Thank you Seth and Liz for updating the blog while I (Katheryn) was skipping around Minneapolis.
Uncle George blessed us with another visit for about two weeks. You would all be so impressed with how native he looked while he worked around the property. He kept very busy (dirty and sweaty) chainsawing trees in the back field, maintaining yard gear, mowing, creating patios, and installing cabinets.
Patrick and I returned from MN a few weeks ago and have been keeping busy with property and business maintenance as well. Aaron and Trillium worked together to create a paint art project in the new downstairs yoga/exercise room. Aaron has also been devotedly working on a major garden in the back field. Trillium left Maui last night to visit her family in Sweden for the summer. We all already miss her sunny presence greatly! Luckily, she's planning on coming back in a few months.
Shortly after the May 9th blog entry, David had fevers that would come and go and he had lost his appetite along with 12lbs. Around that time, he started having a severe nerve pain that starts at his buttocks area. This pain has been so intense that movement hurts a great deal and he has not been able to walk for about a month. He has been attempting to manage the pain in the buttocks and other areas with morphine, hydromorphone and a few other pain killers. Last night, he tried a new pain killer that focuses on nerve pain and it has reduced the pain to a degree.
While George was here and shortly thereafter, the rest of David's body (other than the buttocks pain) was feeling excellent and his appetite was back.
David started radiation treatment 1 and 1/2 weeks ago from vertebrae T1-S1 (aprox. 3 inches wide by 6 inches long) in an attempt to reduce the nerve pain. He finished his 5th treatment yesterday. The treatment seems to make him pretty tired. For the past four days, he has also re-lost his appetite.
On a positive note, he and Shanna have been going to the pool five days a week after radiation treatment to get the blood moving and enjoy the water.
Have a sparkley 4th of July everyone and a happy summer!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Thank you Katheryn for the news good and bad. It's so good to hear about your visitors, and of David's improvements, but hurts to hear of his pain. One doesn't know what to say. We hold him in our thoughts, and hope and pray for the best. We have had the wettest spring I can remember. Thunderstorms at dawn. My new vegetable garden is drowning. The roof started leaking again. But tell Dave I found the problem. Eureka! It's the metal cap on the end of the parapet wall. I put some plastic tarp over it, weighted down with bricks, and all is well. Love from Sherry
ReplyDeleteDEAR Katheryn,
ReplyDeleteThank you, thank you, for letting us know how things are going for you all!
We loved the pictures of your beautiful new apartment!! Beautiful woodwork and counters and tile and it all looks so homey and comfortable!
And we had a wonderful chat with David the other day! His humorous, communicative and creative self! Very lovely to hear his voice!
And, David, we're sending loving, healing thoughts with the intention of gently lifting the pain up and out of your body. Giving your body a chance to rest and recover and feel like you're in the swimming pool even when you're not.
Sunny thoughts coming to you all from rainy New England!
MUCH, MUCH LOVE,
Martha & Berny
Hi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteYour blog is so good, it's like I am there. I'm NOT there, but I'm thinking of David and all of you and wishing you well. Thank you for sharing all of this, and please know that it makes a difference to us, in our lives, to read it. I'm doing a year long course with Landmark Education called the Wisdom course, and as part of the course, Im working now on coming from "all is well". This has been hard for me to get, because I have spent a lot of time coming from All Is Crappy. I worked with the course leader on this, and, because I lead presentations on climate change, we used that as an example. She said, "You put too many people on a planet and emit CO2, and the planet heats up. Everything is working as it's supposed to". I finally got this, and realized that coming from all is well doesn't mean that there is nothing to do, or that everything is just the way you would want it to be. I've been saying, "We can deal with change - look at me! I used to be 17!" Anyway, you guys seem to be coming from "All is well", and that inspires me. Thank you.
The whole Rippey family was just in Austin Texas for the baptism of our newest, second, grandchild. It was good to be together. Now we're all off doing out things again.
Love love love,
Paul