The Adventures of Tim and Bethany

Thursday, March 5, 2009

ENT blessing, but then....

Greetings! As I mentioned a post or two ago, I had to visit the ear, nose, and throat specialist on Tuesday regarding some hearing loss in my good ear and recurring infections. Well, I have some fantastic news! The specialist looked in side my deaf ear first and said, "eww, you have a mass in there. We're gonna have to get that out." He looked at my good ear and said, "There's no hole in the eardrum and no sign of infection. Why were you recommended to come here?"

Astonished, I shared my story of spinal meningitis, tumor in the ear, and deafness, recurring ear infections and the like. He corrected me by saying, "Well, there is no sign of any problems or abnormalities in your deaf ear and I think with long-term therapy, you could hear out of that ear!" WHAT? Last doc I visited regarding this ear was about 10 years ago and he plainly stated that not even a hearing aid would help me hear due to the lack of bones and nerve impulses in my ear! But this doc said with some nerve therapy, though costly and time-consuming, my hearing would come back. Wow. This doc shared that he could see where the tumor (though he says it wasn't a tumor, it was a scar tissue mass) had been removed from the mastoid bone and how it had left a shelf where ear wax and dead tissue collects. He advised me to see an ENT once a year or so to "clean out the pantry".

He did a little minor surgery and got the cerumen mass out (a jagged ball of scar tissue and wax build up that had caused an infection at one point) and even had this cool machine that allowed me to watch his every move on a TV screen. I felt like I was on the discovery channel witnessing ear surgery! I left feeling so encouraged and thankful. I smiled all the way home and was thanking Jesus for totally healing BOTH ears. I don't think I'll go in for the nerve therapy, though. I've got better things to do with my money and time, but it was encouraging to hear! Pardon the pun.

Meanwhile, Promise has been coughing quite a bit and then yesterday, I realized that her snot was turning green and her coughing was getting so severe she'd throw up all her food. After talking with one of my peers' dad who is a family physician, I thought it was time for another doctor's visit....especially since she gave the cold to me and the insane discomfort I felt was overwhelming...I can't imagine how awful she has been feeling!

I brought her to the pediatrician she saw before with the ear infection just a week ago and he was quite surprised to see me....and alarmed at the snotty, coughing baby I was holding. Now, I am convinced she got it from a little boy in his office last week while we were waiting for her post-antibiotic check-up. He listened to her lungs and did a series of respiratory tests....I knew what he was looking for...pneumonia.

The infection had sunk low into her lower respiratory tract and he prescribed a bunch of medications to treat her for pneumonia. Antobiotics, anti-mucous, fever-reducers....I feel like I am just eliminating all hope of avoiding pharmaceutical drugs for the baby. And just two weeks after finishing her first course of antibiotics, here we are again. Unfortunately, I am fighting it, too, though mine is far less severe. I am supposed to head to prenatals tomorrow and see Ruby with baby Bethany and baby Fatima, but I just don't want to risk passing on this junk to my patients....Thankfully, my friend, Julie, is covering my shift.

So for now, homework is a lost cause, clinic duty has to wait, and I am learning how my parents must've felt when their daughter was taken to the hospital with spinal meningitis. Helplessness, concern, heartache and discouragement must have been among their top four emotions. This week has included a lot of tears ...I hate seeing the baby bird sick. I keep reminding God that she is a miracle and His gift to us, so He has to take care of her....she is a very perfect gift and every perfect gift comes from above and therefore, He must heal her. Okay, so the logic is a little flawed....

Despite her feeling like poo, she seems relatively happy....smiling and giggling with us and has even started sitting up all by herself. She's talking a lot more now, too. I love watching her grow.
We would so appreciate your continued prayers. No doubt things could be sooo much worse!

Be blessed.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Ruby.

Greetings! Well, since we last chatted, I had the privilege of catching two babies!

First, Friday's day shift had me trying new things....Beverly came to Mercy shortly after 7 am and I was up to be her midwife. This was her second baby, so we were pretty certain she would go fast. Relatively healthy throughout her prenatals, all her vital signs were good upon admission. I did an internal exam - 6 cm dilated and very active.

