Catholic Prayer Ping!
Address your prayers to mills044;
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Posted on 04/12/2012 2:46:13 PM PDT by mills044
Fellow FReepers (sorry in advance for the long post)-
This is an update to a thread I posted on 3/31/12, and an urgent request for further prayers for my beautiful wife Nikki. God bless those of you who were able to help by praying for us on that thread! We KNOW that your prayers have helped our family, as I will outline in this update. More help is needed though!
On that Saturday morning, while my wife and I, & our 4 children were standing around the kitchen island talking about the upcoming day, she collapsed. I rushed Nikki to the Emergency Room, and after a series of CT scans and MRI’s, we were transported to a second hospital with a better neurology team. The early diagnosis was either a brain tumor or possible lesion due to MS, and the next day we received confirmation that it was the former: a “low grade glioma,” is the term they used.
But your prayers began coming in that very night after I posted, 160 or so in all. THANK YOU! The initial team of doctors at Abbott NW (Minneapolis) advised us that the tumor was inoperable, because of its proximity to Nikki’s speech/right-side-motor area of the brain. They didn’t even want to perform a biopsy, fearing permanent brain damage. Instead they proposed a “wait and monitor” approach, and asked us to come back in two months to see if the tumor had grown or changed. This is apparently a controversial area in the brain tumor world, but this approach is one of the schools of thought.
Nikki began having further daily seizures after we were discharged, unfortunately, despite the anti-seizure medication. We began seeking out a second opinion as soon as we got home.
I called the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and almost miraculously, they said they had an opening that very day (we live in a suburb of Minneapolis). That was on Tuesday April 3rd. We met with an incredible neurologist who initially spent an entire hour with us, going over Nikki’s MRI scans and explaining to us that though it was in a dangerous area, the tumor was certainly not inoperable. We met with an incredible neurosurgeon the very next day who concurred. Since then we’ve been down to the Mayo Clinic several more times for various tests, and are currently staying in a Rochester hotel, waiting… for tomorrow.
Tomorrow Nikki will undergo surgery to remove this thing. She will be awake for it, as they need to stimulate parts of her brain while she is speaking, in order to be sure they are proceeding as safely as possible. The craniotomy is expected to take at least 8 hours.
FRiends, we have never been more afraid in our lives.
Our doctor is a brilliant man named Dr. Ian Parney, and as I understand it, there is literally no person in the country with more experience in brain tumor resection. I have no doubt that the power of prayer brought him to us. We have placed all of our trust in the Lord, and are praying to Him for strength, courage, and above all, His healing touch. I am asking for anyone who has a spare moment, to keep Nikki in their prayers for this Friday. She has a beautiful heart and soul, and is the most courageous human being I’ve ever met. She brought me to a wonderful church one day that changed my life such that today I consider myself to be a true (albeit inperfect) Christian. I’m actually on the opposite end of the spectrum from perfect, in my opinion! But Jesus Christ is my savior, and he died on the cross for my sins. My mother-in-law sent us flowers and a card the other day, which referenced a bible verse Phillipians 4:13. I broke down when I read it, because it is beautiful:
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Sorry for the long post everyone. I just want to thank you all again for praying to the Lord to help us. If you can spare another moment or two in continued prayer, I would be so very grateful again.
Prayers lifting for Nikki, and for you all, and prayers of gratitude for wonderful physicians like Dr. Parney.
May God bless and keep you all.
Tatt
My prayers have gone up for your wife and you.
Prayers for your dear wife Nikki, Mills. I pray that she heals quickly and fully. Amen.
Prayers up!
I will be sure to followup on FR with her status- I can’t thank you all enough for this outpouring of love...
Hi: One who is perfect in knowledge is with you. Behold, God is mighty and does not despise any; He is mighty in strength of understanding and gives the afflicted their right. He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous. He delivers the afflicted. He has allured you out of distress. And what was set on your table was full of fatness. Remember to extol His work. Praise and thanksgiving to Nikki and your family for a healing outcome of this surgery.
Thanks for the ping dear Quix. I’m praying in Montana.
I have the day off work tomorrow and will keep Nikki and her medical team and mills044 in my prayers right out loud. I am sharing this request with others who will pray faithfully.
