Sabbath evening - rest and friends

Dear Family and Friends,
It is about 9 pm, early for blogging, and Nan is getting her night meds right now. She has played with fevers all night and all day but the last vitals finally showed a normal temperature. We have had another colostomy bag failure along the seam, seems we have a bad batch and Nan told them so on the phone today. Nan has set up in the recliner for hours, has walked rapidly (for her) down the hall, has chatted on the phone with family and friends and has had a good day. I arrived mid morning after walking the doggies in the park. We sat and talked for awhile and then she enjoyed a lunch which had her favorite soup, asparagas. Bob and Carrol drove over from Lodi and met me at UNOs which is a nice place nearby for american food. We enjoyed Garden Burgers and ice water, fries and fellowship. We brought a cheese and tomato pizza back to Nan and she had some and loved it. They also gave us a certificate for a 1 lb bod of sees candy. I detoured over to sees and brought back a box of nuts and chews, Nan's favorite. She has been enjoying ice tea, candy and we had such a good time with Bob and Carrol. We even got to sing over the cell phone to Roger who turned 65 today. We made pretty good music for seniors! All too soon they had to head home. I cannot describe what a comfort and encouragement they are to both of us and the fact that they take an afternoon and drive over here and back with todays gas prices really touches our hearts and lives. We munched on candy, sipped soft drinks, told stories and prayed together.
Nan was glad to hear from Mary who is recovering from illness and from Pam who is also feeling better. They both have been on our hearts as we love them and are concerned about their ailments. Dana says Ronnie is home after his new knee was installed, is walking, is a terrible patient and won't do what he is supposed to do but is recovering nicely. God Ronnie!

Now Nan is ready for the night, I have all her bags emptied, we have just changed the dressing for a wound that is now leaking less again, we have tucked her in and after I rub her feet I will slip away for the night. This evening while she napped and watched the parent trap on TV I worked by remote on my home computer entering tax data for 2005. I got one of 12 months of AMEX entered into quickbooks pro, that is real progress and now I'll try to do a month each day so Ken can file an amended return for 2005. Then we will start working on 2006 but will file an extension on April 15th to buy us more time.
Nan's attitude has been so good during this hospital stay. In spite of setbacks and discouragements like today, not getting to go home, Nan has stayed positive and worked with doctors and nurses to find solutions. God has given our family a truely amazing woman with tons of back bone, deep faith and courage and a way of approaching life few would understand. In spite of her physical realities she is positive and forward looking. Events we are looking forward to are: Keanna's birthday party, the cruise to mexico, Dana and Ronnie coming pretty soon to visit, Marilyn Titherington coming to visit from Rhode Island and eventually Roxanna after her Africa trip.
Evening has descended on our little isolation room, our nurse is cheery tonight and calls me Col. Mustard for the Clue game. A while ago Nikki and Keanna called and mom learned all about the easter egg hunt Keanna attended and other of the days events. She was refusing to take a bath for fear of losing her face painting. How cute and adorable.

We praise God for His blessings, for his messengers, for his caring nurses and doctors and for the healing Nan is experiencing.

love

tim and nan

Friday, a downturn develops....

Dear Family and Friends,
Well a day that was going fine sort of turned on us mid afternoon. Nan had been sitting in her recliner for several hours with the window open and cool breezes blowing in. Her vitals were taken and for the first time in a couple days I noticed a 99. However no one thought anything about it at the time. After she went back to bed she was shivering and asked for a blanket, that was a clue for me, shivering usually means the beginnings of a fever so I asked our nurse who happened to be a guy, he felt her forehead and said, no fever but to humor me he took it. 101.5 so the dr. was called, tylenol was given, peripheal blood work was ordered and here came atilla the hun, she drew Nan's blood the last time when she had a fever, not good at all, no feelings, no compassion, just poke and prod. She failed at the elbow, ruined the hand and ended up getting blood from Nan's foot, lovely. All of this caused Nan terrible pain so I held her foot and hand until she felt better. After the blood letting she fell asleep and I left for an appointment over in Fairfield for a purchase. When I got back 3 hours later the fever was still 101.5. This is unusal, fevers usually go down rapidly for nan after tylenol is given. So now I sit by her side, sleepy and ready to go home but reluctant to do so because they check on her so seldom and when her fever rises she does not always think clearly so I might sleep in the chair for a bit and go home later. Nan lost breakfast but enjoyed lunch and suffered through dinner, its amazing what can be done to food by a food service crew. I caught In N Out cheese sandwich while I was out. This evening we have rubbed Nan's feet, changed the bandage on her incision wound, helped her sit up in the recliner again for about an hour, changed a colostomy bag that had broken, read email messages, Nan always enjoys the comments to the blog, they really touch her and she smiles as she reads.
Now the nurse has come in at 10:30 to tell us the doctor says, if over 100 give her more tylenol, that is in spite of the fact that with Gleevec one is not supposed to take any. Now she has taken the temp and praise the Lord it is 99.4, heading downward. Perhaps our second time of sitting up in the chair helped. She has fallen asleep again instantly after hearing the good news. And with that news I will take my leave also and head home. I have become totally addicted to the hot chocolate that comes from a machine over in the ER. 1 dollar and it helps me get all the way home but it sure comes out hot at first.
We have heard from Bob and Carrol and they intend to visit tomorrow which is totally awesome to us. If anyone else would like to drop by the isolation ward call first, there was some thought of Nan going home tomorrow but I question that since we do not have the new formula of TPN at home, only last weeks formula which might be OK or not. So while I am home I'll copy the formula on one of the bags, bring it in so dr can see it and compare with what they are giving her now. They popped a new one tonight too, showed up with a huge set of potassium pills that had to come in on a trailer they were so huge but Nan gulped them down. Of course you then have to sit up for 30 minutes after taking those special pills.
What a week this has been, I've only been home for a few hours of daylight in the entire week, I usually get home about midnight and up at 7 or so, work at my desk for as short of time as I can to get the work done and then load the briefcase with the rest and head to the hospital. I find it very hard to be anywhere else when Nan is at risk. We are both grateful for the kindness of the doctors and most of the nurses, especially Anita our picc line lady and lilly the wound care nurse. We are thankfull for the phone calls, for the cards and especially for a card from my sister who touched our lives with some green that I know she could not really spare. Thank you Sibyl for your cards and help.
I have spent hours talking to Pam and Art this week. Art and Connie are so kind and always have the time to listen or encourage. I appreciate them so much. Nikki has been a great inspiration this week with her visit and many phone calls. The first thing Nan says when I get her is, Nikki called, Sharon called, Dana called, Mary called, Pam called. When you pick up the phone and call Nan you are investing in her recovery, expressing your love with your time and energy. I thank you all.
Wes, we love your comments and you bring chuckles into our days, please don't stop and know you are helping.
I usually spend an hour or so after waking talking to God and thinking over things. This morning I woke with a strong impression that we should be doing something to slow the flow out of the colostomy, almost every day a doctor or nurse would comment, no matter what we put in it comes out the colostomy as liquid. I thought, why not try Imodium so I talked to Nan when I got here and then Terri Hall, our beloved nurse arrived for a brief visit. She told me of a high power medical drug that is available to do just that, slow the flow. When the doctor came in mid day I asked him about it. He said, lets start gentle with Imodium and ordered it to be given. If we could slow the huge amount of liquid loss then Nan could hold on to her many neccessary minerals and enzymes better. So we hope it helps.
Please pray for Nan yet once again. This sweet courageous lady is holding onto hope. She and the doctor were discussing the cruise today and he has learned not to count nan out. He says we just have to get her bulked up and in top shape for the cruise. He was relieved that TPN will be allowed on the ship for the trip. He will help us get ready which is great!

So now its 11:18 and Nan's nurse just came in and talked a length about Nan's condition in general and was wondering if Nan took vit. c to help her system, we had a great discussion about things to do to strengthen her immune system. Nan is resting very comfortably now so I'm about to leave.

Sending love,

tim and nan

Thursday evening, doing better

Dear Friends and Family,

We are winding down this evening after a busy day. During this day Nan has walked down the hall successfully with minimal pain. After discovering a slight infection in her left nephrostomy insertion point yesterday the wound nurse was called. She came today but was unwilling to apply the new perkustay since she had never seen it before. After some consideration Anita, our beloved picc line lady was called and they applied the perkustay together. Anita also did a rotorutter in her picc line attempting to clear it. While Anita was working suddenly Teri, our beloved home health nurse appeared in the door. We had wanted them both to meet and here they were finally meeting. As it turns out they may be able to do business in the future with Teri assisting with picc line work on days Anita is off. I have included a photo of these two marvelous health givers that have helped us so much.

This afternoon after Nan was back in the bed after being in her chair for 3 hours and asleep I left for a job in Benicia. That went smoothly, a little condo with a view and marvelous sounds of the freeway. I battled traffic back to the hospital and got to talk to both Nikki and STeve on the way.

When I got back dinner was delivered and Nan began to eat. The soup was decent along with the veges and iced tea. I found a sandwich and cottage cheese at the cafe and then we enjoyed eating together. Nan is able to eat without nausea, yet they battle at keeping her fully hydrated since so much fluid passes out the colostomy bag, sometimes 1,000 ml in about an hour. That is hard to keep up with intake wise. At this point no one has had any discussions of when Nan will be released but I sense we are closer to that point than a week ago. It will be interesting to know what we do with a tpn supply at home for an entire week that has not been touched!

We got sad news today regarding our dear Uncle Jim. He has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and our hearts and prayers go to this dear man. He is married to Aunt Ann and they live in Oklahoma.

Today they have been giving Nan a huge dosage of albumin, I suppose that means something showed low in the blood work. We are not always told the plan in spite of our being very involved in the process. One of the oncology team is a new doctor unfamilar with Nans case except for what she reads in the case file, that has caused us some unneccessary problems at times.