Meanwhile, I had 4 continuities show for prenatals....first Irish, now almost 30 weeks, then Bel at 37 weeks (almost time!!), Ruby at 40 weeks (in mild early labor...so excited), and then Genelyn at 34 weeks. So in between Beverly bearing down, prenatals were had and two more labors walked in for my two classmates....getting busy.

Then in the middle of my prenatal exam on Irish, Beverly wanted to push. A few pushes and the baby's head was visible....a few more and baby's head was out - super healthy baby girl named Fatima was born at 8:17 am. Beautiful birth. Peaceful. In between postpartum checks, I did the rest of the prenatal exams and set up for suturing. Yes, I experienced my first time suturing. Just two slight first degree tears, but they needed some help closing, so that was my job. Except, my patient was unable to pee before suturing....and her bladder was excessively full...thus she was bleeding a bit....so before suturing, I had to insert a catheter to drain her bladder and then get started suturing. Birth is messy, to say the least. Suturing was awful and I hated every minute of it, but I realize it is a good skill to have and so I will persevere and suture when need be, but for the meantime, I will do everything in my power as a midwife to make sure my patients have little or no tears! OUCH! Baby Fatima was awesome, but I had to endorse Beverly at 2 pm to another midwife to insert another catheter...this time an indwelling catheter. I am pretty certain Beverly had an undiagnosed urinary tract infection making it almost impossible for her to pee. But from what I hear, she is doing great. I get to see her tomorrow for her first baby check.

Then there was Saturday. My dear, dear continuity, Ruby, texted my around noon stating that she was having a lot of pain and thought that the baby was coming soon, but that she could not meet me at MMC because she had no childcare and her bana was not home yet. Uh-oh. I warned her of the dangers of staying home and encouraged her to come into Mercy as soon as she could. I raced to the clinic just in case.

I waited almost two hours for her, praying that I wouldn't hear the honking of a taxi stating that she'd given birth in the taxi on the ride over....this being her fourth baby, I was a little concerned that she would wait too long to come in.

Fortunately, she came in around 2 pm looking mildly active, but still smiling her beautiful toothless smile.....so excited to be in labor finally, but still focused during contractions. I did an internal exam to find that she was only 5-6 cm dilated and still without her bana. So we waited, labored together, walked, ate a few eggs together, and when her bana arrived around 6pm, she began to get more active. More pain, more bloody show, not smiling near as much. By 9 pm, she was tired. She had been rolling on the birth ball with her hubby and I rubbing her back and encouraging her to continue. At 9:30 pm, myself tired, I did another internal exam. Only 7-8 cm dilated. This labor was taking a long time, especially considering this was her fourth baby and her last baby was only 1 1/2 years ago!

In the midst of her labor, her bana asked, "Ruby, what will we name the baby if it's a boy?" Ruby looked at me and said, "What is the name of your bana?" (she had met Tim earlier when he brought Promise for a feed). I told her and she reassuringly told her bana it would be "Timothy". I was blessed and texted Tim telling him he might have a Filipino namesake soon.

Within about 15 minutes, Ruby began to cry. Just a quiet weeping...transition. Tired, worn and wanting to meet her baby, she released her stress with her bana, Jerson, holding her hands and looking into her eyes. To be honest, their relationship in labor was so very peaceful, supportive, sacred. Though they are not married, they labored together better than many married couples I have seen. This is their third baby together and he was so very present in the moment for this baby.

Around 11 pm, Ruby began to bear down. Quietly, she pushed lying on the bed. The baby's head was still quite high and her pushes were not yeilding the results she was hoping for. A slight trickle of blood showed there was progress, but it was slow and her legs were beginning to cramp in the position. I gently asked her if she wanted to change positions...she quickly said no stating she was tired and wanted to lay down. After a few more pushes, I asked her again...she said no...but this baby wasn't coming past her pubic bone. She needed to sit up.

