Dad back in wheelchair

Due to yesterday's vomiting dad has been so weak that he has had to be wheelchaired around all day. Yes, it's a setback but we're still trusting the Lord to give him another strengthening touch.

Dad Mahin's busy day

Dad Mahin woke Tuesday, Dec. 22nd, feeling much improved. He tried walking without his wheelchair and the longer he walked the better he felt. He didn't need his wheelchair at all Tuesday. However, during the latter part of the afternoon he became nauseous and began vomiting around supper time. Around 7 or 8 in the evening mom measured his temp at 104. The town nurse showed up, and called dad’s dialysis doctor and he recommended an ER visit. So an ambulance was called, much to dad’s fussing and fuming, and they got him to the Clay Center ER around 9:30. They checked his dialysis ports for infections, did a chest x-ray, drew blood, etc. They found a possible indication for pneumonia in the left lung but ruled that out as any reason for concern or reason for his fever and immediate sickness.

They put him on antibiotics and sent him home feeling much improved. We got home around 11:30. So it was a busy day for dad but he is definitely doing better compared to last Friday.

Keep praying. It’s working.

Dad's slight improvement

Douglas and I went to Grandpa’s house this morning to visit and then help grandpa into the senior agency van with his wheelchair . (The grandkids sure like grandpa’s house being only 100 paces away.) We found him in good spirits and a little bit improved. He is now able to walk 2 to 4 steps from his chair to his wheelchair. I know that does not sound like a lot but it is at least a ‘step in the right direction’.

The 11 inch snowstorm of 2 weeks ago has melted down to about 3 inches. One of the ‘locals’ told us when we moved here in ’08 that only once a decade does Miltonvale get to enjoy a White Christmas. Last Christmas we had a measly inch of snow that melted the next day. (Why have a white Christmas when the kids can’t sled in it?) Now, the forecast for the rest of this week seems to assure that North Central Kansas will be having a REAL White Christmas this year. (Don’t you just love Global Warming?) The approaching storm is supposed to start with a coat of ice Tuesday evening that according to the forecasters could bring some power outages, but then through Wednesday and Thursday drop 5 to 10 inches of Christmas Cheer. (Now that’s ‘sledable’!!!!!) For sure we’ll have to put snow chains on dad’s wheelchair tires for a few days this week.

On a more serious note, a few readers have responded to the last several postings with offers to help mom and dad financially. From our hearts, thank you for your thoughtfulness. If you do not know their address and would like to contribute to them please email me at mahinalive@gmail.com and I’ll get their address to you.

More Later.
Thanks for stopping by.
MAHINALIVE

Dad Mahin Still not walking -- Day 2

Please pray for Dad Mahin so he could be able to walk again.

A Senior Agency, funded by the State of Kansas, has been providing Dad's transportation to Dialysis for several years. Due to budget cuts here in Kansas, the agency has informed all its riders, including Mom and Dad, that they will have to pay 30 cents a mile starting January 1, in order to utilize that agency's transportation services. Well, Salina is 50 miles away, so a round trip to there and back would cost $30.00 daily. Dialysis could also be done in Concordia, Kansas, but that still would be 50 miles daily; still too far and too expensive. After close figuring they decided they could drive it for cheaper with their own car, or my van, than the fare charged by the senior agency.

Now that Dad is not walking the use of my van or my folks car is virtually out of the equation for 'daily' dialysis transportation. So, please pray that God's perfect will will be done.

Dad Mahin took a fall December 18th.

Friday, December 18, 2009, my dad, Duane Mahin, fell due to icy conditions. The senior agency van that provides daily transportation to dialysis had lowered it's 'handicap ramp' but it did not reach all the way to the sidewalk like it often does. The little bit of hard packed snow that laid between the ramp to the sidewalk was too slick for dad; so he fell, but only to his knees. He was able to walk the rest of the day yesterday, but today he is not walking at all. When he ventures out of bed it is only with a wheel chair. Mom is keeping him in bed till he is stronger and not feeling so sore.

Naturally we are hoping this is only temporary so please keep him in your prayers.

November 10th Update of Dad Mahin

Today, Tuesday November 10th, Dad Mahin had a doctor's appointment in Salina, Kansas. The doctor is pleased with the degree of healing since the earlier surgery that installed a dialysis port on Dad's arm. The site is still sore to the touch and is not yet ready to be used for 3 X a week kidney dialysis treatments. Today the doctor was able to detect that the surgery was successful since blood is flowing around the arm port like its supposed to.

Dad's next appointment is scheduled for Tuesday, December 1st, and possibly that would be the day that the doctor will approve the use of the new arm port for dialysis treatments.

I strongly recommend a book...