So now we live and wait until people in charge decide that it is safe and prudent for Nan to be able to come home. We are patient and just want what is best for her. Our care level today has been great and we are getting used to our little isolation room.

So this evening we seek God's healing, His guidance and His blessings. We thank each of you for your outpouring of support and prayers over the past few days.

love

tim and nan

Much much better and you helped a great deal!

Dear Friends, Family and Fellow Gisters,

Thank you for your affirming and loving comments both privately and to the blog. Unless you have been at this end of a trying time with a treasured one in pain and suffering you just could not imagine how much a few carefully chosen affirming words help. Nan and I were especially touched by the kindness expressed by fellow workers of Nikki at DOE. We were both moved to tears by the thoughtfulness.

Last night after I blogged Nan's condition gradually improved. The temperature dropped rapidly to a more acceptable 99.2, the heart rate began to lower to a more normal range for her. She began to be more lucid and restful. We both considered my staying here in the Antioch Hilton in the recliner but as she improved and we considered that I would be snoring all night without my cpap machine we finally decided that I would go home when she fell asleep. That happened about 11:30. We also decided that I would rewrite the appraisal that I kept losing either when I got home or this morning. I felt awake having talked to Pam all the way home so sat down, made toast and a mocha and quickly wrote the report and emailed it. At 1:40 I was able to go to bed and at 6 this morning I was once again awake, anxious to hear what was taking place with Nan. She did not call until about 9 and was doing much better. Less pain, no fever and calm had set in. When I rose I showered, went to the desk and did conditions, value checks, reviewed reports and cleaned up. I assigned a number of reports to Jean and also set up files for son steve. Then I left for the hospital with only 3 reports left to write. I had prepared a sack of many little items for Nan and of course in keeping with my senior status I managed to leave the sack right there on my desk. As I left I made a deposit of money that had come in, YES, made a federal tax deposit the IRS had been wondering about, drops files off at STeves front door and headed to the hospital.

I found Nan in good happy spirits with some pains remaining, no fevers, low blood pressure. Mid day Nan decided to try standing on her feet which yesterday would not support her. This time in spite of the pain we put the slippers on and got her to the recliner where she set up shop for the next 2+ hours. She had lunch there, read the kind comments from friends and family, read her emails. The soup delivered to the room lacked all the things that make soup good, a few carrot scrapings in hot water is how she described it so the caf came through with better soup. She ate it all, the crackers, some mashed potatoes, iced tea. Finally we both decided that a nap was in order. Nan walked slowly back to her bed in pain at every step and settled in for a much deserved long and deep nap, no deep that the nurse was alarmed at her low blood pressure and refused the pain meds. We did a bit of a dance and eventually got Dr. permission for Nan to have the meds in spite of a lower than ideal blood pressure. Our nurse this evening and for 16 hours is very good, straight shooter and kind. We both like her and trust her. After our nap I did research for properties and drove to Discovery Bay to shoot photos before dark and to retrieve the bag I had left earlier. By that time Nan had been visited by the kidney doctor who wants the dressing / lock mechanism for Nan's left nephrostomy replaced. There is a bit of infection there. This hospital does not have the system needed so I brought some from home.

I found Nan to be happy and contented and shortly after I arrived Nan's cell rang and it was Keanna and Nikki. They had a great conversation which Nan enjoyed. Now Nan is watching TV and I am blogging. She just had the lemon I smuggled in with sea salt and is sipping hot tea. A far cry from last night with its trauma.

We wish to thank you for your special prayers and contacts last night. The Lord does have His hands over Nan as He does us all. We look forward to a long nights sleep tonight knowing who holds tomorrow. We were so glad to hear from Sylvia and Steve Ahn, our long time friends from Tracy, from a fellow gister Sue, from Marilyn Bitzer who knows first hand the experience of caring for a suffering spouse, from Bob and Carrol who face the big C every day, from Roger and Carol who have seen their own brand of challenges this year and last. I especially want to thank Art and Pam who put up with long phone calls and are a great source of hope.

I have included a photo of glamour girl today while she sat in her chair. Some how this lovely lady manages to always look good.

Thank God tonight and continue to seek His will and healing. Now we long to be able to head home again, just not sure when.

Sending our love,

tim and nan

the second photo is of Nan on the back deck recently when she was planting seeds and plants.

SOS

Dear Family and Friends,
Nan is in incredible pain right now. It is evening and we are in an isolation room. It appears that they have overdone the hydration to the point that her little toe and foot on the left side are in incredible pain. A few minutes ago they came in to take vitals, temp is 103 and heart rate is 158.
I'm writing but things are happening between my words, nurses got the doctor on the phone, tried to give 650 tylenol but we protested due to Gleevec, so they relented and did 325 instead, gave pain meds too to calm down the pain from the toe, lab sent a uncaring person to draw blood, announced she had done lots of these and we told her we had had lots of them done and she needed to use the hand, refused, did the arm anyway, errrrrrr, now Nan is in this cold room without blankets at all covering her, they were going to do ice packs, soon the leviquin will be here and here we go again with messed up GI tract, oh well, a runaway infection in the blood would be worse. Finally she has fallen asleep and I am freezing, I wore shorts today since it looked sunny and I knew I would be in her room on the 4th floor that is always too hot. We almost immediatelly after I arrived they came in to tell us that the msrn bug or something like that had been discovered in her urine and she was moving to isolation ward, its a huge room which is nice but cold with no thermostat available at all. I've been freezing most of the day. I've tried to work but lost the entire appraisal I was working on just when I got it done so have to start over, took two trips to Staples to get ink for my mobile printer, what I had inside was dryed out.
When I got in the car this morning the fix engine light came on. What a nice start to the day.
With Nan so ill I think I will be spending the night tonight in a recliner, hopefully with a blanket and pillow, not good for Nan because I snore when I don't have my cpap machine to help me breathe. I might go home later tonight, will have to see how things work out.
Just helped Nan pull up a bit of a blanket over her and she is more lucid now but said her pain level is pretty high all over. She is drinking water from her bottle which is a good sign and she is making sense with her comments now. I told her I got to talk to Keanna and Nikki before they went to bed and she was very pleased with that. They came to see us this evening and that was so fun to see them both. Keanna does a great job of cheering us all up with her love and excitement for life. Nan really is touched when Nikki drives all the way over here so we can spend a few minutes together. Especially today which has been a tough day their coming was the bright spot of the day for sure.
It is finally quiet, Nan is slipping in and out of sleep now with more pain meds to come shortly. I know her fever is coming down. Earlier Nan was shivering and cold after being warm enough all day in this freezer of a room. So the nurse brought her two warmed blankets and Nan settled in to enjoy them, however they probably contributed to her having such a high fever. In about a half hour they will come and check her vitals again and hopefully we will show progress toward normal. She has been flirting with a fever all day in the 99+ range after weeks of no fevers. So I think we are going to be dealing with a bug of some kind that is growing and threatening her.
Now Nan is awake again, sipping water and gently moaning. If you have not heard your spouse moan in pain with an unknown reason let me assure you it is gut wrenching. This loving with your whole heart is hard work, caring deeply really controls you, grabs you and holds you.
Now the nurse has come in and is giving Nan the Loviquin, her Oxycotin for the night, Zyprexa, Flor something for GI good bugs. While she was here she took Nan's temp. Down from 103 to 99.6, now I am breathing easier again. Nan is resting but counting minutes until she can have Dilotud again. Since she no longer needs all those blankets I have stolen one to wrap around my bare legs. Nikki gave me a girlie sweater when I walked her to the car which I reluctantly took, well let me tell you, now I'm very glad I have it, girlie or not, it is warm and for the first time today I am starting to have feeling in my legs again and my shoulders.
I'm facing a challenge once again. The ongoing balance between care and production. I have several appraisals that need to be completed and emailed out. I am also needing to get out and see other properties yet how can I think of being somewhere else when Nan might need me like tonight. I had hoped to write 3 appraisals today and as of yet have not completed any.
Now Nan is expressing pain once again and no dilotid for another 30 minutes at least. In a few minutes they will take vitals again and I'm guessing the heart rate will be way down also. Sure hope so.
I don't for a minute think Nan and I are the only ones suffering or struggling, I am sharing our experiences because I know you care about Nan, are interested in what she is experiencing and are prayer warriors for her recovery. My sharing also helps me because I am not so alone in what we go through.
So this night must still be experienced and we pray, we hope, we anticipate that we will be all right. I know this is a night that Nan will want to forget as soon as possible.
Back now from rubbing her feet lightly and talking quietly to her. She is better now and I could hear her tummy gurgling, she actually had some solid food tonight for dinner, mashed potatoes.
The doctors had thought Nan would head home tomorrow but now its wait and see.
Well I'm going to wrap up now. Please keep Nan in your prayers as she faces these serious challenges to her recovery.
Sending our love tonight
tim and nan

Monday evening

Dear Friends and Family,

It is quiet here in the room as I prepare to head home and Nan gets ready to rest. Right now we have a mini crisis with Nan's little toe causing her incredible pain. She has been putting biofreeze on it all day but I have encouraged her to let the nurse know so they are calling the doctor now about it. I am aware of how critical it is to have full circulation especially on her left foot and leg which had the bypass surgery in Boston. So we hope, pray that this is just a sore toe from being caught in the blankets or something.

Nan has had a very good day, she was informed that her potassium was 4.1 today, that is the highest we are aware of ever. Yesterday we were told it was 2.6 so that is quite a change. Her blood was down to 10.1 which is also a big change from yesterday downward. She has had no nausea today whatsoever and had me bring her green olives from the store tonight and pretzels. Yup, she is getting better for sure.

