Update on Mum’s Health – Wednesday 2.3.2022

Dear Friends,

Mum slept deeply last night – which allowed Sheba and I to have our best nights yet.  Tonight Mum’s sleep started well, but as of 11 PM, she seems a bit restless again.  She just told me “I am trying to get out of this bed, but can’t.”  And that she is very thirsty.  We found that Mum has a very dry throat as she sleeps with her mouth open and we heat the room with an electric heater.  But when Mum drinks water at night there is always a danger of her aspirating.  Being tired she drifts into sleep while sipping her water and then wakes up coughing to our distress.   Mum’s life is now one where even tasks that seen so easy for many of us can be so complicated for her. 

Tonight, for the first time in 8 nights, Mum is sleeping without an oxygen mask.  She did not use oxygen for most of the day and has acceptable oxygen saturation values (given the 2 km altitude we are here in Mussoorie).  She was also given her last dose of antibiotics today, and took a medication to help replenish her iron stores since Mum lost a lot of blood in her fall(s).   These steps show that we are nearing the end of her hospitalisation – and transitioning into a period of rehabilitation. 

The big step forward for Mum today was a visit by Mr. Pritam, a young and dynamic physiotherapist.  Mr. Pritam is a contract staff at the medical centre of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Administrative Academy.  This is where our Indian Administrative Service officers are trained and lies almost as far away from Landour as you can get in Mussoorie.  But we were so glad that Mr. Pritam came this evening and spent an hour with Mum.

Mr. Pritam first assessed the extent of Mum’s immobility.  He was happy to note that even in her flaccid right side, her limbs are show at least faint responses to brain control.   This is really good news and holds a lot of hope for restoration.   Mr. Pritam told us that the task is now to help the brain recognise the limbs and their various sub-parts, and work on re-igniting contact between them and the brain.  There is actually the possibility of rewiring going on in the brain where new areas take control of the motor movements of the limbs.  Amazing stuff to imagine.  And the remarkable thing is that the means of teaching the brain to do this rests in the simplicity of repeatedly moving the currently less-responsive parts.  Parallel to this, we want to work to try to and help Mum’s brain to move them – first in simple ways, and then with greater coordination and dexterity.  

And so Mr. Pritam started to do some basic physiotherapy – rotating the fingers, then the hand, then the arm (similarly with her feet and legs).  These movements were being taught to us to be done regularly for Mum - to help Mum’s brain recognise these parts. 

After this, Mr. Pritam worked with Mum, asking her to do try and move various parts.  Mum responded willingly and was able to do so with various levels of success.  You could see how hard she was trying to move her right leg up.  Having seen it basically useless for the past week, it was a joy ­for us to see her being able to bend it to an almost normal level, though she was exhausted with the effort.  That particular exercise now needs to be repeated many times so that it becomes second-thought stuff, instead of an act where Mum pours all her will and emotion into moving a limb in a way most of us never think twice about.  

On her left side, the ability to do basic tasks with her limbs is better than her right, but there is a lack of coordination and strength.   Mum is basically unable to feed herself at this point, but after this session, we encouraged her to use her left hand to put a few morsels of food in her mouth.  She did so with some difficulty.   We know that there is still a loooooong way to go, but we were glad that Mr. Pritam has helped make a big step forward.  He was also happy with Mum, and said that because she had been so, her body did not suffer so much from the stroke – and that her chances of regaining full motor control are so much better than many of his other patients.  We are so proud of Mum responding so determinedly to all his instructions.  She did not complain or say ‘I cannot do this,’ even in the times when after trying she has not do a task (like moving her thumb on her right hand). 

Mum’s first physiotherapy session showed us a whole set of exercises and basic physiotherapy actions.  And more exercises will come as she (re)gains some of these basic activities.  We now know that Mum has to learn again to hold her head up (to strengthen her neck) and sit up (to strengthen her back).   As we hope to move Mum from the hospital bed into the world outside – it is one in which Mum has to re-learn much what we take for granted. Today was the first day into uncharted territory for us, where Mum will have to work hard in body and mind and soul.  We are so glad for her determination and have already seen a small improvement in her being able to flex her right leg more than she has before.    

