Please Pray for Floyd McClung
Floyd is one of Brad's mentors and visited our community last summer. He has spoken into Summer in the Grove the last two summers and now he needs our prayers. Please read the email below from his wife Sally.
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Tuesday, April 12th Update:
Dear Praying Friends,
Things started off very exciting just as I arrived at Floyd's room this morning! As I walked to the door, 3 nurses were rushing in. They had the curtain pulled, but I walked on in.
The physio had just finished, and was removing the cap on Floyd's neck tube in order to suction him. Just as she did that, he coughed a BIG cough. Yep - coughed stuff all over the room! I felt bad for the nurses! They kept assuring me everything was okay.
When the doctor came, he said "well if he can cough that strong, he can cough up secretions. I want that tube out so we don't get an infection from it." It came out today. :)
So the only "tube" left is the feeding tube. Wow - we've come a long ways! We used to have quite a collection of tubes and wires.
The doctor decided to stop the strong anti-coagulants that Floyd has been on. He is going to put him on an aspirin regimen now. Please just cover this in prayer that Floyd doesn't get any blood clots.
They did an ECG on him a few days ago - checking his heart rate. After the extremely low heart rate in the beginning......and then the time when it was over 200......and the time his heart stopped.......he just wanted to make sure his heart rate is doing okay. He said it was strong and regular. PTL!
The doctor feels Floyd's condition is stable. He thinks being transferred to a step-down/rehab hospital will be much more productive and comfortable. We are exploring this possibility now.
I feel like every day there are new things, new decisions. Pray for wisdom for me. I'm grateful there are decisions to be made because Floyd is still alive! We've had a few miracles along the way for that to be the case.
Someone wrote me that "God's silence (in the midst of praying for more miracles of full healing) is not His absence." As I was with Floyd today, I had such an assurance that God IS with us! If it was just a matter of the number of prayers, or the intensity of those prayers, or the faith in people's hearts......Floyd would be walking around well and whole. There is an amazing amount of prayer being lifted up on his behalf. But God is doing something beyond just healing Floyd. I don't understand it, but I know He's in control. I continue to pray for the full healing.......and I continue to trust Him. He's a good God.
And you, dear friends, are such a good comfort and support. Thank you for standing with us and continuing to lift Floyd to the Father. So very grateful!
Love,
Sally
Tuesday April 5th Update:
Dear Praying Friends and Ministry Partners,
Today has been quite the day......bear with me as I tell you the full story!
A few days ago we got such difficult news from the doctors. Based on 3 brain scans, they had determined that Floyd had had a very large stroke in his brain stem. They explained that he had what is called "locked in syndrome." This means he can probably hear everything around him - and most likely understand - but he wouldn't be able to respond in any way. They called it the "worst possible scenario."
They told us he would never speak, not be able to swallow, never walk - in fact probably never move off the bed. They prepared me for very difficult decisions I would need to make. They gave us a very dire prognosis. The last few days have been an agony as we absorbed these details, and also watched the distress that Floyd has been in.
Yesterday I had a sense that something was getting ready to change. I shared this with our family, but told them I didn't know if it was a good or bad change.......or even if I was right. But I couldn't shake the feeling. The weight of it was so heavy in my heart. Floyd's sister, Judy, was supposed to leave today, and I asked her if she wanted to wait a few days.
Late yesterday, they did an MRI of Floyd's brain to see what further information we could get that might be of help for treating him. I waited last night, but didn't get a call. This morning I woke up nauseous and shakey - I'm sure from all the stress. Before I could leave for the hospital, I got a call from the doctor. He said he had decided to wait and call me this morning after he could personally speak with the radiologist. Okay - are you ready for this?!
THERE WAS NO SIGN OF THE STROKE ON THE MRI!!!!
There was some age related degeneration in the brain (which we probably all have), but nothing of any serious nature. The area of the brain stem where the stroke was - "there's nothing of that nature now." He said "there really wasn't much to see."
He was, obviously, pretty surprised (stunned!). This is the same doctor who came to me after the surgery when they couldn't find any abscesses and said "I think you've had your answer to prayer." :) They may be a little embarrassed because they see something, prayers go up, and it's not there anymore. Twice now! God is awesome.
I think we've had the next miracle!!! Wow - thank you Jesus! It's fine if you want to stop and do a little victory dance......or shout......or just weep in gratitude and worship to the Lord with us.
Someone wrote me yesterday and said they had the words for Floyd - "cabin fever." Later in the day, someone else explained to me that there is something called "ICU syndrome." After so long in an artificial environment where there is no day/night difference, where the sleep/wake cycle is so disrupted, where there is no fresh air......it can began to have a very negative impact.
Today, after 6 weeks in ICU, Floyd was moved to a ward with his own room. It feels like a luxury hotel! A window, privacy, bigger bed, a bathroom, quiet, chairs for all of us to sit......oh my! It's wonderful.
Floyd already looks better and more peaceful! It's a distinct,visible change.
So, we've turned a big corner.......but we still need some more miracles.
The doctors can't explain what is happening in Floyd's body if he hasn't had a stroke. So here are the next prayer needs for his recovery:
- He needs to have a small surgery in the next 2 days to put in an abdominal feeding tube. This will require sedation. Pray protection over this process!
- His needs to start to swallow.
- He can move on his left side, but there is not much control.