I looked in her eyes and said, "Ruby, you need to stand up. Your baby needs more room to get out....you need to stand up now." She shot me a look like, "What...are you nuts!?" My supervisor, Carmen, and I got her up on her feet relying on her bana for support and within 15 seconds, she says, "B! Baby's coming!! NOW!" She rolled right back on to the bed and the baby's head was coming out! Just like that! One change of position and that baby came down so fast!

Ruby gently pushed her baby's head out with such control. No tear. But a nuchal cord ....around the neck...around the body....baby blue....one big push and baby came followed by a fountain and river of amniotic fluid, blood and meconium....ALL OVER ME...AND THE FLOOR...AND THE BED.....AND MY ASSISTANT. What a mess! :) Covered in birth goo, I dried off this precious new baby girl and placed her on Ruby's tummy....baby girl named Bethany after her midwife. I cried. So did Ruby. Healthy baby.

Then things got very complicated. Ruby's placenta came looking like it had been beat to a pulp. It was black and full of dead portions, calcifications, and was missing the amnion. For those of you who don't know, the placenta has two layers of membranes, the amnion and the chorion. This inner and outer layer of membranes serves to protect the baby and is connected very firmly to the placenta. Well, Ruby's was missing a layer. That either meant that this unhealthy placenta was lacking one or that it was still inside her uterus.

Carmen and I did some observing of her blood loss and decided we needed to get the lost membranes out. I found a little piece and clamped it with a hemostat, twisting to give it some strength. The membranes were so friable that they just tore with every slight pull. Ruby was beginning to bleed more. Now over 800 ccs. Hemorrhaging. Carmen requested that I change my scrubs as I was extremely drenched with fluids...she tended to my patient while I quickly changed. When I returned, she had found some more membranes...and they just kept coming....and coming....and coming....and then a placental lobe came out followed by more membranes, blood, clots, cotyledons, like a whole new placenta coming....and yet it was so stuck to her uterus, it just would not let go.

Carmen had to do a manual removal and get it all out otherwise Ruby could bleed to death. A manual removal involves placing an entire arm into the patient's uterus and scraping the inside to remove any placental fragments. My job was to make sure that Ruby stayed coherent and didn't slip into shock. An IV was started and I held Ruby's arms and forced her to maintain eye contact while Carmen reached deep inside of her tender uterus....Ruby was turning white under the pain and pressure. She breathed with me and I started to cry feeling so heavy for her. Baby Bethany was close by being held by her daddy and Ruby and I prayed out loud while Carmen continued to dig. More clots, more placental fragments. Too much.

Carmen asked if Ruby had been to a hilot (kinda like a witch doctor). Now, Ruby was advised NOT to go to a hilot because some of their methods are very harmful to the baby and can cause long-lasting damage. Ruby reluctantly explained that she had falled twice in her pregnancy and had gone to a hilot for a massage of her uterus to ensure the baby was okay despite the fall. However, the massage clearly had separated her placenta into multiple parts all over her uterus causing her to hemorrhage and creating a less-nutritive environment for her baby that was clearly IUGR (intrauterine growth retardation). Baby Bethany was only 6 pounds and very asymmetrical, cute, but growth restricted. The hilot had put both Ruby and her baby in serious danger. I was pretty upset she had not told me sooner, but I understood that she was shy to tell me the truth. If she had stayed home to have her baby with a hilot or even a midwife, she could have bled to death!

Carmen and I decided that Ruby needed to be transported to the hospital to get her placental fragments surgically removed (called a D&C). There was nothing left we could do but control the bleeding until the physician could remove all the remnants of her unhealthy shredded placenta.

I raced with her bana and our guard, Kuya Romi, to DMC. We prayed together and I promised to feed her baby when I got back to Mercy and encouraged her bana to come back to Mercy in a couple of hours to get the baby.

I lumbered back to Mercy to give Baby Bethany her bath, exam, immunizations, and breastfeed. It was an amazing moment to be with this precious life that came from Ruby named after me. Though small, she is a good eater and feel asleep quickly next to Carmen while I finished the paperwork and cleaned up.

Around 3:30 am, Ruby's bana, Jerson came back to pick up Bethany and reported that Ruby was doing well, resting and looking forward to feeding her baby. :) I accompanied him to DMC and then arrived home at 4 am anxious to see the Lady Bird and Tim...they were sitting up just starting to feed!

