Back home

We have been home for 3 weeks now and have had some of the ups and downs adjusting to being here. We were thrilled to get to our house, sleep in our bed, play with our grand kids, and see our friends here. However getting things set up for medical care, blood draws, transfusions proved to be challenging. Added to that were some of the things dealing with getting our house running again. We had "suspended" our cable, phone and internet only to find that they charged us for not returning the equipment. Then Tim needed a transfusion and the blood bank could not find a match for him. They had several units of his blood type but his body is making two antibodies that made cross typing almost impossible. We thought we would have to make an early morning trip to Seattle, but got the call the night before that they found one. The next morning we got a call from Seattle saying that he was making blood again. Today we went back to Seattle for a follow up with the blood specialist and it looks like things are tracking toward normal. This is good news. I am back at work and finding it rewarding and exhausting. I am so behind. Tim is on his own and doing quite well. In fact he told Patsy the night before I went back that he "was ready for Judy to go back to work". He must be, on Monday I came home to a clean kitchen, vacuumed house and fresh coffee. I think I will keep him around, maybe the 200,000 dollar liver was worth it after all.
Thank you all who have been reading, sending good thoughts and prayers our way. We have a ways to go, but with your support we are getting there

What a baby brings

We have been enjoying having Andrea and Lily here with us. Lily is getting to know her grandparents and it is so much fun to see Tim light up when he holds her. I was hoping to get a video of him singing to her, like he did when our daughters were just babies. He looks 20 years younger when he does that. Sarah's girls saw a photo I posted of Tim holding Lily and told the mom that "Grandpa doesn't look sick anymore, are they coming home?" She was right,he does not look sick. This week Bella came with Sarah to bring Andrea and Lily back and it felt so good to hug her and hear her voice. Apparently the day before she told her sisters one too many times that she was going to see Grandma and Grandpa. Their response, "WE KNOW, WE KNOW". Lily can be fussy and lets us know when she is unhappy, but she can be very content and loves to be snuggled, bounced, or fatoodled, a term my Grandmother used to describe how my dad would jiggle us on his knee. Mostly she bring a new perspective on living. The saying "today is the first day of the rest of your life" gives everyone the chance to start new. Even when we have an old body.

I love to be with my babies', babies, I love seeing the pride and joy I had as a parent, in my daughters as they watch their children. It is the mix of awe and agony that comes with parenting. It is a pearl of great worth that comes from a constant irritation, as you try to keep your sanity.

Taking an aggressive approach

This has been another long week. The Hemotology doctors have done their best and have decided that the best approach to his anemia by increasing the amount of predinosone - steroids that he is taking. They did the marrow biopsy, and the good news is that the marrow was producing new blood cells, just at a suppressed rate. We do know that he still is producing an antibody that is killing off his blood cells, just at a slower rate. The goal of the steroids is to stop his body from producing the antibody. We have spent the last several days testing, transfusions and tomorrow morning we start again. There are some times we just get tired of being there. That seems to be when we meet someone that is going through the things we are, but they do not have the same prognosis. We know we have a very good chance of beating this and being home, maybe even before the end of the month. Some patients do not get good news. Every day people struggle with some event, usually they are small things, but they can feel huge. We like to plan our lives and live them in nice neat units. Andrea and I were talking about this, the desire to have perfection in our living. We always strive for it, and really, it would be foolish to want chaos in our lives, but what is perfection? Growing up I told my daughters that they did not have to be perfect, that perfection was boring, and believe me, they took my word for it. I do not regret telling them that, because it is looking for the positive in the ups and downs in our living that makes the unexpected some of the rich experiences we have. It is after all, a matter of perspective. When we complain of not having enough to meet our needs, we only need to look at the homeless among us. Yes some are there through choices, and others because of a twist. When we are upset by a bad cold or the 24 hr flu, we only have to visit the hospital. When you are in the hospital tired of the pokes, prods, and endless tests, you only have to see a family with a child that is doing this and yet they know what waits for them. So for us it is hard, and it has been a long week, and the aggressive approach does mean Tim could get moody, hallucinate, get nauseated, be super sensitive to touch or light, but it also means that it give him a better chance of getting home and putting much of this behind him. That is really a pretty positive outcome.

