My Dad
Many of you may know that my dad, Frank Luter, has had chronic severe back pain for several years now. He has undergone a variety of procedures over the years, to try to correct problem or alleviate the pain, but none have been particularly beneficial at this point. He has also spent several years on extremely high doses of pain reliever which makes him very sleepy and groggy all the time.
Recently, the doctor has decided that the next step (and hopefully the LAST) is to install a pump in him which will send morphine directly to his spine, bypassing his digestive and circulatory system. This will allow him to be on a MUCH lower dose of medication, allowing him to be more alert and functional, as well as protecting the rest of his body from the long-term effects of the drugs. Initially they will be inserting a temporary, and less invasive pump. This will be for the purpose of gauging how much relief he experiences, and determining whether a permanent pump truly is the best solution. It will really be up to my dad to decide whether the relief is enough to make the procedure worthwhile. In the mean time, my dad is in the process of weaning himself off of his pain medication, which is a very difficult and painful process. He must do this before he can have the temporary pump inserted next week. If all goes well, they will install the permanent pump about a month later.
We are all very eager to see the results of this! Please pray for my father as he continues going through the difficult process of withdrawing from his medication this week, and for his safety as he has the first procedure next week. Pray that he would receive dramatic relief from his pain. Pray also that God would direct the doctors hands, that they would perform the procedure properly.