I'm about to head home to bed, tired from driving all over in the rain today. I managed to see a nice place in Walnut Creek, a cute remodeled house in Oakland and some followup work on another home also in Oakland.

We are looking forward to Nan's being able to head home sometimes on wednesday, we hope so. Right now the nurse is back in with pain meds for Nan. She will have an xray tomorrow on her toe to make sure it is OK. We do not want to take any chances.

This morning after being urged by both Barbie and Irene I took the dogs for a walk to the park. They loved it and Starr seems to be getting better with her little hurt foot. She was slowing down on the way home though so she had the day to rest up. They both look behind me when I come in to see if I am bringing Nan home and when I have not done so they are disappointed. They love their mommy. I am enjoying giving them the treats Keanna selected for them at the pet store.

Nan was glad to hear from Nikki today, from Irene, from Sharon, from Dana and especially the email from Jason in Peru.

Please pray that Nan's condition will continue to improve, that the leaking will lessen, that the little toe pain will diminish and that the potassium levels will level out as well. Thank you Lord for giving Nan a good day, for good pea soup for lunch and for peace.

love
tim and nan

Sunday evening winding down

Dear Family and Friends,
What a weekend, Nan is receiving some pepcid for reflux, then dilautid for pain, then oxycontin fo0r long term pain, then sleep. Mostly today she has been sleeping but this afternoon Mary came to visit and they had a good time together while I slipped out and had a vegeburger at UNO's. Mary rubbed Nan's feet with the magic Mary Kay lotion and they gossiped together for awhile. Mary is a wonderful person and really gives Nan a needed boost.

I've been here since this morning and thanks to the trusty laptop and kind nurses moving us to a private room with a desk I've been working cranking out lots of work. I've emailed several reports out to lenders today and managed to get much more caught up. Nan and I have walked with the help of her trusty walker, then sat in this nice recliner (no Starr to help her get settled) then back to her warm trusty bed.

Drs report her numbers are getting gradually better, Dr. explained that potassium can't be rushed or it might get too high and hurt her heart. So they bring it back up gently and gradually. For that reason it may be tuesday or wednesday when she is released from here to home. That might give me a chance to get the washing done that I didn't get down stairs while Barb and Gerry were there. How we wish we could learn how to keep her potassium level correct at home. They put some in her TPN but still it gradually slips away and then when the vomiting starts the potassium plunges down fast. Yesterday she was only 2.6 when the correct range is 3.5 or 3.9.

I am going to head home soon, my eyes are burning with hay fever and fatigue. Happens to us old guys. I've sunk so far that I now like hot chocolate that comes from a machine, it is hot and gets me all the way home for .75 cents!!

Nan and I hope your weekend was meaningful and that you had time to spend with the ones you love. Treasure your time with your special people, play, laugh and hug each other.

Got to say that our nursing staff on 4th floor have been outstanding, of course the patient count is down so Nan's nurse only has one other patient and that sure helps.

So tomorrow begins another work week and hopefully lots of checking finding their way to our little mailbox. We are so thankful for God's help and miracles. And we sure want to stay in the need of His help.

Today I've had a chance to talk to Nikki a couple times, to Keanna, to Barb and Gerry, to Pam (who is not well yet) and hopefully to ARt as I drive home now. Talking to friends sure helps give me needed balance and courage. I especially enjoyed talking to Jo who had been out and about and was home to enjoy a quiet evening of knitting. We are assuming that Jason is OK, Jo had one email from him but he is a long ways away and very busy with working there.

So I once again leave Nan is the loving arms of Jesus tonight, seeking His healing, His strength, His calm and peace. Nan is a very courageous lady who loves life, loves her family, treasures her friends, enjoys her Starr and longs to be whole again.

We send our love and appreciation, especially to my sister Sibyl who remembers us in such special ways.

tim and nan

Keanna and Pappa visit Grammy, so do Bob and Carrol

Dear Fellow Warriors,

What a busy day and a day with many blessings! It started with a call from Nan this morning. She called to report she had a good night with only one small bout of nausea, had slept pretty well in spite of receiving two units of blood during the night. Perhaps the Composine and Benydrl helped keep her zonked. She woke with a thick tongue and pretty groggy voice but feeling better. She had breakfast, lunch and dinner and kept all three down. We had agreed that I would take Keanna to Sabbath School in Tracy this morning which I did, then she and I drove back to the house, changed into play clothes, Keanna spent time giving Starr extra love since she seems to have hurt a front paw.

Keanna had selected a place to have lunch, what our family calls the trailer, its a little place on the Byron Highway called the Byron Inn. Great home cooking. Keanna eats there so often she knows them all by name. She had the children's #3 and devoured most of it plus some heavy duty coloring. Then we loaded up and had to come back to the house, I had forgotten my cell phone. Then we loaded again and drove to the hospital to see Grammy who had special guests, Bob and Carrol from Lodi. When they had arrived Nan was sleeping so they quietly sat down and waited, finally Nan woke up and found them waiting. Keanna was glad to see them and they played hide and seek with her, talked kindly with her and helped Grammy enjoy the afternoon. Later we all left so nan could rest. Bob and Carrol headed home to play dominos and Keanna and I headed to her house. She requested apple pieces so we went to McDonalds. Inside she discovered the slide and childrens play area and had a very hard time leaving all the fun a long time later. So about 5:30 we found Steve and turned her back into her parents control. I know why parents are young, they have lots of energy, this child is bright, has an amazing memory, sees everything and teases, questions and is a sparkplug. What an amazing lift after a tough week, to see her stop in the family room and pray on her own for her Grammy to feel better and for Starr to have her foot heal. Nikki had a great day scrapbooking creating pages of wonderful memories for the whole family to enjoy.
After I dropped Keanna off to her dad's custody I drove back to spend time with Nan. She was willing for me to rub her feet, was feeling very good, looked wonderful and had three IVs running in at the same time. Her potassium had dropped to 2.6 when it needs to be 3.5 or higher, no wonder she was feeling rough. Her hemoglobin was 12.1 but I know from experience that the first blood work after a transfusion is never right on. Just like one should suspect any hemoglobin numbers taken when a person is dehydrated, the numbers are always too high at that point.
It is unclear if Nan will be released tomorrow afternoon or on monday. She is bouncing back to health quickly this time with the bolis of hydration being given. The kidney doctor urged us today to include a weight check every day at the same time, saying that such a measurement is the best way to know if the fluids levels are proper or not. At this point no one has suggested a way to keep the potassium in the proper range all the time. That is an important factor in all of this.
We are so grateful tonight for the many prayers we can only assume have been transcending to our loving Father in Nan's behalf. We do not know the future but we do know who does know. We thank Him for His guidance and help for Nan over the past 24 hours. We feel really strongly that God arranged for Nan to be admitted to the hospital on friday afternoon. It was right and quick action has helped her feel better sooner than last time.

I have enjoyed talking with Art today, Art has become such a friend over the years and I have called him late, early and often and he is God's man for me. I also enjoyed talking again tonight with Jo. She shipped Clayton, her brother who lives with them, home to their mothers in Denver and is enjoying some quiet time. She took a knitting class and is well along with her first scarf, the an ardvark that she says is so cute. She has heard nothing more from Jason today. She was having a nice evening with her knitting needles.

Tomorrow I will work from Nan's room doing appraisal stuff which sorely needs to be completed. That way I can be with her for company and yet get work done that is needed for peoples finances.

Tonight we thank you for your involvement in Nan's recovery. We praise God for you and you and you....

love

tim and nan
ps It sure has been nice to drive a shiny clean car today, thanks Gerry!

Back in the hospital again...........

Dear Family and Friends,

Its 11:10 and I'm going to bed soon. Just got home from being with nan at the Delta Sutter Hospital in Antioch. The nausea was building and building with no relief, her weight had dropped from 130 to 121 in three days, her every waking moment was being pushed by the urge to purge. Interesting how God works things, on Wednesday out of the blue oncology office person called to say Dr. Melynk want to see Nan on Friday at 3:30. So we arranged our plans to be there and by the time we got there it was pretty clear to both of us that she needed to be in the hospital, potassium was low, phosphorous was low, hemoglobin was low, creatins were high. Poor Nan threw up before she got up, after she got up, in the car, in the doctor's office and after we reached the hospital, I just spoke with her and she had gotten all her pills down finally and then 1/2 hour later threw up again but did not lose the pills.

The doctor arranged everything from his office so all we had to do was drive the mile to the hospital and to the 4th floor to her bed. She is in 417B I think, not positive about the room but if you call use her cell phone 925 354 7677 since she has no room phone evident. We settled her in about 6 pm then Nikki called and brought Keanna over to a nearby Chilli's where we had a nice dinner. Nan was sleeping and urged us to meet. As I walked to the table Keanna ran at me and jumped into my arms, you are the best pappa! What joy in a tough day! She talked about lots of things as we ate and made her pasta disappear. Then it was time for them to go home and I went back to the hospital where I stayed with Nan until about 10:15, she was ready to get some sleep and did until her body woke her with nausea again.

There appears to be concensus that Nan is dehydrated. How that is possible when we were putting in about 3,200 ml of fluid is beyond me. Also one of our indicators about dehydration is dark urine and smaller amounts of it, well this time it is running clear and there is lots of it. So out of my confusion I hope to learn what is really going on.

Barb and Gerry left for home around noon today and we hated to see them leave. Yes our cars are shiny including the tires, our counters require sun glasses, they are so bright, the frig now makes sense and the floors are swept, the cardboard boxes are gone so we will remember their time with us, but mostly for the love and encouragement they shared with us. These are two very special people who know how to share the love of Jesus when it is needed most. This has been a very tough week, with nan getting worse and worse and the mail bringing little or no money day after day, its been hard to hold it together, they were a great help to both of us.

