Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Happy 29th anniversary to my sweet parents!  I'm so happy DAD CAME HOME today!  =D
What a way to celebrate an anniversary, right? Things are looking good for him.  Now they're beginning the recovery time, which won't be easy or fun, so please continue to remember them in your prayers. 

OK...on another note...What's up with the baby boom?  I glanced through my facebook friends list and counted on my fingers the number of people I know that are expecting and came up with a grand total of...get this...18!!!  WOW.  And everyone is due in Nov/Dec/Jan.  Whatever's in the air or water, I don't want it, so get me a mask and hide me!  Seriously, CONGRATS to all of you, and to the 2 of you that just had yours, CONGRATS to you, and to the one of you having TWINS (!!) DOUBLE CONGRATS :)    AND.........Kerry and I will be changing our names to UNCLE KERRY and AUNT COLIE ;)  How exciting!!  I'm pulling for a niece, myself.  (hint hint) So, congrats to Erin and Josh.  Can't wait to meet the little one!

What a busy Christmas this will be!

The Long Day is Over

I borrowed the title from Norah Jones, but that's exactly how I felt as I lay my head down on a guest bed at Aunt Mary's house last night.  It was a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng day, but a success according to all doctors and nurses involved.  

I had planned to drive up yesterday morning before dad's surgery to wish him well, but as I slept the night before, plans were changed and his surgery was moved to the first one of the day.  I guess so I wouldn't worry or try to drive too early, my parents elected not to tell me this tidbit, so by the time I was up and moving things were already in process!  I wasn't mad, but it didn't necessarily slow my driving ;)

He was already back for prepping when I got to Dothan, so I sat in the waiting room with my family and waited, waited, waited.  He did just fine!  Not sure exactly how long the surgery lasted but phonecall to phonecall was nearly 5 hours.  (plenty long in my opinion)  Now the fun part begins, and he's already back to some of his ways.  He spoke to us precious little yesterday, but that's to be expected - not too surprising the first thing he asked me specifically about was Otis.  How do you like that?!  With his good progress, we're hoping he moves to a regular room and out of ICU today, and hopefully home over the weekend.  The doctor and nurses all assure us he is doing spectacularly.

Thank you all for your prayers, and I'll go ahead and ask for more, because he's gonna need all he can get over the coming weeks!  Recovery is tough, but for this guy it's gonna be tougher.  He already wants to know when he can play golf again, and he's worried about things at work...but those things will just have to wait for now.  SO thankful things are looking up.  :)

The HEART of the matter...

WHAT A WEEKEND. 

Please keep us in your prayers during this week-tomorrow especially!  My dad will be having open heart surgery for coronary artery bypass grafts.  He had some tests last week at his doctor back home, which didn't go so well, so he had a heart cath on Friday in Dothan.  Kerry called me at work, so I left early to be with my parents.  We rushed up there together to hear the news that he has some pretty major blockage and needs surgery.  I spent the weekend with them in Dothan at the hospital (Kerry had to work), and will be going back to Dothan tomorrow for the surgery.  Please remember us all, especially him, as he goes through this and recovers.  It's very much a surprise, and VERY scary for us all.

I'm trying to be more optimistic as a general rule, so it is good that there was no cardiac muscle damage to speak of yet, and the blockage is all we're dealing with, so they expect him to recover fully, and fairly quickly.  God is good.

I will keep you posted on results and outcomes.

Two down, Five to Go!

Another semester of CRNA school is behind us, and I'm happy to report, the pristine 4.0 is still intact!  I'm SO PROUD of Kerry!  He's working so hard for those grades, and he absolutely loves his clinicals.  I believe he's found a career he was meant for.   That leaves us with somewhere in the neighborhood of a year and a half to go.  Who knows where we'll end up after that!  Our current favorite thing is to dream though, and pretend...so we play house hunters online and pick out houses in different areas based on what we think we'll be able to afford.  We're so sick of renting it isn't even funny!

Not much else is different around here.  The weather's warming up and it's nice to live at the beach for a change with all the spring breakers and snow birds gone!  I have another neurologist appointment at the end of the month, so I'll let you know what goes on there.

And in case I don't see you, Happy Mother's Day!  :)

Talk about a Headache...

If I have never experienced a let down in my life, yesterday was the best example I could ever think of.  I found the absolute BEST doctor I have ever been to, hands down.  The entire visit was everything you could ever hope for: speedy service, the doctor sat down with me for 2 hours and really listened to me, examined my head and neck thoroughly, seemed genuinely concerned, made a plan with me on paper of what we were going to do and everything...only I found out when I left there that he's NOT IN MY INSURANCE NETWORK!  I had no idea.  I was referred to him by another doctor, and didn't even check.  Rather than make me pay out of pocket, he said he would write off the cost of my visit.  Very nice.  I'm crushed though.

Moving on to the info I found out...no change on the MRI's from last week, but he would like for me to have a more specialized MRI called a "stand up" MRI in Tallahassee that shows a better picture than supine images.  You can see in the example I found online that the sitting image better shows the herniation of the cerebellum because of the downward force.

He also wanted blood work done since I've been on the same medicine close to a year, but all the tests he ordered are null and void because my insurance won't pay for anything he wants.  Boo.  So we're back to square one finding a neurologist I can trust down here.  I NEVER thought I would say I miss Montgomery, but I finally found a reason I do.  That and we're going to miss the 4th annual doxie races this weekend.  Double boo.

So as usual, I will ask you to keep praying.  I still have a headache, and still have no doctor :(

Easter!

Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia!

Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!

Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia!

Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!

 

 

Happy Easter my friends!  Take some time from the eating and egg hunting and chocolate overload today to remember why this holiday is even here.  Blessings to you all.  :)    And save me some marshmallow Peeps!!

 

Nicole, Kerry, and Otis

A quick update for you...

I visited the new neurosurgeon on the 31st (Dr. DeSilva).  He quickly ordered 2 more MRI's to re-evaluate since it has been a while since the last ones were done, and set up 2 other appointments for me.  One is a regular neurologist and the other is an ENT to evaluate my facial/cranial nerves.  I did the MRI's on Wednesday and Thursday and hope to hear some kind of result possibly Wednesday from the neurologist.  I'll pass along any information (new or otherwise) at that point.  Days and nights have been a wild ride lately for me!  Keep the prayers coming, if you don't mind.  I'll return the favor ;)