Oh one more thing, Tim says if you feel compelled you can send money or stronger drugs, and he hopes maybe for a pleasant hallucination if he has one. Good to see the steroids have not blocked his sense of humor.

Two months since the Liver Tansplant

Saturday Tim will be one week without a blood transfusion, his Red Blood Cell count is holding at 28, his white blood cell went down some what. That is a bit of a concern. We go in again on Monday to check and see if he needs a fluids top off!

We are loving having Andrea and Lily here. She is 5 weeks old and she feels so very tiny.

Hope everyone in Washington is safe and dry. Whatcom county has had several mud slides to go with their floods. It makes it easier to understand why the Transplant Team wants people to be close to the hospital when you get a transplant.

Lily comes to visit Grandpa, Grandma and Aunt Leah

Today Lily and Andrea flew in from San Diego. She is testing our grandparent skills, we still have a few. We have been looking forward to this for quite a while. We all had to smile at Leah who is not sure of how to hold a baby. We will send more photos and more information tomorrow after Tim gets another blood draw.

Its good to have new life in our home.

Back at the apartment

Yesterday was a bit rough, I got the 24 hr flu, realistically food poisoning. So I was only with Tim for about 2 hrs. Today though was good news, the hematologist said his WBC count was up. It one week ago it was 80 when it should have been 1500. Today it was at 600. His rbc count was a bit down from 30 to 28, but they worry when it is 23. So if on Friday his rbc is close to 25 they feel that he will be able to get past this phase without Steroid treatment, but it might mean more transfusions. So now we are in a waiting game, but the really good thing is that Tim came back to the apartment tonight. After another week in the hospital, it feels sometimes like we have spent as much time in hospitals as out since the 28th of August. Tim is still uncomfortable but things have started moving in his intestines. Ok that is maybe more information than some of you want, but really I leave the gross stuff out. So now we are back together and on our own until Thursday when Andrea and Lily come to visit. Lily is 5 weeks old and we will get to see her for the first time.

What happens when you just don't want to eat?

After 10 hours of blood transfusions Friday night and Saturday morning, Tim was exhausted.
Today the goal is to void, walk, and eat. They are counting his calories, keeping tack of his fluids intake and output.
He is voiding after the nurse came in and said they were going to cath him. He negotiated to drink more water and void into the container so they could measure it. The problems have been that he is not having any solid movement and his stomach is hurting. That makes food unappealing and he is not eating. The only really good news today is that his blood levels are up, 30 today. I got him some chocolate boost, the hospital only has strawberry ensure, this is a easy way to get some calories. Dr Dick came in and asked him how much he is walking and gave him some boxes to check off each time he walks, we have one left to go tonight then I will let him get some sleep. We had hoped things would be better today. He is not exhausted but moving, eating, breathing, it all hurts. He is 10 pounds heavier today than yesterday. Some of that is blood, the rest is fluid retention and any solids he has not passed. They are working on getting everything moving again, so if they are successful tonight he will be feeling much better tomorrow.

Back at the hospital; Good Liver, Bad Blood.

