Tuesday February 3...10:00 pm

Robert and I both have been dreading this month. The Dr. scheduled Robert’s prostate biopsy for February because he knew that it would be the earliest date after the stents were put in to be able to “bridge” his medications to do the procedure. Last week Robert saw his cardiologist and we talked about the bridging…he doesn’t recommend stopping Plavix after stents for one whole year. He said if the urologist REALLY thought the biopsy had to be done, he would consult with him and decide on the shortest possible time to stop the medication. Yesterday we went to see Robert’s urologist and after a brief discussion about the medications, he did an exam. The Dr. finished and said, I see no reason to do a biopsy – I can’t find a nodule at all, so unless your PSA number has changed, I won’t need a biopsy. We just sat speechless…kind of waiting to see if there was more. Robert started asking questions and after finding out we needed to wait until later in the day to find out the PSA number, we said goodbye. We didn’t hear from the Dr. yesterday, but today Robert saw his primary care physician and he had the results – his PSA number has changed…the last time it was 1.4 and today it was .73! It went down!
Whew. Sometimes you don’t realize you have been holding your breath until you start to slowly let it out. Even then, it takes awhile to realize the rollercoaster is not taking a sharp turn, or a sudden drop…in fact it almost feels like we stepped off of it…Robert will see his urologist again in 6 months. Meanwhile, he sees the surgeon this Thursday to get a report on his last CT scan.
Grateful tonight for the prayers of many people…and grateful for the trustworthy plan of our Father.

~Jeanette

Wednesday January 14...8:30pm

Oh my. Life happens and blogs are forgotten. It has been awhile since the last update. We had a marvelous time in California visiting relatives in Modesto and Fresno. We hadn’t seen Roy and Martha and kids (from Indiana) for at least 2 years. Robert did pretty well with lots of laying / reclining. We almost missed all the snow traveling…going past the “Chains Required” sign when it was blinking worked out alright, though it meant going about 5 miles an hour up over the mountain on the way home. By the time we got to the bottom they weren’t letting any southbound traffic go up. Glad we made it…without the chains. Robert went back to work on the 5th and did great last week, except for the CT scan day. He had to drink those “vanilla smoothies” again…and by evening, he had a rash and was itching all over...it lasted several days. Hmmmm. Maybe we have finally solved the mystery of what caused the rash, welts and itching back in September. He had 3 of those scans in about 3 weeks then. He won’t get the results on this scan until the end of the month.
Last week, Robert also started his cardio rehab 3 hours a week, plus an hour of education. He gets to spend time on the treadmill and several other exercise machines…all while wearing a heart monitor and getting regular blood pressure checks. He says it will “take awhile” to get in shape. After 3 days of work and two rehabs, he is dragging this week. Please continue to pray for stamina.
I am spending lots of time trying to stay on top of paying bills…and trying to learn Quicken to manage them. There are reasons I didn’t take any accounting classes…numbers give me a brain freeze. I would much rather spend my time studying God’s word, discussing theology, or reading inspirational books. That’s why I wish the money going to pay medical bills was going to pay for a seminary class. Sigh. Maybe someday.

~Jeanette

Saturday December 27...11:00 pm

We lost our internet service right after I posted the last blog…something to do with the ice and snow. I don’t understand how we could have phone service but not internet…another one of life’s mysteries. We finally made it to California! The kennel called with a cancellation and we made quick plans to leave. We traveled all day Friday – Robert, Robby and I, as well as my parents. We are very thankful for a safe arrival, especially after almost losing a wheel…seems the bolts on one wheel didn’t get tightened when our new tires were mounted. About three-quarters through our day we started hearing a strange noise…about two hours later, the noise changed to a loud thump, thump…we stopped on the shoulder of the freeway, with cars and trucks whizzing past, in the dark, but couldn’t figure out the noise. We finally inched our way to an exit and after lots of investigating, realized one of the bolts was sheared off…and the other 4 on that wheel were very loose. Dad tightened them up and no more noise. We will be visiting Les Schwab Monday morning to get the bolt replaced and to make sure the other 4 aren’t damaged. We are extremely thankful we didn’t lose the wheel going 70 mph down the freeway. The Lord protected us – hate to think of what could have happened.
Today we had a most fun adventure. We went up to the south edge of Yosemite and went on a horse-drawn sleigh ride. It has been on mom’s “bucket list” for years, so we surprised her! Ironic, it ended up being this year…with all the snow we have had on the ground at home. I’ll post pictures on facebook for those who want to see them.
Robert said tonight that he’s afraid he has done too much the last two days…traveling for 12 hours, then traveling for 2 hours up to the snow today and 2 hours back, with a sleigh ride thrown in. He is quite worn out and predicting a “rest” day for tomorrow. We will be celebrating Christmas here in Modesto before heading to Fresno on Monday…after the wheel is looked after. Thanks for “traveling” with us.

