A Quick Update!

Sam's appointment in Charlotte went much better than I had expected yesterday. His a1c was down almost a whole point and in a much better range. I told Dr. Parker it's hard to work so hard for a "C". He told me yesterday was an A+. But I told him we do the same stuff and never know what the number will be. So we talked about what to do, and we do those things. So he really encouraged me and said some things that others have told me - so maybe it will stick better! (Some of you know I was really anxious and discouraged about all of the diabetes stuff!)


We got to shop for some stuff we needed to find, and that was fun. We did not do much, but Sam says Pottery Barn Kids is his favorite store! He looked at Lego books while I looked in the store! One of the girls helped me with a purchase, and she also showed me how to make a bed the way they make them in the store. I just always want to crawl right in one because they look so comfortable!

So Sam is squared away with his numbers for the time being. We will get his new lenses for his glasses today - not as strong and thinner. He was sick off and on all last week with something that made his side hurt and made him run a fever one day. So he missed more school which is not a good thing for him. But we worked and worked at home, and he finally has mastered something he has worked on for months.

Andrew is still coughing a little bit. He had two antibiotics three weeks ago together, and they stopped working. So we called his pulmonologist, and the doctors started him on another, stronger antibiotic. This one can make you tear or pull something easily, so he has taken off two weeks from running. He is almost done with it, so the cough bothers me a lot - even though it's little compared to what it was.

The good thing is that his thyroid labs are finally normal. His new seizure drug is almost in a good range, so hopefully he can start cutting the other. His liver labs were good, but they need to stay where they are and not go up. I try not to think about that too much. He is usually in a great mood and is almost finished with his freshman year at Appalachian!!!! He loves most of his classes and has worked very hard. I cannot say enough about how Appalachian has worked with him and for him. It has been the best place for him - and so many different people have been a great part of that.

Peter goes back to the foot doctor at the end of May, and we are hoping he will get out of that brace sooner than later. He was interviewed for the radio last week. Since he is going to Appalachian, he answered questions about his dad, mentioned his aunt, and talked about Andrew. I am excited to hear it. He is thankful to have a place to start running again, and Sam and I have started college shopping for him.

Will is doing better in some places where he has struggled this year. He continues to be a big help to me, and I continue to try to keep up with him and help him keep his commitments and responsibilities (as opposed to just being frustrated with him all of the time). He has had a taste of success, and I think he likes it!

Pete just got back from Israel last Thursday. He had a great trip, but he was ready to get home. We missed him more this time, I think. I know I had a harder time with him gone. We are thankful he was a huge help on his trip and that he was safe and got home when he was supposed to!

Thanks for praying and asking about the boys. They really helped me a lot while he was gone - without me having to ask. Doing Pete's cleaning jobs and taking the trash to the dump were the hardest "extra" tasks to have in an already busy week. But they took turns helping and taking care of Sam. I am so thankful for them.

Have a great week! Thanks again for praying!

Gone again!

We dropped Pete off at the airport yesterday...again.  Here is his itinerary for anyone who wants to follow along!  http://www.templetontours.com/holyland/30401.pdf

I felt a little more clingy yesterday and told him that I would be sad - but we were happy for him to go!  It's hard the first bit, knowing he is gone for that long.  But some people are gone a lot longer.

Sam was a little clingy too.  He ate his lunch with one hand on his daddy's leg.

We always get rushed right before we drop him off - and he was on the phone with a potential problem; so we did not talk much in the 10 minutes before (I hope the late person was okay and got to her airport in time!).  So all of the sudden, he was gone!

Sam went to sleep, and I made a decision to drive a little extra and treat myself to a trip to the Pottery Barn Outlet.  Sam and I had fun looking, but we only went in a few more stores because of shopper's boredom (his) and rising irritation (mine!).  But instead of getting frustrated, we just came on home since we found some great bargains at one of my favorite stores - things actually on our home list!

We stopped at Krispy Kreme, and it is hard to believe a dozen doughnuts can disappear so fast!  It's just a good thing we don't have one in Boone!  A really good thing.

Today was hard.  I woke up tired, and it went downhill from there.  The highlight of my day was talking to my grandmother who has hip surgery tomorrow.  She turned 88 last week, and she has not been able to do much for months due to arthritis pain.  So I told her we would jog around the block soon.  We laughed and laughed - our favorite thing to do on the phone.  I remember once she called and said my life sounded like "Little House on the Prairie," because I had a pipe burst, a furnace problem, and a few other things at once while Pete was out of town.  When Andrew got sick, I called her and told her I had turned into "Marcus Welby, MD."  It made things seem not so heavy when we laughed.

