Walking through the valley

I am sure some of you are wondering what is going on around here, a quick update:

~The cycler came on Monday and we started at home dialysis

~Monday night, we were up all night with a beeping machine and a grumpy Marty feeling *horribly* bloated and miserable.

~Tuesday we called the nurse and she came out and changed the settings, lowering the amount of fluid in the exchanges.

~Tuesday night, we only were woke once by the machine in the night and in the morning were woke to a drain problem. I called the nurse and company to get some tips  for tonight.

So far his blood pressure has dramatically dropped to normal range, we were able to use a lower solution last night. The biggest thing right now is getting him adjusted to letting the fluid dwell, something that is uncomfortable at first. So far our biggest problem is being tired and trying to remember all the steps we need to know.

Pray for us during these days as we walk through this valley. My husband is quite heartbroken about starting dialysis and has been generally miserable. We covet your prayers and thoughts during this time.

We have been waiting for Fed-ex

Here are the much promised sunflower picks from this week, you can see the bloom on the big guy which is bigger than in this pick now.



So here we are on Friday and no dialysis yet. Our supplies came on Wednesday, they didn't tell me that they were sending a pallet full! I am sitting in my bed typing and looking at about 60 boxes stacked in the corner. Only one problem with the order, they forgot to send the cycler machine that does the dialysis, that's a big problem. I called Wednesday and they told me it would be Fed-ex same day and it didn't come. Then we stayed home in shifts yesterday and guess what? it didn't come again. The nurse called this morning and said she would track it, that was 2 hrs ago. I know in God's time it will come and all will be okay, we just have to wait. I am so glad that the doctor told Marty he can't go back to work this Sunday, I can see why God orchestrated that now. He probably won't even have started by Sunday at this point, the rate things are going. Pray for things to go smoothly, for no infection and that the heart test will be scheduled soon.



We have been watching a documentary on John Hopkins on ABC together. It has brought to life what we will go through someday, hopefully soon. One thing that is glaring for me right now and is bugging me in some ways, I will be alone in the waiting room. Stanford is 300 miles from our home and I know we are going to have to rush up there. My family lives 300 miles from us and so it is 600 miles from them. I think God has been preparing me for this, it is hard but it might have to just be that way, his will not mine. But it is something I think about and wonder about, I don't want to be alone physically but I might have to be.  I was reading Angie's blog this morning and I was really ministered to by her writing, I know we are never alone.



**update** As  I was typing this, Holly called and said the machine was never shipped. So now we have a start date of Monday instead.

Time to pick up the slack

I have been slacking this past week, actually I have been really busy and finally things have settled down. We did a lot last week, which was good but very tiresome. Our schedule has been off since Marty has been home, which is good but also difficult. We are on a mini vacation, only we stay home and deal with tough stuff. It has been a pleasant time as a family and we have been having some good bonding time together.

Marty is doing great, he has been playing his bass the past week and even played in church on Sunday. He does have to take two more weeks off, which is a blessing and a hard thing. He wants to get back to work and not miss out on anything.   But he does want to see how the dialysis will affect him and be sure he has a good handle on that before going back. He starts this Thursday and is hesitant, he says " it is something I know, I have to do but something I don't want to do." We know the path is laid out before us and we just have to keep our eyes fixed on the goal. We are pushing hard to get the catheter test done before he goes back to work. We are hoping to get a referral soon to the heart doctor, I still have hope the heart doctor will not want to do the test.

The kids have a sinus thing going on and are both miserable. The air is really bad because of all the fires in the mountains on the sides of our valley. In fact our favorite camping spot at Big Sur is on fire and we are sad seeing the smoke. So we have been staying indoors as much as possible, that makes the kids antsy.

Our big sunflower bloomed today and I will share a story and some pics later this week. Hope everyone is enjoying the summer.

Being silly

This is my old, cranky, neurotic dog Max. He doesn't like it when Marty or I get near each other when he is sitting by us. He will tell me know and he calls either one of us "Momma".

Small miracles

Our sunflower has bloomed

Sorry it has taken me so long to update, things are going well around here. We are in the middle of training for dialysis, it is something we go do M,W,F for two hours each trip. The nurses are nice and very helpful, they are patient teachers. They have been very encouraging to us, I think they see a very motivated couple and want to work with us. We do know more than most people about the two diseases we are dealing with since my husband has seen it with his dad. We both have been very educated on diabetes and kidney disease, it does make a difference. One huge step in our favor is our diet, we changed his diet last year as soon as he found out. I guess most people wait until their kidneys completely fail before doing that.  So that was a blessing, we found out we have been doing all the right things so far.

The biggest news came yesterday, the nurse told us that in her 12years in the field he is only the second patient she has encountered already on a transplant list. I guess most people start dialysis and then get referred, so another blessing that many can see. Our situation is rare to the professionals, but we know why, because we are in the hands of a mighty God. We have so many people praying on our behalf and I know God is answering those prayers.

Marty is still sore from the incisions, it has really thrown him for a loop. We also have had to adjust his medication schedule since he is used to sleeping during the day and working at night. Emotionally he has handled this pretty well. There have been rough days but for the most part he has been very positive and trying his best.

The next step is to start dialysis here at home on our own, we are expecting that to happen next week. After that we are pushing hard to get the heart catheter test done, before he goes back to work.  After he gets that test done and passes, he can be activated on the transplant list. We are getting close but we know it is not in our time. I always think of our special angel, last night as I was driving home I was wondering what that person was doing on a summer's night. I pray their days are happy and fufilling, I pray for their family. I know on the day of our joy that it will be somebody else's hardest day ever, please pray for them. I pray that they know God and that they have a strong faith in him, I pray they can lean on Jesus as we have. As always, pray for no infection, that he will tolerate the dialysis well and for the heart test to be normal.

P.S. I get asked a lot how I am doing, I am doing well. Somedays I get weary but I try to remain upbeat and positive. I am doing well, I am very focused on the task at hand and pushing forward each day.

Sunny Sunflowers

We are still growing with no signs of stopping

Feast or Famine?

That's what my friend Olga said when she called yesterday. I got a call from her when we were at bowling for us to come to dinner or her bring dinner. I got home to tell Marty and he said "Michelle just called she has something in the oven for us." so I had to call Olga and cancel. She wants us to come today but I really don't think Marty is up for that.

Marty is doing well, his last session at the doctor went better than the first. He is just tired and sore still but hanging in there. He mostly moves slow and wishes he could sleep on his side once again.

The kids are bored or so they say. They want to go, go,go but we can't right now, good news VBS starts tomorrow and they will be getting lots of fun for five days. So they will have a great week of doing fun things.

I am trying to download some pics to share of the garden, the sunflowers are the biggest yet. I am very excited to see how big they grow.

That's about all from our neck of the woods, just keep praying for us. We see many answers to prayer each day and feel them covering us in love.