- There has only been a very, very tiny bit of movement on the right side.
- He is "awake" but not fully so. There is a disconnect happening. We need a full, conscious awakening.
- He needs to be able to speak.
- And we still need to see all the secretions dry up.
I realize that's a pretty big list.......but when you look at where we've come from (remember the things I listed yesterday??)......it's a "small" thing for the Lord.
Our weak hearts have been strengthened by this new miracle. All we can say is "thank you Lord for answered prayers." We are so awed by His goodness.
So - will you please keep praying with us? You've helped pray us through a number of miracles - let's finish the journey together. :)
Love,
Sally
P.S. Another prayer need - I'm still dealing with the medical aid/insurance over unpaid bills. :( I was on the phone for a couple hours today. Please pray that this can be resolved. It seems so 'mundane' compared to the other prayer needs, but it is very important.
Subject: Thurs., March 24 update
Dear Praying Friends,
Today has been such a big day that I'm trying to think how to describe it to you. The word that comes to my mind is "tumultuous." I looked it up - full of ups and downs, a roller coaster. :) I think that fits! I've been on that roller coaster for awhile now.
I feel like I've been in the boat with Jesus in the midst of the storm. He's speaking "peace" but it's still been a roller coaster for me because I'm nervous around water. I like to look at it, but I don't like to be in it!! I was in deep today.
I arrived at the hospital this morning and was immediately met by the head nurse who wanted to update me. She said Floyd has 2 infections that he's fighting. They're hoping his body won't be resistant to the antibiotics to fight them - which she explained can happen after a while.
He had also just managed to pull out his IV line, so there was lots of commotion.
Today is 2 weeks since they starting trying to get him to come out of all the sedation. I think they had hoped to see more changes by now. The Dr. came in and started talking to me about all this. Her report was far from positive. I had the feeling they are trying to prepare me for more sobering news after the Easter holiday weekend. It was hard to hear her perspective.
I was absorbing all this when I had to go outside while they did some procedures with Floyd. While I was sitting in the waiting area, one of the doctors was talking to the family of another patient who is very ill. He was encouraging them to pray! He said I believe in the power of prayer. We do what we can, but there's a higher authority. He said he's seen things happen that they never expected. It was so timely for me to hear him saying this as a doctor.......even if he wasn't talking to me! It just got things immediately back into perspective.
Juergen & Monika Kramer, All Nations leaders from Germany and part of our international eldership, flew into Cape Town last night and came to the hospital today. When I took them in to see Floyd, the physical therapist, much to my surprise, had put Floyd into a chair to sit up! It was such a beautiful sight!!! He was breathing easier, and looked so at peace. The first time out of bed in 30 days!
We had such a sweet time of prayer. Juergen kept encouraging Floyd to wake up and come back to us. He told him we still needed him. After they left, I was sitting with Floyd and talking to him some more. I was telling him the same thing......and for the first time in all these weeks, Floyd looked straight at me and seemed to connect. It was very special and timely.
I can't help but think that this Easter weekend is significant. I told my friends today that I just can't stop believing for a miracle. Until God tells me to stop - or takes it from my heart - my heart is just so full of faith and hope. Maybe we'll look back and see that today was a turning point - the day the doctor seemed to be giving up hope.
I keep thinking about that snowball......we've had lots of good things happen today - small, but significant. The snowball is getting bigger.
Thank you for praying and believing with our family. Jesus is risen! We are trusting for that risen power to impact Floyd.
Love,
Sally
From Sally...
Dear Praying Friends,
The main goal today was to work on getting Floyd breathing more on his own. They want to get him completely off the ventilator, so they can better assess how he's doing. This will help them evaluate the effects of the stroke.
I "worked" hard this morning for hours trying to get him awake/alert. Kezia's voice (our granddaughter) finally turned the tide and I got his eyes open. Then I tried to keep them open. After a few hours I was so exhausted I had to let him doze. :) But Judy & Jim (his sister and brother-in-law) did better. They actually got him to move both hands! That was awesome!
Our All Nations family worldwide is having 3 days of fasting and prayer for Floyd this weekend. They are specifically praying for him to "wake up" and for there to be miraculous recovery. This is the second time of focused prayer they've had for Floyd - I'm so grateful!
With this in mind.......and, thinking of all of you praying for Floyd, I felt I wanted to share some encouragement of answered prayers from "Crisis Tuesday" - the day of Floyd's emergency surgery. I've already shared a bit - but I wanted to give more details.
On Monday night, March 7, the Dr. called with the MRI results. He said Floyd's legs were filled with multiple large and small abscesses and necrosis. This was all ravaging his body, and the pyomyositis infection was killing him. He needed surgery in the next 24 hours to survive.
When I got to the hospital Tues. morning, March 8, they were organizing for the surgery. The Dr., the surgeon, and the anesthesiologist all explained that the surgery was extremely risky. There was a high likelihood that Floyd wouldn't survive the surgery.......but without the surgery he couldn't survive. They planned to drain every single abscess all over his body (it looked like the abscesses had spread to other places) in order to get the infection out. They told us over and over that he probably wouldn't make it.
I think our whole family was in shock. Amazingly, we were all there - the last ones had arrived the day before. That's quite a miracle in itself. We each had a time to say goodbye to Floyd in case he didn't make it through. Then the family gathered around his bed and prayed. We released Floyd into God's loving hands and care......stating our absolute trust in a good God. Not a dry eye obviously.
