September 2009

 

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THE HEAVILIN HERALD
SEPTEMBER, 2009
 
Well, the only word that comes to mind to describe this month is OUCH, OUCH, OUCH, OUCH!
 
On August 14, Marilyn experienced a pain that she thought was a muscle spasm in her right upper back. By Saturday the pain had traveled to the right front. By Sunday morning we were heading to the ER in Toms River. Marilyn’s symptoms were quickly recognized by the doctor as Shingles. Shingles?? This is her fourth bout of Shingles. Well, at least they have a good antibiotic for Shingles now, so no big deal, right?  Wrong! Marilyn says this has been the worst of all as she walked the floor because of the pain. So the last half of August has included 3 trips to the ER, a visit to a dermatologist, and an internist, prescriptions for Percocet, Acyclovir, Vicodin, ODT, Lyrica Cipro, Colace, and Flagyl. The last visit to the ER revealed that the Shingles were healing nicely, but Marilyn now had Diverticulitis which was decided by lots of blood tests and a CT scan, a large bottle of barium, and five hours in the ER. The pain from the diverticulitis was pronounced enough that even an injection of Morphine did not phase the pain. So needless to say this has been a very painful two and a half weeks and the pain has not really subsided yet.
 
The most disappointing part for Marilyn is that she has not been able to participate in the last two weeks of conferences and the motor home has become SMALLER and SMALLER.
------------
Well that part of this letter was written prior to the following episode.  On September 4, Marilyn’s situation worsened and we headed for the ER for the 4th time. This time, after a 3 hour wait in the ER, Marilyn was examined thoroughly. A suspicion of a bowel blockage was denied after another CT scan (and yes, another bottle of barium).  At about midnight Marilyn was admitted to the hospital. After many bouts with vomiting and the insertion of an NG tube, she was assigned a room and arrived in the room on Saturday morning. She was moved to another room on Sunday and became an ‘Official’ patient.
 
After visits from many doctors, an Endoscopy was scheduled for Labor Day morning to try to explain a mass that appeared on the CT scan at the base of the esophagus. The ‘mass’ was determined to be what is called Shatsky’s Ring and has not been a problem for more than 20 years.
 
So where are we now? Well, we hope the diverticulitis will heal within the next few days and Marilyn can go home. Marilyn is scheduled to speak in Toledo on September 23-25. We are praying we can keep those plans. We had hoped to visit Colonial Williamsburg before we drove to Toledo, but we will have to adjust those plans.
 
On September 8, Marilyn was released by one doctor at 8:30 in the morning, but that doctor wanted Marilyn’s release to be contingent on another doctor’s opinion. Soooo we waited to see the other doctor which didn’t happen until after 4:00 pm. Marilyn was finally released and came home on September 8 after 4:30 pm. She slept well that evening and is slowly regaining her strength. We have a follow-up appointment with our doctor on September 15 and hope we can leave New Jersey the next day..
 
On other fronts, we were delighted to receive a call from Mellyn that Christian, our grandson,  was baptized last Sunday. How we wish we could have been there; we are so proud of him.

Remember the Cherubs we had shipped from Precious Moments in Missouri to America’s Keswick in Whiting, NJ? Well, they have a new location close to where they were before, but just a little closer to Little Dottie’s grave, and a new paint job. Eventually they will also have a memorial marker which will read “To The Glory of God and in Honor of all children, especially those who left too soon.” We look forward to seeing the completed memorial when we return next summer.

This has certainly been a different summer, but we feel much was accomplished  for God’s purpose.. We have learned that God’s plans cannot be measured in human dimensions. The question is: “Are you being obedient and are you representing God well all of the time?
 
Please pray that we will follow God’s path for us; that Marilyn’s infection will clear quickly; and that her strength will return soon.
 
We are sorry this letter is so late, but the letter is Marilyn’s project and she obviously has been otherwise occupied during the last few weeks. This is now September 10, and Marilyn feels she is slowly gathering physical strength. She did manage to go to the TNT meeting at the Colony of Mercy last night. God has truly drawn us to the Colony men and to the work God continues to do in their hearts. They have been so concerned about Marilyn and gave her a standing ovation when she arrived last evening. We wish we could bottle the spiritual energy that occurs at the Colony and pass it on to each of you. Their excitement about the delivering power of Jesus is truly contagious.

Thank you to everyone who responded to Glen’s e-mail. It was so comforting to know that so many here at Keswick and around the world were praying for us. We felt the influence of your prayers.
 
 
 
Because of Him,
 
 
 
Glen and Marilyn Heavilin

Grandson Christian, far left.

Three cherubs, new location

Sunset at Keswick

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This page was last updated 9/12/2009 ©Copyright 2002-2009 Marilyn Willett Heavilin