Not So Good News

Well, we did not receive good news at the doctor's office. They believe his heart is hardening even more. This is the cause for the onset of more symptoms and why his fatigue has increased. They want to do another cath. This will help them to see how much of the heart has stiffened. That way that can make a game plan. The next step will be transplant. We don't have insurance anymore. Our COBRA time has ended and we cannot be approved for insurance anymore (too many pre-existing conditions). The only thing we could get was called risk-pool insurance and we can't afford to pay the premiums nor the out-of-pocket costs. We have applied for financial assistance at UAB. They will let us know within a week if we will receive help. The doctors are waiting on that to schedule the cath. We pray that all will go through because it will be devastating to be denied and not get Jim the help he needs.

It's Been 34 Years

Jim celebrated an important milestone today. 34 years ago today is when he had his heart surgery (1975). Imagine how the Murrells must have felt when that saw their 9 lb,  6 month old leave for surgery with only a 10% survival rate. God has been so good. We are truly thankful for all that He has done for us and allowed us to do. Jim's fatigue has increased especially since this past Saturday. I keep trying to get him to rest more but he has 3 bible studies going and he has been visiting a lot of our sick people.

Julianna got to go on the football field this Friday night. She got to see the football players come through the sign and cheer with the band and cheerleaders. She was chosen as a Terrific Tornado because of meeting her Accelerated Reading goal and she has surpassed her Accelerated Math goal. She was also chosen because of her model behavior.

Cameron is doing well in his speech classes. He has been working hard. I think it is already making a difference. He may get into another class to help some more. We are waiting to hear about that. He is getting so big. I had to buy him size 6/7 in shirts and size 5 in pants yesterday. He still loves to play with the match box cars and Thomas the Train.

Hope all is well with you all. I think about you every day. I wish I had more time in the day to call people. I have to take care of the children so much to give Jim time to rest; I hate to be on the phone when I am with them (especially because they have a habit of screaming while I am talking on the phone).

I love you all so much and thanks for your continued support and prayers. Love---Jenn

Julianna's Almost 8

Sorry that I am just now getting back to you. It has been a weird week. A lot of mountains and valleys, if you know what I mean. Jim is having a severe migraine right now and me and Camo are trying to be really quite. We were outside playing but it started to storm.

Julianna will be 8 in December. I can't believe it. I am taking her to see a movie this afternoon after school. We are going to have girl’s night out just the two of us. We are planning on seeing a movie. I hope Jim feels good enough to keep Camo while we're out.

We are living in Philadelphia, MS. We have been here for over 3 years. We work with the Philadelphia church of Christ.

I honestly don't know what to tell you about helping us. I do petition your constant prayers and a promise from you that if anything happens you will come to see me. I know we haven't spent much time together but I look at your picture every day and I am thankful for how you and Trey touched our lives. A day seldom goes by that we don't talk about you all.

Keep emailing me and that will keep me smiling. I love to read your emails. Keep sending the pics. I love you girl. Take care and May God richly bless your beautiful family. -----Jenn

ICD Follow-up

The doctor's appointment @ 12:30 Thursday lasted until after 5p.m. They adjusted his ICD and upon hearing his concerns and problems over the past few days, they sent him for blood work, chest x-ray, and echo. When they did the echo, they saw one of his narrow places was narrower. Then they saw how weak his heart was. They said the muscle is becoming hard because it has been overworked for so long. So when the heart squeezes in to push blood out it is not doing a good job. Now when the heart is supposed to be relaxing to take in blood, it is not doing it because it has lost a lot of its elasticity and has become rigid. The doctor stated that he would have to stay on his current medications because the benefits outweigh the side effects. The doctor also talked to us about making some hard choices sooner rather than later concerning surgery. At this time they believe that out of three options that Jim could only survive one. That would be heart transplant. The risks are numerous and the doctor stated that you have to take a "boat load" of medicine. He is not on the list as of right now and only time will tell when this will take place. The doctor thinks Jim can make it a little while longer but also reminded us that he cannot predict what will happen. The risk of something sudden happening has decreased thanks to the ICD but there still is a possibility of that.

I Cry At Times

Well, it has been a week since our last doctor's visit and we are just now updating everyone. We were extremely tired being in Birmingham all day and on the road. We have been getting Julianna ready for the second grade.