Then Floyd went to surgery and we waited. I was preparing my heart in case the surgeon came out with the news that he was gone. When the surgeon came out he said, "well I don't know if I've got good news or bad news. He survived, but we couldn't find any abscesses!" They had inserted syringes into the abscess places (from what had been shown on the MRI) in order to pull out fluid. They wanted to test the fluid before they made the incisions to drain the abscesses. But the syringes all came back dry - they couldn't get any fluid. They checked over and over. He seemed actually a little sheepish when he explained this. He said he asked the radiologist, who was with him in surgery.......what did you see on the MRI??!! Actually three doctors had gone over the MRI and seen the abscesses.
I've told Floyd's doctor that while he's working from the medical side - we have many, many people praying for Floyd all over the world. I said we'll do our part while you do yours. When he came to talk to me after the surgery, his opening words were - "It looks like your prayers have been answered!" He explained again what happened, and said sometime between the MRI and surgery, maybe we had a healing. I think he was pretty surprised himself, but he shared all this with a big smile.
One of the nurses has since called it a miracle......the nurses talk together, so we know what they are thinking. :)
The doctors were baffled. Since then, they have tried to explain it all away......very creative explanations! I actually think they may be worried that we would sue them. We're Americans, and unfortunately Americans are known to be quite litigious. I just smile when they give all their new ideas.
You may remember I shared that one person said they saw 4 angels placing a canopy over Floyd's surgery table. It was a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. It seemed as if the Lord was speaking - "I've got this."
And He did "have it!" He saved Floyd's life and He removed all those abscesses. Now we pray for Him to heal Floyd's body and heal his brain from the stroke! Reworking all the brain cells would be easy for Him. Bringing back full mobility and strength - no problem! We serve a God of wonderful miracles - He raised Lazarus from the dead......Floyd is still alive. :)
Years ago one of our workers, Bill Burtness, in Amsterdam almost died. He came so close, but we prayed and prayed......and he made it through. He wrote me and said we must pray for Floyd in faith, not fear! I'm praying that way.
I'm trusting to see God work - this weekend, and in the days ahead. Nothing is impossible for Him! God is doing something bigger than Floyd, and He will be glorified through His works. Everyone says Floyd is going to have a wonderful testimony to tell in a new book. I can't wait to read it - I just need to live through it! :)
Thank you for praying and believing with us. You're part of the story!
Love,
Sally
Subject: Wed., March 16 update
Dear Praying Friends,
I was exhausted after being with Floyd for quite a few hours, but he happily slept away. :)
They had him breathing on his own, and because he was sleeping - the alarm would go off about every 30 seconds because his breathing became too shallow and too little. I started trying to keep him more alert/awake. I played songs, I sang, I talked, I squeezed his hand, I rubbed his cheeks, I told him to take deep breaths. I was "somewhat" successful. The alarm would only go off every 5-7 minutes......and his breathing rate tripled. But I was sure tired. I told him if he could hear me he was probably getting very irritated!!
They do feel his lungs are strengthening......which is so good.
We heard from a doctor friend in Kansas City who said Floyd needs the sleep to restore all that has been ravaged by this illness.
An ICU nurse wrote and said during this slow waking up time - the body is healing. We don't want to rush the process as the body is needing the time to heal.
And yet another nurse said that his markers need to be down, and he needs to breath on his own - before the body can start healing. Those things are starting to happen.
So we see this is all an important part of the process! We continue to be with him all day because when he starts waking up, we want him to see a familiar face! I'd love for it to be mine. :)
A friend of ours, Gordy McDonald, did a funny message to Floyd in the voice of an old fashioned style Pentecostal preacher telling Floyd it was time to "wake up." I thought that might help. :) He listened closely - but was actually more alert when Gordy sang "Blessed Assurance." The old worship songs and choruses - and the grandkids singing really get his attention.
We continue on the journey!! Thank you for walking with us. It's such a strength and comfort to know we're not alone.
Love,
Sally
Subject: Good news/Bad news - Thurs., March 17
Dear Praying Friends,
I had felt to wait a bit before writing my update this evening, and I'm glad I did.
First the good news. Floyd was more alert today. His eyes were clearer, he turned his head to follow voices, he's breathing a lot of the time on his own - lungs much stronger.
He particularly perked up to worship music. He was deep asleep when I first arrived, and as soon as I played some worship songs in his ear......his eyes popped open. It seemed almost as if the worship was feeding his soul while the drips and tubes are feeding his body. Very special.
However in the last week or so there has been virtually no movement on the right side of his body. I've talked to his doctors the last couple days, and today they did another head CT scan. The doctor called me this evening, and it showed Floyd has had a stroke.
This is affecting the right side of his body and the left side of his face (which we have noticed is drooping somewhat). She said it's not unusual, given his age and all he's been through. There's no way to know when it happened - except that on Sat. March 5 when they did a scan, there was no sign of a stroke. My suspicion would be that it happened around the surgery crisis day - or the day before when the abscesses were raging in his body.
Obviously this is very distressing news. His poor body has been through so, so much! You just wonder how he can recover from all this......but I know God can do miracles. Our only answer is to keep praying.
