The One, Two Punch

Hi Everyone:

Well, I'm typing with 2 hands today. Sort of. My wrist still hurts, but feels soooooooo much better than it did. I think I may still need to get it checked because it hurts when it's twisted. So, if I hold my hands straight, I can type pretty well.

Well, I heard from my friend from Austrailia, Gaz, and he's dry. :) Hi Gary. :) I'll write you soon, as soon as the wrist is more healed.

Keep praying for Judy until all her tests are cleared, and she's feeling fine. Could be a few things. I just hate swollen lymph nodes. I'm praying for you girl.

So, what is the 1-2 punch. Well, I'm not sure what it is in boxing, but I feel like we have been knocked down and knocked out, so maybe that is it.

We went to the doctor on Tuesday, as I posted, and then had another appointment on Wednesday. That appointment was even more disappointing than the other one. I will give it to you in short order.

What Jim has been saying about some of this pain coming from his back HAS FINALLY been validated. Despite several MRI's, and several doctors stating that Jim's bulging disk and arthritis are normal for someone his age, the Neurosurgeon looking at the MRI says, "NOT TRUE." Now, I'll try to get this correct. Jim has 3 fractures in a vertebre and possible a few others. A pain pump would help. And this electrical gadget they would put in his back would help too. And fusing the vertebre would help, too. The only problem is that the doctor said that none of these procedures could be done because of Jim's low platelets. This type of surgery is much more severe, bloodwise, than other surgeries, so it can't be done. No pain pump. We were told down the NIH that Jim doesn't have much bone marrow in his spine. They said it wouldn't really matter much as far as integrity of the spine. The neuro says, NOT TRUE. Marrow feeds the bones and there's not much chance of the spine healing without the marrow and the lack of marrow makes the bones all the more brittle. Jim also has osteopenia. (what a pair we are). Jim could not take the higher dose of methadone because it made his breathing shallow, and he had to force himself to breathe deep, and he couldn't urinate, so that bottom line is that Jim is going to live in pain. I think we've pretty much exhausted all options. Oh, and Jim needs to wear a backbrace. This is almost funny. First of all, he won't be able to bend. And he constantly drops his meds on the floor because of numb hands, so...I mean. Can this get any worse? Isn't it almost too funny.

Jim continue to be unable to sit for anything more than 10 mins, and he pays for that 10 mins. Oh, and how is this for laughs. We are once again without a bed. Now that will be remedied, but I have to get to my doctor for this stupid wrist and get Jim fit for a back brace that I KNOW he won't wear.

The doctors advice is to go home soak it in and makes the plan necessary for our lives so that Jim doesn't have to lift anything anymore. OH THIS IS TOO FUNNY. Like a shovel, or salt?

Yesterday, my dear "student" from bible study showed up with her shovel and shoveled out part of my driveway. God love her. I helped. LOL. 1 shovel full and hurt my wrist again. And then this morning, I woke up to all shoveled. Another of my student's husband showed up and dug us out...again. So, we don't have to worry about that.

Well, I guess we don't have to worry about any of it. I can't go to the place of thinking of selling the cottage and moving from our home here. The emotional stuff is tough, as well as the stamina and brain power needed to take care of all that stuff. So, I'm not even going there at this time.

So, how are we doing? Surprisingly, well. I was severly depressed and spent 2 days in bed grieving, and then got out of bed and got to the laundry. Life goes on, even if it's not the life that you want, dreamed of or hoped for. It's still life, and it's still good and it's still a blessing, and if I don't allow my "self" to get in the way, I'm certain God can use us pathetic 2 and some day we can hear "Well done, my faithful child." And I know the only way to live a life deserving of those words is not to hold on to what this life delivers us, but to hold on to the Deliverer.

After all, But God...