~Jeanette

Tuesday December 23...9:00 am

Well, not much has happened since the last blog entry – pretty much same-o, same-o. Snow, ice, more snow, more ice, more snow…I like same-o!!! School was out all last week, so Robert got an extra week for Christmas vacation. The extra rest was probably what he needed. But because of the weather he has not had his CT scan, nor has he had any cardiac rehab – the roads have been too icy and rehab has been closed.
It is going to be a white Christmas here this year! We have a winter wonderland going on…it is beautiful. We are enjoying it a lot, but our electricity was off for about 24 hours. That was a bit challenging. Fortunately we have a wood stove and we do not lose water when we lose power, so we could still flush! Many people do not have heat or water, so we were very thankful. The forecast is for more snow, so we still do not know if or when we are going to go to California. We haven’t heard from the kennel yet either, and we can’t leave until we have a place for Sadie. We are not very comfortable leaving while there is still the threat of losing power again…it is not a good idea to leave refrigerators and pipes unattended in freezing weather. When the power was out we had to take everything out of our refrigerator – part went in an ice chest in the garage, but the rest went out on the patio! Robert even put his carton of low-carb ice cream out in the snow. Last night, Robby said he liked it better when the electricity was out…he said it was quieter, calmer, and slower. Over all, that describes our life in general since Robert’s illness…not a bad way to celebrate Christmas, the birthday of our King.

~Jeanette

Monday December 15...9:00 am

Well, Robert had to cancel his CT scan this morning due to the icy roads. All the schools in the area are closed, so he gets an unexpected day off. He was very tired over the weekend, so the extra day to catch up is a blessing.
We haven’t heard from the kennel about Sadie yet, so keep praying! Although, it appears the weather could be a factor in deciding to travel…another storm is predicted for the weekend – we had hoped to leave Sunday or Monday, but driving in snow or freezing rain doesn’t sound fun. Life has been a series of waiting to see what God has planned, so why would we not expect to wait to find out our holiday plans.
Meanwhile, I’m enjoying looking at the snow on the ground and preparing for Christmas.

~Jeanette

Saturday December 13...noon

Robert made it through his first week back to work “full-time”! I use “full-time” a bit loosely because he only had one day that he was at school for his full shift. The other days he had appointments that took him away part of the day – physical therapy 2 different days, a consultation with a diabetic dietician one day and orientation at cardiac rehab on another day. He was very tired in the evenings until Friday – for some reason he wasn’t as tired at the end of the week. I think that is called answer to prayer and stamina building! Next week he has several appointments, including another CT scan of his pancreas to check on the healing process and a follow-up with his cardiologist. He also starts cardiac rehab on Wednesday, which will be 3 days a week for the next several months. Getting well makes for a busy schedule!
We are enjoying driving our van with a new set of tires on it, thanks to the anonymous giver through Les Schwab! What a great gift that brings us reassurance of God’s care. We would really like to drive those new tires to California for Christmas and we were even given some money that will help pay for our travel. I think Robert’s mom and sister would really like to see in the flesh their son and brother after this traumatic journey! However, we kind of forgot we have a dog…when I called the kennel last week, they laughed when I asked if there was any room to board Sadie over the holidays. Normally we would book the kennel in September for Christmas, but we were a bit preoccupied then. Robert, ever the optimist, called the kennel again this morning, because he knows there are cancellations. They didn’t laugh at him…they said they would check the schedule and get back to us! So, please pray for a spot to open for Sadie so we can travel…if that is the best thing for us to do. Robert has been hesitant to commit to travel due to the ongoing discomfort from his bed sore and the thought of sitting for so many hours. Since he called the kennel this morning, I guess he is up to giving it a try.
Thanks for continuing on our journey and for continuing to pray. It is great to have a God that listens to requests for tires and dog kennels…and moves in response to the faith of his people.

~Jeanette

Thursday December 4...late (or early December 5)

The last week has gone by very quickly. And Robert has almost completed another week of work with half days! Everyday he is gaining strength and stamina and is fitting comfortably back into the 'saddle'. He told me this evening that he let the school district know that he will be starting full days next week. Wow. He has come a loooong ways. I did a most interesting thing tonight...I went back and reread the entire blog. My conclusion of the matter is that life is so out of our control...and we are so weak and frail and needy. Of course, when life is going well and we have our little part of the world organized and running smoothly, we can be deceived into thinking that we are so strong and able and self-sufficient. But all it takes is PANCREATITIS to show us and remind us that we are in control of absolutely nothing. But more than that, this whole roller coaster trip has shown me the importance of priorities...that we need to stop thinking we will get around to the important stuff some day, and make it TODAY instead. Taking time to think through priorities is especially important as we enter this busy month of December - a time that we must make sure we are celebrating what we want to celebrate, in the way we want to, without just being swept along with the flow that often ends with regret instead of joy. I am so grateful for people in our lives who have ordered or re-ordered their priorities and have been very generous to us. We have continued to RECEIVE some wonderful blessings and trust that those who have shared in our need will have celebrations filled with joy. This week we have been given cash and we had a call from Les Schwab - asking us to bring our vehicle in so they can put on the four tires someone bought anonymously for us! Some days I am overwhelmed with all that we have been through and all that we face and I can hardly get out of bed...other days I am full of energy and joy because I have a front row seat watching my Master at work. Keep praying!

~Jeanette