I do a good bit of reading. A lot of books are Christian Biographies, well-read ministers are supposed to read those, right, but I also read alot about health and nutrition. The most recent book I've read is entitled "Salt your way to health" by David Brownstein, MD. The book gives a lot of references to clinical studies that show that low salt diets are NOT good for you. But on the other hand refined table salt is a cause for a multitude of avoidable health problems. I encourage everyone to read this book.

Salt Your Way To Health is well written and moves briskly through its 131 pages. It argues passionately for a total avoidance of regular table salt and the generous use of Redmond's Real Salt or Celtic Sea Salt. Real salt will provide 50+ of the 78 minerals the human body requires. Just a half teaspoon daily is the recommended usage but more than that will NOT be detrimental. (Brownstein's book lists a few more nutrients in Redmond's than in Celtic's but both products are much healthier than regular table salt).

Read this book and you will find THE TRUTH about salt and its important place in a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Sorry, Google does not have a copy of this book for you to preview at books dot google dot com. However, you can find this book at your local book store, Health Food store, or MAYBE at the library.

I'm terrible at Blogging

It was a week ago yesterday that Dad Mahin had his outpatient surgery in Salina, Kansas. Surgery was supposed to start at 11:30 AM but due to longer than expected operations in the OR than anticipated, Dad was finally wheeled into surgery atl 4:30 PM. Mom & I finally reconnected with him a little after 6 PM. Since it was so late they did keep him overnight to observe his blood sugar and possible bleeding at the surgery site.

They will not close/remove the chest dialysis port until they are sure the arm port will work. The arm port will not be used until the surgery site has completely healed. It could be weeks until they actually try to do dialysis in the arm port.

Dad has been dealing with a lot of weakness since the surgery; so please, Keep Praying. Phone Calls really encourage him.

More Later.

Dad Mahin Faces Outpatient Surgery

Tomorrow, October 22, 2009, Dad Mahin will be having outpatient surgery in Salina, Kansas, appointment time is at 9:30 AM. The dialysis port on his chest has been used for 3 years. Now the doctor is wanting to remove that port and install one in his arm. An arm port failed previously, so we are rather anxious about the proposed change. The chest port was supposed to be just a temporary one all along anyways. If an infection would have sprung up around that port, being so near in proximity to his heart and lungs, his life would have been endangered. So I guess I can understand why they would want to make the change. Please pray. We'll keep you posted.

Photo from the mid 1980's

Melinda Just Got Published

Miltonvale, Kansas, has its own little weekly newspaper; it's called the Miltonvale Record. My daughter Melinda has always aspired to be a writer and just this week has been hired by the Record as the newest member on its writing staff. While her most extensive work will be writing historical essays of what happened in Miltonvale 100, 75, 50, and 25 years ago she has also been asked to write 'filler' articles. The following poem, actually prose, is her 'first-ever' published article.

The Garden

By Melinda Mahin

It started in a garden, so perfect, so pure.

No one by sin was hardened, No one from sin, poor.

Innocently Eve walked by the tree where sin lurked.

Satan, in that tree was sly, waiting souls to hurt.

"Take an apple," was his plea. "It won't hurt a thing.

God lied to you, you will see for joy it will bring."

Eve ate what was forbidden. Oh, the hurt it brought.

God knew this would happen, Now battles would be fought

It happened in a garden in the dark of night.

Jesus struggled deep within to make all things right.

The struggling, the weeping, the tears that did flow.

Jesus' heart now was breaking, through death He must go.

The pain He must endure, now weighed on His mind.

But to make all people newer, left those thoughts behind.

The prayers that were prayed that night, sent Jesus to die.

"Sin has now won this big fight", was Satan's glad cry.

It happened in a garden, at the break of dawn.

The birds that had sleeping been rejoiced now in song.

Jesus Christ, who bled and died, Now had fought and won the battles

Eve had started back in garden one.

Satan's plans were slaughtered at the victory Christ won.

All the wars he thought down pat, were conquered by God's Son.

So now there is a garden, so sweet and calm.

Christ is waiting there within to be your healing balm.

Dad Mahin Needs Prayer

Dad Mahin is in need of your prayers. This past Monday Dad's dialysis port began to fail. It continues to work well enough to warrant continued treatments for now but repair/surgery has been scheduled for October 8th.

A previous doctor has stated that Dad would only live for 2 or 3 weeks without dialysis. So pray that the current site will become fully functional or that a new site would work sucessfully. We will keep you posted.

Denny's Home from the Hospital

Just updating you that Denny got home from the Salina Hospital around 4:30, Thursday afternoon. He has not yet conquered the 'cold' that aggravated his Asthma but the medicines he is now on should keep him from a relapse.

Thanks to each of you who prayed. God hears and answers prayer.

