Major storms.........of Living and Life

Hi again from Woosta....

Well another roller-coaster ride from back east, including a major Noreaster that shut down schools, government and mass transportation including airports for 3 days.

Tami was very weary and tired when we got back here....I was somewhat concerned for her overall lack of energy and pain levels.  She thought she had strained a muscle in her groin when she arrived in Salt Lake but that pain kept getting worse and worse.  Tami forced herself to attend a fireside in Weston the Saturday after we got back because Dr. Lambert was taking her mother and Tami wanted to meet her.  We drove about 45 minutes away but Tami knew she was getting to the point that she couldn't walk.  We really enjoyed the musical fireside and meeting ward members and Dr. Lambert and her mom, but I believe Tami had to take an extra pain pill or two to make it there.  She worked hard to be able to go to church the next day, but the pain had escalated and Tami seemed soooo tired.  We also noticed that the area of pain in her leg had swollen and was extending inflammation down to her knee.

 I finally called Dr. Lambert for the second Time last sunday and she told me, "If you're worried Judy, take her right to the emergency room.  It was 11:00 at night and Tami wanted to just stay in bed, but I finally said, "Come on Tam, we have to go."  After spending the whole night in the Emergecy room, they concluded that Tami had a blood clot with a surrounding infection in her upper leg.  So the last week we've been in 3 different rooms on two different floors and she's had multiple contrast Tests and x-rays.  The pain with her blood clot caused her to be unable to put any weight on her leg and more problems than she had anticipated.

 The contrast cat-scans showed some fistulas that Dr. Lambert might be able to fix this coming Wednesday with a non-invasive surgery.  She said it's like putting some glue in some openings she has and hope that the openings heal-up before the glue disintegrates....She feels optimistic about this and so Tami thinks maybe the blood-clot brought about some ways to ultimately get a bit better.  There is also some concern about some spreading of the cancer, but like Tami.....we have to forget about the distant mountains to climb and just climb the ones in front of us.....and we talked and cried and decided....if we worry too much about the future....we miss this very day and the people we can love and share within it.

We watched the snowstorm from our 7th floor window and 24 hours of non-stop wind and snow.  The roads were shut down so I had prepared to spend the night at the hospital.  What we hadn't expected was the fact that Tami was released from the Hospital on Saturday Night but we were unable to go back to the Hope Lodge because they were still snowed-in and snow plows had made getting back impossible....so sadly...we spent the second night doing a sleep over and getting very little sleep  Finally at 4:00 today, the snow plows had cleared the parking lot and we were able to get in.  Quite an adventure in the snow. 

I'm heading back home on Tuesday and Amy, Abby's daughter who lived here for a few years and actually helped us many times with rides to and from the airport, is coming the same day.  Her sister Kemper who lives in Nashua New Hampshire will bring her down.  Nashua is only about 40 miles away from the lodge.  What a blessing to have Amy come and help Tami.  We feel very blessed that she was able to come and spend two or three weeks out here.  At that point we hope Tami is able to be a bit more independent and feeling better.

Tami has been melancholy as she thinks about home and the girls and Madison leaving on Wednesday.  She's excited for Mattie and her new adventure, but sad about not being there and missing her.  We've studied conference talks and scriptures and cried and enjoyed the peace of the spirit as we've pondered and she's thought about Madison. Her heart has again been full as she has considered all who have helped Madison on her way.

 We can hear the snow-removal trucks still working outside as Tami works to get her TPN ready for infusion.  We are grateful for the Cancer society and the Hope Lodge....It's not home, but what a blessing to have a place to stay, people to meet who are going through their own tests, and people who care.  Can you imagine the costs of room and board out here?  I can't.  We feel blessed.