March 30--Home is wonderful!!

Just want everyone to know that Jacque is doing great.  He is walking without a walker and will do his last day of physical therapy on Friday.  Yes, he is being released!!! He is going to the gym and exercising. He even jogged some today!!! He still has some numbness on the balls of his feet and his toes.The arches of his feet feel normal and so do the heels.  His hands still have some tingling and sometimes they shake a little,  but they are so much better. He can write and use his hands and can do everything for himself. He has gained almost ten pounds.  He now weighs 159.  He is sleeping well and feels so good.  Everyday he gets so much stronger. He has an appointment with Dr. Linderman next Wednesday.  I can't wait for the doctor to see him!!! He will be so amazed at how well Jacque can walk!!!Thanks to everyone for all the prayers.  Thanks to our God for His healing touch.  We are so blessed!!! We are so thankful.  It is hard to believe that just a few weeks back Jacque could not even sit up without help.  His improvement has been fantastic.  He will probably go back to work the first of May.  We will just wait and see what the doctor says.

Our two weeks at home have been great.  Everyone has brought food. I haven't cooked a meal yet.  We have had lots of company.  I have written lots of thank you notes.  Jacque has been making lots of phone calls. He is trying to thank as many people as he can.  We will probably spend the rest of our lives thanking our God and our friends for bringing us through this difficult time.

Have a blessed night---I will let everyone know what the doctor says.  Thanks again for all the prayers. And if anyone ever wondered if God hears and answers prayers--THE ANSWER IS YES. I am sort of like Jimmy V--Never give up--Never give up. Laure :)

March 15--Final Chapter

Well our blog is about to end.  This will be our final chapter.  We are going home.  Praise God.  I have survived hospital rehab and I am a stronger person because of it.  I am walking well with a walker and in the next months I should be fully recovered.  Everyone is amazed at the speed of my recovery.  I give God all the glory.  You will never know how far I have come with HIS hand guiding the way.  It has been a real miracle, one that I am humbled to be a part of.  I thank everyone once again for their concern for my health and for their prayers on my behalf.  I know the Lord was amazed that I had this many people praying for me.  I know I was amazed and humbled.  The final bible verse for this blog is:  "We are perplexed...but we don't give up and quit...we get knocked down but we get up and keep going." 2 Cor 4:8-9  May we all remember these words and never give up when problems arise in our lives.  God bless and as all prayers end so too this blog will end with--AMEN. 
Love in Christ--Jacque :)

March 14

Good evening to everyone.  God is good.  I am blessed and so thankful.  Today has been a hard working day in rehab.  The therapists have worked me and stretched me and walked me.  I am so tired.  Can you believe that I only have one day of therapy left?!!!  I can hardly wait to get home.  I miss Winnfield so much!! Today I had a nice surprise.  Harmon and Jean Drew came for a visit this afternoon.  Laure and I really enjoyed their visit.  They are two super nice people. Of course, my personal angel came by to check on her daddy.  That is the only bad thing about going home on Wednesday, I will not get to see Jamie every day.  Tomorrow we are treating the rehab floor staff to lunch.  Laure has someone catering a meal for everyone from the director to the maid.  That is the least we can do to show our appreciation for all they have done for me.  I have no idea how I will ever repay all the Winnfield crew who have done so much for me in my absense. I don't know how I will ever repay all of you who have prayed for me. But most of all, how do I to repay my God who has blessed me they way I have been blessed?  Maybe this difficulty I have been through will inspire someone to become closer to their God.  May I give my Jesus all the glory.  I guess this blog will end soon.  It has been a great trip. One that I will never forget. One that I am sure has made me a better person.  Good night and God bless.  Jacque

March 13--Sunday--The Lord's Day

Well I am back.  Yesterday I went to Monroe to see my mother.  I haven't seen her in two months!!!  While I was in Monroe, I also got my hair chopped off and got my hair dyed.  Boy, did I need it. I also went to mass with Mom, my sisters Connie and Terri.  We enjoyed boiled shrimp for supper and some of Mom's homemade soup.  I had a great day.

While I was gone, my two angels--Jamie and Jacque, Jr.  took care of their daddy.  It was the first time that Jacque and I had been apart in two months.  It was really hard, but I think it was good for both of us.  Have I ever told all of you we are blessed with the best children in the world?!!!! We are so lucky!!!


