The Stumbling Scrawny Haitian Donkey Needs Prayer For Wisdom Again

Hi All:

First of all, a number of you have asked to be placed on the mailing list again as technical problems with the previous mail set up dropped people without my knowledge. .  Keep asking as I will do it as soon as I learn how to do it.  We switched to gmail per advice of those more talented than I in that realm (90% of the world) but I have not been taught/able to figure out how to add to the lists, but will as soon as someone can help me.  Rachel, who switched the email to gmail, is in Europe for a month of research for her job and Jenn is busy trying to get her house ready for me to move in and my house ready for sale later this week.  She has lots of help from my family and friends, for which I am immensely appreciative, but there is a lot of her time that goes into that..

It now has been a month since Karen passed away and I developed a fever, felt to be a line infection, but then, 2 weeks ago, also a fistula (hole between my bowels and my skin through which undesirable, malodorous and infected fluid seeps out) and an abscess.  My dear friend, Dr. Dan De Cook, drained the abscess 2 weeks ago, with suspicious chunks of what looked to us like possibly my mucinous cancer cells and placed a drain.  That feels a lot better, the fistula/leakage is down, but to accomplish that, I am eating nothing again.  Because the IV  antibiotic the insurance will cover is incompatible with my fatty caloric infusion, they have cut that out but I only get 856  calories a day through my IV line and am losing weight further.  So, please pray for wise alternatives.

As the infection in my lower belly wall most likely is related to the fistula (the bugs we grew out are GI bugs, not skin ones) I fear it comes from the fistula and fear that surgery will make this worse. This, admittedly, is contrary to conventional surgical thinking, which encourages removal of all infected tissue and placement of a vacuum suction device to help the hold to heal.  However, I no longer have abdominal muscles, as they took out the cancer infested muscles and replaced it all with a 12 x 12 inch mesh and how to deal with that is an unclear problem.  So, again, the Haitian Donkey needs divine wisdom for both of us as to how to proceed to the most tolerable and functional end.

Haiti remains a volatile place with no end in sight for the violence, and the poor people suffer even more as the numerous short term missions teams that often come bringing help, supplies and funds to relieve the desperate citizens are prevented from coming by the unrest.  Even many patients that wanted to come to the hospital have not dared to brave the rocks that might be thrown at them for their efforts. 

Also, again, thanks so much for all the cards, support and prayer offered on our behalf as we go through this difficult time the Lord has led us into and will go through with us (Ps 23:4).

In His Service,

Bill, Rachel, James and Jenn