Please continue to pray for strength (and rest) for today, and bright hope for tomorrow.

Thanks for your love and prayers.

- Andi and Sheba Eicher (on behalf of the various scattered Eichers)

p.s. If you wish to stop receiving these updates – please just drop me a line – it is no problem to remove your name from our list! 

In the meantime – thanks to all who have sent whatsapp messages and mini-recordings which we played to her.  Mum has so appreciated hearing from you!

Update on Mum’s Health – Tuesday 1.3.2022

Dear Ones,

The room is in darkness, a yellow glow from the oxygen concentrator’s panel and the orange column of the electric heater offer a bit of light, with the light from the door showing two sleeping figures.  Sheba in the far bed and Mum in the middle one, deep in sleep (even though dog is barking noisily below our window) thanks in part to one of her new medicines (and lots of your prayers).

We have crossed into March for which we are very grateful and have now completed a week at Landour Community Hospital.  Mum continues a process of restoration.  We are so glad that she was so sharp mentally today.   She recognised visitors, asked about their children, made jokes, prayed, cried, received a few short phone calls (including from Premila).  A number of times Mum expressed just how grateful she was that she was being cared for by the extended family.  We see all of this as evidence of deep grace. 

Just 72 hours ago Mum’s condition was so touch-and-go…  today she ate oats in the morning (and shared an egg-bujia toast from our breakfast), drank a mid-morning juice, had a few grapes, had rice, dal and veggies pureed with fresh squeezed orange juice for lunch, ate a whole ice-cream cone in the afternoon, and a special vegetable curry for dinner made by Neeru.   We were actually able to lift her out of the bed this morning and sit her in a chair for some minutes in the morning as the sun streamed in the windows.  Then in the afternoon we did the same thing – only this time in a wheel chair and took her outside into the sun for some time.  All of this, plus a steady stream of visitors, meant that Mum was tired at the end of the day – but we did saw very little of the drifting in and out of sleep / consciousness that had been the norm earlier.

Mum is still very tired and needs rest and recuperation.   And yet she is deeply touched when people come to visit.  How to tell people not to come? So many are dear ones who have been blessed with her, or who have stood by her so much in the past.  Hospital staff pop in and ask her in Hindi “how are you doing Aunty?”   She normally does not respond with the expected “I am fine,” instead Mum says “I am getting better.”  Today she cried a number of times as she interacted with visitors.   We had many prayer sessions in this room of ours are LCH – thank our dear Jesus for His on-going mercies.

We have been having the first conversations around her remembering the traumatic experience of her falls and the emergency steps taken.  Mum told us that she remembered feeling so alone, lying in the bed in a pool of blood, waiting for someone to come, calling out to God for help.  And seeing the expression on Vickey’s face when he arrived. And the room soon filling up with men who took her up to Sisters Bazaar.  Of seeing the trees and sky as she was being carried in a stretcher. Of the crowd waiting at the top, reminding her of Dad’s last trip up the hill.  “I thought that this meant I will die” said Mum to us today.   Well, Mum is still alive, but the challenges of processing these hard days will take much time.  Your prayers are cherished for Mum as she works through these issues.

We also have to remember that at this point Mum is functionally paralysed.  She has very little ability to use her right arm and leg, and limited functionality in the left set.  Mum faces that deep challenge of being cared for in all her activities of daily living.  Our next steps for her… are to see that she can take steps.   And that is likely to take…. Weeks? Months?  We really don’t know as we have not gone through this before.  Please focus your prayers on bringing functionality back.  So that she can get out of bed, walk around, make herself a cup of coffee, read her Bible up in the prayer room etc.   Currently all she can do is lie in bed and has to have others do almost everything for her.   This is an incredibly hard situation to be in, especially for a tough, thin German lady who used to do an hour walk everyday up and down her beloved hillside in Landour.  Please pray for Mum as she begins to realise her current situation.  She said yesterday that she feels like a ‘dead fish.’   Pray for restoration of strength, patience and perseverance to help her in each small increment of rehabilitation, and for hope and joy to pull her through.  