Anyway, I knew the devil was after me today.  He would not let up.  He hurt my feelings and jabbed me at every point and in every chance. Once I realized what was going on, I prayed harder.  My boys have worked hard to get stuff done today to help me, and it makes a difference to look that way instead of the way I was looking - down and out and feeling sorry for myself.

Andrew had some labs and will have more this week.  He has some odd things that may be fine.  He has slightly elevated liver labs, but they are still in the normal range.  I hoped my AST and ALT watching was over, but here we are again.  We are trusting for good, low numbers so he can continue to take his seizure meds.  AND we have to get his cough under control.  It's no better with two antibiotics, so there was a call into another doctor when I left today.  I guess feeling overwhelmed is something I do more than I think.  But I am praying it is all good and will all be fine.  Andrew certainly is not worrying today!  He is just out there doing what he should.

Thanks again for all of the prayers.  We appreciate them so much!

Prayers

Andrew has another week and a half before we get his labs. We will be checking his medication dose to see if he can start going off another medication. And, we will be checking his liver levels. He will also have his thyroid checked to see if he is finally on the right dose - after months of being off. Please pray that all is well and that this new plan will help him. The medication he is taking now was stopped in the 6th grade when he developed undetermined liver disease. If it was auto-immune hepatitis, it disappeared and never came back. Sometimes not knowing something can be a blessing, but I am praying hard that his seizure meds were not the cause after all. And if three doctors have agreed (one is the gastroenterologist) that it's okay to try them again, then that in itself is positive (and really unheard of) to me. I know God worked all of that out.


In my April 4th entry in my Beth Moore devotional (tomorrow is Grandmother's 88th birthday!), I highlighted what she said. "Faith is God's invitation to make the impossible possible. He is glorified when we are enabled to do what we're unable to do." I know that I do not know enough to take care of Andrew (I am unable) - yet God has sent us to some wonderful places with help. And we have had to leave seemingly good places that did not help him and find others. He has worked all of this out. I "ran" the disease category on Jeopardy last night. I only missed one question but actually had the correct word in my answer. I am not a medical person, so knowing Andrew has gone to places with such wonderful doctors is totally God's thing. And it is easier to look back now and see it. And I cannot ever forget that He will not stop now - even if things get muddled and confusing again. He is in control.

And talking about being unable. Pete and I can both say that we never saw leaving the hospital with Sam. I remember him calling me to tell me he had given him a shot for the first time. I asked him how it was. One of my dear friends stopped by to check on Sam when I had to check his blood sugar for the first time. Sam and I both cried, and she cried with us. But it all got better, and we got to take him home in record time. And most newly diagnosed diabetics that sick are shipped to Charlotte or Baptist, but we were able to stay here and got the best education we could in the time we were at Watauga. God had just the right nurses, from the ultra conservative in ICU to the funny male nurse in pediatrics, to help us on the start of that journey. Now all of the boys check Sam and figure up and give him shots. While I need more back up people than just Laura and my sister, I am grateful for the people at school who take care of him when he is there. They were willing to learn and do. One woman said she just worried that when Sam left HP that he would remember her as the person who always gave him shots in his bottom. I told her not to worry - we all have to do that! He would remember her as one of his helpers.

Peter just decided on a school! It's great to be a Mountaineer! He is going to walk on at Appalachian since he cannot run until probably July. He is excited, and we are so excited for him!

Will is Will and is going through a little rough patch in one area right now. While he is too old for me to share details, he could use prayer in getting some stuff straightened out. He is such a good boy and has so many gifts. We all get off track sometimes and seem to struggle instead of to thrive in certain areas. But I am thankful that in the ones that count the most that he is great. He is very thoughtful and helpful at critical times. I am praying to get some things worked out for him that will make his life better.

Pete leaves next week for another 10 day trip. I am excited for him and dreading it a little for me! That is a long time for him to be gone! But we have done it before, and everything has worked out. I thought I would worry about him being in danger while he was gone, but really I never had time to go beyond the first thoughts. And when we did have the chopping the thumb incident and the seizure, we had people to step up and help.

Thanks for all of your prayers. Thanks for your encouragement and help. Thanks for being part of God making the impossible possible. We can look around and see SO many blessings. Sometimes they are so clear and so abundant that it is truly overwhelming.

I have so many on my heart with sickness and financial problems and family problems - so much heartache and hurting. If you are one of those, I am praying for you individually. And if you think I don't know, be assured I pray collectively. I know people pray for me without knowing what is going on. They answer that "nudge" to pray. Having that hope that only comes in Christ Jesus makes ALL the difference no matter what we go through in this world, our temporary home.

Happy Spring! Even though Easter is gone, we can still celebrate it all year!

Thanks again!