Before they would release my dad, this morning, they decided to do an echo cardiogram, and - whoops - noticed that he has an aneurysm in his aorta.
Not so good.
So now they've got him queued up for a CT scan to get a better look inside.
Best case scenario? It's not what they think - not a big deal, and he comes home later today.
Worst case scenario? Open-heart surgery.
Or something in between?
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Thanks to all who are praying
Many, many thanks :0)
I'll update later today, after Mom gets into the hospital and she and Dad see the Cardiologist.
But in the meantime, a funny story...
I'm married to Kerry and my dad's name is Kim, (and you can probably tell by the occasional photos, we're not Asian.) This has led to occasional confusion.
Like last night, when my sister dropped by the hospital on her way home. She stopped at the reception desk and asked where she could find "Kim _______", and was told, "Oh! She's in the Childbirth Center!"
Ummm.... really, no... I don't think so.
I'll update later today, after Mom gets into the hospital and she and Dad see the Cardiologist.
But in the meantime, a funny story...
I'm married to Kerry and my dad's name is Kim, (and you can probably tell by the occasional photos, we're not Asian.) This has led to occasional confusion.
Like last night, when my sister dropped by the hospital on her way home. She stopped at the reception desk and asked where she could find "Kim _______", and was told, "Oh! She's in the Childbirth Center!"
Ummm.... really, no... I don't think so.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
We interrupt your regular programming...
I thought today was going to be an ordinary day.
Not so much.
My dad called around lunch time (because he couldn't get through to my mom) to tell me that he'd stopped in at the doctor's office and they wanted him to go over to the hospital for some tests.
Okay, right there I was alarmed.
Because my dad rarely goes to the doctor. As in, almost never. Whatever is bothering him, he'd rather tough it out. But apparently he's been having some "symptoms" for about four weeks. When he exercises hard he gets short of breath, and feels like he has heartburn, or needs to burp.
But that's no reason to go to the doctor. Right?
So, since he happened to be in town today (and mom had been encouraging him to talk with the doc), he decided to drive on over to the doctor's office and make an appointment in person.
Okay, in case you missed it, that was the hand of God, people. He drove himself to the doctor without the impetus of something extreme (like 2nd or 3rd degree burns, or dangling digits).
And, whoever was working the reception desk decided that maybe he ought to be seen right then. They ran an EKG and sent him directly to the hospital for further testing, which is when he called me. (I got through to my mom, and we met him at the hospital.)
So, if you don't know my dad... when he gets nervous he talks.
A lot.
While they were hooking up IV's and sticking monitors all over his chest, and getting all his vitals he kept up a running commentary with the nurse... cracking jokes, accusing her of sadistic behavior (related to his hairy chest and all the sticky electrodes and tape), asking if she was going to shave a happy face onto his chest by the time she was done, joking with other patients about the different styles of hospital gowns, and so on.
He'd met his match in the nurse, though. A mom of three boys herself, she took him in stride. As they were wheeling him down to the Cardiac Unit he said, "I'd offer to walk if it weren't for this gown."
She shot back, "Then you'd be an ICU."
Took me a minute to process that one. :0)
But to make a long story longer, they did a Cardiac Catheterization (sent a catheter up an artery from his groin into his heart), and this is the upshot: Of the three arteries in the heart, two had some blockage, and the third was 95% blocked. He has apparently had a minor heart attack, probably sometime in the last three days, and he didn't even know it. His heart function looks good, (it's squeezing like it's supposed to), so it doesn't look like there was any permanent damage. They were able to open up the artery and put in a stent. He's spending the night in the hospital and they expect to release him tomorrow morning.
WHEW!
On the one hand, we are praising God for all the circumstances that got Dad to the hospital today. Honestly, I can't imagine my dad thinking it would be easier or more convenient to drive to the doc's office to make an appointment rather than calling from home. And, though this may sound silly, the rainy weather probably contributed to that. If the weather had been better he would probably have gone right home and been working on a project, or cutting down trees or something.
Okay, maybe I'm reaching, on the weather-factor, but we are really, really thankful that Dad got to a doctor when he did, before things got worse.
Thank. You. God.
On the other hand, this is A Big Deal. He has Coronary Artery Disease. He'll be on meds for the rest of his life, and he'll hate that.
But, possibly even more difficult and annoying, he is not to do any work or lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk for the next 7 to 10 days. And that is going to drive him absolutely nuts.
