly didn't feel too well. Thankfully at that exact moment, the nurse came to see if everything was going okay, which it wasn't. Bryan experienced a seizure like episode. Some more nurses came rushing in and they got him out of the shower and into bed. The doctor came to see him shortly after and explained that it could have been one of two things - a partial seizure or a vasospasm. A vasospasm can occur after a patient has had a subarachnoid hemorrhage – which is what happened last Monday when the aneurysm ruptured. The brain artery over-contracts or spasms and causes it to become very narrow. When Bryan came out of surgery last week, we were told about the possibility of these happening and the next two weeks are when they are most likely to occur. But despite hearing about them, it’s still really hard when there’s this kind of setback. Everyday we’ve seen signs of improvement and so this afternoon was rather upsetting. A little later, Bryan was able to have a bit of a nap and he definitely felt better again after that.

So please continue to pray for the following:

• that Bryan won’t have any more of these episodes
• that his legs and back won’t be painful anymore
• that Michelle and the rest of the family will have the strength to be a support and comfort to Bryan
• that Bryan will have another good sleep tonight
• that Bryan and everyone else will continue to see signs of God’s hand in this situation

Sunday afternoon

*** Before I type an update, we need to stress the importance of NO VISITORS. Bryan has been moved to a different room but it's still considered a form of ICU (just not the official ICU). Bryan is not ready for visitors yet and he needs his rest. So please, please respect this wish and give Bryan and family some privacy. Thank you. ***


Bryan finally had a good sleep last night - what an answer to prayers! He fell asleep just after 10:00 pm and slept solid until about 4:00 am - and then on and off after that. He had some lasagne last night for supper and some cereal again for breakfast. He was able to walk to the bathroom with assistance this morning - the most steps he's taken so far.

His muscles aren't impressed with all the lying around and not getting used so his legs and back can get pretty painful and uncomfortable. Please pray that as Bryan starts moving around and becoming more mobile, his muscles will feel better and he can get some relief from the discomfort.

Saturday afternoon

Last night may have been a bit better but sleep continues to be a challenge. This morning Bryan was sitting up. He had a banana and some cereal for breakfast. He doesn't seem to be hooked up to too much anymore either - even the catheter is gone.

There's talk of him possibly moving today (one step down from ICU - one nurse for three beds instead of one). This will be a good move as the ICU tends to be a noisy place with lots going on. Hopefully the new location is quieter. As mentioned earlier, visitors will still be limited to immediate family only.

Please keep on praying for rest for Bryan. Those of you that know Bryan, know that he doesn't like to sit still for too long. So it's quite uncomfortable for him to be confined to the hospital bed for so long. He's been getting some muscle spasms in his legs now too so please pray for relief in that area as well.

The nurses and doctors continue to say that Bryan is doing very well which we are so thankful for. Everyday we see little signs of improvement and we celebrate each of these baby steps. Thank you for your continued love and support. Your words of encouragement left on the blog mean a lot to Bryan and his family.

Friday evening

Bryan had a fairly good day today. He was able to get up and take a couple of steps. He also ate some fruit which felt good in his stomach. He slept for a few hours here and there but it's still a struggle for him. He seemed kind of agitated and bothered again this evening and we ask that you continue to pray for peace. Please pray that Bryan will have a good, deep, restful, long sleep tonight.

Visiting Bryan

A lot of people have asked if they can come and see Bryan. Unfortunately at this point, that is not a possibility. He is still in the Intensive Care Unit and visitors are limited to immediate family only. Even when Bryan is moved out of the ICU, he will be in a room where visitors will be limited. And more important than the hospital rules is the fact that Bryan NEEDS his rest - which seems to be a struggle right now.

We understand that you want to see him but we need to do what's best for Bryan. Please leave us comments on this blog and we will pass your messages on to him. He is encouraged by your love and prayers.