It has been quite a while since I have blogged. For the last several weeks it has been hard. Tim has been getting good reports on his liver function, but he has been in the hospital 4 times in December. To bring you up to date, let me say first, we might be getting some answers. This last Monday Tim and I came in for PT knowing that we were going to see about getting him admitted. We called the Nurse coordinator and she sent us to ER, where he again was anemic. Hematocrit of 22, where the lowest they want is 24. He got 2 units of blood and started the liquid diet for the lower GI. After two days, Monday - Wed, he got the GI. It was not clear enough, he still had stool after two gallons of go lightly! He got two units of Blood on Monday, but was not really feeling any better. His Stomach was tight again, looked like he was retaining fluids again. The doctors were going to give him more blood, but this time there was a new problem. It seems he is making an antibody against a different blood protein, E and he is lysing his own blood cells. He is also low on White blood cells so they are going to be checking his bone marrow. That means another biopsy. This morning (Friday) he went in for an angiogram (a test to check the status of the vena cava and portal vein). They were looking at the blood vessels from the heart to the liver. The Portal Vein was some what constricted, with a pressure difference of 6mm Hg when 3 is acceptable. They used a balloon to stretch out the blood vessel. He is now at a pressure difference of 3, but they will be watching it. They also took his first post transplant biopsy of the new liver and it is working fine, NO REJECTION. On the other hand He is a bit grouchy and is getting tired of being in the hospital. They have a hematologist working on his case with the Transplant team and he came in this morning. One of the methods of treatment is with steroids. That would mean that he would be really grouchy. Ouch. We will know more later, maybe not until Monday. We will not get the photos from the camera pill that looked at his entire Int. Track, mostly looking at the sm intestines and septum (?). He will get two more units of blood today as his hematocrit is down to 20 ( Monday/Tuesday it was 24). He is sore, his back is sore, his stomach is tender, but we went for a walk and found a chair in the sunshine and he sat for a while. That made him feel better. When we got back the head of the hemotology department came in and visited with us. She was very much on top of his situation, and from her presence, tone and plan we could tell that TIM WAS SPECIAL. I have always know this, but now we can say it is in his blood that makes him special. :) She said that Monday she will have the data for a baseline to have a plan for him. Some people are so brilliant that they can make the complicated seem simple. That would describe her. I think we are both feeling that this will be resolved with her consulting with the Transplant team. To summarize, I have been telling Tim that they needed pictures of his insides to see if his inner beauty was as radiant as his outer beauty. When you have been poked, and in Tim's words "violated" as much as he has, you have to find something to smile about. That being said, all of the pictures they have taken have been "sub optimum" but have given them enough information to know that the source of his anemic condition is not from a bleed. Tonight they are giving him four more units of blood, this time it is Type O, he is A+. They did several cross typing to see what type blood had the best mix with his, so tomorrow he will be feeling much better, some of the air they pumped into his stomach will have passed, the liver will have filtered some of the fluid back up in his abdomen, he will be able to get off this floor and maybe have dinner with me in the Plaza cafe. It will be better because as he said 10 minutes ago, we will know more tomorrow, we will have the baseline data.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, they have lifted up our arms when we have been too tired to hold them up ourselves.

Tim and Judy

It was a long weekend

One week ago, Friday Tim and I went in to Clinic. We did not leave the hospital until Monday afternoon. The medication was suppressing Tim's ability to make Red Blood Cells, or White Blood cells. He got 5 units of blood over the 4 day period. Each time they have to watch to make sure the new blood does not react with his blood. It was very nerve racking. I have several phone calls as I talked my way through the long weekend. It is hard. We know that he needed this and it would end the dizzy, faint, feeling he had. The blood would give him the energy he needed to be able to exercise, to heal, and to get home. It was just the act of having to go back to the hospital again. The 4th time this fall. Yet, for many transplants, this is very common.

Now because they have discontinued the medication that has created this problem, he will now need a new type of medication, in the form of respiratory therapy. Our first one is tomorrow at 1 pm. Hopefully the roads cooperate and we make it in.

Grand daughters!!!

Granddaughters are the best gift ever. Sarah and Dean had family photos taken and much of the girls personality shines through. Then on my birthday I got a singing phone call from three girls who have my heart. Tim and I were talking to Andrea and Lily was "talking" to us with her mama. As I was saying good bye I told Andrea to put her cheek to the top of Lily's head and simple smell that lovely new baby. As I was talking Tim teared up and told Andrea that it was the sweetest smell and most tender moment of a life. To hold your baby and enjoy the purity of life. I would imagine that grand mothers of little boys enjoy that too, and when I HAVE a grandson, I will say that grandchildren are the best gift ever!