Amazingly, we will be reaching the end of Mum’s hospital care in a day or two.  Her courses of antibiotics are coming to an end.  Her sutures have been removed.  She is due off oxygen any day now.  The question of where Mum should be for her next stage, one of rehabilitation is looming large.  Please pray for us as we examine the possibility of her being cared for at Shanti Kunj, as well as the other option of her coming with Sheba and myself to Asha Kiran Hospital (which would include a mind-boggling journey across our beloved land).   We all yearn to hear from God what He said through His prophet Isaiah: ”And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it”  (Isaiah 30.21a).

Thank you again for walking along with us on this road.

- Andi and Sheba Eicher (on behalf of Eichers everywhere)

Update on Mum’s Health – Monday 28.2.2022

Dear Friends,

It’s been a week since Mum had her fall(s) at home in Shanti Kunj.  We look back on this week with our heads still spinning as she was in such a critical state just a few days ago.  By God’s abundant grace, the has come out of the ‘valley of the shadow of death’ and has returned to the land of lucidity as well.   

We have now spent the better part of this week in ‘our room’ at the Landour Community Hospital.  Mum has stabilised in so many ways and is almost off oxygen.  She had her naso-gastric tube removed earlier today and is now drinking liquids with a straw and eating her meals.  She is almost off oxygen and her kidney function as improved.  We are thankful for each step of grace that she is receiving.

What is slowly dawning on Mum is that she is bed-ridden, and cannot at this point care for herself.  The stroke condition she is in at present means that she cannot move herself around in bed – let alone get out of it.  She has minimal movement control in both her legs and arms, with the left-side limbs marginally better than the right-side ones. 

Please pray for Mum in this situation which is so opposite of who she has been for so many years.  As a woman with a big heart who cared for so many others, she now has to be cared for.  As an active soul who loves the outdoors and had a daily prayer walk of at least 1 hour up and down the hillside, she now is confined to her bed and needs help to be shifted from one side to the other.  As a person who would set her times and go up to the prayer room at Shanti Kunj for her morning devotions, she now is ‘at the mercy of’ the hospital rhythm of blood tests, feeding times, bed change times, blood pressure and oxygen saturation monitoring. 

Mum’s nights have been hard the last 2 days – as she has regained much of her consciousness, the restlessness has increased.  During the day there is a rhythm of feeding and people coming to meet, but the nights are long. 

As I write this at 2 AM on the 1st of March (!), Mum is struggling to fall back to sleep after having slept for a good portion of the night so far.  She asked me for water, and asked whether she can leave her bed for a few minutes.  Along with the nurses, I helped change her position, and while she was drinking water she drifted off to sleep, but now she is ‘hell-wach’ (wide awake in German) and is finding it hard to sleep.

We met with our wonderful psychiatrist Dr. Raja this morning and he has suggested for Mum to express her feelings about her current condition – as a “Psalm 151” – Christa’s psalm.   Speaking out to God from the heart about how she feels, and also reminding herself of who God is during this time.  There is a lot of processing that all of us need as we walk through this valley.  We know that our Good Shepherd knows the way forward, but the way seems so hard at times.    

Thank you for your prayers.  We started to read to Mum some of the comments that you sent to the Whatsapp group and on her FB page.  Her face lit up when we would share your name – and what you wrote to her.  For those who recorded messages and sent them by whatsapp – we were able to play them which she enjoyed. 

And so we close the chapter on February 2022 and step into March.   What will this month hold for us?  Only the Lord Jesus Himself knows.  He knows how weak we are as sheep, and in His great love comes after us to find us.  Your prayers continue to be cherished as Mum ‘walks’ into a new chapter of her life – while (at this time at least) not being able to walk at all.   We need our Lord so much during these days.  Thank you for standing with us.

- Andi and Sheba Eicher (for the Eichers near and far)

Update on Mum’s Health – Sunday 27.2.2022

Dear Friends,

As we close the day at 10.52 PM, Mum is in bed, wide awake.  She called me and told me that she just cannot sleep, and asked me to pray for her.  I gladly did.  And I am so grateful because this was conversation with Mum was just not possible just 36 hours ago when Mum was glassy eyed, tossing and turning in her bed.  She still needs to fall asleep, of course, but she is increasingly self-aware, able to communicate, and gradually understanding some of the complexity of her situation.