My whole devotional thought this morning was around the "joy of the Lord is my strength." I believe that.......and I will keep pressing into Him in worship for who He is for my strength. Please join me in that - we all need His strength!
Love,
Sally
Monday March 14th Update:
Dear Praying Friends,
Today was our daughter Misha's last full day - she'll leave from the hospital mid-day tomorrow. I'll miss her - she's been a big help and support. It's hard for her to leave without her dad waking up.
We wanted to give one last big push to get him awake. Misha said having a teenage boy who doesn't like to wake up to take out the garbage finally paid off! We did everything we could think of for a couple hours - and got the first responses we've had.
We played 2 tapes of the grandkids, Kezia & Luke, singing. He perked right up! And he kept turning his head from side to side to follow my voice. Misha got right in his face and talked up a storm! He would focus for a second or two, then zone out, but keep listening. We showed him pictures on her phone of the kids, and Misha read to him.
The nurses were coming over to watch, and kept saying "you're getting him to respond!" It was so encouraging. Baby steps, but so sweet! We finally realized we were tiring him, so we had to stop. He's slept most of the rest of the day. :)
Misha and I were exhausted after all this! We felt like we were putting on a 'dog and pony' show for him!! But we got responses.
We'll try again tomorrow morning before she leaves, but the best guess prognosis is that it'll take 2-3 weeks for him to wake up. The septic shock has so impacted his body.
We've had everyone tell him I come every day and that I'm doing okay - if I'm not there. The nurses were thinking he might worry about me, especially when they saw how he responded to my voice.
His numbers are still good. He's had a bit of a fever from time to time, but not high - and it doesn't last. They've watched that closely.
We're thankful for small beginnings.......and won't despise them!
(Zach. 4:10) Thank you for continuing to pray!
Love,
Sally
Friday March 11th Update
Dear Praying Friends,
Thank you for continuing to pray. It's been nice to have a couple quiet days, but things that happened today made me realize the battle isn't over yet. Today is day 18 of this journey!
Our family group here met over lunch today. First time we've been able to process and regroup since the trauma of Tues. We've been taking turns being with Floyd, but we've all needed some recovery time. It was good to talk and go over all that has happened. I think we are all still feeling the emotions of that day. It's been unusual for this many of our family to be together this week from various places around the world. Please pray for all of God's purposes for this time to be fulfilled in our being together. It's very special.
Floyd's brother-in-law, Jim, looked up Floyd's twitter account today. One of the last things Floyd posted (Feb. 22) before all this started (Feb. 23) - "Through a posture of honesty/humility, we can look to Jesus for comfort to guide us in the stormy seasons of life." Amazing timing for that post!
The first words in my mind this morning were "it's wake up day." Maybe I should have said - the "beginning" of wake up. They did stop all sedation. And they have cut down on the respirator so his lungs are forced to breath more.......but this is a s-l-o-w process!! He was wakeful, then slept, back and forth. They said it could take days.
We are praying for a spirit of peace as he awakens. I kept praying that over him and singing a song about peace. He seemed to be recognizing my voice.
They took the lung drainage tube out this morning, but they told us they are very concerned that he could develop pneumonia now. I guess it's not unexpected, but I didn't really want to hear that! Please pray for his lungs.
Floyd was a big topic of conversation at their Fri. morning "experts" meeting. They are still concerned about him - and somewhat baffled about his case. They are continuing to do tests to try and get some answers.
I sometimes feel like they aren't telling me everything. Please pray that we will know what we need to know - when we need to know it. I'm the type of person that does better knowing what I'm facing and preparing my heart for it.
Having said that, I had a good talk with Floyd's doctor. He said he's progressing well, but he's not "out of the woods." He goes on leave now for 2 weeks. Please pray for this time as Floyd will have a couple interim doctors overseeing his care.
Love,
Sally
Tuesday, March 9th Update
Dear Praying Friends,
We've had a good day! The family here has all been tired from the trauma yesterday. We divided up the day into shifts to be with Floyd, so that none of us had to be there all day. That's been helpful. I'm hoping to get to bed early for a change.
The day has been quiet. :) They are very slowly trying to bring him out of sedation. His body is reacting a bit to coming off the meds, so they aren't going to rush.
The most wonderful thing is that his fever hasn't spiked in the afternoon/evening today - first day! I consider that a really big answer to prayer.
His eyes followed me quite a few times today - he is definitely recognizing our voices - and Judy said his eyes were remarkably clear in late afternoon.
He is just starting to take a few breaths on his own.
I realize these things sound small, but in light of what we've been through - they're huge. We are rejoicing.
We're still in a waiting mode to see what the next few days will hold. The Dr. says a "quiet" day is really good! He said he was stable overnight.
It's two weeks ago today that I took him to Emergency.......what a two weeks it's been!
Love,
Sally
P.S. Thank you for the many, many ideas and suggestions for treatment that have been sent to me. I appreciate your love and concern for Floyd. I have prayerfully thought and considered each one. Some I have mentioned to the Dr.
P.P.S. Just to mention again that Floyd has not been on his phone (or email of course) in over 2 weeks. I still see that many of you are texting and calling him. I don't know if he'll ever be able to catch up on all those......and I'm not using his phone at all. I just don't want you to be expecting answers. :)
P.P.P.S. Someone said they saw 4 angels right by his hospital bed. Misha and I wondered if 2 of them were us? :)
Subject: Tues., March 8
Dear Praying Friends,
It's been quite the day for us! They had prepared us that Floyd probably wouldn't make it through surgery. We had gathered as a family around his bed to pray, we'd each had a time to say goodbye, and we awaited news from the surgeon.
