Janice was transferred to Salem on Monday...PRAISE GOD! We are so thankful for that. Now she is where friends and family can more readily see her and visit with her. :)
Terry is making slow progress. Originally, he was to return to work today, but that was only a tentative date. He is still taking the pain meds, and as long as he's doing that, he isn't supposed to be around the machinery. So for now, it has been pushed off to Monday. I am hoping he is able to go back to work, for his sake and mine. :) I love him dearly, but having him home this much is not as fun as we once thought it would be. LOL
The boys have a TKD tournament on Saturday and we've been preparing for that. They have had their normal classes each week, but have been practicing extra hard here at home and been going through constant practice of the details while in class. There is so much to remember! So many bowing times, so many moves, so many rules.... things thy don't normally have to think about. I am pretty sure Brent will do well, but Clayton has a harder time remembering that many things...so we will see. Either way, they will get trophies and/or medals for simply participating. Really, the part that concerns me most with Clayton is sparring. He doesn't like to get hit during the normal sparring in class and that kind of sparring is gentle compared to the kind of hits he will get at tournament. But, all we can do is our best (that's what Brent keeps saying) and encourage Clayton to go back regardless of how this Saturday turns out. LOL
Sunday, we're supposed to have a birthday party at a roller skating rink and the boys are VERY excited to get to use their new skates! We will have to see how Terry is doing before deciding on that venture!
One thing to be thankful for: we have done school EVERY day during this little 'butt issue' of Terry's. Believe me, for us that is a phenomenal achievement! Most times, I would have just said, "two week vacation" and been done with it. But I really think that being consistent with schoolwork has helped the boys stay on track with attitudes and with routine in a situation that is far removed from our normal routine.
Now, off to watch some football! :)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Insights into schooling...Things I've learned today
We decided to go ahead and have school this morning and I'm glad we did. I got Clayton started on his stuff have to say he is really getting the hang of more/less and patterns. I was really excited when we were doing the more or less paper and I started him out counting each object and thinking about which number was higher or lower (which is how we have done it in the past couple of weeks). Well, we did that for a couple and I let him do the next one by himself. He did it in his head! :) Now, for some this is no big deal. But for him this is a major accomplishment. To 1) count the objects in his head without using the pencil to point at each object, and 2) to decide in his head (without saying the numbers out loud) which one was more or less is just phenomenal progress. :) I was SO pleased!
Brent did very well with his schoolwork. We've been working really hard on lower-case letters...he absolutely hates to write them and prefers upper-case letters. But he's made a HUGE effort over the past 2 weeks to ONLY write with lower-case when doing schoolwork. And it's amazing at how the simplest of praises will make him try even harder to do better! I commented on how good yesterday's work looked (he did school with Grandma yesterday since I was gone) and he just BEAMED! :)
Next after Brent finished his phonics workbook, we moved on to a part of English/language: we learned about adjectives today. Wow, I never thought something could be so hard to explain and understand. I had to come up with about 3 different ways to explain them until Brent would finally understand how to find an adjective in a sentence. (Of course, then he would point at the verbs and try to call them adjectives, and since we haven't talked about verbs, it was a bit confusing! :)) Well, we continued on and he slowly got it and was able to work through 8 (simple) sentences on his own underlining the adjective and then drawing an arrow to the noun it described. Very cool!
And I have to be amazed at how well he does math. To some it's not so big, but he is farther along in many areas of math (for his age) than I was at that time. He does things in his head! He had a measuring part today where it was a picture of a triangle and it asked how many inches the longest side was, the shortest side, the third side and then what the distance was around the triangle. On the longest and shortest sides, he was fine. No problem. But then he got a bit confused on the the "third" side question. I had to remind him how many sides a triangle has and then it dawned on him (I could actually SEE the light bulb turn on over his head!) and he realized that the third side was the one he hadn't written about yet. Then when it asked about the distance around it, he started to measure each side again....I stopped him and said, "You know, there is an easier way to do this...." He just looked at it...stared at the numbers for a second and then said, "OH! It's 9 inches!" He just added it all up in his head. Anyway.....cool for me, the teacher. LOL
Now that school is done and daddy is flying high on his pain meds (he said he's enjoyed seeing the puffy clouds and geese flying by him while he's up in the sky!), we're off to the movie store to rent some movies for the weekend!