Today was a day of much progress for Mum – and some further clarity on just how long the road ahead will be.   Thank you, every one of you, for your faithful prayers.  Mum started to drink water from a cup (albeit held for her) and also started eating some simple foods like suji, dal, and mashed banana & curd.   She was lucid for almost all of the day, and has begun expressing her desire to go home to Shanti Kunj.  

We had a stream of helpers and Mum was loved and cared for by loving hands.  It was so nice to have Stefan and Neeru and their 3 wonderful kids come to minister to Mum the first thing in the morning after Neeru and the kids had arrived from Delhi late in the night.  We are grateful that Neeru was able to stay the whole day to serve Mum.  Bison and Ruby and there 2 were also present during the day.  At the end of the day, Mum told the nurses that she has been looked after by “so many wonderful, loving people.”

The three markers of progress today for Mum were as follows.  Firstly she has started to have real conversations, recognizing people and speaking behind her oxygen mask.  Secondly, she also started drinking orally and eating some simple food orally (while she still has the naso-gastric tube in).  Thirdly, we were able to begin a process of rehabilitation for her limbs.  She is unable to lift her left arm, but can squeeze her left hand.  She can lift her right arm, but cannot ‘aim’ her hand and so it flops around jerkily.  And Mum ‘sat’ in a wheel chair for a short period too.   She still cannot even turn herself around in bed, and has to be shifted every 2 hours but we are grateful for every step in the right direction.

All told we are again so thankful for steps being made in the right direction.   We are slowly moving out of ‘life-saving’ into ‘regaining life skills’ territory.  Please pray for Mum as she starts to fathom that she will not just be able to stretch herself and walk back up the hillside.  We have still not had a conversation about why she is in the hospital, and how long she was in an altered state.  The frustrations of being largely dependent on others – at least for the near future - are just about to be tackled by Mum.  

Your prayers are cherished for this hard path. 

Today was the Lord’s Day and we met at the end of the day around Mum’s bed.  She said that she wanted us to sing “The Lord’s my shepherd” which we followed up by “Yahowah Charwaha mera” (same psalm in Hindi).   Mum recited Ps. 23 and we walked through it thankfully, seeing just how much God has taken her through the valley of the shadow of death.   Sheba shared from Rev. 1 where John sees Christ in all His glory – what a hope for us to know that He was dead, and is alive, and is alive forever more.   And that He is the Beginning and the End.  That our times are in His hands and that He loves us all very much. 

And so on to the next steps.  Thank you for your prayers, messages, and whatsapp recordings! So much appreciated.

-        Andi and Sheba Eicher  [on behalf of the far flung Eicher clan]

Update on Mum’s Health – Saturday 26.2.2022

This morning marked 100 hours since we first heard about Mum’s fall.  I was in the middle of a wedding of two of our Asha Kiran Hospital staff in a far-off corner of Odisha when the calls started coming from Stefan and Vicky that something had happened to Mum, while Sheba was doing her OPD work at the Asha Kiran Hospital.  Somehow I managed to get back to Asha Kiran and 3 hours later we were on the road to Vizag, Delhi and then Dehra Dun.   How things have changed so rapidly.  And continue to change.  Its new territory for us all.

Each of us in the extended Eicher clan would like to say a big “thank you!” for the outpouring of love and prayers from across India and various corners of the globe.  Wow.  We really feel the blessings.  And we know that Mum does too.

We experienced the thrill of two rays of light in Mum’s condition today. 

Before we share the rays of light, we would like to remind us all that Mum is still very sick.  Though her vital signs are steady, she is completely bed-ridden, mainly non-responsive, still on oxygen support, is basically paralyzed on her right side, and has an underlying heart problem which can shut everything down in a matter of minutes.  We are so grateful for every day that is given to us, and are again aware of the amazing value of life.  And the hope for second chances.

