August 25 update

Dear friends and family,

I’m sorry that I haven’t kept everyone up on what has been happening with Randel. As some of you know from the blog he began to run a low grade fever the last 7 days of our trip. When we arrived back at Minneapolis we went for our regular Mayo appointments but no reason could be found. The fevers increased in intensity and for over 2 more weeks were continual and high. We went to the emergency room here three times and to our doctor twice. The best guess was that some of his liver tumors had outgrown their blood supply and had died. His fever was his body’s response to the dead material. I gave more detail on this part on our blog-AndersonsvsEurope.blogspot.com. You can read it if you are interested. In addition he was finding it more and more difficult to eat and was losing weight. When I came home from school for lunch, last Wednesdy, the 17th, I could see that he was fading so took him to the emergency room. That trip showed he had a parasite so we elatedly thought we’d found the answer to his now three week long illness. But the magic pills didn’t seem to be doing anything and he was worse on Thursday and Friday. We had a followup appointment with our family doctor on Friday afternoon. Randel couldn’t even sit up on the exam table. As the doctor looked at me and said I think we need to put him into the hospital for observation, at least, I was nodding my head and saying thank you. So we went to the hospital on the evening of the 18th.
By morning he was very critical with a massive loss of blood. Normally a healthy male has a hemoglobin count of 15-17. His was 4.0. His INR level (thinness of blood to prevent blood clots) was 16 when it should be between 2 and 3. He could hardly respond verbally. The surgeon on call and the gastroenterologist did not paint a very hopeful picture so I called the kids to come home. The surgeon really got things moving thankfully and got him into ICU quickly so a pick line could be put in his neck for the 6 different fluids they were trying to pump into him. At least 5 doctors interviewed me trying to figure out what was going on that morning. By late morning he was in surgery to have a scope down his throat and a bleeding ulcer was discovered at the top of his small intestine. The gi doctor was able to successfully cauterize it(with a new to Norfolk method) and was very surprised that he found just one. He told us several times that Randel’s athleticism and divine intervention saved his life. At a hemoglobin of 4.0 his heart rate should have been 140-160 and the doctor said he could not have touched him without putting him into cardiac arrest. But Randel’s rate was only 80 thanks to years of sweating it out in the gym and on the track!!
Brett and Elise arrived in the early afternoon as did my mom. No matter how old you are it is good to see your mommy when things are tough! My cousin, Debbie, and her husband, Dennis, were planning to visit Mom that day so they brought her down and were a wonderful support and help with the kids. We hadn’t seen Mom or Grant and Sarah and the grand kids since we got back from Europe because Randel’s been too sick. Grant and Sarah arrived a bit later so everyone got to see Randel. He didn’t get to see Rose and Calvin but they sure brightened my day. The late afternoon brought new concerns as Randel’s fever when up and he began to shake violently and was breathing so hard. At this point the medical staff considered putting him on a ventilator but I explained that he’d been doing this for 2-3 weeks with his high fevers so they waited awhile and it subsided. I just held him and sang or talked in his ear. He felt absolutely miserable during and after this and really thought he wasn’t going to make it. I kept telling him otherwise but we were all wondering. He described it later as being in agony. We’ve learned this misery was probably due to all the blood in his stomach. By Saturday night he was improving and has continued to do so. He was in ICU until Monday afternoon and he got to come home yesterday, Wednesday. All totaled he’s had 9 units of plasma and 7 units of blood. He lost over half of his blood supply. Hemoglobin is up to 10 now and will take some time to get back to normal. The ulcer probably developed because of his cancer-he always has a very high gastrin level-and the fever reducers Mayo said he could take to try to get that down. We still aren’t sure why he’s had such high fevers but it could be the tumors dying or the parasite. He also developed C-diff, another intestinal infection, while we were in the hospital so he’s on quite a regimen of drugs now. As one of the doctors said he just has numerous rare medical issues. I’ve told him before he doesn’t have to go to these lengths to prove how special he is.
Reflections-Our overall feeling is one of extreme thankfulness. So thankful he is still with us!! We’ve had an army praying for him and if we didn’t get you contacted it’s because it was a flurry of activity and we are still processing all that’s happened. We’ll take your prayers now as he has a long way to total recovery. Our kids were amazing-such a wonderful support for both of us. We are truly blessed to have such great children. Our friends and church family have stepped in to help with mowing, food, errands, cleaning, and anything we need. I have a wonderful coworker who could and did step in and do my job for me as I haven’t been back to work yet. We’ve had many phone calls, emails, and visits and appreciate them all. We experienced so many God-incidents where He gave us just what we needed at the time we needed it. We felt his peace and presence in so many ways. We had many tender times together-just the two of us and also with the family. One came on Saturday night as we gathered around his bed before the kids went back to the house to sleep. We prayed together and then Brett began and we all joined in singing “Great Is thy Faithfulness”. He didn’t know that’s what I’d been singing in Randel’s ear during the afternoon. It was a moment I will cherish forever. God has been so very faithful in so many circumstances for so many years! We are still wondering how he’s going to use this new experience in our lives and in the lives of others but we know he will. Randel has been an inspiration to so many and is totally amazing in his acceptance of suffering and uncertain circumstances. He lives out his favorite verse (2 Thessalonians 5:16-18-Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.) and inspires us to do the same.