Brent did very well with his schoolwork. We've been working really hard on lower-case letters...he absolutely hates to write them and prefers upper-case letters. But he's made a HUGE effort over the past 2 weeks to ONLY write with lower-case when doing schoolwork. And it's amazing at how the simplest of praises will make him try even harder to do better! I commented on how good yesterday's work looked (he did school with Grandma yesterday since I was gone) and he just BEAMED! :)
Next after Brent finished his phonics workbook, we moved on to a part of English/language: we learned about adjectives today. Wow, I never thought something could be so hard to explain and understand. I had to come up with about 3 different ways to explain them until Brent would finally understand how to find an adjective in a sentence. (Of course, then he would point at the verbs and try to call them adjectives, and since we haven't talked about verbs, it was a bit confusing! :)) Well, we continued on and he slowly got it and was able to work through 8 (simple) sentences on his own underlining the adjective and then drawing an arrow to the noun it described. Very cool!
And I have to be amazed at how well he does math. To some it's not so big, but he is farther along in many areas of math (for his age) than I was at that time. He does things in his head! He had a measuring part today where it was a picture of a triangle and it asked how many inches the longest side was, the shortest side, the third side and then what the distance was around the triangle. On the longest and shortest sides, he was fine. No problem. But then he got a bit confused on the the "third" side question. I had to remind him how many sides a triangle has and then it dawned on him (I could actually SEE the light bulb turn on over his head!) and he realized that the third side was the one he hadn't written about yet. Then when it asked about the distance around it, he started to measure each side again....I stopped him and said, "You know, there is an easier way to do this...." He just looked at it...stared at the numbers for a second and then said, "OH! It's 9 inches!" He just added it all up in his head. Anyway.....cool for me, the teacher. LOL
Now that school is done and daddy is flying high on his pain meds (he said he's enjoyed seeing the puffy clouds and geese flying by him while he's up in the sky!), we're off to the movie store to rent some movies for the weekend!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Answered prayers! (soon)
I just found out tonight that Janice is supposed to be transferred to Salem on this next Monday (Lord willing)! We are so excited and thankful that Terry's sisters have been able to get things lined out with the hospital and get her moved back to her hometown. Then we see how well she continues to do (she's been walking with her walker every day this week...which is a HUGE accomplishment for her!) and we're praying that she continues to progress so well.
Thanks to all for the prayers!
Thanks to all for the prayers!
Terry's surgery today...
Hello to all. We finally made it home about 7 PM this evening and I got Terry settled in .....he is on Percoset and boy is he HAPPY! LOL He keeps looking at me saying, "I love you....I love you...." and I'm thinking, "I love you on Percoset!" :)
But I digress.....
He had his surgery this afternoon and came through it fine. The surgeon came out and talked with me and explained that they opened the fistula and realized it was on the exterior side of the gluteal muscle (the butt muscle) and she just knew at that point that there had to be more due to the amount of pain it had caused. So, she began probing and using the ultrasound and found a secondary fistula tract that went under the gluteal muscle and was much larger/bigger. She decided that if she were to cut the muscle away (as was originally planned) and create the trench, it would take too much of the 'controlling' muscles away and cause incontinence problems. So, she has put in a seton and we go back in 4 weeks to finish (hopefully) everything.
So, since we thought we were having closure through this, and now we aren't, we're a bit disappointed and depressed. However, we are thankful that the surgeon made the decision she did in thinking of Terry and his age. :) So the day has been bittersweet, but is ending on a happy note since he is 'happy' with his medication! :)
We thank you all for the prayers and concern and ask that you continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue with this 'endeavor'. Perhaps by spring he will be healed!
But I digress.....
He had his surgery this afternoon and came through it fine. The surgeon came out and talked with me and explained that they opened the fistula and realized it was on the exterior side of the gluteal muscle (the butt muscle) and she just knew at that point that there had to be more due to the amount of pain it had caused. So, she began probing and using the ultrasound and found a secondary fistula tract that went under the gluteal muscle and was much larger/bigger. She decided that if she were to cut the muscle away (as was originally planned) and create the trench, it would take too much of the 'controlling' muscles away and cause incontinence problems. So, she has put in a seton and we go back in 4 weeks to finish (hopefully) everything.