The advanced heart failure group stated that they were going to try and adjust his medicine because he has been having some bad side effects from the meds. The medicine that he is on is the best for his heart and they do not want to take him off of it. He has no energy most of the time and struggles to sleep at night. He falls asleep fast but it is hard for him to stay asleep. He has become more absent minded. He doesn't know what he is saying some times in mid conversation. He has increased in his grey spells and has become more irritable at times. I know the irritability is due to not feeling as good as he wants to. The doctor told him to get on disability but he can't as long as he is preaching. At times he struggles to preach but is doing the best he can to support his family. The ICD doctor stated that he was doing okay. He could not tell us that Jim was doing good or bad. Jim is just maintaining. The ICD is helping his heart do its job 23% of the time. This means that 23% of the time his heart is not functioning the way that it should. It could be a lot worse but it could be a lot better. You don't want the ICD to have to do too much because the battery will wear out sooner.

We all have good days and bad. At times I cry and at times I am able to laugh. I know he has good days and other days could be better. It fluctuates so that you don't really know what to expect from one day to another. I have gotten some really good books to read in addition to the Bible. These encourage me and give me more scripture to take hold of. I have also started working out at the local gym. I try to go 3 times a week. With each flare up I feel myself getting weaker and weaker. I have actually gained 3 lbs. this week. I feel stronger than I have in a long time. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Julianna broke down the other day because she noticed how her dad has changed. I know she gets frustrated and she doesn't understand. I just cried with her and told her we have to be thankful for the time that we have had. Every day we try to make it the best we can. We love you all and thank you for what you do. Please continue to pray. ----Jenn

Taking A Break for Jim's Sake

I have been praying and thinking about this decision for the past several weeks. I will not be able to teach my classes this fall (ACC1223 and ECO 2123). My husband, Jim Murrell, who is 34 years old is in Advanced Heart Failure. He has three blockages due to scar tissue from the corrective heart surgery he had in 1975 when he was 6 months old. We have been frequent quests at UAB hospital in Birmingham, AL. This is where his first heart surgery took place and they know his heart. He has transposition of the great vessels and his hearts main function comes out of the right ventricle side. His heart has become extremely weak, he has been going into v-tach often, and recently he had an ICD implanted. The doctors don't give us much to go on. He is one of the first ones to make it to adulthood. He was never supposed to live past 18 years old. He only has a few good hours a day. We have two children Julianna 7 and Cameron 3. We ask for your prayers that the Lord will bless him with many good days. He is the preacher at the Philadelphia church of Christ. We count it a huge success when he is able to preach.

I hope that you all understand my decision. Thank you for the opportunity to teach at EC. I think I made a difference at least in some of my students. Lord willing, I will be able to return soon. Thank you and please remember us in your daily prayers.

A Good Week Ends Badly

I am soooooo sorry that I didn't let you know what was going on. Our lives have been so busy this month. Jim had a gospel meeting in Tuscumbia, AL the 7th through the 12th. It had been planned for 3 years and he hated to cancel it. He got really really bad that week. He was probably doing too much. By the end of that week his resting heart rate was 95 to 100 bpm. Whenever he got up his heart rate would go up to 120 to 140 bpm. We came home to Philly for 2 1/2 days. He didn't even go to church Sunday because he would get out of breath and feel like he was going to pass out. I stayed on the phone all weekend and on Monday morning with his doctors. We had a nurse at the house and then they said Monday around lunch time to come on to Bham. So we went. He had surgery on the 16th and had an ICD implanted. It is helping him a lot. Everything was very successful with the surgery but he developed a high fever and we had to stay until Saturday. We got home late Saturday and then our VBS started on Sunday the 22nd. This was the first VBS for our congregation in many many years. I taught the 1 to 3 year olds and Jim lead the singing. We got home every night exhausted and we didn't get home until 9:30 to 10 pm. I am taking care of Jim the best I can and trying to keep the little ones out of the house so he can rest. He is getting stronger but still has his bad days. I am sooooo sorry that I have not emailed in while. I miss you all and wish we all lived closer to one another. The Lord knows I need some good friends. The closest family we have is 4 hours away. We also don't know where we are going to be from one day to another. We are staying in Birmingham a lot these days. I love you all. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Being a Christian, a wife, a mother, a caregiver, a preacher's wife, a person of chronic illness and so on is trying to get the best of me. The devil doesn't know how hard headed I am. I plan to fight him to the end. Keep the faith and love you all-----Jennifer Murrell