When he came out, the surgeon said they couldn't find the abscesses that they saw on the MRI scans. They feel we need to wait a few days, do another MRI, and decide if we do another surgery. But - Floyd made it through the surgery!!! He is resting now - we'll know more in the coming days.
Our family is emotionally drained - it was another roller coaster day - to say the least! We are so grateful Floyd made it - and we're trusting for good news in the days ahead.
We feel God answered prayers that Floyd is alive tonight! I honestly wasn't sure what I'd be facing this evening. One person said they saw 4 angels placing a canopy over Floyd's surgery table. It was a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. It seemed as if the Lord was speaking - "I've got this."
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your prayers. Many of you contacted me and told me you prayed thru the night in your time zone when Floyd was in surgery. I can't tell you how grateful our family is for your love and care.
There's a lot more to share from the day - many more details, but we just need to see how the next few days go - and then we'll tell you the whole story of the day.
We are trusting we'll have more good news to share in the days ahead.
Love,
Sally
Tuesday March 8th: Urgent Prayer Update
To Sally's Praying Friends
This is Julie, writing to you on behalf of Sally, who is at the hospital right now. Floyd needs your urgent prayers.
Sally met with Floyd's doctor this morning and he told her that they have scheduled Floyd for surgery at 3PM today, Cape Town time.
They plan to go into his legs and hips and remove every abscess they can find, of which there are many. They are also going to look over his whole body to see if there are other abscesses anywhere else, and they will remove those too.
He explained to Sally that this is extensive surgery and is extremely high risk because Floyd is so weak from what his body has already been through. At the same time, they cannot risk not doing it because they need to rid Floyd's body of the infection. The surgery will take a minimum of 2 hours and possibly longer, depending on how many abscesses they find.
The implications for his survival, his recovery, and his mobility are huge so please could you cover the whole process in prayer.
This news has hit the family very hard, please could you pray for them too.
It is hard to find words to express the depth of gratitude that Sally has for all of your faithful prayers. Thank you for praying again with us today during this critical time.
Warm Regards
Julie Tulleken
PA to Floyd
Monday March 7th Update
Dear Praying Friends,
It's been a whirlwind day. It started with a conversation with Floyd's doctor early in the day about how to proceed this week with finding the source of what is still wrong. I had asked people to pray for our conversation as I was pressing as an advocate for Floyd to leave "no stone unturned" in getting to the bottom of this. On paper, all his numbers are good and stable.......but on the weekend I felt I was losing him.
The doctor moved at lightening speed all day. We had to do a tracheostomy as the ventilator breathing tube had been in too long now. We were told this couldn't happen until tonight - and it was done about an hour later.
He called the infectious disease specialist immediately that had been recommended to me. He knew her and often consults with her.
He scheduled an MRI for this afternoon - we were first told it would be tomorrow.
The doctor kept coming in to talk to me/update me.......I think 4 visits just in the morning.
We just got a call from the doctor - and they found what is probably the source of all that has been going on! We know he has pyomyositis caused by staph aureus. The MRI showed pockets of abscesses primarily in the left leg where all this started in the glutes, hamstring, and hips. He will need surgery to drain all of the abscesses and biopsy them as soon as can be arranged in the next 24 hours.
We have wanted to do an MRI for days but his condition was too unstable after his heart stopped, with his kidneys not working, and with one lung collapsing. Thankfully, they have gotten all his numbers stabilized and could now risk moving him and doing the MRI - and we got the answers we've been praying for!!! Thank you Jesus!!!! This explains why his fever has kept being high.
From what we're reading - we found this just in time. It wasn't far from taking his life. I am grateful and trusting it can be turned around. This disease is rare and usually in children in tropical countries - not 70 year old men. I can't begin to understand where he got it.
Dozens of other details, but this is the big picture. Please pray now that this surgery will go well and that his condition will stay stable enough for such a lengthy and invasive surgery. And that all of the infection will be found and drained so that his body can heal and face the lengthy antibiotic treatment he needs.
Pray he makes it through the night so this surgery takes place. He is still in a life threatening situation.
Love,
Sally
Saturday, March 5th Update: Keep Praying!!
Dear Praying Friends,This has been a hard day. Floyd's condition on some levels seems to have worsened. On paper things look good, but in reality he was incredibly sick today. I think it was my hardest day so far.
A friend of ours felt last Sat. that the Lord spoke into her heart that God was drawing a line and saying "that's enough - no more." She feels the enemy is now having tantrums. Those would be interesting to see! :) If that's the case, we need to pray that those tantrums will stop!
I honestly wonder how much more Floyd's body can take. He seems "frail" - which isn't a word I would think of with Floyd! My "gentle giant" has always been strong.
I shared concerns I had with the Dr. on call this weekend. She was feeling similar ones and seems very personally interested in Floyd's situation. I'm grateful for that. I felt heard and validated when I spoke with her about what I was seeing and sensing today.
For the family - today was hard. Please pray for our hearts......and our strength. I'm feeling the weariness of many days of this now.
We need answers and miracles for Floyd!!!! Thank you for all your prayers on Floyd's behalf. Please keep pressing in with us.
