Chugging Along

Beau came home from Texas last Monday (August 16th)...since then he has been to Macon, Dublin, St. Simons, back to Dublin and now he has gone back to North Carolina. Who would have thought a "resection proximal humerus with reconstruction endoprosthesis " would have slowed Beau down? Not me...

He did have quite a bit of pain at first but that has been getting better as the days go by. His pain patch is working well, and for the most part, he can get by on one or two pain pills per day instead of one every four hours.

Beau and Jessica will return to Texas around September 20th to meet with the surgeon that worked on his arm. At that time, he should be getting out of the sling and beginning physical therapy. It's going to take a while before Beau will be able to use his arm like he wants to so please pray for patience and determination on Beau's part (although I don't think Beau has ever been lacking in the latter).

Thanks for continuing to support Beau throughout this process...more updates to follow :)

~Maggie


"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18



"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance...Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:2-3, 12

Wardrobe Malfunction

Does this pocketbook make me look fat?

Beau at the mall in Houston....

Originally, they were told to buy Beau some XXL shirts so he could just put it on over his sling. After this picture was taken, they found out that they could unhook the sling and slide a shirt over his arm and then attach the sling OVER the shirt...so Beau no longer looks nine months pregnant.

Free man...

Beau just called to tell me that he's been discharged from the hospital! He sounded great...just like his old self and he said he felt really good. They got him started on a pain patch this morning and took his pain pump out this afternoon. They will be around Houston for a day or two to get everything squared away and they should be coming back to Georgia on Monday or Tuesday!

Thanks so much for all the prayers and support. Beau has a long road ahead of him but he's going to be working hard to get back to work and back in the race car.

Thanks for keeping up with his progress...I will continue to post on here over the next weeks to keep everyone updated on what is going on.

-Maggie

Beau's new hardware...

I foresee complications with various airport security in Beau's immediate future...

This picture is in direct to response to the blog posted by Beau's cousin Jimmy earlier and found here: http://jimmyewing.blogspot.com/2010/08/humerus-comedy-in-two-parts.html .

So as you can see, Jimmy, it's the top part...INCLUDING the ball :)

Thanks everyone for continuing to keep up with Beau's progress....

-Maggie

Day 3

Beau had a better day today in terms of pain. The doctor doubled his dosage of pain meds and that seemed to fix things without giving him severe headaches like yesterday. He did a lot of walking and ate some dry cereal. He felt good enough this afternoon to send Jeanne for a Jamba Juice...a favorite for all of them since they began spending time in Houston.

When Beau gets released from the hospital in a few days, he will be able to come home immediately. He won't have to meet with the surgeon for a follow up until 6 weeks from now. If everything continues to go well, they will be heading home at the beginning of next week.

Thanks so much for all of the words of encouragement and the constant prayers. Beau is so blessed to have such great friends!

-Maggie

Day 2 continued....

Beau was able to get up and walk down his hallway at the hospital today. They finally got him some pain meds that he liked and he was able to rest, too. He has been hurting again pretty badly this evening but they are changing the dosages in hopes of getting him some relief. Everything seems to be going pretty well other than that. Thanks for keeping up with Beau!

-Maggie

Day 2

Apparently the goooooood drugs aren't doing their thing anymore. Jessica says Beau is in a good bit of pain and they are raising his dosage of pain meds as much as they can. He got sick this morning and hasn't been able to eat anything so they are working on that. Hopefully they will get the pain under control soon and he will be able to eat and rest.

Thanks for keeping up with Beau through all of this...and please keep the prayers coming!

-Maggie

Settled for the night...

Beau is in a room and on some gooooood drugs :)

Thanks so much for the prayers and words of encouragement...

Quick update from surgery...

Beau is out of surgery after nearly six hours. He is able to move his fingers and the surgeon told Dad that she was able to get clear margins...meaning all of the tumor. He will be in recovery for a couple of hours and they will get to see him in about 2 hours. Everything seems to be going well out there! Thanks for all of the prayers and support...please keep them coming!

-Maggie

Surgery Day...

Beau will be heading into surgery tomorrow at 10:45 am (11:45 GA time). Please say some prayers for him and his surgical team. The surgery is supposed to last 5-6 hours. Buster and Jeanne flew out to Houston this morning to be there for the surgery and Jessica's mom will be there later in the week. He's got a long road ahead of him in the recovery department but we all know how determined and stubborn Beau is so we're thinking he'll bounce back faster than your average person :)

Beau, Jessica and my family would like to say a special thank you to the Turner family for being so great to Beau and Jessica. Steve Turner is the owner of the motor-sports team that Beau works for in Charlotte, and he's also the one that gave Beau the opportunity to run the four ARCA races that he ran last year. They happen to live near Houston and have given Beau and Jessica a place to stay while they have had to be out there. It's great for them to have some friends out there in Texas where they really don't know anyone else. Sandra, Steve, Kris and James - Thank you all so much for opening your home and your hearts to Beau and Jessica. You'll never know how much you are appreciated.

As Beau prepares for his surgery tomorrow and we prepare to pray him through it, I'd like to leave everyone with a reminder of how blessed he really is and the kinds of friends he has...here is a picture sent to me by some of the great friends that Beau and Jessica have made in North Carolina.....

Back Row:Kim, Bryan, Kathryn, Whitney, Ashley & Buck, Jared, and Steven...Front Row: Ben, Allison and Brooke

"For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." Romans 8:24-26

Update #2 from Houston...

Beau met with an orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday to discuss removing the tumor that is in his arm bone. They have decided to do it this Monday, August 9th. The surgery will invlove removing 17 cm of Beau's right upper arm bone, starting at the ball in the shoulder joint and extending downward, as well as tissue surrounding the tumor site. The bone will be replaced with a rod of some sort. Beau will spend 5 to 7 days in the hosiptal in Houston. He will have to wear a sling for 6 weeks and then begin 4 to 6 months of rehab back at home.

Please pray for Beau and Jessica as they go through this ordeal. It will be a long 6 months but Beau is strong and facing this with a positive attitude.

I will let everyone know of any updates that I hear from Houston...

-Maggie

Update #1 from Houston...

Beau had his full body PET scan yesterday and there were no signs of any tumors except for the one that we already knew was in his shoulder/arm! They will be deciding over the next few days about removing the tumor in his shoulder and what the plan of action will be. I will let you all know when I hear anything else...

Thanks for continuing to pray for Beau and Jessica!

-Maggie

Prayers would be appreciated...

Beau and Jessica are headed to M.D. Anderson early Monday morning. Please keep them in your prayers this week and I will post information as soon as we learn it.

I'm not sure of his schedule for tests yet but I know he is having a full-body PET scan plus blood work first. The biopsy of the tumor in his shoulder is not on his patient schedule yet, so we don't know when that will be.

Thanks for all of the support, prayers and kind words that have been sent their way over the past week. We are so blessed to have the kind of friends and family that we have....

~Maggie