Still,after being in the Tri-Cities for a year and half I love the fact that when I see my granddaughters they still run and shout, GRANDMA!!! They have told us several times that our house is just not as fun when we are not there. Does that remind you of the saying, the home is where the heart is? It is fun to see the differences in each of these little ladies. I am looking forward to getting to spend time and make that bond with Lily. It is good to know the people who love you simply because you are. We are formed not just of tissue, chemicals and genes, but from the hearts and hopes of the people who surround us. We are lucky to have family and friends to help us polish the way we see ourselves.

So thank you all for making us loved, we will pay it forward, back to all of you and to the ones who are the best gift of all!

Tim and Judy

cold weather, warm wishes

Here in Seattle we are experiencing the coldest weather in 18 years. With snow on top of ice, because there are too few snowplows to keep the streets clear, Seattle comes to a crawl. Not a stand still but moving very slowly. In our apartment Tim and I are warm, fed, and entertained. We did make it in this morning to the hospital to get a blood draw and some physical therapy, we were the only outpatient in PT. One of the nurses walked the 1.5 miles to get to work. On the news they were talking about how many in the medical/hospital community walked to work today to keep things running. They are very dedicated, but my guess is that tomorrow it will be harder to walk with the ice and snow. We are supposed to have clinic tomorrow but we will check the roads first.

Today we got a care package from a group of really beautiful woman, a movie for Tim, goodies, a singing rain deer and a warm throw blanket. Care packages are fun, Tim and I have gotten several, our first care package came from Andrea, with puzzles, books and cards. Then Rachel set Tim some music, a new book and a first aid kit! A stuffed dog, a book to share with our granddaughters remind us of our visit with Debra, from the Civil Air Patrol. Then we got a big basket of every day supplies from Raul and Charlotte on a short visit. It was nice because I had been considering buying some of the supplies they brought the day before. The cards we have gotten are lined up on the window sill and get read again, and again, filling us with warm wishes and positive energy. They come from Spokane, North Dakota, California, Washington DC, Seattle, Pasco and Bellingham. We very much appreciate the gifts, the phone calls, the stories, the emails, the cards. It makes this time much easier to get through.

If you want your heart warmed read the comment from Vickie in the next post - it is very encouraging

I am hoping all of you are safe and warm.

One Month!!!, and a few days

It is been more than one month since Tim had his liver transplant. We have survived some of the ups and downs of recovery. We know that it is not over and are hopeful that we will be able to return home. That though will wait until after the storm coming through, and maybe even be two more months. Today Tim told Andrea, our youngest daughter and newest mother, that he was beginning to feel like we could make it. That he was not going to focus on what was holding him back, and would not allow depression to slip in. That though is hard to do. We work on that everyday. Yesterday he told me that it was better to look at how far we have come and not on where we feel we should be. So we edge toward next week when we will celebrate our son in laws birthday, my birthday and Tim's and my anniversary - which by the way I exaggerated, it is 36 years not 37. It is a very dear present we give to each other.

So Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Birthday Dean, it is a good season. If you are stuck in a storm or the sun is not shining where you live, share some joy, share a laugh, smile, or kind word and it will feel like the sun is shining.

Lily Marie

Good News

This morning I have good news! Last night at 8:22 our 4th granddaughter, Lily Marie, was born. Andrea and baby are doing fine after 3+ hours of pushing. Lily is 18.5 inches long and 7lbs 4oz. In the photo, Aunt Rachel is holding her. Then this morning at clinic Tim got the news that all the reports came back with no problems, and that the liver enzymes were back to normal levels. Increasing the medication worked, now we hope he does not have to stay on the high doses for too long. Today I am just too happy to reflect much, just very, very happy.