Love, Sally
P.S. Someone said Floyd will have a new book from all this - better than "Living on the Devil's Doorstep." I said maybe he can call it "Living on Heaven't Doorstep" - I think that's where he's been!
Subject: Fri., March 4 update
Dear Praying Friends,
For a lady who absolutely doesn't like roller coasters, I'm getting really tired of this ride!! The roller coaster continues. Today is day 10 in the hospital - day 11 since this started.
We've been encouraged by small signs of recognition as they tried to bring Floyd out of sedation. Blinking, looking right at us, trying to move his mouth. It's slow, but probably all his body can handle.
On the breathing monitor, we can see he's taking a few breaths on his on. His color was good - his breathing even.
Then things started changing......they started telling us concerns. His limbs (arms and legs) are not responding at all to physical therapy. He should be having some muscle contraction, but there's none.
He's on 3 very strong anticoagulants. They think his heart attack was caused by a blood clot from the infection. They are concerned about more blood clots. He has 2 unusual "bumps" on his head - maybe hematomas.......possibly related to this. Dr. has never seen anything like them before.
They still have no idea what the primary infection/illness is.
They made it clear that he's definitely not out of the woods yet!!
We had to leave for an hour while they did some procedures. When we returned, his whole appearance had changed. He looked pretty bad and his fever had spiked. We couldn't believe the change in such a short period of time.
We ended the day very, very concerned. We had been hoping he'd turned a corner......but now it looks like it could be going the wrong direction. :(
The roller coaster is hard on all of us in the family. We're keeping our focus on Jesus - our healer!! Someone sent me the Jan. 4 devotional from "Jesus Calling." It's about learning a new habit - saying "I trust you Jesus" in response to whatever happens. I'm putting that into practice! I trust Him for Floyd right now.
Meanwhile in the US, Lionel, our son-in-law, is taking care of the family while our daughter Misha is here. This is the busy tax season in his business (they make most of their annual income in this season), and he's covering all Misha's responsibilities as well. He's stretched to the max. It's such a blessing to have Misha here.......please remember Lionel in prayer while he "holds the fort."
I'd appreciate if you'd remember all our family in prayer in this vulnerable time:
Misha - our daughter
Matthew - our son
Alan & Trish - Floyd's brother and sister-in-law
Jim & Judy - Floyd's sister and brother-in-law
Maureen Menard - our "adopted family member" - we even gave her a certificate a few years ago from our family. :)
Thank you!
Love,
Sally
P.S. There is a large Muslim family gathered in Critical Care. The matriarch is dying......the patriarch died 10 days ago. We have befriended them and shared stories.......as you often do in situations like this. There is a real tenderness in one of the daughters. Please remember all of them in prayer. I've been praying for the mother to have a dream of Jesus before she leaves this earth!
UPDATE 3.3.16: Email from Sally
Thursday Update on Floyd
From Sally...
Dear Praying Friends,
I had a surprise when I got to the hospital this morning! The Dr. said he was ready to try and bring Floyd out of the sedation. He said they've been monitoring him closely the last couple days while it's been "quiet." They felt his numbers are looking good, and his inflammatory numbers have been coming down. They feel it's time to try to do this.
The Dr. said they feel the antibiotics are beginning to target the unknown primary infection. We'll probably never know what it was! But at least it seems to be being impacted by the medicine finally.
Through the day we saw a few very tiny signs of recognition from Floyd, but it's the very beginning of the process. Will most likely take days. By late afternoon, Floyd was getting agitated and they stopped the process. We'll continuetomorrow.
I was surprised how intense this was for me. I would never have anticipated that. I was so exhausted at the end of the day. I think it's my most intense so far - which again was not what I would have expected.
Please pray for this process!!!! We don't know what to expect - don't know how long it will take. Pray for Floyd - and pray for all of us in the family as we're with him in the process. Floyd's brother and sister-in-law arrive in a few hours.
We're happy we're at this point, and trusting for God to oversee the process. Grateful for your prayers to carry us through it!
Love,
Sally
We are NOT fighting against flesh and blood -- this is spiritual warfare...
Older Post // Thank You For Praying!
UPDATE 3.3.16: Email from Sally
Thursday Update on Floyd
Dear Praying Friends,
Some of you have asked me what Floyd's situation is in the hospital. He's in a bed in the Critical Care unit. Critical Care is a step up from ICU in the States. For the last few days, he's been the most critical patent there. He has quite a few tubes and wires - today there were 8 drips going and he's on a ventilator that breathes for him. He's completely sedated, so there's no communication - but we talk to him, tell him we love him, tell him of all the people praying for him, and tell him we can't wait for him to get better. I hold his hand and kiss him. It is hard and sad.......but I continually have faith and hope in my heart.
Many of you know that I faced ovarian cancer last year. It was an intense season thru the chemo. But I must say that, compared to Floyd, that feels like it was just a sore throat. This is so much more/worse.......so I'm so grateful for your persistent prayers.
This morning I was praying very early for Floyd, and I felt like the Lord said that this isn't just an "old age" thing with Floyd being 70 years old now. This is abattle, and we must continue to fight in prayer. Thank you for standing with us in doing this. I realize the intensity of prayer over many days can be wearying......thank you for hanging in there with us until we see the breakthrough.