Denny's Asthma

I had been out of the house for a little over 12 hours helping my brother move. Upon returning Monday afternoon September 7th, around 4:15 PM I became quite concerned about Denny's health. He had been sleeping on the couch all day and was breathing funny. He was breathing from his abdomen with a quite little help from his shoulders rising and falling. Pneumonia struck my mind immediately. I called wife into the room and found she had given 3 Albuterol nebulizer treatments during the day but that they didn't really bring improvement. We took a minute to count his breaths and couldn't believe that at the end of that 60 seconds he had breathed 63 times. Diane's CNA training taught her that 12 to 20 respirations was healthy and for sure NOT 63, by any stretch of the imagination.

A phone call was made, remember it was Labor Day, and of course no doctor's office was open on a holiday so a doctor on call at a nearby hospital told us to call the pediatric doctor on duty at the Salina, Kansas hospital, (50 miles away) and go prepared to spend the night with Denny probably being admitted.

The doctor at the Salina Hospital was called and he quickly concurred ... so we got to the ER there around 6:30 PM and in just a few minutes was taken to a treatment room where they put him on a oximeter, had an IV started, an oxygen mask installed, and was administered steroids to get the lungs to work right.

He would have been released that night except for this little gizmo called an oximeter. It measures the oxygen saturation in the blood stream. The doctor told us that if Denny could keep his oximeter reading at 92 or higher he could go home that evening. He could only keep it 88 to 90 with his lowest reading at 85. Every once in a while he could get it up to the mid 90's but it would drop back down again. So at 9:30 PM the doctor told us Denny would have to go on more steroids and that he would probably have to stay a few days at the hospital.

To this point Denny will have to stay till tomorrow, Thursday, September 10th, when they will start to try to wean him off his Oxygen mask. Everytime we take his mask off for bathroom breaks or his daily shower he complains he has trouble breathing. The doctor says he will probably have to take anti-asthma medicine daily from now on.

So, please pray that he can keep his oximeter readings at 92 or higher so he can go home tomrrow.

We'll keep you posted.

Remembering Stephen Mayhle

My whole family has been deeply saddened by the deaths of three police officers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Saturday morning, April 4th, killed while answering the call of duty. One of the officers, Stephen Mayhle, is well known to my wife and me. During his high school years 5 of our 6 older childern were schoolmates of his while they all attended Indiana Wesleyan School in Dixonville, PA. I taught one class at the school in which he was a student. His wife, Shandra, also a student at IWS during the same time frame, was also a student in a few more of my classes. They were both outstanding students with promising futures. He turned 29 the day before his death.

The Mayhle's attended the Sarver Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Church and Stephen will be sorely missed at Allegheny conference functions.

Please pray for all the families of the three officers that were killed this past Saturday.

More on Duane Mahin

Great Grandpa Duane is needing more prayer. The dialysis doctor told him that his kidney functions have slowed further and so will need an additional 45 minutes of dialysis per week (15 additional minutes for each of his 3 visits per week). This is not necessarily big news but it is rather discouraging to him nonetheless. Generally though he remains in good spirits. If you need an energetic or at least entertaining chat with someone, Duane is the one to call. His gift of "tease" is second to none.

We sure had a wonderful time while Earl, Melissa, and Katelynn visited us January 27, through February 6, 2009. Here's a few snapshots from Sunday, February 1, the day she was dedicated by her Grandfather, David D. Mahin. These snapshots were taken immediately after that morning's church service.

Great Grandma sure does love her Great Grandbaby. Katelynn Joy Pelton is Duane and Barbara Mahin's first Great Grandchild.

It has been a tremendous treat to have Earl, Melissa, and Katelynn here visiting us in Kansas. They arrived Tuesday, January 27, and are staying till February 6th. They helped celebrate Kansas Day, January 29th, by eating a great full coursed meal at Great Grandpa and Great Grandma's house. Oh, uhhhhh, Kansas Day also happens to be my Dad's birthday. He turned 78.

These two pictures were taken 21 years apart. One is of Melissa Joy Mahin, prior to her becoming a Pelton. The other is of her daughter, Katelynn Joy Pelton. Which is which? Any Guesses?

Anxious Days end happily

Since Monday, January 5, 2009, The Mahin and Pelton Families have had some real anxious days. Katelynn Joy Pelton has spent parts of 4 days in Pittsburgh's Children's Hospital with breathing and vomitting problems. Many tests were done but all results have come back showing nothing majorly wrong.

Earl is to send an email with all the details later. I plan on posting it as soon as I receive it.

The outcome could have been disastrous... you'll see when you read Earl's email... but we are so thankful that God has allowed Katie to continue blossoming here on earth instead of taking her on to heaven.