Aliens, laughter and rejection

This is one week before the operation, our granddaughters came to trick or treat at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Two weeks later, when they came back with their mom to get some things to send to Tim and I they told their mom that "It isn't much fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house without them here" It will be even more fun to visit when we come home with a healthy Grandpa!

It has been a bit hard for me to write lately. Sometimes writing is a good release and other times, when I am a bit too frustrated, it is hard. Recovery is not easy, and I want it to be. On Tuesday we went to the support group and there were several (4) pre-op liver patients. They were frustrated with the same thing we were frustrated with before the operation; you have to be sick enough to undergo the operation. If recovery were easy, if the process were easy they would not have to wait until the % chance of dying without the transplant is greater than the % chance of dying from it. When I consider the options for the short-term outcome of this operation, I have to come to terms with the fact that it comes with difficulty, frustration, and no promises. That being said, I am the eternal optimist. I choose to look at the best outcomes, and work to that end. So I believe that we will walk the MS walk together this spring, with some family and friends. But every once in a while, I look down while I walk and see the empty spaces on which I stand. If one chooses to stand still, or continue to walk, it makes no difference, what supports us does not change. So we might as well take the next step.

Aliens: The medication that suppresses the immune system and tricks the body into keeping the liver is a steroid. It has multiple side effects. One side effect is a range of emotions, sometimes called riod rage. Tim and I were talking about this the other day and he said that sometimes he looks back on the day (or hour) and wonders if aliens have taken over his body. In a moment of clarity he asked me to give him some time to recognize his ill behavior and beg for forgiveness. I begrudgingly agreed. We laughed at the idea of preemptive pardons. Later my sister said there should be some type of statute of limitations, how long do I wait - not very long usually - and how far back in our 37 years can he claim medications as the cause of his actions.

The medication has other side effects; night sweats, swings in blood sugar levels, diabetes for people that were not diabetic before, seizures, tremors... the list goes on. People do not usually get all of them; some are common, like the night sweats and high blood sugar.

The other night Tim played a bad joke on me, but it had the right outcome. We both laughed so hard that it started to hurt. Nighttime is always the hardest and the other night I could not go to sleep. It was early morning 1-2 am and I had to watch him. He could not relax, his body kept twitching, some times small, a finger or foot, other times it seemed his whole body jumped. I tried to rub his arm, and shoulders to help him relax. Don’t think this is because I am a good wife, it was 2am and I wanted to sleep, so it was with mixed motives that tried to sooth his movement. I would stop and watch him, and then it would start again. At one point his hand became ridged and I rubbed his fingers and palms, put his hand down on the bed. This repeated itself several times and I began to think of all the things that could be wrong. The list of side effects ticked off inside my head, tremors, seizures... and then he opened his eyes and smiled. He has a little boy laugh when he pulls a prank. I was so mad, relieved, and mostly aware that I was fussing over him a bit too much. A good belly laugh can pull all the tension from your body, and we both slept well for the rest of the night.

Rejection: Tomorrow we go in to see if the doctors can find the cause of Tim’s elevated blood levels that indicate his body is trying to reject the liver. We do know that the blood work shows that he is not getting the correct dose of medication - the one with so many side effects, so we have temporarily increased the dose to 3 times his start value. Low levels of this drug allows the body to begin attacking the new liver, high levels suppresses his immune system so that he cannot fight off any infection. It is a balancing act. I have been reading up on how the medications work, how this process works, but I have discovered again why they call medicine a practice. Each transplant group goes about the process of recovery a bit differently, and they modify their protocol with every patient. The goal remains the same; the way to get there can differ. When I teach, I try to help my students identify their own misconceptions, to help them understand the traps and barriers we construct that will eventually keep us from understanding. As I am working to learn in this new situation, I have to check my own misconceptions, so I do not have false hopes, or be too arrogant to know that my own understanding is still short. I am reminded of the verse in the bible that says "But now we see in a mirror dimly...”. No one can know everything, not even the experts, so they must practice, and I must trust their practice, and ask questions.