Thankful for you and your caring also!

Betty

August 18 update on Randel

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your prayers for Randel. I do have an update.
When I came home from school for lunch yesterday (Wednesday) he was fading and symptoms were worsening. I prayed for guidance and felt definitely led that I needed to get him some medical help. Our doctor's office sent us directly to the emergency room where he was hooked up to an IV and many tests again performed. Just before we left around 6 the doctor reported that one of the tests showed he has a parasite probably picked up on our trip. It's a hard one to detect and often takes 2 or 3 tests to find. It is very serious for someone with a suppressed immune system but at least we know what it is! He's on a three day course of drug treatment. We haven't seen improvement yet but are hopeful that by tomorrow we will have turned a corner for the better. Please continue to pray. He's still so weak and can't eat. But we are so thankful for the diligence and wisdom of all our doctors here and at Mayo. God is providing for us through the loving care of others and His peace in the storm.

Thanks again and keep the prayers coming,

Betty

August 16

This is Betty again. Just in case any of you were checking back to see how Randel is doing I would like to ask all of you for some special prayers for his healing and return to health. It's been over three weeks of having a fever now. The first week it was low grade but for the next 10 days it was consistently around 102. The last 4 days he has had some relief from the fever in the morning but by mid afternoon it begins to return and sometimes climbs quite high (103.5). He has chills with it and has had no appetite so has lost weight and is very weak. The doctors now think that some of the tumors in his liver have outgrown their blood supply, have died, and are causing this fever as his body gets rid of the dead material. He's being a patient trooper as usual but we'd love to have this behind us! We are so thankful that he wasn't real sick while we were on our trip. Thank you to all who are praying for him and please continue. If you have a prayer chain or special prayer groups at your church would you consider adding his name to the prayer list? Our mighty God works mighty wonders and we know He answers prayers! We trust His plan in this. The rest of us are back at our jobs. Elise had students today for the first time and said many of her last year's students came by to say hi and ask about our trip. Brett has handled the first week of his new responsibilities well and is learning the ropes. I worked 3 and 1/2 days last week and this week am back full time. It's good to be back and I'm thankful for an understanding boss who allows me time to take Randel to the doctor, hospital, etc. We're all enjoying our memories, pictures, and videos!

Thanks so much,

Betty

We are home!!

Dear ones,
The eagles (or maybe crazy turkeys) have landed!! This is Betty reporting that we are home. We spent part of Tuesday finishing up Paris with Notre Dame and the downtown area. Also took the subway to Monmartre to take a look at Sacre Coeur. Then back to the campground where we all spread our belongings out and repacked to include the items we added. We got it all in! Wednesday’s trip home went smoothly with no hitches returning the rental car or catching our flights. It was a 3 hour trip to Iceland and after an hour there we continued for 6 more hours to Minneapolis. Randel's brother, Rol, picked us up and Karen and Chris joined all of us for pizza. It felt good to be back in the USA-nice to be able to read and understand all the signs! But it was a very long day and we thankfully spent the night at Rol and Karen’s. They have been such a blessing to us as usual!
We’d made Randel’s regular Mayo checkup for Thursday and Friday to save a trip so he and I headed out real early to get there for a blood draw. Randel had continued to have fever off and on but that morning it was worse than usual and has been since then. After his blood draw he was shaking and weak enough that we got him a wheelchair. After checking in at the next appointment I was wheeling him to the waiting room and this tall young man comes up and says, “Hi Betty, Mom said you might be here today!” It was my nephew, Luke, with his wife, Erin, and new baby, Hendrick!! What are the chances that Randel and Erin would have an appointment in exactly the same place and at the same time in that huge place?!! No chances! Another God incident as He knew we needed each other at that time. Randel and Erin were in at their appointments for about an hour and a half so Luke and I had a good visit and I got to cuddle the baby! Please keep Erin and her family in your prayers as she learned she has a couple of malignant nodules where her previous thyroid cancer was located. We met again at lunch and were absolutely blessed by being with them. Back in Lakeville that evening Karen cooked all of us a wonderful supper with watermelon and sweet corn which we had been craving. Sarah, Russ, their girls, and Chris all joined us too so we had a great time catching up.
Friday we had more routine tests for Randel but also some new ones to try to figure out what is going on with his health. The blood work does not indicate any infection but his liver counts were up. The blood cultures are still cooking so we hope we’ll get some answers by tomorrow. There has been a little new tumor growth but that is typical. He was pretty miserable on the trip home as the fevers have gotten higher and last longer. We stopped at Mom’s to get Elise’s car but she’s in Canada so didn’t get to see her. Her neighbors and our dear friends, Rod and Betty Banks, were there mowing so we had fun visiting with them. We got to Norfolk around 9 pm tired but so thankful for the trip we’ve had. As we reviewed it together we recounted the many times we knew God was directing our steps and how we felt his presence. It was as if He were saying, “Here is a special gift for you because I love you.” “And here’s another, and another.” We saw His hand in so many of the experiences we had both planned and unexpected. And being together was priceless! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
I wish I had better news on Randel. He has pretty much been in bed since we got home with fevers that are up around 102. We called back to Mayo on Saturday and they had us go to the emergency room here. After three hours of more blood work and a chest XRay the doctor gave us the choice of admitting him for observation or going home because the tests all look good. Randel really wanted to come home so we did but he’s not any better as of today, Sunday. We’re to see the doctor here tomorrow and call Mayo as something may have shown up by now on the blood cultures. It could be a bacterial infection which seems unlikely by now or a viral infection that transplant patients are prone to get. Another possibility is that some of the tumors have outgrown their blood supply and have died and his body is dealing with that dead material. Please pray that the doctors can figure this out and that the fever subsides. It has really worn him out and we are very concerned. He has remained his positive self in spite of dealing with this for 12 days now. Pray for some relief for him. I’m to go back to work tomorrow but don’t think I should leave him so pray for wisdom and strength for me too. Brett and Elise left early this morning. It was so hard to say good-bye after being together for 2 months. They had to get Elise as least partially moved into a new apartment as much of her stuff was stored in Brett’s bedroom over the summer. Both go back to work tomorrow also. While we were on the trip Brett’s boss called and asked him to take the position of director of the men’s shelter at the homeless mission where he works. He prayed well into that night and said yes to this new huge responsibility. So keep Brett and Elise in your prayers also.
Thank you for going on this grand adventure with us and especially for your faithful prayers. Do check back as we may get more pictures posted eventually. Or make friends with Elise as she has three albums posted on her Facebook page. It was the trip of a lifetime and we are and will continue to relish the memories!
Love,
Betty

