Sunday, July 31, 2011

Mom Nordell

Mom's health is declining. She is under the care of hospice 24/7 and all things seem to indicate she will not rally. She has stopped eating; refusing any food or liquid intake, as well as her medications for the last 4 days. She seems to be comfortable; sleeping peacefully pretty much around the clock.

Please pray for a peaceful, painfree homegoing.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Summertime, and the living is....

EXPENSIVE!!!

Holy Cow...the last few weeks we've been shelling out money like you'd think we had it!

We've known for several years that we needed to replace our kitchen appliances, so we've been diligently trying to save for this venture. New cooktop, oven and over the range microwave were ordered last week, to be delivered on Friday. Being that our appliances are as old as our home (30+ years), we knew going in there would be some work involved in installing the new wall oven. We opted to have the oven installed by the appliance store, since it would require more work than we could handle. Wednesday night, we set to work removing the old cooktop and microwave, as well as removing all the dishes, pots and pans in the cabinets/drawers surrounding in anticipation of the work to come; with Aaron agreeing to help put the new ones in.

Removal was a breeze and the excitement was building. Ahh, finally, a cooktop that we didn't have to worry about the burners falling off while cooking; and an oven that keeps an even temperature thereby avoiding over or undercooked food; and a microwave within easy reach instead of having to be on tiptoes to reach!!!! YIPPEE!!!

Guys came out Thursday to take measurements to make sure everything would fit properly and see what all needed to be done to install the new oven. Right before they arrived, we received a call informing us that the cooktop would not be delivered until Monday and the microwave the following week! Remember, we had removed the old cooktop and microwave the night before! Rats, so much for being prepared...oh well, we could work around that.

The guys arrived Friday (different guys, actually) and they had not gotten the word as to the extent of the work needed to be done for installation. However, they had the new wall oven with them and we were excited to get things going. Until the guy says "it's gonna take alot of work to get this 30" oven to fit into this 27" oven space". OH NO!!! The wrong oven had been ordered!!!! Obviously, this was not going to work! So, off they went and call was made to make sure new oven was ordered. Supposedly, we will get the cooktop Monday, the wall oven Thursday and the above range microwave the next week.

WHEW...I'll be so glad when this is completed. Having several huge holes in my kitchen, and dishes spread out all over the house is a bummer. It's a good thing Ron doesn't eat much and I can get by without cooking for a while; we all need more fresh fruits and vegetables anyway, right? Salads, here we come!

Our next BIG Ticket item was to the dentist. We know living on TPN is not the ideal nutrition and long-term TPN has long-term ramifications; including causing problems with the teeth and gums. Add to that the consequences of frequent yakking and you're bound to have some dental issues. It had been over 4 years since either of us had been to the dentist. Two crowns and 2 fillings later; we'll be good as new! Believe it or not, other than alot of discoloration, Ron only issue was one crown; all the rest of the work is what I needed!! Go figure! BOO for no dental insurance.

The good news is....we're racking up those frequent flier miles! Before we know it, we'll be able to start dreaming of another vacation!

To catch up on our other summer happenings, check out our blog www.nordellnotes.blogspot.com . You can read about our 4th of July weekend trip to Presby, as well as our vacation to San Francisco and everything in between!

Although it's been an expensive couple of weeks, and it would be easy to give in to anxiety over our finances; we choose to trust in knowing that God would not take us someplace He will not provide for. And WE KNOW He ALWAYS provides!

More news to share soon!

Much love,
Christie


"...'Yes', says the Lord, 'I will do mighty miracles'...All the nations of the world will stand amazed at what the Lord will do." Micah 7:15-16 (selected) NLT



"You will show us Your faithfulness and unfailing love as You promised..." Micah 7:20

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Back in Action

Sorry we've been MIA; it's been a C-RA-ZY couple of weeks.

Most of you know about Ron's episode over 4th of July resulting in a day trip to Presby. For those who don't, long story short - Ron spiked a 103.3 temp which wouldn't budge despite meds, cool shower, ice packs, etc. We then found he had a leak in his PICC, so off to Presby we went. IR changed out his PICC, sent it out for cultures and sent us on our way. Results from cultures confirm PICC was infected. As you can imagine he felt pretty crummy for a few days.

Just when things were getting back to "normal"; I was hit by the most awful stomach bug I've ever had! Five days later, I'm just now able to begin eating something other than crackers, water and/or potatoes. Let me tell ya, this experience has given me a greater appreciaiton for how much my sweet guy suffers when he's dealing with the yakking, digestive issues, etc.....and I know what I had doesn't come near to touching what he goes through!

Anywho, on to better things! Don and Marcie's daughter, Keely, is getting married this weekend!!! We will be spending the weekend in Waco helping out with all the wedding festivities. We leave Friday and return Sunday.

And yes, even though it's not that far from home, we do have to take all our supplies and have an emergency plan in place, just in case a medical event arises!

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Hottie

Update on my hunka hunka burnin' love...

Small leak was found in PICC. Dr. A had contacted Dr. C at Presby's Interventional Radiology with his concerns and they agreed PICC needed to be replaced today. Dr. C called to tell us there were four other procedures ahead of him, so we were to just hang out at home and he'd call about an hour and a half before he was ready for Ron's procedure.

We are so blessed....first off, to have doctor's (not just doctor's but specialists!) who make themselves that accessible to us. Even when Dr. A is not on call (and he is not this weekend), he continues to answer my every call to his cell phone! And then to have them call us personally and tell us to stay home where Ron would be more comfortable until they were ready--WOW!

We did have to be admitted through ER but they knew we were coming and things went very smoothly. We left our house at 4. By 8:30ish we were home with temperature under control and the hubby resting in his recliner!

Best guess is bacteria got in through leak in PICC, which placed germs directly into the bloodstream; more specifically the superior vena cava. Yes, you're thinking correctly that's directly into the heart!

Thank you, Lord for watching over my hottie! And for blessing us with incredible doctors and faithful prayer warrior friends!

My hubby is so hot.....

Who needs fireworks when you have a hubby as hot as mine???

How hot is he?

He's so hot it requires a trip to Presby to cool him down! 103.3 for several hours...YOWZA!!! Cool shower, ice packs, other home remedies tried with no success.

You know how we enjoy spending holidays at our home away from home!

It's here!!! Ron tells his story

Love it when my hubby shares!. Though a very condensed version, Ron eloquently shared with our youth group a few weeks ago. Below are his th...