Luke had his clean up surgery this morning at 7:30 a.m. They also replaced the vacuum bandage on the wound. We were not told of any new findings and things are still on track for the final surgery on Thursday. A culture they took last time they operated showed a slight infection. Something else to treat.
The respiratory technicians continue to work with Luke to wean him of the respirator. His lungs still are not absorbing enough oxygen into the blood. If he were taken off the ventilator now he would essentially have to hyperventilate to get enough oxygen. Please continue to pray for healing in his lungs.
Luke was asleep and resting until late this afternoon. He then drifted in and out of sleep but could understand us talking to him and follow instructions. He also had periods of agitation and restlessness. The staff are grateful that we are there with him so he can see us and to talk to and work with him.
We have been told that in most cases when patients come out of sedation for a while and are told things, they don't remember them the next time they wake up. We've seen that with Luke as different times we have asked him if he knew where he was and he shook his head "no." We explain to him that he is in the hospital, was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle, has several injuries and needs time and rest to heal. We haven't yet said anything about losing his leg but plan to include that soon. Pray also for him to have understanding and acceptance of what has happened to him.
I wrote on here the other day about Department of Homeland Security employees being able to donate leave time to Luke. We were told yesterday that there is now 11 months leave credited to Luke. Praise the Lord! Heartfelt thanks to all the generous agents out there!
---Bill
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12 comments:
We will continue to pray for Luke's lungs to get stronger and are thankful that the surgery appears to have gone as planned.
We also pray for God to give you strength when you have to tell him about his leg. Bill and Paula if Luke is at all like you he will take it in stride with time.
That is wonderful news about him being upto 11 months of leave. God is wonderful!
Mike, Bonnie, Andrew and Morgan
I'm getting ready to go to bed, and Luke's lungs, you & Paula will be a big part of my prayers tonight. Prayers of thanksgiving will also go out for all the support Homeland Security & the Border Patrol have given. It is uplifting to know that even with all the evil in the world(the man that did this to Luke), there are even more wonderful, generous, caring people out there.
Shari
Prayers are with Luke and his wonderful family. God is in control. Be uplifted and encouraged in the name of Christ!
Love, students at CBU
ok, Luke's lungs will be the focus of my prayers. We will pray strenght back into them as only God can do.
We will also pray for you and Paula, so that when the time is right the Holy Spirit will provide you with the perfect words and way, to tell Luke of his injuries to his leg.
We will (in prayer) help you to hold him and pray for him to see beyond the injury, to see that God has a plan for him.
Lizzy
Our thoughts and prayers are with you. We were lucky enough to have Thanksgiving dinner with the church family last night and You and Luke were there with us in all of our hearts and minds. You are all a part of our big family! God Bless you and give you the wisdom and courage you need to tell Luke about his leg. We love you all!
The Pastrano Family
Bill and Paula, may God continue to strengthen you and uphold you both through this journey. Your testimony runs parallel to Psalm 27! Though there is evil all around we are seeing God's goodness in the land of the living. I am confident that our Great God is working mightily in Luke's body, mind and spirit to bring healing. I pray He transforms Luke from falling as a victim to rising as a victor in Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. His timing is perfect. And like Paul said so many times, "Grace and Peace to you!"
Thank you so much for the faithful updates about Luke. He is on the prayer chain at our church, just another group of faithful believers lifting you and your family up. You are all in our prayers. Continue to have faith and always remember the Lord is good!!
Allison (Saeler) Slater
Hello Dithrich Family my name is Corey. I was one of Luke's Housemates senior year at IWU, and I am now a pastor out in New York. I just wanted you to know that ever since I have found out what has happened Luke has been on our prayer list. it never fails every day another person comes up to me and lets me know that they have been praying for Luke. and we even had a special time during our services last week were over 300 people prayed for him. I also wanted to say thank you for taking the time to post updates about luke everyday it means a lot to me as well as to others i am sure.
Thank you for keeping all of us updated on Luke's condition. We are so pleased that each day he progresses in more positive ways with the help and support of his immediate family AND his Border Patrol Family. Everyone can make a difference with just 5.oo dollars! Show Luke just how THANKFUL you are and donate $ or blood. That's what my family will do. We challenge the rest of you :)
Dwight and Debbie
I just am catching up on the postings for I have been gone for a while and man when I read about Luke making eye contact and things it instantly brought tears of joy to me. I am so relieved that he is improving so much and hope to continue to read such amazing news. I will continue to pray for all of you and keep you in my thoughts, and will pray that Luke finds understanding on his injuries. Please give him my love and let me know if need anything, thank you for keeping us all updated.
Just wanted you all to know that one more family in Cochranton is praying for Luke. We always loved having Luke in our home with our Nathan as teens. Nathan and his wife are checking the blog also.
Love and prayers to Luke!
Cheryl and Francis Weiderspahn
i used to work with luke 5 or six years ago when he was still in high school, i remember him but he wouldn't remember me, i was shocked to hear about what happened to him and i just wanna send my best wishes to him for a fast and full recovery and my best to his family, stay strong and positive.
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