So, if you think of him, pray for him. And - especially for the next week - pray for my mom! It's going to be a full-time job for her, trying to keep him from exerting too much, too soon.
We'll be praying - a lot - because we really want him around for a lot longer.
That's my story. Thanks for listening.
Not so much.
My dad called around lunch time (because he couldn't get through to my mom) to tell me that he'd stopped in at the doctor's office and they wanted him to go over to the hospital for some tests.
Okay, right there I was alarmed.
Because my dad rarely goes to the doctor. As in, almost never. Whatever is bothering him, he'd rather tough it out. But apparently he's been having some "symptoms" for about four weeks. When he exercises hard he gets short of breath, and feels like he has heartburn, or needs to burp.
But that's no reason to go to the doctor. Right?
So, since he happened to be in town today (and mom had been encouraging him to talk with the doc), he decided to drive on over to the doctor's office and make an appointment in person.
Okay, in case you missed it, that was the hand of God, people. He drove himself to the doctor without the impetus of something extreme (like 2nd or 3rd degree burns, or dangling digits).
And, whoever was working the reception desk decided that maybe he ought to be seen right then. They ran an EKG and sent him directly to the hospital for further testing, which is when he called me. (I got through to my mom, and we met him at the hospital.)
So, if you don't know my dad... when he gets nervous he talks.
A lot.
While they were hooking up IV's and sticking monitors all over his chest, and getting all his vitals he kept up a running commentary with the nurse... cracking jokes, accusing her of sadistic behavior (related to his hairy chest and all the sticky electrodes and tape), asking if she was going to shave a happy face onto his chest by the time she was done, joking with other patients about the different styles of hospital gowns, and so on.
He'd met his match in the nurse, though. A mom of three boys herself, she took him in stride. As they were wheeling him down to the Cardiac Unit he said, "I'd offer to walk if it weren't for this gown."
She shot back, "Then you'd be an ICU."
Took me a minute to process that one. :0)
But to make a long story longer, they did a Cardiac Catheterization (sent a catheter up an artery from his groin into his heart), and this is the upshot: Of the three arteries in the heart, two had some blockage, and the third was 95% blocked. He has apparently had a minor heart attack, probably sometime in the last three days, and he didn't even know it. His heart function looks good, (it's squeezing like it's supposed to), so it doesn't look like there was any permanent damage. They were able to open up the artery and put in a stent. He's spending the night in the hospital and they expect to release him tomorrow morning.
WHEW!
On the one hand, we are praising God for all the circumstances that got Dad to the hospital today. Honestly, I can't imagine my dad thinking it would be easier or more convenient to drive to the doc's office to make an appointment rather than calling from home. And, though this may sound silly, the rainy weather probably contributed to that. If the weather had been better he would probably have gone right home and been working on a project, or cutting down trees or something.
Okay, maybe I'm reaching, on the weather-factor, but we are really, really thankful that Dad got to a doctor when he did, before things got worse.
Thank. You. God.
On the other hand, this is A Big Deal. He has Coronary Artery Disease. He'll be on meds for the rest of his life, and he'll hate that.
But, possibly even more difficult and annoying, he is not to do any work or lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk for the next 7 to 10 days. And that is going to drive him absolutely nuts.
So, if you think of him, pray for him. And - especially for the next week - pray for my mom! It's going to be a full-time job for her, trying to keep him from exerting too much, too soon.
We'll be praying - a lot - because we really want him around for a lot longer.
That's my story. Thanks for listening.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Waxing Mundane
I read other people's blogs. Lots of different kinds of blogs. My (in real life) friends' blogs. Mommy blogs. Deaf mommy blogs. Homeschool blogs. Theology blogs. Eclectic blogs. In fact, I borrowed the post title from a blog I read ;-)
It's a fascinating world.
And here is my little corner of it. And I have this tension: I don't want to pour out such ridiculously mundane trivia of our lives that nobody in their right mind wants to read. But on the other hand, too impersonal = boring.
So, I give you this Tuesday evening offering of randomness, from out house to yours.
1. The Bible reading is going great. I'm kind of in quiet awe. I don't want the boys to think that I had low expectations, but frankly, I'm a bit surprised we've made it this far.
If you're new here, we're trying to read through the whole Bible, aloud, in a year. We're using The Daily Bible, so we read an OT passage every morning at breakfast, a NT passage at lunch, and a Psalm and a couple of verses from Proverbs every evening with dinner.
