We are so excited. No visit to Stanford next week, they don't want to see him for two weeks. Everything is going amazingly well. Blood sugars are lower each day, we're hoping he won't need insulin soon. He is healing well and stablizing. The doctor's are thrilled and so are we!
Life is starting to return to normal. We are enjoying each day and relish boring, normal, quiet days. We are just starting to live life. We appreciate the small things now and don't sweat the small stuff.
We did have a nice time on the way home from Stanford this week. We found out there is a Pea Soup Anderson's just 6 miles off the road we take. We stopped and had lunch together. The kids had never been and we hadn't been for 14 years. It was a great lunch and the kids loved it. It was fun to go somewhere that holds fond memories of my childhood.
A modern day Pollyanna waxing poetic about her life.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Officer Down Foundation
We got a huge blessing and surprise today. Marty's co-worker Randy brought us a gift from the Officer Down Foundation at his work. Randy started this foundation last year to help officers during a time of medical emergency. They started it after seeing co-workers struggle while off work during medical emergencies.
Our trips to Stanford will be covered for the rest of the month. They had a bake sale and tv raffle to give us this gift. Just yesterday Marty was telling me he wasn't going to worry about the cost of the trips.
God really has blessed us during this time, just when it looks like something might not be covered, he provides for our need. A big thank you to Randy and the rest of Marty's co-workers at CSH, we are very grateful for the donation and will put it to good use.
We're going to be celebrating 15 years of marriage this month. We have this song that we love and has kind of been a theme in our marriage. It really sums this blog up nicely. One of the lines says, "The guys at the factory took a collection, again God provided for the bills they incurred."
Our trips to Stanford will be covered for the rest of the month. They had a bake sale and tv raffle to give us this gift. Just yesterday Marty was telling me he wasn't going to worry about the cost of the trips.
God really has blessed us during this time, just when it looks like something might not be covered, he provides for our need. A big thank you to Randy and the rest of Marty's co-workers at CSH, we are very grateful for the donation and will put it to good use.
We're going to be celebrating 15 years of marriage this month. We have this song that we love and has kind of been a theme in our marriage. It really sums this blog up nicely. One of the lines says, "The guys at the factory took a collection, again God provided for the bills they incurred."
Friday, March 4, 2011
1,314 miles and counting
Trip number three to Stanford under our belt. Bringing our total driven to about 1800 miles. Totally worth the miracle and the good reports we are receiving. Also, since coming home everything has only gotten better for Marty. He hasn't had a fever and the vomiting has stopped since coming home!
We stayed at the Stanford Guest house on the campus of the linear accelerator. Conner loves sitting in the communal kitched and listening to the "smart talk" of the engineers and physicists over breakfast. He says it brings a whole new meaning to "smart talk".......only Conner.
We sit in the room waiting, the nurse coordinator M comes in and goes over the medication list. He tells us the doctor's aren't there yet. Right after that, Dr.G comes bursting into the room anxious to see Marty. Nurse M had to come in and tell her "there's another patient ahead of him." LOL. She likes us as much as we like her!
She came back and was thrilled with his progress. The blood sugar numbers are coming down. They want him to lose another 10-15 pounds to see if that helps. The high blood sugar is for sure caused by the medications and a bit of insulin resistance in Marty's body.
Dr.M one of the supervising physicians ( Dr.G is doing a fellowship and hasn't graduated yet) came in and agreed with her assesment. They think he might be released after two more visits!!! They are cautiously optimistic that things will be the same.
We're thrilled. It couldn't come at a better time with the rising price in gas! Also, just to get on with life and really start to live. We are really looking forward to that. Freedom is something we have been longing for. We already feel so much more free. In fact, Marty keeps playing this song over and over, saying it is how he feels.
We stayed at the Stanford Guest house on the campus of the linear accelerator. Conner loves sitting in the communal kitched and listening to the "smart talk" of the engineers and physicists over breakfast. He says it brings a whole new meaning to "smart talk".......only Conner.
We sit in the room waiting, the nurse coordinator M comes in and goes over the medication list. He tells us the doctor's aren't there yet. Right after that, Dr.G comes bursting into the room anxious to see Marty. Nurse M had to come in and tell her "there's another patient ahead of him." LOL. She likes us as much as we like her!