It is good to have friends and family help keep me grounded and focused. It is even better for Tim to have friends and family that keep me grounded and focused; your work might never be done, but thank you for trying.

Love to all

Tim and Judy

A Step Back

When we got out of the hospital one of the nurses told us to remember that each good day would have two steps forward and one step back. We have been blessed with mostly forward steps, that is until Thanksgiving day, when Tim took a step back. Quite literally a step back. We had decided to stay at the apartment and not go to thanksgiving with family because he was running a low grade temperature and had the sniffles. In the afternoon we were going to get out and get a newspaper, walk a bit, then have a dinner. We were at the store when Tim bent over to look at the newspapers that were left, when he stumbled backward, when he took a step back. He fell on his tailbone and bumped his head. He was slow to get up. The paramedics came and checked him out and gave him an ok, but he was really sore and moved slow. I called the hospital, the doctor on call seemed to agree with the paramedics but he said to watch for a few things. Concussion, abdominal pain, inability to urinate. He was good on all of the important things, but the pain was more than he could handle without medication. He had just gotten completely off pain killers so it was frustrating for both of us. It was a night of very little sleep. This morning we had to go in for a blood draw. It was a slow process, but we made it, and the fact that He had to get up and walk, got the muscles warmed up. Tonight he is still sore, but he is able to get up without my help again. He feels like he is ready to continue the journey to better health.

By the way, that journey will mean a trip to buy him some new clothes. I had no idea how much weight he was carrying because of the fluids his body retained. To date he has lost 88 pounds, from his maximum weight after renal failure in September.

Yeah!!

The things we need

This last week Tim and I were blessed with visits from friends. Tim was so appreciative of the gift of their time. First a member from the Civil Air Patrol met our daughter and picked up some things for Tim and I from home, the models he had wanted to work on, his computer, my walking shoes. She had been praying about a trip to this side of the mountains, when I sent an email letting her know why Tim had been AWOL, she decided to come. I am sure AWOL is not what they would call it, but there were so many that did not know why we left so fast. Her visit made Tim feel connected, that he has a place in our new location. Then days later we got a visit from my administrators at school. They drove over and back during the Apple cup. It was so good to see them and find out some of the things going on at school after a really busy week. They brought us some much needed items, the kind of things that you can't think of when someone asks "what do you need?" It made me smile, because I realized that my "needs" and "wants" are very different now. With Thanksgiving coming up, it is comforting to know that Tim and I are doing fine. We really do have what we need. He is healing, we argue just enough to keep us from sounding like "Little house on the prairie", and we are truly grateful to have this time together. We are not ashamed that Tim and I could not think of things that we need to make life easier, because the basics are covered and we have a very deep appreciation for this. I remember my mother, learning to take care of herself after a brain tumor almost took her early from us. We came to visit and she was sitting looking out side, watching the leaves change colors. My family can all tell you of the delight she took in the simple things, because she so appreciated the opportunity to be with us. She did not complain that she could not walk, she instead sat in the kitchen made cookies and watched them rise in the oven.

Tonight I am sending a heartfelt "Happy Thanksgiving". Reflect on the things you are thankful for: our faith, our health, our family, our friends, our jobs. Smile at the quirks that make living interesting. It is good during the rush of the coming holiday season to start by remembering what truly makes us rich and strong.

Poster Boy

Friday morning we had some good news. We had clinic again and our surgeon took out the staples. They use staples because if they need to open up the incision for any reason they can only open the area they need to instead of the entire incision. They increased the anti suppression drug again, as his white blood cell count is up. Even so the Transplant Coordinator said all things considered, there is no temperature, no infection, Blood pressure is good, Blood sugars are ok, and the wound is healing nicely. The fact that he is doing well was confirmed by the diabetic nurse when she came in as asked " are you only 10 days?" Really it was 12 days, but who is going to argue. Then she commented on how good he was doing - "you look so good, you could be the poster boy for liver transplants". I have been repeating that to anyone I have talked to, what a blessing! The best was Tim's face, he was really proud of the work he has done.