Today was a great day.  I got to the room at 8am.  Jacque had breakfast then he went to therapy.  He walked again with no assistance.  There are always two people right beside him to make sure he does not fall. Jacque Jr. was able to watch his daddy walk. Jacque still does not have much feeling in his feet, this is what makes walking difficult.  Everyday he has more feelings, but the feet still do not feel normal yet.  Everyone is still amazed at how well he is doing.  Our cna told us today that she had never seen a patient will Guillain Barre progress this quickly.  God is good we are so blessed.

Vivian Adams brought us a delicious lunch.  Nothing like a good home cooked meal.  I know I have gained all my weight back.  It will be diet time for me when we get home.  Vivan has been such a blessing to us.  She is definitely one of our "Lafayette Angels".

Our other "Lafayette Angels"--Bart and Judy Stewart--came by for a visit.  We will really miss them, but have plans to return in a month or two and treat them to a good supper.

After all the company Jacque and I went for a ride.  He rode and I pushed him in the wheelchair.  We went outside.  It is such a nice day here.   After the ride, he had supper and now he is taking a nap.

We only have two days left before we leave on Wednesday!!!! We know now why God wanted us to stay another week---so that Jacque would be walking without his walker!! Now mind you--he can only do this with therapists--not with me.  But that is OK--we know he can do it.

Guess that is all my news.  God is good.  We are so thankful for His loving care.  We are so blessed.  The bible verse for today is, " His strength is made perfect in your weakness."  2 Cor 12:9

God bless you all. Laure :)

March 12

Hello everyone.  All is well here.  Laure went to Monroe to get her hair done today.  My daughter Jamie tended to me until 2 this afternoon then Jacque Jr. came and is staying the rest of the day.  I only had 30 minutes or so of formal rehab today.  I also did some upper body exercises in the room.  My overall condition is improving, but I still have problems with ankles and feet.  My ankles and feet were the first to be effected when the disease process started and the doctors feel they will be the last things to recover.  I cannot wait until Wednesday when I get to go home.  I miss my dogs but more especially I miss my grandchildren.  Please continue to pray for me.  Thank you for all the prayers you have offered up thus far.  Laure will be back tomorrow with an appropriate bible verse.

Love to All,
Jacque

Friday--March 11--Best Day Ever!!!!

Good evening to everyone!!! God is so good.  We are so blessed.  We had a fabulous, wonderful, spectacular day.  First of all, we got our discharge date--Wednesday--March 16th.  We should be leaving here by 10:30 am!!! Second of all--Jacque walked 100 feet with absolutely NO HELP--NO WALKER--NO ONE HOLDING ON!!! I thought I was going to cry.  It was absolutely the greatest thing I have ever experienced in my life.  Everyone was in the hall, cheering him on.  Our nurses and therapist are like family to us. They were just as excited as we were.  Third of all, Jacque had pet therapy today.  They brought a dog in and Jacque got to pet it and play with it.  He really enjoyed himself.  Lastly, we practiced getting in and out of our car so that we will know how to do it when we go home.  He did it great--it was so easy for him. In between all of this, Jacque had therapy and exercised and worked on climbing stairs--which he did a great job at.  Needless to say, he is so tired and is totally exhausted.  There are really no words that I could type that would ever express my joy at this point.  I have cried all day out of pure joy. I am so thankful to my God for His support and love. I really don't know what I have ever done to receive such a blessing as today--but I am so thankful.  Many thanks to everyone for their love and support.  I am sure after Jacque rests he will blog tomorrow. Good night and God bless.  The bible verse for today is:
" He brought me up out of the horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock. " Psalms 40:2   

Thursday--March 10

Well, we are still here.  I did lots of different things today, including walking up and down stairs with handrails.  I also did my normal walking and mat exercises.  It looks like I will be here until next Wednesday, the insurance report came in today with approval until March 16th.  If I continue to progress the way I am doing now, we should be able to go home on the 16th.  I personally am amazed at how much my condition  and ability to function has improved.  My hands are getting better and some feeling is returning to my feet and ankles.  The therapist think I may be able to walk with a cane before I leave here.  However, we will not know about that until I try.  Laure and I have decided we are on God's schedule not our own.  I do want to get back home, but not before I am ready--God's will be done. 
Bible verse for the day, "If anyone wishes to follow Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me." Luke 9:23

Good night.  God bless. We are so thankful for His loving guidance.