Thursday, April 22, 2010 - evening

Hi everyone. I just got back from the hospital. I know it’s late but I wanted to send a quick update. We’re so thankful for another good day for Bryan. But as we go into another night, there is something specific you could pray for. Last night wasn’t the greatest for Bryan. He couldn’t sleep very well which means he was lying awake so his mind was wandering and he was becoming anxious and agitated and it wasn’t good. So please pray for peace for Bryan. Pray that he can get some sleep tonight and that God will guide his thoughts and protect his mind so he can get some rest.

So if you do happen to read this before heading off to bed tonight, please pray for this concern specifically. And if not tonight, then tomorrow . . . I think this is probably something we can continue to pray for over the next many nights too. Thank you so much for continuing to pray – there is definite progress for which we are thankful. God is good!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 - evening

Just a quick update on Bryan. He had a good day. The doctors are impressed with his progress and said he’s doing well. He was fairly tired and groggy all day – I think his pain meds have been changed now so hopefully that will help. He is still in the ICU but it’s comforting to know that he almost has his own personal nurse taking care of him 24/7. The CT scan results were good. The surgeon said everything looked good – there’s some swelling but that’s to be expected.

Please pray for continued healing for Bryan as well strength for Michelle and the kids (and the rest of us). We’re tired but so very thankful for God’s hand on Bryan’s life.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 - noon

Hi everyone. Just wanted to thank you all for your continued prayers, love, support, emails, phone calls, etc. etc. . . .

Bryan is in the intensive care unit still. He’s doing well but is extremely tired and groggy. We’re so thankful that surgery is done and went well, as mentioned in last night’s update. We need to continue to pray as he is still “not out of the woods” (in the words of the surgeon). We’re still awaiting the results of the CT scan. We will continue to keep you posted as we know more.

Thanks again to all of you and most of all to our Heavenly Father who has done and continues to do amazing things.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 - late evening

Bryan is out of surgery after five hours. Praise God! He is alert, responding and obeying commands. The surgeon said it went well but he was very clear in saying that Bryan is not “out of the woods” yet. The first five hours are very critical as he is at risk of stroke and further bleeding into the brain which is very dangerous and not something we want to think about. Another CT scan will be done tomorrow to confirm that the surgery did what it was suppose to and to check the status of both aneurysms.

As we hear more we will keep you up to date.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 - early evening

Bryan went into surgery around 4:00 pm. The surgery will take anywhere from four to six hours and we were told not to worry if it even takes longer. Please continue praying for Bryan and the team that is attending to him.

Thank you for you kind words, support and most of all your prayers. We will continue to lift him up to HIM and wait to hear news.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 - morning

Bryan’s surgery has been scheduled for 12:30 pm today. The surgeon feels that the coil option is not possible so we’re looking at the second option – surgery through the skull.

While we are obviously thankful that there is a plan at this point to deal with the burst one – we continue to pray with urgency that God’s hand will be upon Bryan, Michelle, the kids and obviously the team of doctors that will be performing the surgery.

We covet your prayers for Bryan at this time and are so thankful for all you have done so far in prayer…

Monday, April 19, 2010 - Evening

The situation seems to be much more serious than initially thought. As it turns out, the CT brain angiogram revealed that Bryan has two aneurysms . . . one that has burst and one that has not. The team of neurological doctors/surgeons are meeting together to decide what the treatment plan will need to be. There are two options: the first surgical option is to go through a main artery in his groin to coil the aneurysm – a two hour procedure. The other surgical option is to go through the skull and clip the aneurysm – a six hour procedure. At this point they’re not even talking about the second aneurysm – they need to deal with the one that has burst as soon as possible. The doctor said it was a miracle that Bryan even made it to the hospital.

Monday, April 19, 2010 - Afternoon

Bryan was rushed to the hospital via ambulance due to severe head pain. Thankfully he was able to call his wife just before he blacked out at one of his work sites. After waiting for a few hours in the ER Department in excruciating pain, he had a CT scan and it was determined that he had an aneurysm. He was then transferred to another hospital where they specialize in this type of thing. He was further assessed and a CT brain angiogram was done.

The team of neurological doctors/surgeons met together to decide what the treatment plan would be.