I was exhausted. Promise was hacking up phlegm in cough-form and was pretty fussy. Struggling to breathe and full of snot, I tried to feed her and took out my stethoscope to listen to her lungs....bad cold. Phlegm in her lungs. I cried. Overwhelmed with emotion...sadness for Ruby, and sadness for Promise, grateful for miracles and safety. Tired. Promise and I fell asleep finally around 5 am.

I went to see Ruby at DMC around 12 pm today to find her sitting up smiling and eating. When she saw me, she started to cry....she said, "ma'am, I am so happy for you!" I kinda looked confused and asked "why?" She said, "Just so happy to see you!" I cried. We cried. She thanked me over and over again for caring for her baby and making sure she was okay. I gave her some baby clothes (thanks to those who donated!) and Munsch's book, "I love you forever" (thanks, Lisa!) as well as some food and goodies. She was so excited. I even had some old stickers that my momma gave me of teddy bears with "Bethany" written on them that I passed on to Ruby. It's good to have another Bethany in the world!

I get to see Jerson, Ruby and Bethany again on Wednesday after a day or two of rest. So grateful, so tired, so amazed. I will post pics and soon as I get them. I friend took some with her camera as mine is still on the fritz.

Be blessed.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Mess

Greetings!! What a week it's been! I can't even remember what all has happened these past two weeks.

Let's see....I completed two exams, four assignments, two group projects, and hit my 500th prenatal. Tim has written proposals, been in crazy exciting meetings, met with his staff, and continues to work hard on the water project. Promise has been busy eating mashed bananas, kalabasa, carrots, and potatoes, is still trying to cut some teeth, is now rolling all over the place, can almost sit up all by herself and stay up, has discovered her "singing" voice, is now over 17 pounds, can hold her bottle all by herself, and has discovered that she likes the taste of her feet. I think Promise is the winner for the most accomplished!

Thank you all for praying for Promise's ears the last month. She had a doctor's visit yesterday after completing a course of antibiotics and she received a glowing report...as well as giggles and coos from all the patients in the waiting room. Me, however, did not get such a happy review. After having some smelly gunk come from my good ear (for those of you who don't know, I am deaf in my right ear and have been since I was 14 months) for the past year or so. Thinking it would go away on its own and just not having the time to deal with it, I ignored the itchiness and the soreness and moved on. It was not until last week when I realized my hearing was a little impaired. Actually, Tim realized it first....my constant, "WHAT?" was getting a little annoying. Needless to say, I finally had Promise's pediatrician (an awesome blessing of a man!) just look inside my deaf ear first....hole in the eardrum and no bones- normal, then he looked in my good ear....hole in the eardrum, discharge and redness. Apparently I ruptured my eardrum. He was quite alarmed and concerned that I had left the infection for so long and was surprised I had not felt more pain in the ear. He said it didn't seem to be healing, as the hole was quite large and quickly referred me to the ear, nose and throat specialist at the hospital.

Now, to be honest, I've had SOOO much ear trouble in the past, so I tend to not get my undies in a bundle over these things, but his alarmed response kinda got me nervous. Well, I have an appointment with a Dutch doc on Tuesday. I can think of 1001 things I'd rather do, especially with my schedule so insane, but I feel pretty convicted that I need to go. So if you could be praying for me, as a bad report would be pretty devastating as it's the last ear I have! :) With a hole permanently in the ear drum, I am more susceptible to chronic infections, not to mention deafness, and as our pediatrician said, meningitis. Lovely.

As for the current adventure, we are still about $500 away from our tuition payment!!! PRAISE GOD! And thank you all for your incredible support, prayers and generosity! We're almost there and once again, God has shown Himself faithful! It has been a humbling experience...waiting, praying, watching, and feeling His grace cover our fears.