Isaiah 41:10 KJV: Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Prayers up! You’re in good hands with the Lord and Mayo.
prayers up for Nikki!
Will keep Nikki and her surgeon in my prayers, as well as you and your children.
I join in earnest prayer for your wife Nikki.
I shall pray for you as well.
2 Corinthians 3-4:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
Peace, brother.
Prayers for her safe and successful surgery and for a full and speedy recovery !
Prayers for Nikki and you and your entire family. May the Lord walk with you through this ordeal. Amen.
Prayers for a refuah shlema for Nikki!
Oh dear Mills, I’ve NO doubt that God’s hand
and presence surrounds you and your dear wife.
For you to gain such immediate entrance to
the vaunted Mayo Clinic .. well, that is
utterly God’s grace. Such amazing blessing ..
one is in awe. There’s no better place.
Prayers up for you and she and your family
throughout this time. May He guide the surgeon’s
hands and head with perfect skill and focus.
Trust in the Lord with all thy might ...
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You have my prayers. Thank God for those doctors and nurses at Mayo!
Keeping your wife, Nikki, and you and your family in my thoughts and prayers tonight and tomorrow. Have faith and stay strong!
Prayers for your wife for calm, patience and good result.
You are in good hands.
God Bless.
Prayers up for you and Nikki and family and your surgeons.
God bless.
I do hope and pray that your wife have a VERY successful operation tomorrow.
“God of power and might, please be with Nikki during her brain surgery tomorrow, O Lord. Guide the surgeon’s hand that changes it, that it might heal and function better, to Your great glory. Amen.”
I am praying very hard for your beautiful wife Nikki and also for you and your entire family. Thank God that you have been lead to this wonderful clinic and the medical staff there. May our Lord guide their hands and lay his hands upon you wife and cure her of all illness and also fill you all with His Holy Spirit and fill you all with His Love and Grace.
Prayers that all goes well for your wife and family.
Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Joshua 1:9
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Psalm 27:14
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Psalm 31:24
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
Praying for Nikki, the surgeons, your whole family.
You might want to look into a ketogenic diet for her. I just read about a study with tumors regressing on a keto diet. Surely her doctors will know something about this. Wish I could find the link now. If I find it I’ll post it for you, you have plenty enough to think about for now.
CONTINUED PRAYERS
and off and on through the night.
Heading back to bed shortly . . .
Prayers for anointed surgeons’ hands;
anointed support staff;
anointed instruments and technology;
THE PEACE OF THE LORD JESUS THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING
Great humor and even the JOY OF THE LORD THROUGH IT ALL.
That Nikki will find it miraculously even an interesting and overwhelmingly positive vs traumatic situation in spit of the obvious traumatic aspects.
That God will enable her to shock the surgeons by her overcoming spirit, attitude, good humor . . .
Lord, we ask in your name that you banish all fears, fearful thoughts, harrassing forces from the enemy—anything and everything that would in the least bit hinder your highest good for Nikki tomorrow, in Jesus’ Name.
So be it.
Amen.
Blessings to all concerned.
Please keep us posted.
Prayers for Nikki and her family.
The most humble of Prayers offered...
I’m glad that you found a doctor who was willing to go in and take that thing out. I hate the wait and see approach.
I’ll be praying for you and your wife. It sounds as though you are in good hands with the surgeon.
Praying for Nikki’s full recovery.
Praying for your wife! May God hold her in his arms, and may she come through this with flying colors - able to have many many years with you and your children.
I join in earnest prayer for Nikki!
Prayers said for your wife, and your family. For the Drs and the nurses and everyone involved. May our Lord Bless all of you with peace in this time of stress.
Mayo has a great bunch of Neurological guys, a friend's wife did a face plant on the way off a horse, and had she stayed in a local hospital likely would not have made it. The team at Mayo pulled her through with flying colors.
FOR WHATEVER IT MAY BE WORTH . . .
as I was praying in my bedroom just now for Nikki et al and the surgery later today . . . I felt the following in sequence . . .