She came back and was thrilled with his progress. The blood sugar numbers are coming down. They want him to lose another 10-15 pounds to see if that helps. The high blood sugar is for sure caused by the medications and a bit of insulin resistance in Marty's body.
Dr.M one of the supervising physicians ( Dr.G is doing a fellowship and hasn't graduated yet) came in and agreed with her assesment. They think he might be released after two more visits!!! They are cautiously optimistic that things will be the same.
We're thrilled. It couldn't come at a better time with the rising price in gas! Also, just to get on with life and really start to live. We are really looking forward to that. Freedom is something we have been longing for. We already feel so much more free. In fact, Marty keeps playing this song over and over, saying it is how he feels.
Friday, February 25, 2011
happy,happy, happy
It's weird going to the doctor and hearing only good things! It's so unreal and mind boggling really.
Dr.G is so cute, she came rushing into the room anxious to see Marty. She knew sending him home would be the best thing and was so pleased to see how much better he was! The nurse coordinator M had to kick her out because he was still working on the file. We get to the clinic before the doctors and she rushed in as soon as she got there!
They are so happy. Everything is doing very well and they couldn't be more pleased. He does have a bit of insulin resistance and the best thing for that is weight loss and working out. This week, we are going to start pushing it. This will be a good thing. I told him, just think you are helping Conner and I out by working out with us. We are looking for a treadmill to help get things moving and utilizing the wonderful walking path behind our house.
The labs came back the best yet! He went into surgery with creatnine of 15 and now it is down to 1.2, normal is 1.0, life is good. ( that is a kidney function marker)
It;s so nice to go and hear good things. It will never get old. Even Elizabeth was saying this week, " I have to pinch myself to make sure this is real sometimes." we are still in shock our life has changed for the better.
Thanks for praying for us and supporting us. We are so thankful.
Dr.G is so cute, she came rushing into the room anxious to see Marty. She knew sending him home would be the best thing and was so pleased to see how much better he was! The nurse coordinator M had to kick her out because he was still working on the file. We get to the clinic before the doctors and she rushed in as soon as she got there!
They are so happy. Everything is doing very well and they couldn't be more pleased. He does have a bit of insulin resistance and the best thing for that is weight loss and working out. This week, we are going to start pushing it. This will be a good thing. I told him, just think you are helping Conner and I out by working out with us. We are looking for a treadmill to help get things moving and utilizing the wonderful walking path behind our house.
The labs came back the best yet! He went into surgery with creatnine of 15 and now it is down to 1.2, normal is 1.0, life is good. ( that is a kidney function marker)
It;s so nice to go and hear good things. It will never get old. Even Elizabeth was saying this week, " I have to pinch myself to make sure this is real sometimes." we are still in shock our life has changed for the better.
Thanks for praying for us and supporting us. We are so thankful.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Adjusting to our new life
This has been a week of adjustments. Back to reality and real life has been exciting and daunting at the same time. Juggling meds, vitals, cleaning, schooling, running kids has been challenging. It's really nothing different than what we were doing, it is actually less work.
In fact, one of the adjustments is no dialysis. Several times we have been on a errand only to catch ourselves thinking, "We need to get home to do a exchange." so weird. We didn't start feeling that way until we came home. Also, more than once I have caught myself jumping at the phone, I remind myself that we aren't waiting anymore.
There is a bit of fear, that is something we both have to get past. Worry of rejection and this all being taken away. It might not be something we outright say, but it is in the back of our mind. Also, re-learning how to live. Our lives have been on hold for three years, now we can live again. In some ways, we have forgotten how to live freely. It's going to take some time to remember. We need to decompress and move forward, pressing on to the future and enjoying each day. We don't know how long this will last but we need to make the most of every minute.
It has been so nice to be home and be back together as a family. We have been re-arranging cabinets and getting rid of medical supplies. Getting the kids back on track in school, they did a lot while they were gone but there are some areas that need work. I now can fully focus on those areas and spend time getting things going full steam again. We are schooling this summer to do some heavy duty work we put on hold in case the call came.
Marty's blood sugars are so much better. He went down on Predisone this week and immediately his sugars went down. His blood pressures have been low, much lower than before. They did spike a bit today, not sure why and nothing like before. The nausea and vomiting are gone, he is feeling so much better and eating again. He is up to 35 pounds lost so far. We are starting to walk farther each day. He is making progress physically.