We've been having a pretty cold (like 80 degrees instead of 95), rainy, and windy couple of days making laundry impossible to dry and giving everyone colds....just like wintertime at home!! It makes walking to work an adventure....no use for an umbrella...the wind just blows it inside out, no use for closed-toe shoes or long pants to keep warm..there's flooding everywhere...on my way this afternoon to class, I made the mistake of wearing long pants and real shoes only to have to hike them up to my thighs and remove the shoes to walk to the clinic from our apartment. I think I may need to deworm after that experience. But it does feel like a form of winter and I am thankful for that!!

I'll leave the rest to Chuckles....

Oi. Not much to say. I'm coming down with a cold. Had a nice time with the worship team at our practice tonight. I've enjoyed getting to know the guys a bit more. It sure gets hot in there when we practice though because we don't turn on the aircon and there isn't a fan on my side of the stage. I'm always dripping wet by the time we're done.

I've had a super busy week of work, though today was much slower because I was just too tired. Promise fell asleep on my chest, which was the best part of my day. I've got a bunch of snapshots hanging around my hard drive, so I'll post a few here. We had 'swimming' time on the porch this week.

Cheerio!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Chuckles

Sorry for our extended absence from the blogosphere. We had a series of brownouts earlier this week that prevented us from online activities. When the power surged back on after one such incident, it blew the A/C adapter for our router, thus rendering us webless for an extended period. Presently all is right with the world, and we are once again able to grace you with our binary presence.

One is not likely to accuse me of being an emotional fellow. The only emotion I am partial to is grumpiness, and I'm not sure that counts as an emotion—it's more of a state of mind. I have a few nicknames, including Timmy, Timmybomb, Jethro, and Tubig. One of my favorites, however, is when my Dad calls me Chuckles (Dad and I share an intense fondness for the ironic).

Why am I telling you this? I don't know. I had something in mind, but it has escaped the clutches of my memory. But now that I'm talking about Dad, I should tell you that I miss him. Sometimes it's hard to be away. Sometimes it's not, but today it is.

Oh! Right. I remember now: emotions. I expressed some today. A personal victory, perhaps. Paso and I got to talk on Skype this morning. We talk regularly, but this was a call I had been waiting for for nine months. When I answered the phone, he appeared on my screen with his beautiful little baby boy in his arms. (For those who would like to see Ezekiel, click here for Paso's flickr site.)

Ezekiel Frank Veli Pasivirta is my best friend's son and I love him. I was overcome with tears of joy when I saw him. Upon hearing the news of Ezekiel's birth last week I had done a little dance and drank a special beverage in his honor; but seeing him brought a whole new level of joy. As member of the Orthodox church, Ezekiel gets a bonus name too. His saint's name—which is used during communion and baptism and the like—is St. Timothy, in honor of his Uncle Tim. Oh dear, more tears.

So, Chuckles himself was so overcome with emotion that he had to cry. That happens sometimes. Just don't tell anyone.

Speaking of babies, ours continues to grow and bring me great pleasure. She is eating solid foods now. Well, solid perhaps isn't the right descriptor. Mushy. She is eating mushy foods now.

I must tell you of the Lord's faithfulness. As you are all aware, we have been praying that some extra funds would arrive so we could pay for Bethany's last semester of school. I'm pleased to report that over three thousand dollars have come in for that purpose this month. We are over half way to our goal! Many of you have already given, and I cannot express how grateful we are to you (well, I could cry, but who wants to see that?).

Others have asked how they can give. If you would like to help, you can visit www.impactnations.com. Simply click on donate today, and direct your gift to "Projects>Bethany Stewart's Training". If you would prefer to give by way of a cheque/check (the Canadian spelling is way cooler than the American version), please email me at timmybomb@yahoo.com and I will provide you with instructions.

There is a phrase that I often insert into the end of my thank you notes, so I will use it here too:
It is such a strange mix of joy and discomfort to sit back and watch God provide for us. Thanks for being part of His grand scheme!

Peace Out.
Chuckles

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Grateful.

Greetings! Thank you all for the encouragements and messages regarding my struggle a few posts ago. Though the circumstances have not changed and my weariness is still apparent, I feel like I've been given an injection of grace and a bit of joy from the Lord. Those of you who commented and gave of yourselves had a significant role in that injection. Thanks.