Today brought some points of encouragement. The Dr. called me with some positive news for the very first time. His fever is down, his kidneys are better, and the Dr. feels his is somewhat more even. It was quiet today - no dramas.
To quote Floyd's sister - "my heart is cautiously soaring." We are praying for the good things to continue and increase........and for no more setbacks.
Misha thought her dad's mind might be getting bored (knowing Floyd!), so this morning she read to him. He became a bit restless......we think he may have been recognizing her voice. Some friends have been sitting with him and reading scriptures too - which we feel will feed his spirit.
One of the things Misha and Matthew have been doing for me is sitting with their dad to give me breaks. Matthew sits with him through the afternoon so I can go home earlier. He'll also be helping with the logistics of the rest of our family coming in. I'm so grateful for their support.
I keep feeling that this is not the end, but the beginning of something new and wonderful in Floyd's life. Will you pray with me for that?
Love,
Sally
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.
UPDATE 3.1.16: Email from Sally
Tuesday Update on Floyd
Dear Friends,
It has been a "quiet" day. We're grateful for that. Gives us a chance to catch our breath!
Two big areas for prayer:
- the infection in the leg is the secondary infection. Still do not know what the primary one is. Please pray for wisdom in finding this. This is huge that we still aren't targeting the biggest problem!
- his heart rate is staying high. They know this is from the sepsis, but it's hard on his heart and body. Pray it comes down.
I am blessed, humbled, and grateful for the outpouring of prayer. God must know we need it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Someone said - there's going to be a wonderful new book for Floyd in the testimony of this. I can't wait to see all that God is going to do.
Blessings and love,
Sally
P.S. My daughter moved in with me tonight - so nice to have her company! :)
UPDATE 2.29.16: Email from Sally
Monday Update on Floyd
Dear Friends,
Today has been another roller coaster day. Each day I hope to give you a glowing, positive report with all good news.....but not quite yet.
Late last night, Floyd's left lung collapsed and they had to put a drain in. This morning they called in a Professor. He examined all the xrays and data and says he doesn't think there was permanent damage. That's good news. And he hopes the drain can be removed in a day or so.
At the beginning of the day, Floyd's fever was gone - very good news.
A friend from Scotland came in to pray with me for Floyd - he said he sensed such joy in the room. We've prayed for that - for a spirit of worship in the room......so that was encouraging. He said he didn't even sense heaviness in the Critical Care Unit. All good news.
Our son arrived last night - our daughter today. Very good news! So happy to have them here.
Then the roller coaster went down a bit. Floyd's fever started climbing. A couple times while we were sitting with him, he suddenly turned a gray white. Obviously so much is happening in his body.
The Dr. met with the 3 of us to give an overview to catch Misha & Matthew up. In the process, he explained that (contrary to what they thought a few days ago) they don't think they've identified the infection.
He was hopeful in the morning that the antibiotics were working, but with all that happened today they don't feel they have the answer yet. That was disappointing. Not good news but so important to know how to pray!!
They also need him to improve sufficiently for some wires to be removed so that they could do an MRI. This could provide helpful information, so pray that can happen.
The Dr. feels there is a minimum of another 2 weeks in Critical Care - and 2 weeks in a ward. That was not what we wanted to hear, but it's helpful to know what we're facing. Please pray for us as we face the these coming weeks. We're praying for the miracles, but this could take some time.
We're not discouraged - we wait for the turn on that cul-de-sac I wrote about yesterday!! We have great hope and faith that God will turn the tide for Floyd.
Please pray into the specific prayer needs - that would be so helpful. I can't tell you how grateful we are for all the mighty warriors walking with us through this battle. Thank you!!
Love,
Sally
P.S. I just got news from the hospital. After all the ups and downs of the day, Floyd is resting comfortably and he is stable tonight. So grateful for that!
Evening Update on 2.28.2016
Dear Friends,
Thank you for your continued prayers for Floyd. We can "feel" them and we are so very grateful.
Today was mostly quieter. Floyd is still int the same stable, but critical condition. Because of being on sedation, his body is "resting" and the doctors think this will help promote healing.
Please pray that his lungs clear - they are struggling greatly this evening. That his kidneys begin to function well, and that his heart stays strong.......along with praying that the antibiotics kill the infection!
We continue to receive many, many messages of encouragement that Floyd will live......word after word of "life." We are hoping, praying, trusting for that!! I'm not ready to lose my "gentle giant." We are trusting for a mighty miracle so there will be a mighty testimony to God's greatness.
The Lord spoke to me late last night that this time right now is not wasted. While Floyd is unconscious, God is speaking to him. Will you join me in praying for them to have special conversations?!
One dear friend shared a picture last night that he had received in his heart about Floyd. Of the many things being given to us, this is one I felt I should share. Floyd was on a journey, out walking......and he was walking down a cul-de-sac - which of course is in a half circle shape. Floyd was at the top of the circle and coming back around the other side. Our friend felt the Lord told him that Floyd is getting ready to come back around! The battle is turning. Amen! Let it be Lord! Life!
Many of you have contacted me and asked about going to see Floyd - to express your love and support and to pray for him. Thank you for your heart to do that! It means a lot to us. However, may I request that you wait. There will be a time for that when he's better, but it's not right now. This is a sensitive time in Floyd's recovery, and we need to keep things quiet and limit the people being with him. Our family members start arriving tonight. Obviously we want them to have times with Floyd. I don't want to be unkind in any way, but I'd be grateful if you'd respect Floyd's privacy in this vulnerable time.
