Davis' Journey

This journey might be one we would have rather not taken but it is a journey that God has protected, provided for and carried us all through one day at a time. In May, 2013, Davis was playing basketball and the ball hit his finger and it hurt. Such as is with boys. His finger was swollen afterward and hurt but he thought he just jammed it and it would be fine. He didn't even think of telling us about it because he was not worried. Finally in July, 2013, Davis decided to let us know that he had hurt his finger. As we saw it it was very large and he couldn't use it. So immediately we took him to the Dr. here in Chiang Rai. The Dr. said when he had the accident in May he had broken it but the bone had grown back together and it was fine we just needed to exercise it daily to get the stiffness out. We did this day in and day out until October.

In October we started to notice not only was it not getting better but now it was larger and sometimes really red or even purple. So after consulting with a medical friend in the States we contacted a hospital in Bangkok and made a Dr. with a hand surgeon there.

On November 30, Davis and I showed up in Bangkok at this hospital to find out what was really going on with his finger. We had prayed and asked God what Dr. we should see and He had made it clear. We were ready!

The good part of coming to Bangkok was that our Thai daughter, Ghan, could come and spend time with us there because it is near where she lives. So Davis enjoyed getting to hang out with her and it took his mind off his finger for a while.

The Dr. did an x-ray and saw something suspicious but wanted us to come back the next morning for an MRI and CTscan. So we returned early the next day and Davis got his dye injection for his MRI.

He did great in the MRI and Ghan and I were waiting for him when he came out. With all the unknown and with all he had to go through in a foreign country, he still kept his sense of humor and good attitude and had a lot of fun modeling this lovely hospital ware for us!

As we headed back to the airport to come home, the Dr. called me and said he had looked at everything and Davis had a tumor in his finger. That was not the diagnosis we had ever considered. Apparently the tumor was there before he broke his finger and it made the bone weak and that is why it broke so easily. The Dr. said any Dr. could have missed the tumor on the x-ray because it is so hard to notice. However, since Davis' finger had changed shape he looked right in the center of that shape and saw the tumor. We know that was God showing it to him because so many were praying for that and I was sure to tell the Dr. that as well. 

So the next weekend we headed back to Bangkok for surgery to have the tumor removed. The only thing Davis thought would be good about this trip was the snack on the plane. The airline we use always has Auntie Anne's snack and Davis loves them. However this day as he opened his snack and unfolded the pretzel this is what he saw inside. This is when you know you live in a foreign country when you get an Auntie Anne's pretzel with fish! He decided to forego his but I (Sharon) really enjoyed mine.

But I made it up to him at dinner that night as I treated him to Mexican food. We don't get Mexican food where we live and he loves it. He said this was his last good meal before surgery. Of course he would be fasting the next day because of surgery.

The hospital was great on patient service. They gave us a room 3 hours before surgery so we could just relax there while waiting on them to come for him and we could wait there while he was in surgery. Yeah, no waiting rooms! See the view from the room in the picture above. Then they came and got him ready in another great hospital outfit but this time he got slippers too. He was quite pleased. Notice they are Thai sized so they didn't quite fit but he still appreciated them.

 Getting him hooked up ready to go to surgery!

About 3 hours later he came back from surgery and was surprisingly very lively for just having had surgery and the fact it was 11:30PM now. Now is when he realized he can't use his right hand anymore, so I had to help him brush his teeth. I will say this is the only time he let me do this. He figured out how to do all things with his left hand really quickly.

The next morning the Dr. came to check Davis' finger and teach me how to change the bandage daily with having the splint there for protection. He told us that he felt sure the tumor was benign but it had really done some damage. The tumor was a part of the bone and then had eaten a hole through the bone as well. He said to be able to get it all out he had to make quite a large hole in his bone so the recovery process should be a lot longer and a lot more risky. The bone was so fragile with the large hole that it could break instantly if hit.

So we got back home and the daily adventure of changing the bandage and cleaning the wound began, but the wound looked great if you have to have one. Yes, 7 stitches!

Remember the picture above of his finger before we went to Bangkok, this is about a week after surgery. It looks so much better. So currently we are still on this journey with Davis. Davis and I fly to Bangkok once a month to have an
x-ray and see the Dr. to see what to do next while we are waiting for the hole in the bone to fill in. This Dr. has never had a case quite like this with such a big hole so we are all learning as we go. God has definitely protected this finger for him and he had a great pathology report. The tumor was benign, praise God! Now it is just a time for healing. As we feel like this healing is coming so slowly and it is sometimes painful, it reminds me of healing in our lives. Sometimes we are not willing to walk that long hard road of healing so instead we try to get a quick fix healing and it is really only putting a bandaid on it, not actually getting the wound to fill in and heal. As we ask you to continue to pray for Davis' complete healing also know that if you are in need of healing (emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc.) we would love to pray for you as you choose to walk the significant and sometimes hard path of healing with God. It is worth it for the end result and the intimacy with God that is developed along the way.

God is always faithful!