Special thanks to Bart and Jeff Stewart for fixing Laure's flat tire.. We love those Stewart Boys.
Special thanks to Learohn Caldwell and his beautiful wife for coming for a visit.  We had a ball telling stories of our childhood days. Isn't great that old friends are here during the difficult days!!!!

Love you guys--Jacque :)

Ash Wednesday--First Day of Lent--Rehab Day 15

Good evening to everyone.  Jacque is taking a nap, so I decided to blog for a while.  We have had  real busy day, which really helps the time go by. Jacque got up this morning and took a shower.  He is no longer having any low blood pressure problems.  He no longer has to wear the hose and no longer has the stomach binder.  He had therapy twice today and walked long distances, stood for long periods of time, and did lots of stretching exercises.  We did not get our discharge date today.  The insurance company did not call in and notify the hospital.  We should find out something tomorrow.  We are praying they will kick us out, but the therapists think Jacque needs one more week to increase his strength.  They know we have a 2 1/2 hour drive to get home. Jacque told them he had a son that would take care of getting him stronger.  So I need everyone to pray we get to go home soon.  We are both so homesick. 

We went to mass today.  It is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.  We had ashes put on our foreheads. We even decided what we were going to do for our lenten practice.  For those of you that are not Catholic, during Lent Catholics try to pray, fast, and give alms for the forty days before Easter-these three things take care of giving to your God--pray, yourself--fasting, and others--almsgiving.  We pretty much have the prayer part taken care of.  We both have done a lot of praying during this illness.  Our fasting is simple--we decided to fast from fussing.  We are going to do everything in our power to make each other happy during this illness.  Believe me--this is hard to do when you are tired and when you are not feeling well.  But I must admit--we are doing a pretty good job of it.  The almsgiving is easy in the hospital.  We may not be giving money, but we are giving love and compassion to alot of people.  There are so many stories here.  Some people just need someone to listen and to talk to.  Those are two things Jacque and I are pretty good at doing. I pray we will not be here for the 40 days of Lent.

We had a real special visitor today.  A young woman who had Guillain Barre came to see Jacque.  Her case was a lot worse than Jacque's.  She was in the hospital from October until January.  She is a school teacher, but has not returned to work yet.  For her to be released from the hospital she had to be able to transfer to her wheelchair.  Jacque has been doing that.  Jacque can already move his legs better than she can.  She is walking with a walker just like Jacque. We found out real quick how blessed we are.  Our God is so good.  This lady has a great attitude and is an inspiration to everyone who meets her.  Her faith is amazing.  She is so in love with her God.  She said that only special people could get this disease and she sure was glad to meet a special person like Jacque.  What a blessing she was for us.

Well, guess I better go.  Have a blessed night.  Bible verse for the day:  "I am always with you, Lord you hold me by my right hand." Psalms 73:23

Mardi Gras-March 8

Nothing much went on today as everyone was off for Mardi Gras.  I practiced standing up and sitting down from my wheelchair in my room.  I also lifted some barbells and did some exercises from my bed. Tomorrow they will have a staffing to determine my discharge date.  I am ready to get out of here, but I get the idea they want to keep  me here a few more days. Ultimately the decision will be up to my insurance company.  I will be back with you tomorrow as soon as I know something.  By the way, Patrick,I typed this.  Jacque

Bible verse for the day--"A man's spirit sustains him in sickness."Proverbs 18:14

