Going Home

I got the word today - I get to go home. Holland Hospital is nice, but I prefer the old house on 18th Street.

Fortunately, we were able to catch this bug before it got out of hand, but we can't figure out where it came from. The good news is I do not have an abcess per the CT Scan. But where oh where does this come? Guess it will remain a mystery for now.

Plans for the weekend are getting some rest and trying to catch up as best I can. G has a big swim meet and E has bball - so being a good dad will be a priority too. Plus, I owe Amy a lot. Good thing next week is Valentine's Day.....I'll need to make sure it is a good one.

Thanks for all of your prayers and good thoughts.

Lemons into Lemonade or the Alternative?

I received an email today from a college friend who is in the process of mourning a loss and going through the grieving process. In some ways this past year has made me realize I am in the grieving process over the loss of my intestines, the loss of control over how tired I get, the loss of control over situations like these when I get hospitalized for one week in the most inopportune time. None of those losses are fun for me, my family, my work or others.

With the help of modern medicine I feel fine right now. Antibiotics are amazing, pulling the line helped and there is always pain medicine if need be. In fact last night I stayed up way too late and watched the GOP returns from MN, MO and almost CO. The pundits were as fun as always and I even thought of a new blog I could start some day.

Obviously I would prefer that certain parts of my life were different. Who doesn't? But in the end we all have a choice to remember - We can turn lemons into lemonade or we can let lemons sour us. It's our choice, and today I'm sipping lemonade.

Again......

Somehow I eneded up in the Hospital. Holland Hospital that is. Probably have a line infection again. These things suck! The pain is excruciating and makes you so uncomfortable you just want it to end. Even morphine doesn't kill the pain totally. The pain just sits somewhere until the antibiotics kick in and the line gets pulled.

I'm doing better today, but this experience may have put me over the top. It has made me really think about whether we should move forward with a transplant. I feel in so many ways I am letting people down at work, at home, and even myself. I just can't seem to kick this, and it's messing with my head.

So as my old my friend Jim Soule used to say - What do you want? What do you want? I don't know yet. But I may be getting closer.

Pittsburgh 'Is What It Is'

People keep asking 'How was the trip to Pittsburgh?' Well that has lots of answers.

Overall the trip was good. We went out a day early so we could have fun with the kids and play. G and E had such fun this summer at a few of the Burgh's local cultural institutions, they wanted to show them to me. I have to say the Pitt Science Center is incredible. It is hands on, explains science in a way that children can understand it, and is physical. Kids get tired there....I was amazed. We also went to various local establishments and enjoyed some wonderful epicurean experiences.

One of the best times was having dinner with our friend Allyson and her husband - Kirk. We got to see where they live and just hang out. That was fun. Plus while Amy and I were meeting with the UPMC team, Allyson was able to take our children to the Children's Museum. According to the kids, it is way better than any other children's museum they have attended. It was wonderful to see their smiles when they returned from the day.

So GREAT!! is one answer. The other answer is 'Really....Come on. Are you serious?' That would be because my liver enzymes prefer to fluctuate rather than stay consistent. One week the billyrubin is 1.6; the next it is 2.3 and then back again. So what is one to do?

Well we did more fluid a few weeks ago. That worked initially, but now.....they are back up again. So the next step is to change medicine and do an MRE. That's fine. But getting it done is a pain because we have to fit it in and they couldn't do it at UPMC during a time that worked for us. So now we have to get it done here in West Michigan and then head back to UPMC for a check up, and figure out what is next.

Ah the joys of a chronic disease.

I know we will figure it out. But it sure can be a roller coaster without an ending.