So, since we thought we were having closure through this, and now we aren't, we're a bit disappointed and depressed. However, we are thankful that the surgeon made the decision she did in thinking of Terry and his age. :) So the day has been bittersweet, but is ending on a happy note since he is 'happy' with his medication! :)
We thank you all for the prayers and concern and ask that you continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue with this 'endeavor'. Perhaps by spring he will be healed!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Countdown has begun!
Well, Terry is entering the final countdown for the surgery tomorrow. I'm just as nervous as he is. :) I have faith that it will all be okay and we'll make it just fine. The Lord is faithful and will have us in His care!
The boys are definitely feeling the tension through all this. Brent has been only half-listening to things....(whether it is intentional or not, I haven't determined. There is a part of me that thinks he could truly not be hearing things b/c of his mind being preoccupied with other things. But then again, he could be using this time to 'play' mom and dad....) and Clayton is getting a major attitude that I'm having to call him on. He's getting a little big for his britches....which could be a phase and could be him just acting out cuz he thinks he can. Oy....it's so exhausting!
Mom is coming down tonight to spend the next few days with us so that I can focus on Terry and his healing without having to deal with the boys being underfoot. I just know how they have been in the past 3 months, I don't need them inspecting every little thing like they've been doing. LOL
I have finally gotten all of 2007 files out of my file cabinet and am set up to start filing 2008. :) That's a HUGE thing for me....I normally don't get that all done until tax time!
Brent came and got in bed with me this morning, something he doesn't EVER do....but this morning he woke up with a bloody nose. :( Terry said, "I'm confused as to why he's getting bloody noses" and I reminded him that it is winter, after all, and he is also MY son...meaning he has inherited my luck with nose problems. (I was plagued with bloody noses as a kid because my veins in my nose were so close to the surface that anytime I blew my nose or got it bumped (even lightly) it would bleed.) Anyway, it didn't last long, but it wasn't a very good way to start the day.
We've been working really hard to get back into a school routine. There is a part of me that wonders why I'm trying to do anything with all the surgery stuff that's going one. But then again, I know me. Last week would have been surgery, this week would have been surgery, and then next week would be recuperation time, and then the next week there would be some excuse as to why we could get by without doing school. So I just decided to plunge in and get started. And if we only get 3 out of the 5 days done, so be it. It's still better than we would have done had I allowed for excuses. :) So I feel better and I guess that is what matters at this point! LOL
Better get my lesson finished....and then on to Bible class!
The boys are definitely feeling the tension through all this. Brent has been only half-listening to things....(whether it is intentional or not, I haven't determined. There is a part of me that thinks he could truly not be hearing things b/c of his mind being preoccupied with other things. But then again, he could be using this time to 'play' mom and dad....) and Clayton is getting a major attitude that I'm having to call him on. He's getting a little big for his britches....which could be a phase and could be him just acting out cuz he thinks he can. Oy....it's so exhausting!
Mom is coming down tonight to spend the next few days with us so that I can focus on Terry and his healing without having to deal with the boys being underfoot. I just know how they have been in the past 3 months, I don't need them inspecting every little thing like they've been doing. LOL
I have finally gotten all of 2007 files out of my file cabinet and am set up to start filing 2008. :) That's a HUGE thing for me....I normally don't get that all done until tax time!
Brent came and got in bed with me this morning, something he doesn't EVER do....but this morning he woke up with a bloody nose. :( Terry said, "I'm confused as to why he's getting bloody noses" and I reminded him that it is winter, after all, and he is also MY son...meaning he has inherited my luck with nose problems. (I was plagued with bloody noses as a kid because my veins in my nose were so close to the surface that anytime I blew my nose or got it bumped (even lightly) it would bleed.) Anyway, it didn't last long, but it wasn't a very good way to start the day.
We've been working really hard to get back into a school routine. There is a part of me that wonders why I'm trying to do anything with all the surgery stuff that's going one. But then again, I know me. Last week would have been surgery, this week would have been surgery, and then next week would be recuperation time, and then the next week there would be some excuse as to why we could get by without doing school. So I just decided to plunge in and get started. And if we only get 3 out of the 5 days done, so be it. It's still better than we would have done had I allowed for excuses. :) So I feel better and I guess that is what matters at this point! LOL
Better get my lesson finished....and then on to Bible class!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Follow-up on T: after consultation
Well, on Friday morning the boys were up and ready to sit and eat breakfast (fully dressed and ready to leave) by 5 AM. What troopers they were! Of course they were both sleeping on the way up to St Louis, but who can blame them? :)
We arrived at the medical office about an hour before the appointment, so we took some time and just went leisurely about our business and were actually able to see seen at an earlier time. :) They have decided to do surgery on Terry this coming Thursday in St Louis. It will be general anesthesia (tubation required) and is called a fistulotomy. The way the dr explained it to me is that they are going to take the tunnel they have right now and blow the roof off it and create a trench. You can look at the link above and learn more if you wish.