1. I had a real warm, bright, positive feeing about the surgery.
2. My next thoughts/feelings were that I didn’t know what that meant. Better than dark, negative, cold feelings but could be interpreted many ways.
3. Then I felt a moderately intense inner conviction that Nikki is going to be very fine. That there will be minimal, IF ANY, residue or complications left.
4. That there will be joyful celebration at the end of it all.
5. That the experience of God being—somehow—very detectably with Nikki, the surgeons and support staff and with you close at hand who love her—will be greater than you’ve experienced before.
Anyway—FWIW—I continue to pray earnestly in y’all’s behalf as I will off and on through the night and day.
I don’t know why Nikki’s situation has excited me—my spirit is excited to see what God is going to do—is my only explanation.
Anyway—God be thickly with each one of you.
Perhaps others who discern similar things will be brave enough to say so.
CONTINUED prayers for Nikki
as I head back to bed for the next sleep jump.
BIG JESUS HUGS AND PRAYERS,
BTTT
Prayers to the Lord of Life, the Divine Physician.
Prayers up.
God bless and keep your family under His protective mantle.
Will be praying.
Lord Jesus,
We pray that is should please Thee to heal Thy servant Nikki, and we ask that Thou guidest the hand of the surgeon Ian.
To Thee be the glory.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, amen.
Thanks you so much! We are beginning the surgery now, and your words have brought us all great comfort. I will keep updating as info comes in... Your prayers mean so much to us, thank you for your kindness.
Prayer bump
AM AWAKE AND PRAYING AGAIN . . . OFF AND ON NOW, THROUGH THE DAY.
THANKS TONS FOR YOUR KIND WORDS AND FOR KEEPING US POSTED.
Am blessed and humbled my poor words brought comfort.
PRAISE GOD FOR HIS FAITHFULNESS.
As I went back to bed, I realized I’d left a little bit out last post . . .
Have prayed and felt would be at least partially true that somehow, by God’s Grace, Nikki would find . . . as traumatic as it is . . . the whole experience quite interesting and that maybe the interesting would help relieve the traumatic aspect.
BTW, looking at my teacher’s text book . . . my impression from what little you shared in the OP is that they are dealing with an area roughly above her left ear?
Did they say what size the thing is? They must be concerned about her speaking center. Probably the hearing and seeing of words centers would not be involved??
Did they say how much of the motor area was implicated, at risk?
And is she left or right handed?
Am praying that whatever is left of the thing after all our prayers will be encapsulated and easily excised, harmlessly.
Am praying it will take significantly less than 8 hours.
BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD.
BLESSED BE THE WORD OF THE LORD.
BLESSED BE THE WHOLENESS AND HEALING OF THE LORD.
BLESSED BE THE ANOINTED SURGEON’S HANDS OF THE LORD.
BLESSED BE THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB.
THX THX for the update.
GENTLE HUGS, VIGOROUS PRAYERS.
Your estimate was right: above three inches above her left ear. The tumor is 2 centimeters in diameter- not huge, but right in the speech zone. Also some right sided motor skill activity there (Nikki is right-handed).
It was so surreal to hug her this morning and watch her then walk away down the long hall with her nurse.
Some rifts in our family have been set aside and everyone is either at or en route to the hospital. This thread itself brought Nikki much happiness last night, as I was tearfully reading it to her. We then prayed and read beautiful and hopeful bible verses of Christ Jesus healing the sick.
Will post more updates as the nurse updates us. How do I “update all” in this thread? I really want to keep everyone who prayed in the loop...
You’re doing fine on updating all.
Everyone who cares will read all the thread or scan for your name authoring a post. The ‘all’ function does not work.
Thanks for your kind reply.
OK, soooo a bit less than an inch . . . probably not a sphere . . . did they say how thick?
No biggy. The GREAT PHYSICIAN IS ON THE CASE.
I assume 2cm would mean they don’t need to take out a hugely big section of the skull to do the work??
I hope they have in-ear earphones for her so she can hear what they need her to hear but not everything else. LOL.
At least, that would be my preference. LOL.
What an adventure.
May God’s thick mercy, wholeness, healing, chase after her every moment of the way, in Jesus’ Name.
Thanks for the update.
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