I have not posted in months... mostly because I haven't felt very well and don't want to go on and on about how yucky I feel most days. On the days I do feel good, there is just too much to do to sit down and try to write. I have no discipline, what else can I say?
The last 7 months have been chaotic. I became ill in January with an entero-cutaneous fistula opening up (again) on my belly. It was a traumatic event for me and I did think I would die from the infection. Once we got things under control, I was sent to see a nationally ranked surgeon at Penn Medical University because of the complexity of my health issues. I started with some testing and a huge dosage of on-going antibiotics. We were also trying to schedule testing procedures around weather and snow storms since it's nearly 3 hours away. Not an easy thing to do.
In the midst of all the above commotion, we received a call from DH's father, stating that Grandma was in the hospital and she has taken a turn and we needed to come right away. We literally packed bags, made arrangements for the dogs, I rescheduled appointments and finished the rest of the calls on the road as we were gone in less than 2 hours. We were in Connecticut before the sun went down and began a vigil. Gram had suffered a massive heart attack and it was also discovered that she was also suffering from stomach cancer. She spent 4 more days in the hospital and we brought her home on hospice care. She lasted just 36 hours.
While we waited for arrangements to be done, DH became ill. He came down with a migraine like he had never had. We took him to the ER where he was later shown to have a mass in his sinus cavity that needed attention as it was not there on his last ocular xrays from work. (He has to have one every time he has an MRI because he works with metal, welds, and has metal in his eyes in the past.)
We came back to PA on Tuesday after the funeral and on the way, I called and scheduled an exam with a local ENT physician in Bloomsburg. We were able to get in right away. They sent DH for a more comprehensive CT scan with a different view. It showed a large mass occupying his entire maxillary sinus cavity, cause pressure on his eye. (It also explained why DH had been walking into walks, furniture, edges of buildings... because his vision was compromised.) It needed to come out right away... and it took precedence over my procedure. DH was out of work for just about 3 months with this entire procedure. To say things weren't stressful is an understatement.
We have been busy trying to get back on track with things... getting caught up on bills and doing some of the usual spring and summer things we do. Instead of doing my usual planting of annuals for color outside... this year I planted a perennial bed at the side of the house. It has turned out rather pretty and has been fun for both of us as it's a butterfly and bee garden. We have lots of bees, butterflies, birds and dragonflies. The feeders are well used as is the bird bath. I have enjoyed sitting out in the evening to watch the birds feed and listen to the all the chatter as they call to each other.
I have added 2 humming bird feeders to our little patio area and that has been a great source of joy for me as we have 3 that feed with us, 2 females and 1 male. The feeders are less than 8 feet away and we get a close up view... they are not afraid to feed while we sit right there.
That is pretty much my life these days. I still need to get back to Penn Medicine and restart my work ups. I do need to have surgery to remove the fistula and undergo a small bowel resect. It is not easy to think about, and it does need to be done in the next few months before the weather gets bad again. DH doesn't have much time away to be with me... he had to use all of his vacation for his Grams illness and funeral. His company is rather difficult to work with regarding family issues and FMLA is carefully watched. I hesitate to do too much... if I do this surgery, I think I will have him take me down for the day of the procedure and not worry about seeing me until I transfer to a rehab unit and then come home.
Time for me to go and get a few things accomplished today. Moving very slowly!
Thanks for stopping by and reading...
Be Blessed! ~Suzanne
