Fwd: Nathan update

A humbling remembrance of some hard times!! 

Thanks,

AnnMarie

Subject: Re: Nathan update

Hi friends and family,

We are so touched and overwhelmed by your support and love for Nathan and our family. So many of you have fasted and prayed in his behalf and have inquired about his well being. We feel so blessed and loved.

We wanted to take a minute and let you know the information that we received from the doctors today. We are still unsure about Nathan's final diagnosis and we won't have a confirmation until next Tuesday when he has an exploratory surgery. The doctors educated guess is that he has Crohn's Disease or Colitis. Currently he is anemic and has very low levels of protein because of the bleeding. 

Until we figure out what the true problem is and can can get the inflammation to go down, there is no use in him taking any supplements or medications because he is unable to absorb many nutrients right now. We hope to get more answers when they do his surgery.

He is very lethargic, pale and tired but maintains a very positive attitude. 

Please continue to pray for him and our family.  

-Jerry and AnnMarie

Below is a little info abut the 2 possible illnesses (thanks Dr. Skousen):

Crohn's disease: Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It causes inflammation of the lining of your digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea and even malnutrition. The inflammation caused by Crohn's disease often spreads deep into the layers of affected bowel tissue. Like ulcerative colitis, another common IBD, Crohn's disease can be both painful and debilitating and sometimes may lead to life-threatening complications.

Ulcerative colitis:  Ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes chronic inflammation of the digestive tract, is characterized by abdominal pain and diarrhea. Like Crohn's disease, another common IBD, ulcerative colitis can be debilitating and sometimes can lead to life-threatening complications. Ulcerative colitis usually affects only the innermost lining of your large intestine (colon) and rectum. It occurs only through continuous stretches of your colon, unlike Crohn's disease, which occurs in patches anywhere in the digestive tract and often spreads deep into the layers of affected tissues.