It started this summer when he started walking with a soccer ball around the park. They were not long walks, but sometimes he would go twice a day. Many of the doctors have told him that by doing that simple thing helped him recover from the coma, regain his strength quickly and be ready for surgery. We have been supported by many prayers, positive thinking and encouragement from our agnostic friends. We did not have to wait years, or even months to get a phone call. Many that we have talked to have had several calls, only to be sent home. One person from the support group said that she had 8 calls, sometimes she was on the freeway and was called back to go back home. Others have gone through prep, and then sent back home when the liver was not acceptable. Few have only a ten day wait and a successful transplant on the first call. So as we continue to look back we see how blessed we were. As I look at how Tim was doing the week before the transplant, I know that our first Critical Care Physician would have been correct, we would have had several emergency admissions, hepatic comas. Even when he said that, my mind set was "not if I can help it"! In reality I could do my best, but I had no control over the problems that come with a dying liver. Tim can be called a poster boy, but not only because he walked and did some things to help himself, or I monitored his blood sugars, hired someone to be with him, watched for problems with his liver functions, but because grace interceded for us, with a 10 day wait, a healthy liver, skilled surgeon, and excellent support.

We have a way to go, so do not stop with your prayer, your notes, your calls, and your encouragement. We will get back to work, reading to our granddaughters, our walks, with your help. You have a part, as we do in all our living. We can pay it forward, without recognition or a thank you, which I know many of you have, even the ones we do not know about, who have given us your support in secret.

Moving on up!

Today we moved into a newer apartment, it is on the first floor so I do not worry about Tim having to use the stairs if the elevator goes out. It was one of the simplest and hardest moves I have ever made. Simple because I only had 3 suitcases, a few supplies and some food to move. Hard because I felt I needed to go back and clean the other apartment which meant I left Tim again on his own for a while. I know he gets antsy. It is hard to be alone and not be able to go somewhere, anywhere. He did pretty good, I got back to the new apartment and then went to get meds - again and find some bed boosters. I am not sure what else to call them. They are cones that you put on the feet of a bed to lift it up 4 inches. I put them under the chair in the living room so that it would not be so low for Tim. That allows him to get in and out of the chair without using his abs, which are non existent since they were cut in two during the operation. The goal is to reduce the stress put on those muscles as he heals. They actually worked.
He is doing more and more for himself every day, last night I slept through most of the night as he was able to get up and down on his own.

One of the things that has helped the healing process is the messages and calls that we have received from family, friends and co-workers. Tim had a great laugh with our friend Mary , when she reminded him of his comment to her when she came to see him in the hospital. He denied any such comment and then admitted that he did remember it. We also got a call from my brother, his brother, a message from his sister, my sister and a call from Patsy. Tim is a member of the Civil Air Patrol, working with the cadets. I sent the leader for the cadets an email to let them know why he had not been around and today he got some great emails from them. One was an e-card from a cadet. Simple things go a long way. Reports say that healing is largely based on the attitude one has. This is so true, and when you know that people are thinking about you, hoping the best for you and holding you up in their prayers, you can't help but smile. I have had many ask what they can do, what do we need. It might sound simple and maybe later I can think of things I need, but really keep doing the little things. The power-point of beautiful pictures, the notes of encouragement, comments on the blog, or e-cards. This weekend we are looking forward to some visits- which is not a little thing. These all keep us connected and supported. I am grateful for them all, and when I see the smile in Tim's eyes when we read them, or hear from you, I have a bit more energy to take care of the next step. It is the human element, and you are very much a part of it.
Thank you for helping in the healing, we will be home soon.