Nan Mustard's Recovery

This blog is a record of Erin (Nan) Mustard's recovery.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Nice to be home

Dear Friends and Family,

Nan is watching Rachel Ray on Food Channel, she had some Dana hand made mashed potatoes this evening so she could take her pills. The pain patch seems to be working out OK. She has less pain than she did and is more awake than she was on the oxycontin. We did her TPN bag a bit ago so she is set for the next 24 hours. She got word today that they are going to change her TPN some and up the amount of sodium bicarbonate due to the results of the most recent blood work up. So we will be having a new delivery soon.

I left around 9 this morning for a day in the field, saw a 30 acre ranch with waterfrontage in Knightsen locally, then drove to Modesto for a FHA inspection. Thats when the fun started with my less than trusty VW beetle diesel. As I have mentioned before it is starting a new thing where one minute it is idling and the next it dies and won't start. Wait 2 minutes and then when you turn the key the glow light on the dash will light and it will start right up. After seeing the home in Modesto I started to drive the comparables and shoot a photo of each one from the street, 3 times in a 10 minutes period the car died and each time I was able to coast out of the street and wait until it would start. Then it seemed to be better so I grabbed an onramp and down 99 south toward Merced for the next appointment. Even planned to catch a quick lunch on the way, wrong!! I was barely up to speed in the slow lane with all the trucks when the engine died completely which means I lost power steering, power brakes and while I coasted I tried to find a place to get off the road, a very large truck grill filled my back window and a horn began to blast me onward. Finally a space wide enough to get off the lane opened up and I headed off the freeway. This time I sat for awhile before the engine would start again and I determined that probably the Lord was telling me enough was enough so I called the VW dealer and then limped the car down city streets for what seemed like 5 miles to the dealer. I rented a car there, the cheapest Chevy every made I think, manual windows, no power locks, no cruise but it has air, a rock hard seat and enough power to get up to speed. I was only a few minutes late to Merced, had a nice inspection and visit with some pleasant people, shot comps and headed back toward home. I resisted calling home because I had to wake Nan when she is sleeping and I also did not want her to worry about things. The slick guy at the desk at the VW dealership said he would call tomorrow and I've left the finding of the problem in the Lords hands. I really would like to get this fixed without it costing a fortune and will find out the recommendations tomorrow. As I listened to him on the phone with a client who had brought their car in, I think I know how they make money, the guys back breaks were bad, his vacuum hoses were bad, his belts were bad, his timing belt probably needed replacing so his $200 repair came to over $1,100 if he went ahead with everything they had found wrong. Yikes!! My car has 121,000 miles, can only imagine what they will recommend to me!!

When Nan called me late this afternoon I found out that Steve had brought Keanna over to visit today and they had a big time, Dana, Nan and Keanna. It allowed Steve to do an important side job to help cover bills and they got to visit with little power girl. After Keanna went home with her mommy Nan headed up for a nap of her own. She got up later and came down on her own power and surprised us. As the day goes on the bag of TPN is lighter weight and she can carry it. She said her pain was less and let me know she had a lot of things to drink today along with some food. Dana made her some mashed potatoes with butter and she had some of that. Tomorrow is a big day which she has been looking forward to for weeks, she is getting her hair done. She is so ready for that. Nan cares about how she looks and she is tired of all those dark roots creeping in while she was hospitalized. I expect wonders tomorrow.

It seems our prayers are gradually being answered and that each day nan is marginally better, stronger, more alert and has perhaps a bit less nausea, very hard to tell. I would appreciate it if you could still pray for her body to complete its healing and to resist future tumors. This girl needs some breaks her way for once. She looks good and is gradually gaining weight. Her real weight gain will come when she can eat a lot more food along with the tpn and get ahead a bit on calories.

We all thank you for your prayers and support throughout this ordeal. It is hard to think that the surgery was June 6 and here we are moving toward the end of August. It has consumed our summer and been worth every minute of time we have spent. Due to your help I was able to balance the business check book today and it has over a $100 in the black.. That is until I start to pay bills again tomorrow, yet we would be in a huge crisis without the help you have given, you have saved our home and our business and we appreciate it very much.

We send our love,

tim and nan and dana

2 Comments:

  • At 8:50 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Hi Tim & Nan,

    We are so glad to read that things are getting back to a more normal state for Nan. We hope that the news from the V.W. man will not be too shocking.

    We are leaving this morning for a few days on the Coast near Fort Bragg. We will be coming back Sunday and will call and let You know when We might be buy for a short visit on Our way Home.

    We will continue to Pray for Nan's pain & nausea issues to be resolved.

    Have a great Day and We will talk to You on Sunday.

    Much Love,
    Bob & Carrol

     
  • At 10:07 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Hey Dad,
    Hoping to get away and come see ya'll tomorrow. Tell Dana to start cooking!
    Peace and love,
    Jason

     

Post a Comment

<< Home