Germany and Paris

Hi everyone,

We are in Paris on our last day. Can’t believe we will be packing up this morning after we spend a little more time in the city. Our big concern is Randel’s health. He’s been fighting a low grade fever and feeling rather punk for the last 5 days so we’d appreciate prayers for his health. Also for Elise as she’s been having headaches. It must be time to come home! This has been a long enough trip that there are things about getting back home that we will really appreciate.
Brief update but again not enough internet for picture uploading. Please check after we get home as we’ll upload more then. Also Elise will have picture on her Facebook page.
Rothenburg is a wonderful medieval city and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves there. A highlight was hearing an organ concert at St. Jakob’s and taking the night watchman tour. The guide was dressed as a night watchman and walked us all around the walled city with a very entertaining explanation of sites and history. Our kind of humor! Ate one supper in a cellar restaurant. Fun shopping there also.
We did our first hotel in Heidelburg as it was raining and Randel was not feeling well. Television-what a concept!! We listened to BBC and learned a little news. We’re coming home on the 3rd and it sounds like that’s the day something has to happen for the gov to pay its bills. The next morning we toured Heidelburg castle. Saw the gigantic wine barrel-about 4 times as tall as a person. Meant to have refreshments during a siege. The next two days were on the Rheine River. How we loved the castles-very storybook and fairytale like! One morning we rented bikes and rode about 14 kilometers along the river and took a cruise boat back. Fun and beautiful!
The cathedral at Cologne was the next big stop. Brett, Elise, and I climbed the nearly 600 steps to the top for an incredible close up look at the Gothic carvings everywhere and a view. Randel rested as he’d done the same with Grant in 1999. Cologne was 90% destroyed in WWII but the cathedral was nearly untouched. The inside is so tall and has beautiful stained glass.
Yesterday, August 1st we drove to Paris and still had time to visit the Louvre-pretty amazing to see Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, and much more. The size of some of the paintings is gigantic. We walked the Champ Elysee to the Arch de Triumph and then to the Eiffel Tower. We stayed to see it lit up at night and a light show at 10. Very beautiful. We will soon head down to Notre Dame and the city center. We are riding public trains and subway from our campground. That has worked quite well for us in most of the major cities with maps and lots of thinking. We Nebraskans are not used to doing this public transportation thing.
The weather was very cool in Germany but warmed up yesterday. We plan to pack up this afternoon and tonight and will be on our way tomorrow morning. We’ve already had so many moments of remembering earlier time in our trip. We’ll need time to process and remember all we’ve seen and done. It’s been incredible-a trip of a lifetime. Thanks for your support, thoughts, and prayers. We’ve felt them and God’s presence with us so strongly.

Blessings to all and we’ll see you soon!

Betty