The story at the mailbox was different today, just two envelopes but they contained $2,450 and along with the two payments I had already received for appraisals seen this morning the total is over $3,000 for the day. That takes us a long ways toward meeting todays payroll and when Nan opened the checks she just looked up and said, thank you God, just what I felt too.

Nan and I are both glad it is sabbath now, a time when we can set aside work, finances and just concentrate on being together and nice healing thoughts. We have agreed that I will take Keanna to Sabbath School in the morning, then find lunch with her, then bring her to visit her grammy in the hospickle (her word) to see Grammy get blub (blood, her word). It will be a special day.

We received great news today from Bob and Carrol. Her important numbers that have been delayed in arriving finally were revealed and they are even better than last time so no chemo for another two months. We are praising God over this great great news. We may get to see Bob and Carrol tomorrow as they might make the trip over to visit at the hospital. We hope that works out as Nan will be alone for part of the day as I care for Keanna.

We are thankful Sharon is on the mends, Dana is doing cartwheels again, Jason has arrived safely in Peru where he is sleeping in a tent city tonight, Jo is enjoying being pregnant, Steve is finally relaxing after an incredibly hard week of work, Nikki is scrap booking, Barb and Gerry are home safe.

Thankyou for your past prayers and may we ask that you keep on praying that answers will be found for the issues Nan faces right now.

With love,

tim

Thursday evening, a very challenging day for Nan

Dear Ones,

10:25 and Nan just hit the sheets, she is changing her incision wound dressing right now all by herself. This has been a day of declining state of health for Nan, during the night she threw up 3 times and then this morning some more and during the day some more. She called her oncologist this morning and is thinks either blockage or dehydration. So Nan is doing a liquid diet pretty much for now. Her colostomy is still putting out lots of material so I doubt blockage really. Dr. thinks that the 3,000 cc plus of TPN and hydration should be enough to cover her needs so at this point no one really has a handle of why she is throwing up so much and is feeling so lousy most of the time.

Gerry and I left at 9:40 this morning to face terrible traffic and a closed freeway 880 so our schedule was really thrown off. The GPS really helped as we found other routes to the properties we needed to see. We had a good solid work day and generated what will eventually be $1,900 in income, if our clients ever decide to pay up. Loree called and sadly informed me, no checks in the mail at all. Our situation has moved from desperate to impossible so in many ways it is in God's hands at this point.

The oncologist said Nan needed a transfusion and ordered it. nan and Barbie planned to drive to the Antioch hospital for the cross and type, a blood test one takes before a transfusion. Nan went up stair to dress, found the room cold and covered up with a blanket for a minute and woke an hour later. They drove to Antioch and did the cross and type finishing about 4:30 pm. Once again as they drove Nan lost her cookies. They came home and rested. Barbie went to work baking healthy cookies, wow are they healthy and good. Gerry and I ordered a pizza as we drove home and picked it up at the local STrawhat. We enjoyed the good food and Barbie had prepared a wonderful salad. Nan had a bit of a piece of pizza but lost it later in the evening. She worked on taking her pills for awhile but finally got them all down, that is except the potassium which she needs so desperately.

We are hoping to ask the doctor at our 3 pm appointment tomorrow if we can also get some potassium put in IV while she gets her blood. At this point we don't know when the blood will be ready. It usually takes awhile before they can find the right blood with the correct antibodies. We still hope to be able to care for Keanna this Saturday. I have looked forward to spending time with her at the park, doing puppet shows etc as Nikki takes a break with her scrapbooking.

We lose Barb and Gerry about noon tomorrow. Our time with them has gone so fast and we have enjoyed it a lot.

Nikki provided a movie, Nativity from Net Flix which we watched tonight, very moving story with beautiful music.

All in all this has been a productive day. I woke at 5:30 this morning and prayed and dozed until nearly 7 am, begging for God's intervention in Nan's life. It seems she has a few good days and then slips into suffering again. She never complains, she just does her best to be courageous and positive, to be helpful and to do everything in her power to help. Nan is one amazing woman and from where I stand she is incredible. Lets hope in a few days she is feeling better, that the blood will help her feel better and that the nausea can be controlled.

We both want to thank Barb and Gerry for their help, for their friendship, for their humor, their faith, their good food, good ideas, positive encouragement. If you know them then you know what I mean and if you don't know them its too bad. They are great caring people and wonderful friends. They have carried us this week in so many ways and we appreciate them and their help very much.

So we send our love, please pray that Nan can have relief from the nausea and that the transfusion will go well.

love

tim and nan and barb and gerry

Nan gets buffeted by test results

Dear Family and Friends,
Nan and Barbie visited the kidney doctor today at 11:30. They went over the test results from mondays blood draw. Creatin is 3.5, potassium is down to 3.1, phosphorous or something like that is also low. Hemoglobin is 8.4 and we are surprised that the doctors office has not called to suggest a transfusion. Nan came home from the Antioch visit wiped out. She rested in her chair for a bit and then went up to sleep most of the afternoon. However this evening she came down to assist with dinner prep. Nikki, Barbie and Nan created a great meal and we all had a good time socializing and eating. Keanna sat at her own little table. Nan lost the first round of food but quickly recovered and was able to eat a couple servings of Tostados, wonderful tomatos, great avocodos, fresh lettuce, refried beans and corn tortillas with grated cheese. So good.
The ladies sent Gerry and I to the store for some supplies and it took a long time as we found a mobile cart for Gerry to ride in, the find the right things and then get through the check stand. A funny thing happened. Gerry is outgoing and funny and a lady started to talk to him and kept coming by and talking more, when we got to our car there she was again in her nice car parked in our way saying she hoped she would run into Gerry again when shopping. I can't believe this babe magnet! We really had a laugh and Gerry could not quite believe it. I warned Barbie not to let Gerry go shopping alone in the future. She is less than worried!
After Nikki and Keanna had to go home due to the lateness of the hour we got out the dominos and the Mexican train device and played for hours. It is now almost midnight and we are all just through and going to bed. What fun and we were able to find a place with pillows for Nan to be comfortable so she could play too. While she played she had a cap full of all of her meds she had to take so she would play a game and then take a few more pills, she finally got them all down including the potassium pill which is so large it needs wheels to move it around.
Gerry and I did an appraisal here in the bay and then a construction inspection near George and Yvonne's house in Tracy. Then Gerry took me to lunch at Chevy's and we came home to work. I wrote appraisals and Gerry washed cars, Nan's car looks new again and mine looks much better than it did. Barbie did dozens (it seems) of loads of wash and dryed and folded for hours. Later in the afternoon I found her sound asleep in a recliner in the living room, she certainly deserved the rest. Having them with us is a huge lift for our spirits.
When Nan was at the doctors today she had lost 5 lbs and the doctor thought she might still be dehydrated. I don't see how but what do I know. Something is not right internally or Nan would not be having so much nausea again. We are putting about 3100 ml in each day of TPN and hydration. Plus she drinks a little bit and eats at least one meal as well.

I am asking the Lord to help her recover from this setback. I know He is the great and wonderful physician and I seek His personal visit to care for her many health challenges.

A special prayer tonight for Jason as he and a group from MBA fly to Peru for a mission trip. They leave about midnight and fly for a very long time before arriving at their destination. Our hearts are always in our throats when he travels so far away but we are proud of what he is doing. We also think of Jo who is left behind to care for things and pray for her well being. Dolly is traveling to southern california tomorrow and we pray for her trip and safety as well.

Gerry and I are seeing properties in Oakland, San Mateo and Martinez tomorrow, it will be a long grueling day for us. Nan and Barbie are going to tackle the pots and pans storage shelves. We have too many utensils that we no longer use and it makes it very hard for Nan to find a pot or pan to use for cooking. Barbie is a wonderful organizer and worker. They get along great and its fun to watch them interact.

Well I'm sleepy and your eyes are probably crossing from this long blog. Please keep Nan in your prayers and our finances as well. God answered in a special way meeting the challenges of this day!

love'

tim and nan, barb and gerry

Blog 365, Great evening, Barb and Gerry are here

Dear Ones,
Nan is in bed, new dressing on the incision wound (she does it herself these days), very tired and ready to sleep. She is waiting for me to bring the TPN bag up for the next 24 hours.
This afternoon as nan waited for Barb and Gerry to arrive she decided to go to Safeways. They have electric carts which work great, WHEN THEY WORK. Nan walked into Safeway, no small feat in itself and found one cart dead and the other two being used so she walked back to the car to wait. After awhile she walked back to the cart area and found they were still in use so she grabbed a shopping cart and walked Safeway to get a few things. When she ran out of energy she headed for the checkout counter and stumbled to the car. By the time she got home she was very tired, very tired. Barb and Gerry had arrived so Nan collected her strength and relaxed in her chair. It was a very big outing for her.
Barb made dinner tonight and enjoyed every tasty bite. Nan was having a really bad time with her tummy so had a tiny plate of a few things later, then took her pills. We laughed, talked and picked on Gerry like usual. Barb had brought some really good carrot cake from Trader Joes.
Now all is quiet with Barb and Gerry going to bed early and we are going to sleep soon.
Our news from the Dr. was not so good today. Yesterdays blood work shows potassium down to 3.1, it was 3.9 when we left the hospital, cratines held steady at 3.5 which is a total shock, I expected that they would be down to 2.5 or so. Nan and Barb are going to the kidney expert tomorrow, its an appointment set up when we left the hospital and it comes at a perfect time to see if there is something we can do to get the creatine down.
By the time I got home from my day to Napa, Vallejo and Dixon Gerry already had the cardboard loaded in his car and the garage cleaned enough so I could park inside again. These people sure come from the work ethic phase of american life. They know how to use their time wisely and get things done. Barbie already has the kitchen looking like it has after Pam, Sylvia, Jan, Sharon, Dana, Mary and Art have made it look before. The tile shines!
Today our son in law, Steve did a very courageous thing, he drove with puppy dog and Keanna all the way to Twain Harte to see a property for the company. It is very hard to find addresses up there, all roads are tiny and very curvy. How I appreciate what he did and I won't be asking him to do such a thing again. He got Keanna back just in time for dance class tonight. I tell you, he is an amazing guy.
Tonight is the last night I have to take antibiotics. I hope this is the last of the sinus problems and infections.
Everyone that sees nan says she is looking very good, she has gained weight and is more stable on her feet. She is stronger but just does not feel that well most of the time.
Can I ask that you join me in praying that God would help us take a leap forward, forward from leaking, nausea, TPN and forward into health. In about a month we are set to to on a cruise that was planned a very long time ago before our current realities. We are trying to work out how to get TPN to the ship for the second half of the trip. We are also working to get Nan stronger so she can enjoy her time at sea. Mary has worked hard to make this trip a reality and Nan is determined to go, to enjoy and to not let anything stop her. Over the past couple years she has lost out on two different cruises due to tumors and she plans on making this one work.