Please keep praying for us....
We arrived at the medical office about an hour before the appointment, so we took some time and just went leisurely about our business and were actually able to see seen at an earlier time. :) They have decided to do surgery on Terry this coming Thursday in St Louis. It will be general anesthesia (tubation required) and is called a fistulotomy. The way the dr explained it to me is that they are going to take the tunnel they have right now and blow the roof off it and create a trench. You can look at the link above and learn more if you wish.
Please keep praying for us....
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Terry's procedure
WARNING: If you are bothered by "TMI" stuff and medical details, you may want to skip this post!
Last night when the medicine kicked in, we noticed that the toilet seat was getting wet every time he would go to the bathroom. We were puzzled by this, b/c the only explanation was it was coming from the wound-hole, which we thought was mostly closed up. We figured we would just know more in the morning.
We were up VERY early this morning to get Terry to the hospital by 7. They got him right back there and had him IV'd up and gowned. They gave him an enema (I know, ewww) and the nurse was a bit shocked b/c the enema oozed out of the wound-hole, which she wasn't expecting. They had him back to surgery by 8:15 and back in the room with us by 9. Dr. Sharlow came and talked with us a bit later explaining that the fistula was circular instead of straight through, which is why it wasn't closed as we all had thought, and that b/c of this, he couldn't track the fistula. He was sending us on to a rectal specialist (who sets out in life to become a rectal specialist???) and that she would need to do a rectal ultrasound to track the fistula and close it off. (Just sounds more painful to me!) So we see her for a consultation on Friday morning in St Louis.
But now, poor Terry. His hiney-hole (not the wound-hole) is really sore and we're thinking that is either from the enema or from Dr. Sharlow prodding to find the fistula area. Or both. Plus, they have repacked the wound-hole with an iodine filled gauze because it was infected now as well (which makes me feel really bad....I've been the 'nurse' that has been helping him through all of this). I'm supposed to pull the gauze out about a 1/2 inch per day and cut it off, and other than that we continue with the gauze pad covers like before.
He's tired. He's sore. And he's frustrated. He just wants this to all be over and it looks like we're talking an even longer recuperation time. I wish I knew what else to do to help him.
Last night when the medicine kicked in, we noticed that the toilet seat was getting wet every time he would go to the bathroom. We were puzzled by this, b/c the only explanation was it was coming from the wound-hole, which we thought was mostly closed up. We figured we would just know more in the morning.
We were up VERY early this morning to get Terry to the hospital by 7. They got him right back there and had him IV'd up and gowned. They gave him an enema (I know, ewww) and the nurse was a bit shocked b/c the enema oozed out of the wound-hole, which she wasn't expecting. They had him back to surgery by 8:15 and back in the room with us by 9. Dr. Sharlow came and talked with us a bit later explaining that the fistula was circular instead of straight through, which is why it wasn't closed as we all had thought, and that b/c of this, he couldn't track the fistula. He was sending us on to a rectal specialist (who sets out in life to become a rectal specialist???) and that she would need to do a rectal ultrasound to track the fistula and close it off. (Just sounds more painful to me!) So we see her for a consultation on Friday morning in St Louis.
But now, poor Terry. His hiney-hole (not the wound-hole) is really sore and we're thinking that is either from the enema or from Dr. Sharlow prodding to find the fistula area. Or both. Plus, they have repacked the wound-hole with an iodine filled gauze because it was infected now as well (which makes me feel really bad....I've been the 'nurse' that has been helping him through all of this). I'm supposed to pull the gauze out about a 1/2 inch per day and cut it off, and other than that we continue with the gauze pad covers like before.
He's tired. He's sore. And he's frustrated. He just wants this to all be over and it looks like we're talking an even longer recuperation time. I wish I knew what else to do to help him.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Here we go...