Yes, we've occasionally gotten behind, like last weekend when Kerry and I went to the homeschool conference. But not so far behind that it seemed like a huge amount of effort to get caught up. And I think the boys are kind of proud of themselves :0) They often volunteer to read aloud.
This is really cool.
2. The boys got their "Summer Buzz-Off" haircuts early this year. I didn't get photos... I was a bit distracted. I usually wait for warmer weather, but Gunnar went happily off to AWANA and the next morning we were told that there was someone there with lice.
"Haircuts today!"
Ew.
3. I like to think that we live in a nice neighborhood. Maybe I'm delusional.
My first clue was the big drug bust, a year and a half ago, just around the corner. It was a big deal. Swat team, dogs, concussion grenades, etc. The house was seized and resold.
Then - unrelated - in the last two weeks the police have reopened a 19 year old "missing person" case, most likely a murder. They've been digging up the yard and basement of a house a couple blocks away.
Double ew.
4. On the way home from our sign language class we saw two more Northern Alligator Lizards. They were too fast for me, but Tate (or course!) caught one of them.
and
5. As we finished dinner Kerry commented on a goody bag Gunnar brought home last weekend. Gunnar recounted for us the wonderful awesomeness that was Juliann's party, culminating with an obstacle course involving ladders, tunnels, balancing, and "throwin' sponges at headless Barbies!"
Never a dull moment.
It's a fascinating world.
And here is my little corner of it. And I have this tension: I don't want to pour out such ridiculously mundane trivia of our lives that nobody in their right mind wants to read. But on the other hand, too impersonal = boring.
So, I give you this Tuesday evening offering of randomness, from out house to yours.
1. The Bible reading is going great. I'm kind of in quiet awe. I don't want the boys to think that I had low expectations, but frankly, I'm a bit surprised we've made it this far.
If you're new here, we're trying to read through the whole Bible, aloud, in a year. We're using The Daily Bible, so we read an OT passage every morning at breakfast, a NT passage at lunch, and a Psalm and a couple of verses from Proverbs every evening with dinner.
Yes, we've occasionally gotten behind, like last weekend when Kerry and I went to the homeschool conference. But not so far behind that it seemed like a huge amount of effort to get caught up. And I think the boys are kind of proud of themselves :0) They often volunteer to read aloud.
This is really cool.
2. The boys got their "Summer Buzz-Off" haircuts early this year. I didn't get photos... I was a bit distracted. I usually wait for warmer weather, but Gunnar went happily off to AWANA and the next morning we were told that there was someone there with lice.
"Haircuts today!"
Ew.
3. I like to think that we live in a nice neighborhood. Maybe I'm delusional.
My first clue was the big drug bust, a year and a half ago, just around the corner. It was a big deal. Swat team, dogs, concussion grenades, etc. The house was seized and resold.
Then - unrelated - in the last two weeks the police have reopened a 19 year old "missing person" case, most likely a murder. They've been digging up the yard and basement of a house a couple blocks away.
Double ew.
4. On the way home from our sign language class we saw two more Northern Alligator Lizards. They were too fast for me, but Tate (or course!) caught one of them.
and
5. As we finished dinner Kerry commented on a goody bag Gunnar brought home last weekend. Gunnar recounted for us the wonderful awesomeness that was Juliann's party, culminating with an obstacle course involving ladders, tunnels, balancing, and "throwin' sponges at headless Barbies!"
Never a dull moment.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Simple Woman #17
FOR TODAY May 4, 2009
Outside My Window... Our two dogwood trees - one pink and one white - are just about ready to pop. In the front of the yard we have a beautiful tree... but I'm not sure what it is. Must be some sort of ornamental, as it doesn't get any noticeable fruit. Maybe an ornamental plum? It blooms at the same time as the cherries and apples, but is a much deeper pink.
The boys are funny. They know I'm not a pink person, but we all agree that pink is pretty in nature, where God put it! It's as if they have to remind me (or themselves?) that it's okay to like our pink tree.
I almost asked Kerry to cut down this particular tree, as it has not looked very healthy for the last couple of years - meager blossoms, and dropping most of its leaves in the late summer - but it's gorgeous this year :0)
I am thinking... that I don't want to be obsessed about it, but I'm am intrigued by the locations that pop up in my "Feedjit" box. People I don't actually know read this blog, and that amazes me. People from the USA, people from Canada. Okay, some of those people I know :0) But someone from India reads. And someone from the Netherlands. And the U.K. And Slovenia. And Turkey.