We are thankful tonight to have Barb and Gerry with us, to have your prayers and to be able to once again rest in our own bed.

Love

tim and nan

Another day of recovery

Dear Family and Friends,
9:50, earlier tonight. We are getting ready for Barb and Gerry who are working on going to bed earlier than they used to. We are so looking forward to their visit.
Teri the nurse came at 8:15 today, drew blood, took nan's vitals and pronounced her doing pretty well. She was kind enough to take the many bags of saline solution off our hands so we have the frig back now. She changed the PICC line bandage, helped Nan with her eranas shot, weighted her and generally just evaluated her. Nan weighs 130 or so now and is fully hydrated. In fact perhaps a bit over the top. She has had a low energy day today with stomach sort of upset. She spent a good deal of time in bed while I was out seeing a SF property and shooting Castro Valley comp photos.
On the money front we were able to collect and receive in the mail enough today so Loree could make a $1,900 depost, that sure helped and I see tonight that no all the phone payments have come into the bank yet. We are very thankful for the payments from many of our faithful clients and we hope that more funds are coming soon.
Nan called me as I was driving this afternoon to check up on my progress. She was already planning dinner. When I got home we put off planting the back deck items since it was cold and windy. We even built a small fire and enjoyed a warm evening in. Nan had me start preparing things in the kitchen and at the crucial time she joined me, wow was it good. We had fried vege chicken, asparagrass specially prepared in a skillet and then in butter with special spices, white rice fluffy and perfect. She managed to make it all get done at the same moment, a feat I have not been able to master yet. Unfortunately after eating part of a platefull she became sick. However after a few minutes she ask for her plate back that I had put in the frig and she finished everything. Later this evening we put together a new TPN bag and after fighting to get it to run right we succeeded. Now she is dozing in her chair, waiting for me to complete this blog and then to bed. How I wish she could feel better more of the time. She bravely faces each day and hopes and prays for some joy and peace during its passing.
Jason leaves for Peru tomorrow on a mission trip. He will be there for a couple weeks working to create better conditions for educating children and caring for their medical needs. This time Jo will stay home, traveling and working hard is not in the best interest of her health or the baby's health at this time.
Nikki and Keanna were in town tonight at a cycling class and then weight lifting class, well Keanna was at kids club which she loves dearly. Go Nikki, we are so proud of you.
Tomorrow I'm off to Napa, Richmond and Dixon before heading home to spend time with Barb and Gerry. We are very thankful for the steady work which comes in through email and the fax machine.
We live our lives one day at a time and are thankful when nan feels good and saddened when nan feels poorly. In general her health numbers are pretty good we think. Tomorrow or the next day we will get blood work results which we expect to be pretty good. We think the creatine level will be down due to the excellent hydration nan is experiencing.
We hope you are enjoying this week and that it can have some high points, points of blessings for you and your family. We love hearing from people and especially enjoyed reading comments from Roger and Carol, Carrol and Bob and Wes. We are thankful Sharon is doing better and that she had the surgery when she did.
So with love,

tim and nan

Mellow sunday

Dear Family and Friends,

So its cold in N. Carolina, sort of nice here, about 70 and pleasing breezes. Would not mind one more round of cool weather though for a few more morning fires in the old stove.

Nan rose late today, nearly 11. She is just not feeling that great, some stomach upset most of the time. She did not eat anything today until late this evening when she made some very good green beans, left over noodle and chicken, cottage cheese and a fresh tomato. Nice meal and she was able to keep it down. Now she has just completed taking all of her pills which is a real ordeal, there are so many to take. I just looked over and she has fallen asleep.

Well its time to feed the fish. Part of our routine every night. Half the time we forget and the fish are so hungry, their lights go out at 11 pm long after we should be in bed.

I worked this morning and then Nan and I loaded up around 2 and hit Lowes, WalMart, Longs for flowers, tomatos, cucumbers etc. Nan was really tired by the time we got home. She rested up in her chair with Starr and I repaired an extension cord which blew sparks in my hands. Then I edged the lawn such as it is, watered it and then fed it some strong stuff to try to make it act like grass again, then to the back of the house where I brought Nan out with a blanket to direct the planting. We planted some beautiful flowers, some bulbs, Nan planted some cucumbers and we are well into getting the bale of straw working. Seems it is hard to dig out the hole to put the tomato plant into the straw. We are trying to get the back deck into shape for spring and summer. We worked while the sun set over the lake. Finally it was too cold so we headed inside. That was when Nan made the great dinner.

Terri the nurse comes tomorrow morning and the labs are once again very important. It seems that Nan is fully hydrated, urine is clear, weight is up to normal but she continues to feel very rough, just not what we would like to have going on.

We are looking forward to seeing Barb and Gerry on Tuesday. Tomorrow I'll drive to SF for an appraisal and try to work up some reports in the morning before I go.

We hope you had a good weekend, enjoyed the weather and spent time with those you love.

Please pray that God will help Nan feel better, get better, stop leaking and get stronger.

love

tim and nan

A really nice day

Dear Family and Friends,

It is bed time now but this has been a very good day. Nan woke me this morning to prepare to pick up Keanna. We had a wonderful time at Sabbath School and Keanna did a very good job of being involved. Even the teacher commented on how much Keanna participated.
Then back home with Keanna. On the way home she spotted parachutes and said that when she was older, much older she would do that.
When I got home Nan was downstairs in her chair. We had toast and an orange. A few minutes later Nikki called to offer a pizza from Strawhat, it was great, very tasty. Then Nikki and Keanna went to a birthday party and Nan and I napped a bit. Later we went out onto the back deck to enjoy the warm weather. While we were out there Nan had me add some new dirt to the pots, make sure the sprinklers were working, popped some new tomato plants and flowers in the ground, threw away some old plants. Nan directed the entire process and seemed to enjoy the cool breezes. She moved from chair to chair as I worked on different pots and we discovered she cannot get up by herself from the lounge chair, too low. Too much gravity to overcome.
When we came inside we left the doors open to outside and Nan directed me to start heating up water. Then she came into the kitchen and turned out outstanding noodles and chicken, asparagas that was heavenly. Her food was excellent. We ate and then she settled in her chair. Unfortunately soon after eating her tummy started acting up and has been really a problem all eavening. She took her pills and they stayed down but barely.
So once again the day has been up and downhill like usual. For the most part Nan has felt good and had a good day. She is recovering from last evening when she expended lots of energy.

Sabbath presents such a different enviroment than the rest of the week, it is time to be together, to relax and enjoy family, to even enjoy cool breezes on the back deck.

Thank you for your love and support.

love

tim and nan

Friday evening - wrapping up a tough week with happiness

Dear Family and Friends,
Just back this evening from a wonderful time with Nikki, Keanna, Steve, Kevin. Nan felt good enough to make the trip to UNO's in Antioch which is a place that Nikki loves. Nikki turned 33 today and we enjoyed our time together. Keanna kept suggesting that we sing happy birthday to her mommy so we did, over and over again. The place had a hard time getting Nikki's pizza right but finally they did, then the free brownie cookie covered with ice cream and whipped cream, yum, yum. When Nikki told us where she would like to go I quickly converted the van back into a 7 passenger vehicle so we could all go together. Nikki drove and we all talked and laughed and enjoyed. Nan's back was hurting and she had a pretty tough time in the resturant but she toughed it out for the whole time. She is sure glad now to be sitting in her recliner, working on taking her pills and resting under her heated blanket. This day turned out so well after all.
As you know if you follow the blog we faced huge financial hurdles this week, AMEX, house payment, Visa payment, surprise IRS check. Well amazingly we have paid over half of the AMEX, paid the house payment, the Visa payment, covered the IRS check and have money toward todays payroll. Its really pretty amazing how the Lord has supplied funds even though yesterday there were no checks in the mail. We are far from being out of the financial woods but we are making serious progress as the days go by. We are very thankful for the sincere prayers seeking God's help with everything. Tonight I am nearly caught up with my back load, we've contacted the clients who owe so much money and they are looking into it, we made yet another deposit today and this afternoon's appraisal paid by credit card, always a good thing. But even more important is the fact that nan has had a pretty good week. She has been out in the car nearly every day this week taking care of one thing or another. This afternoon she got her hair washed, went to Longs and brought home a tomato plant plus another plant. In spite of it being easier to just stay in the chair or bed, Nan has stretched herself in big ways this week. We have finally got her hydrated again we think, her weight is back up to 131.5 and she has renewed strength. When one lets the mind wander back to Boston, when she could not hold a cell phone or push a computer key, to weak, then one realizes how far she has come in her recovery.