March 7th--13th Day of Rehab

Hello to everyone--Today I walked 400 feet on my walker unassisted on three different occasions.  I also practiced walking with my walker on an incline as I will need to know how to do this to get into the courthouse.  I feel like it will not be too long before I get to go home.  My recovery will not be complete.  I will continue rehab in Winnfield ( probably with my son--Jacque Jr. --the best pt in the world) but I will not be housed in the hospital.  I do look forward to getting home, as I have been hospitalized here in Lafayette since January 28th!!! Thanks to everyone who gave blood in Winnfield today.  I heard it was a huge success.  Thanks again for all the prayers, emails, cards, and phone calls.  Many thanks to Leroy and Pam James for the beautiful palm plant.  I am very humbled by all the love and concern that has been expressed on my behalf. My condition improves daily and I am thankful to that.  My main source of energy has been the "sugar tang" sent to me by Vivian Hinckley. This gave me vast reserves of energy to sustain me on my long walks.  I have suggested to the hospital administrators that they give "sugar tang" to all patients.  I haven't heard back from them on that.  I love you all. Jacque :)

Bible verse of the day: "Be prepared for times when you will be put to the test.  Be sincere and DETERMINED.  Keep CALM when trouble comes.  Stay with the LORD, never abandon Him, and you will be prosperous at the end of your days. " Sirah 2:1-3

Sunday--The Lord's Day--March 6

Hey--It's me again. Since it is Sunday, I thought we would begin the blog with our bible verse.  " Good people suffer many troubles , but the Lord saves them from them ALL."  Psalms 34:19
Did you notice it says ALL not some??? Praise God!!

Even though it is Sunday, I still had rehab.  They do not believe in a day of rest around here.  Today I walked 180 feet on my walker without assistance.  The second time I walked 200 feet on the walker with no assistance.  I had to sign my name on some insurance papers and did an adequate job.  I believe they can read it. My fine motor skills are returning gradually.  I stayed up in my wheelchair most of the morning without any problems.  I went downstairs and ate lunch with Jamie and Mia in the cafeteria.  It is so good to get out of this hospital room.  Mia loved visiting her Pawpaw.  She is so beautiful and full of life, such a joy!!

Will blog more later--Jacque  

Saturday--March 5

I have this poem that more or less expresses my feeling for everyone who has been praying for me.  It reads as follows:

I said a prayer for you today
And know God must have heard
I felt the answer in my heart
Although He spoke no word
I didn't ask for wealth of fame
(I knew you wouldn't mind.)
I asked Him to send treasures
Of a far more lasting kind.
I asked that He'd be near you
At the start of each new day
To grant you health and blessings
And friends to share your way.
I asked for happiness for you
In all things great and small
But it was for His loving care
I prayed for most of all.

Jacque :)

Day 10 of rehab

Hey this is Jacque again. Now that I am better, I shall take charge of the announcements regarding my health.  I do this to ensure accuracy,please be advised that Laure is typing this and that I have no control over her spelling nor her punctuation.

Today on day 10 I was able to walk 50 feet, 60 feet, 65 feet, and 75 feet on a walker without assistance.  The therapist can not believe how rapidly I am improving.  I credit this to God, the prayers that have been offered for me, and my determination not to let this thing beat me.  I have more feeling in my hands and my legs with each day.  That is an indication, that the nerves are healing.  Please continue to pray for me and I will try to do my part.  God may have given me a boat but I believe that He expects me to row.

Love to all of you--Jacque

ps--Go Winnfield Tigerettes--State Champions 2A Girls Basketball--We are so proud!!

Bible verse for the night:  " I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me."
Phillipians 4:13

March 3--Jacque's Comments

Hey everyone it's me.  I just wanted to stop and thank everyone for all the prayers.  I am so humbled over the prayers and concern shown to me during my illness.  On the first day of rehab I was unable to get out of bed and into the wheelchair without the help of three people.  I also was barely able to stand erect between  parallel bars without assistance.  On this ninth day of rehab I am able to get in and out of bed and into the wheelchair without assistance.  I also took 37 steps and 40 steps unassisted using a walker.  This may not seem like much, but the therapist say that the other patients they treated who had my condition took over a month to get this far.  I know my success is due to the grace of God and to your prayers. The doctor says that I am running a marathon not a sprint and it will be some time before I am fully recovered. This experience has increased my faith and I hope I will be a better person as a result.  I do know that things would not be as good as they are without the prayers that have been sent up by you to our God.  The Lord does not promise us a rose garden but he does promise to give us the strength to get through our trials so long as we stick with Him.  Again thank you so much for caring about me and my family. I hope to see everyone soon.  Love to all of you--Jacque (typed by Laure :))
Thought for the night:  "The circumstances in our lives seem random and unplanned--but someday we will see the order of God's hand."  Sper
Opps--I almost forgot to thank some of God's angels for their help today.  Rayford Riley came and gave me a much needed haircut.  He was accompanied by Carrol Varnell and Glenn Gilcrease.  We all had a great visit.  It was just like being in the City Barbershop in Winnfield. Friends like this are rare and very much loved.  Good Night and God bless.