But here is Ray of light no. 1:  Mum started recognising us today.  It began with her lighting up when Stefan and Vickey came to the room this morning.  She talked fairly clearly with them.  She knew their names.  Her eyes followed them for a short period of time.  Over the course of the day, Mum enjoyed periods of lucidity.   She was able to hold some short conversations.  Not always fully understanding, but enough to bring a thrill in our hearts.  She drifts in and out at this point, but we are so glad that she at least drifts in for some periods of time.

Ray of light no. 2: Though it looks like Mum is paralysed on her right side, with what looks like some kind of a stroke, we saw that she was able to at least move her arm a bit today.  We asked Mum to squeeze her right hand, which she was unable to do.  But in the process she pushed her whole right arm: and with some force too, given how weak and frail she is now.  We still have to shift her whole body from one side to the other every 2 hours since we don’t want her to have bed-sores (those who know her well know that she hardly has a gram of fat on her body).  And we know that even if she regains full lucidity, she will need much physiotherapy if she is to regain control of her right side – but the fact that she has some motor control on her right side is really encouraging.

Friends, we know that these steps forward are not by accident.  They are gracious gifts from the Lord, and we believe that He has chosen to give them to us as a family in joyous accord with the many, many fervent requests by His children near and far.  Thank you so much for your love.

Other highlights of the day include our dear brother Narendra Kumar arriving from Varanasi.  Narendra made his way across the country when he heard about Mum’s poor prognosis, and his journey included him taking the seat of the taxi driver who wasn’t feeling well.  Our dear Narendra ended up driving a taxi a good portion of the Delhi to Dehradun stretch yesterday!   

Mum’s dear neighbours Chitranjan and Susan Dutt visited her this afternoon while Sheba and I were getting a bath and some rest at Shanti Kunj.   When they came in Mum had a turn of being more lucid and when she saw Chitranjan and greeted him with a bright ‘hi Chitranjan!’ What a difference from yesterday!  

And so we come to the end of a week.  At 11.23 PM as I write this while on the “night shift” I can just say that it is so good that Mum has been sleeping deeply for over an hour (so far!) after three nights of various kinds of restlessness.

What lies ahead?  We don’t know the future.  But we know He who holds the future in His hand.  And we know He is good and kind.  

Do pray for us as we start exploring what the next steps should be.  Pray that Mum will come out of her altered conscious state and be lucid and able to relate to us with the same joy that so many of you know.  Ask the Lord Jesus to strengthen her so that she can make the long trip over to Odisha with us, as currently it looks most likely that we will be caring for Mum at our home at Asha Kiran Hospital – with the help of the healing community that we have there.

As the old hymn says: 

“How good is the God we adore, 

our faithful unchangeable friend, 

whose love is as great as His power, 

and knows neither measure nor end.

‘Tis Jesus the First and the Last,

whose Spirit will guide us safe home,

we will praise Him for all that is past,

and trust Him for all that’s to come.”

- Andi and Sheba Eicher  [Thanking you on behalf of Eichers everywhere!]

Update on Mum’s Health – Friday 25.2.2022

For the past 2 days Mum has been cared for at Landour Community Hospital in Mussoorie. We are in a big sunny room (when the sun shines – it thundered and hailed last night) and are blessed by the small army of nurse angels in their green gowns and masks.  The staff are all of them a blessing – and we invite a quick prayer for God to bless this amazing hospital to become known as a healing home for many new families.  We were amazed when Sunita, one of the nurses, asked if we had been at Nav Jivan Hospital in Jharkhand.  It turns out that she was one of our Sunday School students from the first year of our marriage! 

Mum continues to be very sick.  She has impaired consciousness continues to be on oxygen support.  Over the past day we have realized that Mum has probably suffered a stroke in the past 48 hours as she seems unable to move her right leg and arm, and the right side of her face has a slight ‘droop’ to it.  As recently as Wednesday morning she had been able to drink a whole cup of water on her own, so it is not a happy discovery.

But we really want to thank the Lord that Mum’s vital signs are now stable.  Her fever has stopped and her kidney functions have improved.  We were thus able to have a naso-gastric tube inserted which means that her feeding of a liquid diet is do much easier.