We got a huge shipment from Crescent Home Health today, three boxes. They shipped us huge TPN bags which hold amazing an 3500 ml of good things and hydration. The bags is heavy but not as heavy as normal TPN and hydration beside like we have been doing. Evidentially her numbers are holding because we have not had a panic call from the doctors regarding hemoglobin, potassium or magnessium. either they are asleep at the wheel or her numbers are OK. We hope and pray it is the later. We were thrilled to receive the tiny bottle of eranas, this little bottle is very expensive, several thousand dollars worth and it is given with a tiny needle on mondays. It tells sends a message to the blood producing parts of her body that is supposed to be sent by the kidneys, a message to make more red cells. It takes quite a process to get insurance to grant the use of eranas and we are very thankful that once again we have it.

After a week of ups and downs, of failing colostomy bags, leaking incision wound, back pains and some nausea we truely do have lots to be thankful for. We thank you our family and friends for your calls, your prayers, your positive thoughts, for your positive encouragment, for your caring for our situation. We thank our wonderful children who are so faithful in calling, contacting and caring, we are blessed.

How nice that we have the sabbath to rest in. Jesus knew what he was doing when He created the sabbath, a day to reflect on His finished work for us, a day to come closer as family, a day to put the cares and concerns about money and business aside. Tomorrow morning I get to take Keanna to Sabbath School, doubt Nan will make this one, it takes her a while to rest up after a big night out like tonight.

We are so looking forward to seeing Barb and Gerry next week. Our thoughts are with Art as he is traveling to attend a funeral for someone who died way to young. We also remember Sharon as she recovers from her surgery. We also think of Pam and Dana as they recover.

So tonight we thank God for His many blessings.

love

tim and nan

Better, Nan visits Tracy Dr. on her own...

Dear Family and Friends,

Well Nan went to her doctor appointment in Tracy today for her Vitamin B12 shot and some updates on prescriptions by herself. She planned carefully and allowed herself enough time, unhooked from TPN and hydration and drove to Tracy, saw the doctor, stopped by WalMart to buy a flower and tomato plant and then came home. She was tired when she got home so took a long nap. Then up and back downstairs to hook up to lines again for food and water. She called me and let me know what to bring home, special dirt for planting, food from Safeway. We did leftovers tonight but unfortunately Nan grew sick after eating and lost some. She is doing better now. When I finish here I will go rub her feet, she really loves that and I love doing it.

Today was a dry day checks wise in the mail but I did collect one from a client in Antioch. We made partial payment to AMEX today to keep them happy and hope to see money tomorrow to help with the house payment.

My travels today were a joint venture of Nan and me laying out what needs to be done and then trying to get appointments to do it. I drove to Patterson for an inspection, then to Antioch, then to Brentwood and then to Home Depot and then Safeway and then home. Guess my favorite part, yes thats right HOME. Nan was so cute today in her new white blouse and her jeans. She looks so good!

Tomorrow appointments did not come through so I plan to work in and start preparing taxes for last year and this year. Tomorrow evening we hope to be able to celebrate with Nikki as she has a birthday. She is a very precious person and we have enjoyed her all through the years first as a beautiful baby in Sacramento, then a little girl in Tracy, then a young woman in Discovery Bay and then she lived in Santa Cruz, Portland and now we love having her so near here in Discovery bay. She is everything one would hope for in a daughter, wise, thoughtful, considerate, funny, strong, self starting and a great mom to Keanna and a great wife to Steve. We are blessed with having Nikki as our daughter. They don't make em any better!!

Well we are trying to head to bed early tonight so I'll bring this epistle to a close. One note of good news, Barb and Gerry are coming next Tuesday afternoon and staying with us for a few days. We are both so excited about the news. nan will have someone to talk to and do stuff with and Gerry and I can ride to circuit seeing houses. Then at night we can play Mexican dominos!!
Barbie has been learning a lot about depression and has promised to share some insights with us. I could sure use some help on that score.

Sending our love, lets pray for each other, that God will shower blessings ($$$$).

love

tim and nan

Rough day

Dear Friends and Family,
Nan slept well last night but woke to a busted colostomy bag this morning about 7 am. So we changed the sheets, she quickly changed the bag and then fell back asleep. The wound care nurse came at 10:30 and changed the nephrostomy dressings but left quickly since she was suffering from a cold.
The money situation really set in today as we tried to stretch the funds we have to cover the needs. I also was facing writing a rebuttal to a review of an appraisal I did on a very high value home in Pleasanton. It seemed no matter what I tried whether it was reaching agents and brokers, or running data, nothing worked out right. I ended up leaving Nan upstairs for hours thinking that she would let me know when she was ready to come down and she was not wanting to disturb me on a very tough day of seemingly endless defeat. Finally we touched bases and I helped her come down to her chair. We decided to exercise a disability policy we have on one of our high balance credit cards since the card is in Nan's name. We had no idea that they would freeze the card immediatelly and not allow any charges to be made while they are researching the disability claim, so good news, no payment needs to be made on the card this month, bad news it removed one of Nan's last emergency options if we needed something and didn't have the funds. It brought Nan to tears realizing that she was even more limited in her options than before. And having Nan in tears is very hard for me to take, it made me feel even more inadequate than the rest of the day. Here is this brave woman who does everything she can to help out and she gets a door slammed in her face. It may work out fine but today things just felt really tough for both of us.
The one bright spot in the day was when Nikki and Keanna came to have dinner. nan unhooked from TPN and hydration for a few minutes and went to the kitchen and prepared a delicious meal. It was great. When she got back to her chair she took her blood pressure and it was a good reading but her pulse showed at 50 the first time we took it, later it was 75 which for Nan is still very low. Not sure if the machine is not working right or her heart is beginning to enjoy the full hydration and is beating slower than the 100 to 115 of the last year. We know that we are reaching full saturation for Nan, urine is more clear and there is more of it now.
Some money came in the mail today but not enough to cover AMEX, tomorrow house payment and other smaller bills. We are just feeling like our back is against the wall right now and we are not sure where to turn.
This evening Nan helped me work out appointments for the rest of the week and the first of next week. We are trying to work up a schedule which gets me home earlier in the evening so we can have some time to relax and get to bed earlier than the past few weeks. I'm getting worn down and it sort of frightens me. It was so nice of nan to help with the appointments, that way she knows what is happening and when to plan on me being home. Tomorrow I drive to Patterson for a construction inspection, then to Martinez, Antioch and then Brentwood before coming home again.
Keanna was in fine form tonight, she insisted we play high and seek and then she put on a puppet show in the living room, tonight the puppets were eating the guests attending the show. Then all too soon it was time for she and Nikki to climb into the accord and head home to bath and sleep. What an absolute blessing it is for both nan and me to have Keanna and Nikki come to visit. Steve came earlier in the day too with Meleboo to check on work and to help out. Jason called twice as he was traveling home from Salt Lake City thru Vegas to San Jose from a working trip. I guess together we will make it through all of these challenges.

We certainly need your prayers tonight, for Nan's recovery and for God's help with finances. Seems everyone in the county need to be paid, that is except us!

Thank you for your understanding and love,

tim and nan

Nan takes a cruise!

Dear Family and Friends,
Nan was able to sleep in today until about 10 am. Of course she missed Rachael Ray but she needed the rest. We were up several times last night and she needed to catch a few extra winks. We changed her dressing, noted better urine output and brought her down to her trusty recliner. She had toast and mocha, hot tea and water. She napped and enjoyed Bob Barker.
When I got up I went out front to move the motorhome to the driveway so I could empty the tanks. I noticed a green honda and then a lady getting out of the car. You guessed it, the IRS. Of course I had spent nearly an hour on the cell phone yesterday waiting to talk to someone at IRS without success. Well the lady turned out to be nice and I explained the best I could what our life has been like over the past year. She was understanding and settled for a check for $1,600 which was supposed to go to AMEX tomorrow. It was that or an immediate lien on the house which would prevent any possible refi in the future. She will come back next month on the 20th to pick up another check for $1,600 and then we will be totally caught up with 941s for the past year. After she left I dumped the tanks and then went in to help Nan.
I spent the entire day sitting at my desk working up appraisals and managed to get about 10 reports ready to email. Then this evening I drove over to Stockton to take a photo that was needed for a follow up of an FHA report and got a message on the cell, the one I had taken hours this afternoon to write up is now going to a lender I am not approved with so that time was wasted totally and the trip to Sonora as well, wasted. hard not to be a bit bitter.
Nan decided to drive to her oncologists office in Antioch this afternoon to pick up the cushion we left there last friday and to pick up some paperwork for disability. She also went by Dr. Edwards office and snagged some very good tasting oranges, thanks so much Jim and Marti for the oranges. They are so good. So now we have oranges from Mary, Lemons from Loree and Dana and more oranges from the Edwards. Yummy.
Nan came home tired but happy at the success of her trip. She even stopped at Safeway and got gas, that is a first since June of last year. Way to go Nan.
This evening was brightened by the arrival of Nikki and Keanna. We enjoyed some time together and Keanna was tired from dance class but glad to see her grammy.
Now its time to sleep, Nan has already gone up and after I prepare the TPN and take it up we will go to sleep. I enjoyed calls from Art and my brother Jerry, both were a real lift. nan talked to brother Joe and her mom, Sharon and perhaps others I do not know about.
In spite of our desperate need for clients to pay todays mail brought no checks, bummer!
These are challenging days but Nan's health is much improved. Her blood pressure was good this afternoon and her heart rate was below 100 for awhile, amazing. Even after working out in the kitchen fixing dinner her heart rate was only 109 which is greatly improved over what it was in the hospital. Nan is walking real well now and finds it slightly easier to dress and move about.