Wow.
I don't even know you, and I wonder if you found what you were looking for. I hope you're not disappointed :0)
I am thankful for... the praying moms in 'my' MITI group, boys who make their own fun, Wyatt practicing the piano without too much coaxing, Tate's delight in tree frogs, Gunnar's compassionate heart, a little bit of work that came in for Kerry, and church friends who invite us over for lunch and expect us to stay all afternoon until evening church.
From the learning rooms... light at the end of the tunnel. No, I don't quite like the way that sounds - as if we've just been enduring until the end of the school year. Not so :0) But we're still looking forward to shifting gears for summer!
From the kitchen... nothing. We had an early Cinco de Mayo party with our MITI group this afternoon with a big Mexican lunch so I'm just making soup and sandwiches for dinner.
I am wearing... jeans, t-shirt, sweater. It may be spring, but it's not very warm today.
I am creating... don't ask. I feel guilty.
I am going... to get my office under control. Really. This week. I'm either going to start the quilt I've been sketching, or clean up all the material and sewing stuff and put it completely away. I've had the ironing board next to my computer since before Christmas. Ugh.
I am reading... What He Must Be, by Voddie Baucham.
I am hoping... Really, really, really hoping Kerry gets some more work.
I am hearing... Wyatt plinking away, Kerry showering, and birds chirping.
Around the house... the boys and I cleaned their bedroom over the weekend and I got out the spring sheets :0) It's been such a cold spring that here it is, May already, and I still had our big down comforter on the bed!
One of my favorite things... the sight of Gunnar, flopped down on his stomach in the grass on a sunny day, happily trying to knock over little plastic soldiers with his squirt gun.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: thankfully, not many. The kids finished their swim lessons, Gunnar has just one more AWANA, and I'm happy to be home more this week.
Here is picture thought I am sharing...
The Tree. It's actually deeper pink, but you get the idea.
Lots of blossoms!
Lots of blossoms!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Sunday Morning Testosterzone
Why are boys compelled to do these things? Why would any of my sons...
* Whack his brother over the head with his Bible? (We're not one of those "slain in the Spirit" families...)
* Wail and shriek and scream bloody murder while I remove the sliver (about which he's in a panic) until my last nerve is about to snap. Then, as I finally, gently slide the sliver out, snap back to normal and say, in a perfectly calm and reasonable voice, "Oh - did you get it out?"
* Wait to decide he needs to poo until the moment we're walking out the door?
* Walk the 10 feet from the back door to the van wearing big, muddy, dirty boots and carrying his church shoes in his hands? ("Don't worry Mom, I'll change in the van.")
* When told to use deodorant, apply it to his armpits and then to his hands, and then rub those hands on Gunnar's cheeks? (Well, I thought he smelled like aftershave. Not bad, but a little odd for a seven year old.)
Why, why, why?????
* Whack his brother over the head with his Bible? (We're not one of those "slain in the Spirit" families...)
* Wail and shriek and scream bloody murder while I remove the sliver (about which he's in a panic) until my last nerve is about to snap. Then, as I finally, gently slide the sliver out, snap back to normal and say, in a perfectly calm and reasonable voice, "Oh - did you get it out?"
* Wait to decide he needs to poo until the moment we're walking out the door?
* Walk the 10 feet from the back door to the van wearing big, muddy, dirty boots and carrying his church shoes in his hands? ("Don't worry Mom, I'll change in the van.")
* When told to use deodorant, apply it to his armpits and then to his hands, and then rub those hands on Gunnar's cheeks? (Well, I thought he smelled like aftershave. Not bad, but a little odd for a seven year old.)
Why, why, why?????
Sunday Morning Testosterzone - P.S.
At least - and, truly, I'm thankful - they behaved themselves in church.
I've mentioned before that all the kids at church are encouraged to take notes. (And the pastor facilitates thise by preaching from an organized outline and emphasizing and repeating his main points.) The kids write their notes on 5x7 cards and leave them, stuck to the fridge in the kitchen, for the pastor. Then, next Sunday, he acknowledges those kids by name from the pulpit. The littlest kids draw pictures, some kids obviously get help from mom or dad, and even the older "kids" - like high school and college age - will sometimes leave their notes on the fridge.