Since we are now aware of Mum’s stroke, we were suggested going for another CT scan to see if there is a subdural bleed in the brain since the last CT scan.  Because of Mum’s frail condition, we are hesitant to do so.  Getting a CT scan means a 1.5 hour trip down the mountain to Dehra Dun and harrowing thought of having her disappear into an ICU where she will be tied to her bed as they will not allow us to care for her as we are doing now at Landour Community Hospital.

Thankfully, Mum has not deteriorated even further neurologically.  In fact, we saw a ray of light at the end of the day.  Mum had over the past few days said things that we could not understand because of the slurred speech.  But late afternoon we understood that she was saying “Yeshu Naam ki jai, jai ho” (Jesus’ name in Hindi) and that she was actually singing!  When we sang along with her, she was able to carry on the lyrics of a number of worship songs.  The words are slurred and limited to us, but we can see that her mind is sharp and she can hear and process what we are saying.  The song that we first ‘recognised’ is especially significant as it says that “iske maar khane se mai changai hua” which means that “through Him being beaten I have been healed” (by His stripes we are healed Isa. 53.5). 

In this same time, Mum yawned, and we said that she was yawning like a cat.  And then she said “meow!” and repeated her “meows.”  We talked with her about how she used to look after the many pet cats we had over the years and she was able to give one word answers that showed how much she was understanding our conversation.

We are of course still a long way off from where we would like to be. Mum continues to be very sick and we are glad for the Landour Community Hospital which is hosting us in this crucial time.  We know she has a heart condition that could at any time be the way she is called home for good.  Her stroke means that any recovery is unlikely to be soon.  She drifts in and out.  Her eyes are still not focusing and she does not seem to recognize us yet.   Our gradual new normal is that we move her in her bed every 2 hours so that she does not develop bed sores.

And so a new set of possibilities are opening up.  If Mum survives this bit – we will be looking to a new ways of caring for her.  We are committed to care for Mum in the family and the Lord needs to guide and open doors for us. 

Thank you – every one of you – for standing in prayer for us at this time.  We are blessed to be able to play voice messages from Rudy and Premi to Mum.  And for the fervent prayers and enouragements from so many.  It is a privilege to be here with Mum at this time – along with Stefan and Vikram.  

Even as I write this at 2 AM while keeping the night watch – Mum has been saying with surprising clarity “His grace and His love endures forever.  Thank you Lord.”   This is the most lucid she has been for days.  “His love… forever.  His grace… forever.”  As she drifts in and out.  We thank God for every moment He has given us so far.  And forever.  Blessed be His name.

- Andi and Sheba (on behalf of the extended Eicher family)

Update on Mum's health 24.2.2022

Dear Friends,

Mum had a very restless last night. But what a privilege to be with her for every minute of it, and to massage and comfort her through the hours.

In the morning we were glad when she ate a bowl of suji and drank some water by us asking her to open her mouth and swallow for every spoonful.

As the day went on, it became clear that Mum is unlikely to make a quick recovery. Though the CT scan ruled out internal injury to the brain, a when lot of other post-fall complications are happening to Mum.

Mum is actually very sick. For most of the day she has not opened her eyes. She has also developed a fever and pneumonia and needs oxygen support.  

Mum has been responding to us in a very limited way.  She is unable to answer most questions, other that the occasional monosylable.  

Over the day Mum has sometimes spoken in slurred speech from within her oxygen mask. But though we bend down to listen to Mum, we just couldn't make out the words...

And so we come to the end of the day with Mum in a  challenging state. We firmly believe that the Lord has the power to heal her ... and give her many more days of life.

At the same time, these may be Mum's final days in this life. We.must be ready to accept the answers to the many prayers on behalf of Mum: that God will do the very best form of healing that He chooses at this time. This may be taking Mum to be with Him in paradise now rather than later.

We were glad that Premi was able to talk to Mum over the phone this evening from Alaska.  Mum didn't respond externally,  but we believe that her inner person heard all that has been spoken to her. 

We are deeply grateful for all the prayers and blessings from near and far. Thank you so much.  It is so touching to hear! Your prayers for Mum's complete healing and for wisdom and discernment for us are so appreciated!

- Andi and Sheba Eicher (on behalf of the widely spread-out Eicher clan)