Quiet

K and I spent a quiet Christmas day together.  No place we had to be and no one to see.  Well, we usually see my parents, but they are both under the weather and with K still recovering we just couldn't take the chance to expose her to even the mildest cold or whatever they have.  It was disappointing for us and I am sure for my Mom.  It was very quiet, which was good.  My surgery sights were a bit more sore than usual.  I think forgetfully lifting my 9 year old Granddaughter when I saw her Christmas eve may have been a bad choice.  No, nothing serious, just a little sore, a good reminder that I still haven't healed completely and be more aware of doing something else stupid.  Not the way I would have preferred spending Christmas day, but when the family expands you have to give up time to the in-laws.

Today we take K over to see the FNP in our primary care physicians office.  They sent her a letter after her surgery to make an appointment to follow up on her surgery.  I had never seen something like this before.  They had not been involved at all in her surgery/hospitalization since we had gone to the ER and she was admitted by the docs there.  They evidently got the reports as they usually do but this is a bit different.  Maybe they are just seeing $$ signs, I don't know.  I would like to think they are being proactive and truly are caring.  Yeah.

K is doing better and better.  We managed to attend worship services Sunday.  Just the main service not class or evening service as we usually do.  She tires to easily we didn't want to overdo it.  I was allowed to address the congregation at my request.  I felt the need to publicly address them to thank them all for what they have done for us.  I am not in any form a public speaker, but managed to get through it without to much stumbling around.  I would like to have been able to thank each and everyone individually, but we don't know who did what.  Much was done anonymously, so the public address was really my only true choice.  I hope they could sense that I was sincere in the things I said.  We have been blessed more than we deserve and are very grateful.

The rest of this week we also have no standing plans.  Son #2 will have his in-laws here from Arizona and I had hoped to take his father-in-law to the Pacific War Museum in Fredericksburg, Texas.  I don't think I'm going to make it.  I would have to leave K at home for most of the day and I just don't feel comfortable with that at this point in her recovery.  Plus I know my stamina is not at all where it should be and I would give out much too soon to see what we need to see.  I will try to get Son #2 to take him up there and the ladies can shop around town.   

Hope you all had a great Christmas, Happy Trails.

Merry Chistmas

From my home to yours, I wish you the best today and the coming new year.

Happy Trails and thanks for coming by.

Thursday

Thursday most all of the last few Christmas gifts I ordered arrived.  There are still 2 that have not shipped and they don't even know when that will happen.  Nothing I can do about that now.  Sparse with the gifts this year.  Too many things got in the way.  I hope no feelings will be hurt.  The Grandkids were the top priority, it would be harder for them to understand.

On a trip out to the mailbox I noticed the birds were a little noisy and seemed upset.  Then I saw this bad boy.

He wasn't a bit worried about my presence.  I think it is the Red Tailed Hawk.  Not sure though.  You never know what you might see around here.  But not as much as we did when we first moved here 30 years ago.  It was out in the country then.  Now, not even close.  Our piece of heaven has gotten crowded.

K hasn't been out of the house except for one trip to the doctor, and that was uncomfortable for her.  All the bouncing on the road hurt.  So we tried a little trip around the are just to look at the lights everyone has up for the season.  There are quite a few and some very good.  Then there was this guy:

This house is on a corner and both front and back yards are covered in various displays of lights and all sorts of things.  It's just crazy and way too much for my tastes.  I'm sure it must take weeks to get all this up and then his electric bill must double for the month.  He must enjoy it immensely to put in so much work.

Happy Trails

Finally

K is finally starting to have some significant improvement.  She is getting up and around more and even trying to do a few minor chores.  She wrapped some gifts yesterday and even baked a pie.  We visit her surgeon today to get the staples removed.  I don't know how many there are but it seems like a lot.  I am sure that won't be much fun at all.  At this point it is just about taking one day at a time.  I am even getting used to all the extra chores that I have taken on and established a bit of a routine to keep up with them.  I am thinking that with her continued improvement we can head back to church for the first time in 4 weekends.  I have a lot of folks I want to thank personally.

My surgeon released me from care yesterday.  Everything seems to be on the mend just fine.  It actually may be ahead of schedule.  Not having anytime to sit and take it easy to recover, I had to push myself to be there for K.  It could be difficult at times but I truly believed it got me over the hump much quicker.  No, I wouldn't recommend my method lol.

It amazes me from the few things I hear on the news about the tax cut bill and all the hand wringing and worry about it.  It appears the media has done a great job scaring a large section of the population that a tax cut is a bad thing.  I expect that from the congress critters to not want to give you back some of your money, but what does it serve the media to take that path?  Do they think it will help those they want in power?  I'm sure that is it, but I can't grasp the details of how that would work with my mind being so preoccupied lately.  

Happy Trails

Nothing

Nothing really to report.  The wife's recovery is much slower than she had expected and has gotten down about it.  But we have gotten past that.