March 3

Good morning to all.  This is the second time I have typed this blog this morning.  I have finally figured it out.  What happens is that I get dropped from the wireless internet.  Oh well, lets try it again.

Jacque had a great night.  The itching seems to be better.  He took his first shower today and had no blood pressure problems.  Praise God.  He ate a great breakfast.  He is gaining a lot of his weight back.  The bad thing is that I am gaining mine back too.  After breakfast we always do our bible reading. Now I let him pick out the verse for the day.  Then I write the verse on his dry erase board that is on the wall in the hospital room.  Today verse is, "And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory , much greater than the trouble."  The nurses and the therapists come in each morning and read the quote for the day.  Jacque also listens to some gospel music on his ipod.  We do the spiritual workout before the therapists do the physical workout.  It seems to be working-Jacque is getting stronger every day.

Yesterday we had alot of visitors that came to visit.  My niece Delle and her husband Justin Fontenot came.  Justin hunts with Jacque so they enjoyed talking about the deer woods.  Vivian Adams came by and brought us hot fudge sundaes.  And of course, our angel, Jamie came by and shaved her daddy and washed his hair. We are so appreciative to everyone who takes time to come by.  The visits help the time pass quicker.

Got to go will blog more later.  Laure :)

March 2

Good morning to you all.  God is good. Jacque had a good night's sleep and so did I.  He just got back from rehab-11 am--and is resting and waiting for his lunch.  He did great in rehab and is now walking forwards and backwards.  He said he has more feelings in his hands today.  Everything is improving.  We are so blessed. WE GIVE GOD ALL THE GLORY.  Tomorrow he is going to try to take his first shower.  They tried last Tuesday, but his blood pressure dropped real low(80/30) and they had to stop.  He has not had any blood pressure problems all week--so they will try again tomorrow. He is gaining weight.  I weighed him yesterday and the bed scale said he weighed 160.4 pounds.  He weighed 150 last week.  He weighed 175 when he got sick. So you can see, he is getting better and better.

Jacque and I got a beautiful email from one of his high school friends.  She talked about how the bible messages were so uplifting to her.  She went on to say that, giving God the glory for Jacque's healing was helping others to understand how important God is to having real peace in this life. Sometimes we don't understand why bad things happen, but if going through this terrible disease brings just one soul closer to the Lord, it was all worth it.  I have always been a blooming optimist--when life gives you lemons--make lemonade. It makes life so much easier. My faith is what gives me my strength.  I am nothing without my God. His spirit lives in me. That leads me to our bible verse for the day--Jacque picked it out--because it has to do with walking!!!
" But those that trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed.  They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary and they will WALK AND NOT GROW WEAK."
Isaiah 40:31

 Have a great day--We are going to have one too.  Love--Laure and Jacque :)

March 1

Isn't it funny that today is the first day of March and Jacque is MARCHING!!! Yes, he is really walking with lots of help, but still walking.  He is moving his feet on his own.  His knees are no longing buckling.  He can feel his right leg but still has little feeling in the left, but it will come too.  Kelly Lawrence came to visit and got to see him walk. The therapist asked if Kelly was Jacque's son!! They both had a good laugh over that.

The case manager came in and told us that we were cleared by the insurance until March 9th. The insurance company will then reevaluate us on March 9th to determine if we will stay longer. Our goal is to be able to walk with a walker whenever we do leave. Wouldn't it be great if it was March 9th!!! No one seems to think it will be that soon--but I can pray!!!

Jacque and I are so thankful for all the prayers.  Jacque is still getting cards!!!! I read him everyone's emails.  We appreciate everyone's concern. 

God bless you all.  Bible verse for the day, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you;  He will never leave you or forsake you.  Do not be afraid ; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8