On a serious note....

On a serious note....

On a MUCH more serious note....

Yesterday our lives changed in a dramatic way when my husband was admitted as an in-patient into a rehabilitation facility to forge forth with an individualized bootcamp of sorts. The goals to strive for while there will enable him in battling his continuing deteriorating lung diseases and how it seems to wreak havoc on all areas of the body; circulation, oxygen, cardio, basic physical strength, increasing fatigue and so much more.

The biggest shocker is the fact that he will have to essentially live at this rehabilitation facility Monday-Friday and will be able to return home only on weekends. This program entails a timing duration of 6-8 weeks. To say we had to regroup last weekend was a HUGE (!) understatement, in fact, I think we are all still in shock!

By all accounts he was prepared to attend this same program as an out-patient and knew that was a huge commitment with three to four eight hour days, up to sixteen weeks, but when it was discovered the waiting list wouldn't allow him to do so until July or even August, we were quite concerned. He needed it NOW. There was a cancellation for this week's new start program, and two doctors encouraged him to go for it. Problem is, this goes way beyond any sort of huge commitment in our eyes, and without full information still to date on all the details, we are still floundering greatly. We know however the fruits will be sweet!

During the month of January we were awaiting confirmation to meet the new main respiralogy doctor who would be permanently in charge of his rare case. Things seemed to be progressing at pokey-slow paces, that is until last Tuesday when I received a telephone call announcing his time and day for the first meeting, not even 48 hours later! Was he available? You bet he was! Even at 8:00am!

The meeting went VERY well, so well in fact a whole host of senior respiratory doctors have already consulted with one another, researching and studying his case files over the years. It was definitely an "uppity day"!

The day remained charged with goodness. On my husband's way home from work, another call came. This one was from the rehabilitation hospital announcing room for him to come in as an in-patient, to which my husband knew nothing about, also thinking of course he could actually go home each evening - NOT! He must live there for the entire time and any appointment or time away from the facility tacks another day onto the end, so no time off.

Each week he will be decontaminated before entering the facility just as all the other 15 patients will be, as the staff are very protective of those who live within the buildings, saving them added germs or bacteria issues coming from outside.

My husband had a whole medical work up yesterday including an echo cardiogram, blood work, interviews, meetings and roommate introductions. They are all in the same boat despite age differences ranging from 36-91 years, and all have difficult lung diseases which require circulation, oxygen and physical boosting in general (likened to a pre-op) while being constantly monitored.

If you can spare a prayer, we sure need them

So far all I know is how yesterday's findings and interviews were, and my husband had a terrible sleep while on many monitored machines through the night. Hourly a nurse came in with a flashlight to collect data on himself and his roommates, so needless to say he was fairly tired when we spoke this morning after his breakfast. I teased him saying he was at Club Med (medical), and we both got a good laugh out of that.

I'll be back with more, including more details on his twelve hour a day schedule carved out especially for him. Meanwhile, I am fielding out for prayer, and more importantly - positive and good cheer! It seems our house honeymoon is over, and we've entered into a survival mode of sorts. Without so much as a bosom friend of any kind here yet, obviously my husband will not be having too many nightly visitors coming his way, but maybe it's a blessing as he thinks he'll be too tired to enjoy visitors by nightfall. However.....if you might feel so inclined and know us well on what this means, feel free to send along any good cheer, or even things to decorate his room with, whatever. Email me for particulars if you like and family/friends; if you are reading this for the first time, forgive me, it's been so sudden, so hard (!) and weepy eyes kept us from using the telephone prior to now.

In the end we know the benefits will outweigh the huge sacrifice for all of us living here. He enters in winter and comes out in spring. This will be our Lent, especially my husband's lent and more. As it stands, what a better time to return home either just very shortly prior to Holy Week or in it.

Jesus we trust in Thee!