So we end this less than ideal day. Yet we are thankful for the progress Nan is making. We are in God's hands.

love

tim and nan
ps thanks Jason for your comments on the blog and your call today!

Rough day

Dear Family and Friends,
This has not been the best day. We woke to Nan being sick during the night and again this morning. Terri came to draw blood but could not get blood from either line so had to use a butterfly needle and draw blood that way. Nan had lost over 5 lbs since last monday and had a very low blood pressure that almost put her back into the hospital. We had been concerned over the weekend that we were putting too much fluid in so cut back, wrong decision in fact. So we have both hydration and TPN going strong all day and this evening as well. In a few minutes I will change the TPN to a new bag which will carry her another 24 hours. Last week's blood work showed creatines had dropped to 2.6 and today they were 3.5 again. No wonder she has been nauseous and not feeling well. She bravely got up and cooked supper tonight while I was on my way home from work, it was wonderful and tasty but Nan lost hers in a few minutes, so sad, heart breaking really. All that hard work! Let me tell you when Nan makes dinner it is hard work for her, she is weak and has a rolling chair in the kitchen so she can cook and stir and chop while mostly sitting down. She is one brave and stubborn lady!

My day has been mostly a bummer, I have so many office things to do that I don't get appraisals out the door and people are getting unhappy about that. Money is continuing to come in the mail but much much more is needed to begin to catch up with expenses. I'm coping with a constant pain in my chest which I think is caused by depression. At times it seems like I am facing impossible odds every direction I turn. No I have not turned by back on the Lord and I seek His help all the time, still I face some very real challenges with the biggest one being nan's health and recovery. I have heard that the doctor and crescent home health care have decided to try to include both hydration and tpn in one large bag and eventually get it down to a 12 hour connection so Nan can have some free time and space.

We are looking forward to hitting the bed tonight, tired, worn out and a bit low emotionally. We are heartened that Sharon is doing well, that Pam is back at work, that Dana is off on a short vacation with Ronnie for a couple days, that Art and Connie are home safe, that Roger and Carol are vacationing in Florida and that Bob and Carrol are doing well too. Irene is back from her big adventure, Jason is in Salt Lake City for work, Jo is back teaching, Nikki and STeve are both back slaving away at their jobs and Keanna is in school learning up a storm. We hope Barb and Gerry can come see us soon, that would be a nice break, not to work but to socialize.

Please pray that God will remain in control of everything that takes place under our roof. We certainly need Him every day in every way.

Sending love,

tim and nan

Home safe and sound

Dear Ones,
We drove home this evening from MBA where Jason and Jo live and work. In spite of brief periods of nausea and vomiting Nan enjoyed herself a lot. She walked up steps and down steps, enjoyed their recliner and just had a very special time. Jason, Clayton and Jo were sort of house bound since they had been exposed to whooping cough, were on antibiotics but could not socialize like normal. Our doctor said it would probably be OK to visit and relieved we loaded and drove down. The weather was perfect, we ate great food thanks to Jo, Jason and Nan, enjoyed talking, napping and catching up on how the baby is coming along. We got the crib from our house set up in their nursery today, Jo rescued the day when she found 4 little pieces that were vital for assembly that had fallen on the grass as Clayton carried in the bed. Jo is beginning to show visible signs of a precious little guy growing rapidly inside.

This morning Nan made her way into the house and watched animal planet, food channel and even QVC. She had a lemon which settled her stomach for awhile. I borrowed Jason's Forester and went to marina, a small town down the coast and conducted an appraisal, then back home and loaded up the motorhome for our return trip. Unfortunately I left some ruts in Jason's lawn with the weight of the motorhome which I hope won't stay there forever. Jason and Jo are busy planting beautiful things in their backyard and recently painted the nursery a pale blue color. That was even before they found out for sure that the baby is a boy. Jo is elated, she has wanted a boy from day one.

So regretfully we left the beautiful setting, our precious children and headed home. It took about 2 and 1/2 hours to come home and we were both very tired by the time we arrived.

Our hearts are full of gratitude for God's blessings over this weekend. The trip ended in a special way. Nikki called and said Keanna was sad because she wanted to hug her grandmother good night so we diverted a few blocks and Nikki and Keanna came into the motorhome to talk and to hug grammy and papa. What a special homecoming!!

Our prayer tonight is focused on the gradual increase in nausea and vomiting again. We are not sure why this time, we believe she is hydrated well at this point and don't understand where the nausea is coming from. Nan has increased her Gleevec intake to 800 mg a day instead of the 600 she was on since learning the tumor was growing. That could be the reason. Tomorrow morning Terri, our visiting nurse comes for blood work and that should help clear things up a bit.

I've got to tell you, the other day Nan went shopping at a store where blouses and shirts were 2 for the price of 1. Well she got some that are really cute and I find myself looking at her with admiration. She dresses up real cute!

Sharon is doing well, Pam is doing well, Dana is doing too much but doing well. I am recovering slowly but managed to drive the 231 miles round trip in the motorhome without incident.

love

tim and nan

PS thanks for the beautiful flowers Jason and Jo, they are very special!

Full moon, ocean waves crash in the distance, we are OK.

Dear Family and Friends,
We finally got here this morning about noon having all the things on board that we needed. Jason and Jo had created a wonderful lunch and Nan had brought the deep fryer and made her famous Sam's Chicken, a vege chicken that tastes very much like the real thing. We spend the afternoon with the kids and then came out to the motorhome for a nap. When Nan woke she sent me in see what was happening and then we both went in, Nan walked in using her walker and enjoys their recliner. We watched a hallmark movie and enjoyed the last of their scrabble game. It is so nice to be with family and of course we wonder how the weekend is going for our other children. This evening as I just walked the dogs I could hear the wakes breaking below the bluff and saw peaks of the moon high in the sky. Stars were every where, first time I have seen stars or even took time to look up in a very long time. I sure see why Nikki and Steve love this area, great climate, interesting people and beautiful scenery every where you look.
Tomorrow afternoon I'll borrow Jasons car and go do an appraisal in the little town of Marina. Then tomorrow evening we will drive the two hours back to home to face a new week.
On our way here today we deposited the checks that have been stacking up in the office. We are so thankful for the clients who have made decisions to pay up. Is there enough to solve the financial issues we face, not even close, but much better than we were a week ago.
We really appreciate being able to park our motorhome on the lawn right next to Jason and Jo's house. We hook up to water, electrical power and even cable TV. Unfortunately we are making some tracks in their lawn this time since there has been rain lately.
Nan and I are both concerned this evening since she is beginning to have more and more nausea with infrequent bouts of throwing up. We thought we had this thing dialed in, more hydration meant less nausea, well we have good hydration now, good blood numbers but still nausea.
Dr. Morgan sent an email after reviewing the three cds of the ct scans. He said he could see some progression in the one tumor that was not removed during surgery. He had a couple suggestions mentioning other meds but he also said that there is no evidence that these drugs would help. Nan made a devision, she has increased her Gleevec to 800 from 600 a day in hopes that the increased dosage will halt the growth of the tumor. Over the past few days the flow had diminshed in the wound fistula but today there is more fluid coming out again. Seems we gain a little and then slip back over and over again. This evening we are going with TPN only since our thinking is that she had gotten enough fluids on board.
So we pray for a better day tomorrow, our motorhome is attractive this evening with a beautiful flower arrangement Jo gave us, some very special tulips. Thanks so much.
From what we hear Sharon is doing well in her recovery and so is Dana. We wish we could be with both of them to help.
Please keep Nan before the Lord, most obvious issues are renewed nausea, increased leakage, tumor growth. Oh God share your blessings with precious Nan. She will not disappoint you as you invest your healing power in her life and body.
We thank you for your involvement in our experiences,

love

tim and nan

Power week, praise God from whom all blessings flow

Dear Family and Friends,
Nan once again demonstrated her incredible courage and inner strength. We woke this morning knowing that Nan had a doctor appointment at 3:30 in Antioch. Meanwhile I fitted in two appraisals located only about an hour away from home. Bits of traffic here and there but mostly smooth sailing. The guy in Martinez is interesting, he has over 40 pictures by Kinkaid in a Brentwood warehouse and he is trying to sell them when he can. The second home was in the flatlands of Oakland, whenever you notice the news about a killling it is most often in the flatlands of Oakland. I've never been threatened but I have had some pretty anxious dope sellers push me pretty hard to buy some "good stuff". When I used to drive the Fiero as my work car I got more attention as a white guy in a black neighorhood looking for drugs. Somehow the black bug does not generate the same interest. nan called me to tell me the comcast cable and internet had failed and it was off for hours. Lately it has been very iffy, not sure why. Nan sits in her recliner with the laptop on one side and TV remote on the other side and of course Starr right in the middle of things. So when cable goes and so does internet she feels a little bit isolated.
I was not able to get back to the house by the time Nan needed to leave to be at the doctors office on time, so she drove herself, arrived in good shape. We had our visit with the oncologist who was basically pleased with the blood work and the various numbers that were very close to being in the normal range. We had several questions for him and is offered to help in any way possible. We also asked him about whooping cough, since the boys who live next door to them have confirmed cases of whooping cough. Jason and Jo are both exposed and are on antibiotics just in case. Our doctor urged us not to miss seeing them but make no bodily contact, wash hands often and just be careful. We had planned to head out tonight but Nan was so tired when she got home, seems she got lost and found herself in a Mervyns store and also at a place that does toe nails. No wonder she was tired, 2 weeks ago she was so weak that she could hardly walk to the nursing station and back, today she walked the huge Meryvns store using only a cane for support. So when she came home off came the clothes, on went the gown and she headed up to bed for some much needed rest. Can you imagine how proud I am of her and how nice it is to see her gaining strength and weight. Today it was 131, thats a far different weight than in Boston where she was 97 lbs. Nan has humor, can be a tiny bit cranky, gets ideas, talks for hours to her family and friends and mostly is just wonderful.
This is how clever she is, she called me to say the internet was still down. She asks how she can put in the data card from Sprint so she can check her ebay bids. She found the right card, inserted it into the laptop and clicked the right places and was back on her ebay page in minutes. Take that comcast, we can do without you!!
In the morning we plan to wake early and with the motorhome packed just get in and travel to MBA which is a 2 hour drive for us. We'll come back sunday afternoon and while I am there I have an appraisal down the coast a bit to take care of. Perfect timing!
I really enjoyed reading the responses to last nights blog. It is so fun to hear from you and to be reminded that you are with us in spirit as we work through huge issues.
On a somber note, Dr. Morgan emailed from Boston. He got the ct scans and remarked that the one tumor which could not removed during the big surgery is continuing to grow larger. He did not mention seeing anything else on the scan which is great news. He suggested a couple meds that could be tried but also noted that there is no evidence that they work or not. He asked if Nan had a lot of pain in the area where the tumor lurks and truthfully she has not had much pain in that area.
The leaking place is so dimished now that sometimes the only thing wet is the tiny medical wick Nan inserts into the opening. We believe we are making progress there with less and less leakage.
Well its time to go hook up a TPN and hydration for Nan when I wake her.