Our thanks & love,
Sally
UPDATE 2.27.2016: Email from Sally
Subject: Sat. evening news
Dear Friends,
My day began with shocking news early this morning. Floyd's heart had stopped! It's a phone call you never want to get. They had resuscitated him and put him on a ventilator.
I rushed to the hospital. He has lots of wires and tubes, but is resting peacefully. In some ways it made me feel it may help his body heal. He was so agitated yesterday. I and some of our leaders stood by his bed and prayed life and health over him at various times today.
They think he had a small heart attack yesterday before the big one today.
His condition is bad. Septic shock is still impacting him. The very, very strong infection is still raging. There may still be something undiscovered. There is some fluid building on his lungs, so they are concerned about pneumonia. They just kept telling me over and over that it's critical.
We need some big miracles. The messages are flooding in from all over the world. There have been some powerful words about Floyd's future - that his life isn't over - that he will live and have good health. I'm grateful for the encouragement......now I'm praying it will happen.
Thank you for praying for this with us!
Love,
Sally
UPDATE 2.27.2016: Email from Floyd's Personal Assistant
Subject: Urgent Prayer for Floyd Please!
Hello
I am writing this email on behalf of Sally again to ask for urgent prayer please.
Floyd's heart stopped at 6am this morning. The doctors managed to get it going again but his situation is critical. He is on ventilators now and the doctors are extremely worried about him.
Please please pray fervently!
Sally appreciates your prayer and support more than you know. Please keep her lifted up too.
Thank you so very very much
Blessings
Joolz
PA to Floyd
UPDATE 2.26.2016: Email from Sally
Dear Friends,
Thanks for your prayers for Floyd. It has been quite a day. I arrived at the hospital today to find people rushing all around caring for him. His heart rate had suddenly spiked to near 200 because of the infection. They were trying to bring it down, and prepping him to use the paddles for electric shock to bring the heart back into a normal rhythm.
When they did that, it came lower......but they've been still trying to get it to normalize. They said the infection is ravaging his body on so many levels because of the septic shock.
They did more tests, added medicines.......and finally felt they had some answers around mid-day. It's a particular staph infection deep in the muscle of the thigh on both sides called myocitis. They adjusted the antibiotics and have hope that this will kill it. They explained that the next 48 hours are crucial! Please keep praying.
He had a couple peaceful hours, and then his heart rhythm started going all over the place again. It will probably keep fluctuating while we wait for the medicines to work. The nurses told me they are very worried - we just have to keep praying.
I finally came home to rest, but they will call me if anything changes.
Floyd has been mostly "out of it" from all the medication, but right before they shocked him he grabbed my hand and said we have to pray. He prayed.......and asked the Lord to preserve his life. It's the only clear thing he's said all day. I felt it came from the depth of his soul - God moving him in clear prayer. It touched me deeply. I thought I might be watching my husband die, but in that moment faith rose in my heart afresh thru Floyd's prayer!
Everything is still very vulnerable during these next 48 hours. Thank you for standing with us. I, or Floyd's assistant Julie will communicate with you as we have news.
With love,
Sally
UPDATE 2-26-2016: URGENT PRAYER for Floyd McClung:
Floyd is a very special friend and mentor and is currently very sick in South Africa and needs prayer. His body is fighting an infection and the doctors are running test to determine where the infection is coming from. Please join us in praying for Floyd to be healed. Also pray for his wife, Sally as she is there taking care of him.
UPDATE 2-25-2016: Floyd is getting worse continue to pray!
Update from Floyd's Twiiter: "2nd day in ICU. Kidneys performing at 25%. Doctors waiting for results of blood cultures to identify infection. Thanks for prayers"
UPDATE 2.24.2016: Email from Sally McClung
Dear Praying Friends,
You helped pray me through my cancer.......now I need to ask you to pray for Floyd. I've just admitted him into High Care/Critical Care (Intensive Care for Americans) in the hospital.
He woke up a couple nights ago in severe pain in his left thigh. He went to the Dr. - who sent us to the hospital for some tests. A femoral hernia and DVT were ruled out. They didn't know what it was. They sent us home with pain killers and anti-inflammatories and said to see how it went.
It was a rough night - by morning I knew he needed help. The pain had spread to both legs. We rushed to emergency......they took one look at him and took him in ahead of a waiting room of people. Then they took his blood pressure which was alarmingly low. They speeded him through a gamut of tests.
It turns out he has a viral or bacterial infection. His CRP count is 229, normal is 5. They said he's in septic shock. He's on antibiotics while they try to isolate what the infection is. It would have been a short amount of time before his body started shutting down.
They've given him adrenaline to try and bring blood pressure up. It's been an intense, rather scary day while we searched for answers. They were so puzzled by the unusual combination of symptoms.
Please, please pray that they can find the specific infection.......and that his blood pressure stays up. He's pretty weak and weary at the moment. I don't think I've ever seen him so "low" and so weak.
I will send more news as I can - I'm a little overwhelmed with trying to communicate and care for Floyd with all the medical details. :) Yes, even a lot for my detailed personality!! But I wanted you to know - and we sooo need your prayers!
Grateful for your prayer support.
Love,
Sally - for both of us