Okay, honestly, I'm probably missing some of the richness in the sermons myself because I'm repeating things for Tate (who can't hear a lot of what is said), but it's so, so very worth it to have the kids engaged in the message. This is how it plays out for us.
Wyatt, at 12, doesn't need any help to get the text and the main points, though we're working on getting him to listen and write down sub-points, or supporting details and references.
Tate, at 10 (and with his hearing impairment), is expected to get the text and main points with my help. He often likes to draw a picture on the back of his notes of something from the text that came up in the sermon.
Gunnar, at 7, hears the main points just fine, but can't write fast enough (or spell well enough) to get them down on his own. So I simplify them and fingerspell them to him, (because he loves it) and he writes them on his paper. He's much more interested in drawing a picture for Pastor Bert. He doesn't always have the discernment to draw a picture of the main point, but it's always somehow related. Like the Sunday he happened to hear the figure of speech ("the pecking order") in the sermon and drew a flock of chickens. (Wish I had that picture!)
It just boggles my mind that they can go from what you see in the post above, to what you see here in the span of an hour. That is the grace of God :0)
I've mentioned before that all the kids at church are encouraged to take notes. (And the pastor facilitates thise by preaching from an organized outline and emphasizing and repeating his main points.) The kids write their notes on 5x7 cards and leave them, stuck to the fridge in the kitchen, for the pastor. Then, next Sunday, he acknowledges those kids by name from the pulpit. The littlest kids draw pictures, some kids obviously get help from mom or dad, and even the older "kids" - like high school and college age - will sometimes leave their notes on the fridge.
Okay, honestly, I'm probably missing some of the richness in the sermons myself because I'm repeating things for Tate (who can't hear a lot of what is said), but it's so, so very worth it to have the kids engaged in the message. This is how it plays out for us.
Wyatt, at 12, doesn't need any help to get the text and the main points, though we're working on getting him to listen and write down sub-points, or supporting details and references.
Tate, at 10 (and with his hearing impairment), is expected to get the text and main points with my help. He often likes to draw a picture on the back of his notes of something from the text that came up in the sermon.
Gunnar, at 7, hears the main points just fine, but can't write fast enough (or spell well enough) to get them down on his own. So I simplify them and fingerspell them to him, (because he loves it) and he writes them on his paper. He's much more interested in drawing a picture for Pastor Bert. He doesn't always have the discernment to draw a picture of the main point, but it's always somehow related. Like the Sunday he happened to hear the figure of speech ("the pecking order") in the sermon and drew a flock of chickens. (Wish I had that picture!)
It just boggles my mind that they can go from what you see in the post above, to what you see here in the span of an hour. That is the grace of God :0)
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Fictionary #15
Oh my, I have totally neglected these, so I'm going to toss out the last three together.
Enjoy.
Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
Guiltar: A musical instrument whose strings are pulled by your mother.
But not my mother :0)
Enjoy.
Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
Guiltar: A musical instrument whose strings are pulled by your mother.
But not my mother :0)
Anybody using Jacobs Math?
Is anybody using Jacobs Math?
Wyatt is a 6th grader, whizzing through Saxon 6/7 (or is it 7/6?). I've heard that a lot of folks like Jacobs, and switch over at upper level math.
Good idea? Where would he start? I mean - which Jacobs book would follow Saxon 7/6?
Is it "consumable" or reusable?
Does it need a lot of explanation or is it all there in the text?
I've liked the "lay-out" of Saxon and not having to buy a separate teacher-text.
Thoughts?
Wyatt is a 6th grader, whizzing through Saxon 6/7 (or is it 7/6?). I've heard that a lot of folks like Jacobs, and switch over at upper level math.
Good idea? Where would he start? I mean - which Jacobs book would follow Saxon 7/6?
Is it "consumable" or reusable?
Does it need a lot of explanation or is it all there in the text?
I've liked the "lay-out" of Saxon and not having to buy a separate teacher-text.
Thoughts?
Friday, May 1, 2009
Hmmm...
I just got this in an email and I'm wondering if I should be worried.
The statistics on sanity say that one out of every four people is suffering from some sort of mental illness.
Think of your three best friends.
If they're okay, then it's you.
Just in case you wondered.
The statistics on sanity say that one out of every four people is suffering from some sort of mental illness.
Think of your three best friends.
If they're okay, then it's you.
Just in case you wondered.
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