On another note, just to change the subject, I saw this on FB and thought that it was pretty cool.  Home defense style shotguns have never been a thing with me.  I have a few shotguns that could serve just as well.  I would prefer something shorter with that magazine.  Yeah, the kick would be more but I never found the kick to be a problem on shotties.  I was hoping for a semi-auto though.  No idea the cost, probably more than I need to pay anyway.  Go have a look.

Happy Trails

I Forgot

I had thought of something that I thought would be good to post here.  However, I forgot what it was and rummaging around in that brain compartment, I have failed to find it.  I have been extremely busy trying to keep the wife comfortable and being at her every beck and call.  I knew I would be busy as she needs to rest as much as possible.  Any moving around exhausts her.  I thought she came home too early but I wouldn't change it at all.  My brain is fried and I am meeting myself coming and going and forgetting things that I wanted to do while I was running errands and having to go back again later.  

Three ladies from our congregation came over today and cleaned up and finished the Christmas decorating my #2 Son and his wife started.  While they were at it I ran the errands.  That was a great peace of mind to have them be with her while I was out.  I am eternally grateful to our entire congregation for the major help that they have provided to us in more ways than I can enumerate.  We are both speechless and humbled.  

Happy Trails

Surprise!

She got home yesterday evening.  We expected at least one more day in the hospital.  However she is very very sore and can hardly do anything for herself.  But she is slowly improving.  I'm worn out.

I will give a bit more details in a later post.  I have too much to do.

Happy Trails

Pics

I wanted to post these the other day when I talked about the snow in Texas.  So here is what it looked like the morning after on the edge of the Hill Country.  The first 2 are panoramas.  click to enlarge

Good news on the wife's condition, still in hospital. will update that soon.

Happy Trails

Good News Finally

NO CANCER CELLS found!  She continues to improve.  I have come down with some sort of sinus issue so I haven't been down to see her since Tuesday.  Can't risk her catching something else from me.  No, I am not sure what it is, an infection of allergy.  I don't have any real known allergies.

All of South Texas is going nuts from the snow.  We haven't had a substantial snow here in over 30 years, back when we had the record breaking 13.5 inches in 85 or 86.

I just got word from my doctor friend I should be safe to see the wife.  I am gone.

Update

I don't know where to start.  This could be a very long post but I just can't get all the words out.  My surgery went well and I am doing pretty good.  I was pretty foggy headed most of the day Monday, the day of my surgery.  They decided to take the wife into emergency surgery and try to find out the actual problem and get it fixed.  Once they got in it was worse than expected.  They said it looked like a grenade went off in her small intestine where it joins the colon.  They removed about a foot of her small intestine and will biopsy it to determine what went wrong.  They were noncommittal on the possibilities as you might expect.  But they were optimistic.  This news is all second hand.  I wasn't there.  That was killing me.  It was killing her that she couldn't be at my surgery either.  What a pair we are.

She is on the mend and starting to feel just a little better but has a lot of pain and will remain in the hospital probably through the weekend.  They have to kill all the infection that might be remaining and that her guts have started working without any leaks.  She has a long road ahead of her.  However this, I was told, that this is about the best case scenario for what they were expecting to do.  The biopsy is my main concern at this point and of course getting her home and well.

Thanks for you kind word and prayers.  We have had a lot of support from many folks and we cannot express how much it is appreciated.  Thanks seems so insufficient.

Happy Trails 

Things Can and Do Get Worse

If you have been coming here a while you have seen me write 'it could always be worse.'  I say this all the time.  Saturday afternoon the wife tells me to take her to the ER.  She is now admitted and may be facing a serious abdominal surgery.  A bad colon had failed her and they are exploring the best options on how to deal with it.  That's all AI will say without getting too graphic.

She will be stuck there through my surgery and I most likely can't be at hers if she has to have it.  The next few days/weeks will certainly be a challenge.  It could be worse.

Moy sure when I will be back on, a few days or so.

Asking for your Prayers.

Happy Trails

Frustrations

The wife still isn't as well as she should be after almost a week.  It is really starting to wear on her.  She has an appointment with a gastroenterologist next Tuesday.  I am planning on her not being able to take me to my surgery Monday.  If she isn't significantly better by late Sunday, others will need to help out.  She hasn't been well enough to go and do anything.  Taking me to surgery and then waiting for that and recovery and release will most likely entail 2-4 hours.  No can do.  So I ptu Sons #1 and #2 on notice.  They will have to have me at the facility by 6 AM.  They can work out between them who.  Neither live close enough to make it an easy trip.  

There has been a lot going on with the doctors and various things concerning my surgery and insurance and blah blah blah.  It is hair pulling and combining that with my worry for my wife and her self diagnosing, I got a little tense.  Not good to be around when that happens.  But it passed quickly enough.  I just have to get through the wife being so dang sick and all her emotions with it.  It appears that doctor stuff will continue for a while, not what I was expecting earlier this week.  It could be worse.  Yes, I am optimistic things will improve early next week.

Happy Trails