We are headed to Stanford on Thursday for our weekly visit. We are excited to go back and show them the progress since he has been home. Anxious to get the labs and see how things are going. I will blog when we get back and let you all know.
In fact, one of the adjustments is no dialysis. Several times we have been on a errand only to catch ourselves thinking, "We need to get home to do a exchange." so weird. We didn't start feeling that way until we came home. Also, more than once I have caught myself jumping at the phone, I remind myself that we aren't waiting anymore.
There is a bit of fear, that is something we both have to get past. Worry of rejection and this all being taken away. It might not be something we outright say, but it is in the back of our mind. Also, re-learning how to live. Our lives have been on hold for three years, now we can live again. In some ways, we have forgotten how to live freely. It's going to take some time to remember. We need to decompress and move forward, pressing on to the future and enjoying each day. We don't know how long this will last but we need to make the most of every minute.
It has been so nice to be home and be back together as a family. We have been re-arranging cabinets and getting rid of medical supplies. Getting the kids back on track in school, they did a lot while they were gone but there are some areas that need work. I now can fully focus on those areas and spend time getting things going full steam again. We are schooling this summer to do some heavy duty work we put on hold in case the call came.
Marty's blood sugars are so much better. He went down on Predisone this week and immediately his sugars went down. His blood pressures have been low, much lower than before. They did spike a bit today, not sure why and nothing like before. The nausea and vomiting are gone, he is feeling so much better and eating again. He is up to 35 pounds lost so far. We are starting to walk farther each day. He is making progress physically.
We are headed to Stanford on Thursday for our weekly visit. We are excited to go back and show them the progress since he has been home. Anxious to get the labs and see how things are going. I will blog when we get back and let you all know.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Busy week
I know it has been a week since I updated, a lot has happened in the past week. Marty and I enjoyed Friday together, our last day in Palo Alto. The weather was sunny and warm the entire time we were there. We stopped by Stacey's to say goodbye to her and the girls. Just a generally good day.
Saturday my cousin Sarah drove the kids from LA to Palo Alto, we hadn't seen them for two weeks. Poor Sarah had to haul Conner's stash. He had more stuff than we had in the apartment for the two of us. We're all still scratching our heads over the need for a unicycle??? ( I'm sure Andrea will love that!)
On Sunday morning Sarah, the kids, and I toured Stanford. Marty had been there done that and stayed home to relax. We enjoyed seeing the sites at Stanford, there is so much history there which is rare in California. We toured Hoover Tower, a tribute to President Hoover a graduate of Stanford. We enjoyed the breath taking view from the top. We toured the Memorial church which was a stunning piece of old world architecture recrafted in California. Then on to the largest collection of Rodin in North America, even seeing a small version of the Thinker.
Saturday my cousin Sarah drove the kids from LA to Palo Alto, we hadn't seen them for two weeks. Poor Sarah had to haul Conner's stash. He had more stuff than we had in the apartment for the two of us. We're all still scratching our heads over the need for a unicycle??? ( I'm sure Andrea will love that!)
On Sunday morning Sarah, the kids, and I toured Stanford. Marty had been there done that and stayed home to relax. We enjoyed seeing the sites at Stanford, there is so much history there which is rare in California. We toured Hoover Tower, a tribute to President Hoover a graduate of Stanford. We enjoyed the breath taking view from the top. We toured the Memorial church which was a stunning piece of old world architecture recrafted in California. Then on to the largest collection of Rodin in North America, even seeing a small version of the Thinker.
Monday morning we went to the doctors, they are pleased with Marty's progress, told us to carefully watch for signs of rejection and sent us on our merry way home. We packed up the apartment, barely fitting our stuff in with Conner's stuff and headed home.
We got home to find our table full of groceries. Our friends from church wanted to make sure our house was stocked and there was no need to go to the store. What a amazing blessing to come home and just be able to relax and get back on track.
We are slowly settling into routine and getting life back in order. It feels so surreal to be home and realize it is all over. Going through a months worth of mail. We did have a little scare that his disability was denied, but good news, I just read the paper wrong and all is fine!
Weird not needing to do dialysis exchanges. No more waiting for the call to come. It is going to take a long time to process what has happened. We are so thankful to God for healing Marty. Now we begin our new life and waiting to see where God takes us next.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Transplant surgeons free us to go home!
Dr.B,Marty,Dr.G and Julie
After a bit of begging, the doctors agreed to let us go home on Monday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)