As March 1st approaches, Tim and I are relying very heavily on His mercy. The ramifications of being unable to pay tuition this semester are huge, but we know that we serve a God who has performed many miracles for us in the past and seen multiple "Promises" fulfilled. Thus, we will walk by faith and not by sight. *sigh* :) One day at a time.

I received another e-mail this morning sharing the plight of yet another family struggling with very similar difficulties. It seems that so many of us are being hit with challenges in the last several months. Lost jobs, unexpected bills and expenses, sickness, and disappointments....In once sense, it makes me feel grateful that He has protected us and that clearly, God is doing something bigger than what is seen on the outside...and in another sense, I feel a great responsibility to examine my heart, my stewardship, and my focus. Hearing like stories from friends and family remind me that Tim and I are not alone and the best way to deal with these impossible circumstances is to pray.....for eachother. Our situation is no more important or severe than another and we are constantly challenged to lift up prayers for miracles for others while standing in faith for our own.

I am also reminded that God called us here...has sustained us this far....and we have seen His mercy and joy abound in fruitfulness here, so how can I doubt Him now? The other issue is that in our situation, there is just nothing we can do....we can't get another job, we can't sell something, we can't apply for loans, we can't even afford to go home or rely on any bank....we just cannot DO anything....thus, staying faithful with what God has given now and standing in belief is our only task. We'll see what March will bring.

As for schooling, I just finished my microbiology assignment and statistics homework....on to Protocols and midwifery laws....God is giving me such grace for this! And Promise, though not sleeping well at night, has been so good-natured. Please be praying for her, though. She has been having really gross, smelly discharge from her ears and seems to have itchy inner ears. I am taking her to the doctor on Tuesday. I've waited several weeks to see if the infection would clear up on its own and tried some natural remedies, but alas, I think it's time for a doctor's visit. This infection could be the reason for sleepless nights ....Mmmm.

As promised before...here are some pics of the last few weeks...or maybe months!! Sorry for the poor quality...my camera is still broken, so we've gone the way of the do-do bird - disposable-Filipino-dollar-store-quality-poo...

December 20th's delivery - Cristie with baby Vince - she's doing fantastic!

Neneng's baby girl, Leah Mae born January 26th with her wonderful bana. I get to see her tomorrow for another baby check! WAHOOO!

My dear Bel....her baby girl was my very first delivery ever...I got to name her new baby girl Precious. :) And here she is buntis again! With baby #5! I am so privileged to be her midwife!

And here is Precious...Precious at 16 months! She is sooo beautiful. I cried when I saw her. Bel had brought her along for the prenatal just so she and I could get reunited! What joy!

And here is my dear, dear continuity, Cathy with her three children and her bana. The littlest one is Jonnel Ken born November 24th. I had the pleasure of ushering this little guy into the world...he's wearing a shirt that one of you wonderful people passed my way! The patients are so grateful for the clothes! Thank you thank you!

And here is my continuity, Irish, due in May...she's doing fabulous! And of course, Promise came along for the prenatal visit. :)

This is Cherry Mei and her family (baby is being held by her lola on the other side of the pic). She delivered her healthy boy on January 10. She and her handsome baby, Charles, are doing so well. Praise the Lord!

And this is Reginnlie and her baby boy, Luie James born January 8. So very healthy and so very happy.

Still to come in picture form are Annaluz and baby Leofe (I ran outta film). They are doing great, too. I am so honored to be able to get to know these ladies and humbled by the role I get to play in their lives. God is so faithful.
Be blessed!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Just Some Pics

Hey all. It's late, so I'm on my way to bed. Lady Bird is asleep in her crib and Bethany is already sleeping beside me. I love her. She's pretty wasted (tired, not drunk). A late night last night. Bird didn't wish to sleep til 4am. Bethany was up for work shortly after that.

I was with Promise today, while Bethany worked a day shift and went to Statistics class (she was at the clinic from 6am to 5pm!). After I gave the Bird a bath, I recognized some sweet window lighting and decided to take advantage. I've posted a few pics from our spontaneous photo shoot. Enjoy!