Thank you for your prayers, for your support and for just letting us know you read the blog and are following Nan's progress closely. I am humbled that she is my wife, the mother of our children and a wonderful friend. She is a one of a kind person, no one else even close to being the same as she is.

So we send our love to each of you and hope you can find time to be close to God this weekend.

love

tim and nan

Interesting day and Nan is improving

Dear Family and Friends,

Sharon is home and recovering well from her surgery, Dana is doing too much on her kneee but that is Dana.

Its 11:45 right now and Nan is slipping in and out of sleep. But earlier she was in full chief motion, what a nice balanced meal and we both enjoyed it a lot. Of course I came home from the store with French sliced green beans when I was supposed to be brining home Italian ones. It was so late we decided that I would not go back to Safeways at that point. I did make a grocery run when I got home around 6. I spent the afternoon with my brother Jerry who happened to be in town between train runs. I set out to dump some of the 3,000 emails he has received, in the process I managed to get his computer so it would not find the internet at all. Finally in desperation I call Jim with INet, the great guy that keeps our stuff running. In a few minutes he talked me through and so Jerry can check the website for his work with union pacific and knows if he has time to take a walk or not. He often arrived in Sac in th eearly hours of the morning and has only about 8 hours to sleep and eat before gettin called again. His run is from Sac. to Dunsmure or Mt Shasta City where he keeps a care and drives home. He has been working on trains for the past 35 years. It is great to see and talk to him. I was not able to help him get emails, another time I guess or he might call a tech to make the property adjustments in the software.
My life has been pretty hectic lately, I called the IRS this morning and after a couple voice trees I got hung up on. I'll try again tomorrow. Just love talking to these people!
Nan is doing well, walks pretty steady now, is eating some foods and I think retaining much of the good from the food. The pains she always experiences are pretty well controlled by the une of oxycotin morning and evening, using a very small dosage of oxycodin for break out pain. The wound care nurse came this morning and Nan was so unhappy about not having her regular nurse but this lady was very nice.
I'm been busy here at the office trying to catch up on things that don't pay directly but if one let them go there would be no pay eventually. Yesterday I call forwarded to my cell and amazingly this new one works great in th eplaces the other one dropped call.
Nan got a very nice card from my sister Sibyl who lives in Ohio. She always sends such cute cards and they are lift.
Tomorrow morning after work and Nan's doctor appointment in Antioch we are going to come home and pack the motorhome and head to Jason and Jo's home. We really look forward to seeing Jo as she begins to build a baby in ernest.
Our furnace worked this morning, fired right up and warmed the house nicely. What we don't know if it will light up the next time or not. Like many of us it is getting old and may need to be replaced someday soon. Not right now as finaces are incredibly tight. Howver we are able to cover payroll tomorrow, that is a blessing for sure.
Good night from our home to your home, from our hearts to your hearts.

We are sending our love and thankful to God for His many many acts in Nan's behalf.

tim and nan

Nan is once again at the wheel!

Dear Family and Friends,
Sharon came through her surgery fine and is home recovering. She checked herself out of the hospital before noon today and with Gwen at her side went home to rest in her own recliner. How good it feels to have that trauma over for Sharon. Dana is up running around now and is coming back fast from her knee surgery which is great news.
Nan had a rough start this morning, slept until about 9:30 and was awake for a bit and they had nausea. I have a monitor in the office of what happens in the bedroom so I can hear her. She did not like the fact that her regular wound care nurse could not come today and someone else came. Nan was not pleased and sort of let her know. We got our supplies and the nurse changed the dressing and said it is looking very good. We knew that! Over the last few days the dressings are dry when we take them off, only the wick, a tiny piece of cloth that is poked down into the fistula opening comes out wet. This is progress and and answer to prayer.
Nan had appointments made to have her hair washed and worked on, this is thanks to a generous gift from brother David. We also took Starr to be washed and have her nails clipped. I wrestled back and forth about going with her or allowing her to take the van and do this stuff alone. Finally I decided that I would go. I took the laptop and used it some in the van while Nan had her hair done and a facial. She loved that and it made her feel so good. We also went to Kohls, they were having a huge sale, buy one blouse or shirt and get the second one free. Nan found several that will work over her bags and still look great. She liked the 1/2 off sale.
I've went to bed feeling bad and woke up worst. I'm dizzy, have a sore throat, a slight cough and just feel tired and lousy. Dr. could not see me today, was already double booked and I sure understand that. He is a popular guy. I am intestered in heading off the sickness before it become worse.
Tomorrow I drive to Eldorado Hills to do an appraisal, been putting it off for a couple weeks. I have other work to do in Martinez, Oakland and STockton. Hope and pray I feel better soon as I really need to be at the top of my game to keep all the things I must do in order.
Nan came home tired by happy with her accomplishments today. She drove a lot and sure remembers how to do that well. When I remember how weak she was in Boston, could not even push the buttons on her cell phone and now walking to the car, getting in, racing around and parking without a hitch, yes we have come a long ways.
They faxed the blood work to us today, good news, hemocrit was 31, hemoglobin was 10.6, creatines were down to 2.6, lowest in two months and that was before we started doing the extra hydration, white cells were in the normal range, magnessium was slightly low and potassium was right in the middle of normal. All of this was great news. Friday we see our oncologist at 3:30 in the afternoon and then plan to board the motorhome for Jason and Jo's place. However they have been exposed to the whooping cough next door so we are checking that out, don't want Nan put at risk of anything else.
I'm so tired right now and feel lousy, I think I'm heading to bed right after I hook up the TPN and hydration for the next 24 hours.

I've got to tell you, it never gets tiring to read the positive comments our friends and family add to the blog. We love to hear from you.

Sending our love and gratitude to each of you.

love

tim and nan

Sharon recovering from successful surgery

Dear Family and Friends,
Gwen and Troy both called a few minutes ago to let us know that Sharon is now in her room at the hospital. She had to wait in recovery for awhile until a room was ready. Shay kept us up to date using the blog response, very clever! We are so thankful to hear that Sharon is OK and resting well. Meds tend to do that and she will sleep the night away.

Instead of me being 200 miles away today I stayed right here in Discovery Bay. Saw one this morning for a divorce, lovely home with all the nice things, huge dock, new kitchen, great views, quiet setting. Nan slept until about 10, then we changed her bandage but found it totally dry, the only wet piece was the wick which we are stuffing down into the leaking place. We are making excellent progress on the wound and the leaking.

When Nan woke up and we were talking I suggested we go to Tracy to a special little mexican place which makes wonderful food. Nan said why not a movie also. Wow! So we left late this afternoon in her van to go to a cute and funny movie first and then to the mexican place for excellent buritos. We also went to Burger King for slushy cokes. Now we are home and Nan is out of her clothes and into her jamis, under her freshly laundered heated blanket and resting up. Soon I will prepare the new TPN and hydration for her and she will be set for the night.

We had a bad moment this afternoon when Nan woke, nausea for a little while but we did a zophram and she got better. Nan is stronger in her walking and less unstable now. She is so cute when she gets dressed up and ready to go. You would not believe how complicated it is for nan to dress. She has to cope with finding secure places for 4 bags. She has developed a system which works pretty well but it sure is not an easy process for her to get ready yet no complaining or gripes, just stoic and strong.

I noticed she was making a grocery list this afternoon so I see a trip upcoming to Safeway. I heard her making a hair appointment for tomorrow afternoon and also an appointment for Starr to get a bath.

While Nan is resting or watching TV I work at getting things completed and out the door to clients. I have plenty to do. Todays mail brought some more checks, much needed checks and each day we get a little less behind.

Dana is doing well recovering from her surgery, is back on her feet and will return to work on thursday. David is working too hard, works nearly 24 hours a day but had time to talk to Nan this afternoon.

Well its time for me to put on the nurse outfit and prepare the TPN for Nan's next 24 hours. A wound care nurse will come in the morning to bring supplies and observe the leaking wound. We were saddened to hear we would not have Julie tomorrow, she knows Nans case well and is such a sweet lady. So we have to break in someone new, bummer.

We are very thankful for Nan's excellent day today and for the chance to get out and enjoy some relaxing time and good food. We are very thankful that Sharon is out of surgery and recouping.

So we once again send our love, our appreciation and our desire for your continued prayers that God will lead in this wonderful recovery process. Do you know, its been almost 9 months since the surgery on June 6.

love

tim and nan