Well, tonight is the night for Terry's prep work for his procedure tomorrow. :( It's gonna be a LONG night for him and me. Since his original wound is still open, anytime the meds kick in from the Miralax drink, I have to be right there when he is done in the bathroom. And if his night is anything like the night I had when I had my colonoscopy a couple years ago, neither of us will get much sleep tonight. :(
We're to be at the hospital at 7, which means we'll most likely be home before noon...which is nice. Terry said he doesn't expect me to have to stay home from church tomorrow night, but we'll see.
The boys are back in full swing with school and I'm trying to keep things in order. It's so hard for me...I'm not a good manager of most things. Maybe one day.... LOL
I will post more tomorrow or the next day regarding how Terry is doing following the procedure and hopefully be able to report on what they find.
We're to be at the hospital at 7, which means we'll most likely be home before noon...which is nice. Terry said he doesn't expect me to have to stay home from church tomorrow night, but we'll see.
The boys are back in full swing with school and I'm trying to keep things in order. It's so hard for me...I'm not a good manager of most things. Maybe one day.... LOL
I will post more tomorrow or the next day regarding how Terry is doing following the procedure and hopefully be able to report on what they find.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Christmas is OVER! :)
Well, the holiday season is finally over. Hehe. I say finally because we've literally been celebrating since Thanksgiving! The kids have received so many gifts (great gifts!) that they will be busy long into the year! I think the BEST gift they got this year was one that was completely unexpected and NOT asked for on their Santa lists: roller skates! Brent got blue and Clayton got pink (YES, pink....those were the only two choices and besides, he LOVES pink!). They spent Christmas day and the day after in skates. Literally! I had to make the boys take them off to go to bed...they couldn't understand why they couldn't' sleep with the skates on! HA! But it was quite interesting to see them figure out how to move on the skates, but they did quite well.
Terry got me an MP3 player, which is something I have been asking for for months. He never could understand what I wanted with one until he saw the excitement on Brent's face when he got an audio book and realized I could upload the book to the MP3 player for traveling! So much use will come from it...I'm so excited!
We had a great time with the extended family in St Louis in Janice's hospital room. Yes, 16 of us piled in her hospital room to exchange gifts last Thursday night. It was a short holiday for her, but one I know she enjoyed. We sang Christmas songs and worship songs (she asked for that...she hasn't been to worship since the first of August due to the hospital stays!) and she really enjoyed it all. She got teary-eyed with it, but it was a good thing. :) On Saturday, we did the Smith Christmas and got visit with Lenell for a few hours and catch up with her before she leaves for the Ivory Coast.
Now, we're just trying to remember what a routine is (we have gotten our days and nights mixed up with all the late nights!) and put everything away. Terry goes in for his colonoscopy and surgery next Wednesday. Tuesday should prove to be interesting....the prep for it. If you've never had a colonoscopy, find someone who has and ask them about the prep for it..... It isn't fun! After that, it's a couple weeks of recovery time. Hopefully I can maintain a semblance of a routine while he's home. :)
Happy New Year everyone!
Terry got me an MP3 player, which is something I have been asking for for months. He never could understand what I wanted with one until he saw the excitement on Brent's face when he got an audio book and realized I could upload the book to the MP3 player for traveling! So much use will come from it...I'm so excited!
We had a great time with the extended family in St Louis in Janice's hospital room. Yes, 16 of us piled in her hospital room to exchange gifts last Thursday night. It was a short holiday for her, but one I know she enjoyed. We sang Christmas songs and worship songs (she asked for that...she hasn't been to worship since the first of August due to the hospital stays!) and she really enjoyed it all. She got teary-eyed with it, but it was a good thing. :) On Saturday, we did the Smith Christmas and got visit with Lenell for a few hours and catch up with her before she leaves for the Ivory Coast.
Now, we're just trying to remember what a routine is (we have gotten our days and nights mixed up with all the late nights!) and put everything away. Terry goes in for his colonoscopy and surgery next Wednesday. Tuesday should prove to be interesting....the prep for it. If you've never had a colonoscopy, find someone who has and ask them about the prep for it..... It isn't fun! After that, it's a couple weeks of recovery time. Hopefully I can maintain a semblance of a routine while he's home. :)
Happy New Year everyone!
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