Homemade Rotel

Marilyn and I put our tomatoes and peppers together to make our first batch of homemade Rotel. As she said....."So many good everyday recipes take a can of it." Sounded good to me. It was!

Tumor Trouble 

Well, just as I tried to get back into the swing of regular updates.....got a curve ball thrown at us. If you do not wish to read another "medical update," just jump off right now. No hard feelings. I just have to have a written journal entry as to what has transpired over the last couple of weeks.


Two weeks ago on a Saturday evening Rick began to feel ill. After a long night and early Sunday morning of dealing with what we thought was a terrible virus, he got up with numbness, double vision and a terrible headache. His neurosurgeon told us to come to Dallas to the hospital. He was later admitted to a hospital (he had just gotten home from the hospital a few days earlier); the tumor had gone crazy. I can't explain what happened very effectively because the doctors couldn't either. 


The doctors say the tumor partially "imploded" for a lack of a better medical term. This explains the sickness, pain, left facial numbness, and loss of peripheral vision in the left eye.


The neurosurgeons agreed to not do surgery now. If they did it now, it would probably eliminate the possibility of the meds and his body restoring some of his vision in the left eye on its own and possibly do more damage in general.


The threat of cancer is still present; however the doctors still feel it is benign. We also had to keep in mind that just to go in to get a biopsy is a MAJOR brain surgery.


He will continue to see his main neurologist and have another MRI July 25 to see what changes have occurred with the tumor. He now has a contact for his good eye and a patch on the bad one. 


He is feeling good! He will get to have some "leisure" time off work for a little while. I am so thankful this all occurred during the summer and not during the school year. 



***I missed doing a Father's Day post. But I am so thankful for the father and father-in-law God gave me. I was blessed!

Memorial Day Accident

Memorial Day weekend we traveled with Marilyn, Rickie, and Randy out to Ute Park, New Mexico (near Taos). The task for the weekend was to "help" them replace an old deck on a family cabin. We left on Thursday afternoon and arrived around midnight. Our first morning's work began around 8:00 a.m. Friday morning with the demolition of the existing deck. Unfortunately, soon thereafter, my Rick fell through it about five feet or so.  All his weight came down on the end of a wooden ax handle. That changed the weekend and began the course of events that we are currently in as well.

It made a huge "thing" on the back of his left thigh. Out in the mountains about all we could find was some antibiotic ointment and a bandage. He was a real trooper the next couple of days, but it was a mess and hurting.

We got home on Sunday night. He went back to work on Tuesday but had to wear some nylon pants rather than his jeans. He went to see his physician on Wednesday when we began to suspect--rather KNOW-- it was getting infected. Because his normal guy was out, he saw another one on call. He got some antibiotics and was told to come back if it didn't improve. By Friday his whole leg was swelling. After some coaxing/nagging/whatever, we went to an ER.

He was admitted for an infection and a blood clot. He finally got to come home on Wednesday. He is continuing the antibiotics and is giving himself shots for a few more days for the clot. After he sees the physician again, he will transition to blood thinner pills for three months.

Guess the neurosurgeon will definitely not be considering surgery for the tumor when we go back next month!

BTW.....our family and friends are huge blessings. Thank you, God!

Delayed Ramblings

I've been such a slacker! My journaling has been nil the last several weeks. Plenty of excuses reasons. I'm going to try to do a few, short entries within the next few days to help log some stuff!

So for May.....

I finished my first year as a special education diagnostician. "Part-time" work for this first year was a little more than what I had hoped for. But that's ok; I won't complain. Thanks to some awesome co-workers who stepped in to help with: 1) my schedule AND 2) my sanity at the end of the year, I managed to finish with a smile! I work with wonderful Christian ladies who jump in with that kind of help and also who have prayed for Rick and me on a continuous basis.

That's what I call a great work place!