Tuesday March 17...11:00 pm

Robert’s laser treatment on his right eye was a quick procedure yesterday. This time Robert concentrated on counting the number of ‘zaps’ as the Dr pointed the laser into his eye…he counted 73 ‘zaps’. That’s about twice the number he received in his left eye. Oh my. Now he waits until the middle of June for a follow-up visit. Dr says it will take about 3 months to heal up after the procedure. Then he will re-evaluate what is happening, and hopefully all the leakage will have been stopped. By the end of the day yesterday, the blurriness from the procedure had cleared up.
Meanwhile, he is looking forward to getting over his cold because then he can stop the heart medication and hopefully cut back on his insulin. His cold has really affected his blood sugars – made them run high – so the Dr recommended waiting until they are more stable before making the change in meds.
We are thankful that he is able to go to work, but some days that is all he can do. He still gets fatigued easily, and the cold/sinus infection hasn’t helped. His follow-up appointment with the surgeon regarding the most recent ultrasound of his pancreas, has been delayed and rescheduled for March 30th.
So we keep on, slogging our way through the aftermath of pancreatitis…hard to believe there would still be so much to deal with this far past that attack back in September. The 6 month anniversary passed quietly – we didn’t celebrate it like one may think. I guess we are too deep in the ‘aftermath’ to consider a celebration…giving thanks and being grateful, but not quite celebrating yet.
Thanks for sticking with us on the journey.

~Jeanette

Sunday March 15...10:00 pm

Please be praying for Robert’s appointment tomorrow. He gets the laser treatment on his right eye at 9:00 in the morning. He has been so sick with a yucky cold, in fact, he is now on an antibiotic. That should be bringing some results soon. I’ll give you an update tomorrow afternoon.

Monday March 9...noonish

Time goes by so quickly! Just want to give an update for those of you asking about Robert’s eyes. When his primary care physician heard about his diagnosis, he immediately stopped the Coumadin – the blood thinner. We were very relieved. Robert is scheduled for laser treatment on his right eye on March 16th. He has not re-gained any vision in his left eye, that he can tell anyway. Maybe by going off the blood thinner he will avoid more damage.
When Robert saw the endocrinologist, and learned he is still gaining weight, the Dr. said it could be due to the beta blocker he is taking…primarily for heart rhythm. Evidently, the beta blocker makes it more difficult for the body to use insulin, which then makes it need more insulin, which causes weight gain. So, Robert called his cardiologist and asked about stopping the beta blocker. He agreed to do it, but only if he increases a different medication. Hopefully this week, Robert will stop taking the beta blocker, but will need to watch blood sugars very closely. His Dr. said that some people can cut their insulin in half by going off the beta blocker…so if he is not careful, his blood sugars could go too low. He is looking forward to the prospect of taking less insulin.
Meanwhile, he caught the nasty head-cold bug that is going around. He is home again today, after missing two days of work last week. Don’t know if all he has been through makes him more susceptible to ‘bugs’ or not, but so far Robby and I have avoided getting it.
The weather seems to be on the same rollercoaster we are on – today we have had snow and sun alternating…just went through the third snow shower, but now the sun is back! Perhaps we will get through this DARK winter before long, and experience the new LIFE of spring. That will be a welcome change!

~Jeanette