Tucson Trip

As promised, following are the details of our trip...

26 out of 39 of the Nordell's were in Tucson to celebrate Lianna & Blake's wedding (brother, Leonard & Nancy's daughter); including all of Ron's Mom, Dad, brothers and sisters! It was wonderful to not only be able to join in the celebration, but to be loved on and encouraged by our family, as well as many others who have been praying and holding us up all these months.

Things went very smoothly at the airport; all of the American personnel we encountered were very helpful and kind; even the guy who did a very thorough body search on Ron! They whisked us through check-in; security, and made sure we were in a bulk-head row with 3 seats to ourselves and they even had our niece, who was connecting with us from Lubbock, moved to the aisle across from us. It was so great to have her along...she was gracious enough to stay with Ron and handle getting all our luggage while I retrieved the rental car. Thanks, Nikki! You are the best! Our flight was right on time, rental car was ready to go, luggage was collected and Ron and Nikki were waiting when I pulled up to the curb! We arrived at the hotel barely an hour after landing, even with @ a 25 minute drive! Others were not quite as fortunate. The flight our kids and 7 other family members were scheduled for on Friday was supposed to depart at 10AM; after 2 cancellations they finally left around 4:00. A long day at the airport with G'ma and Papa. The delays caused the girls to miss the bridal tea and barely allowed them time to freshen up before the rehearsal dinner.

Other than a lot of swelling and typical minor issues (a couple of g-tube drains and one bout of retching after a coughing attack), Ron did very well. The church was a couple of blocks from the hotel and the reception was conveniently located at the hotel itself! His lollilipops helped keep him comfortable...his back gets exceptionally tight when he has to sit upright for long periods of time; the binder is restrictive and uncomfortable (but helps keep his girlish figure!) and, of course he tires easily. We had a nice big room so he could rest on the sofa in front of the TV watching the Olympics, as needed. There were no glitches in our shipment of TPN and other supplies. When we arrived, Nancy had already unpacked all the supplies and stored them in the mini-fridge in our room. Thanks, Nancy! You are such a sweetheart! We had a grocery store across the street where I stocked up on the foods he needed; as well as a microwave in our room.

The rest of Thursday was low-key; Ron helped put programs together and tie bows; we went out to eat then spent the rest of the evening resting.

Friday, Ron slept in...I had to wake him so I could take care of all his medical stuff before I headed out to the bridal tea at 11. After a short walk thru the hotel to greet all the new arrivals, he went back and hung out in our room. In the afternoon, he hooked up with family members to play cards while I helped decorate the church. Then it was time to give him a shower, change "the baby" (our term for his TPN pack...Who's got "the baby"? Time to change "the baby"! "The baby" is crying) and head out to rehearsal dinner! By the time we returned, I was more than ready for bed. Ron decided to sit out at the pool and watch the kids for a little bit before coming in.

Saturday was a lazy day for us; wedding didn't start unitl 4 and the wedding party was busy so we relaxed by the pool for a while. The wedding ceremony was very sweet! We are so happy for and proud of Lianna and Blake; it's evident they desire to make Christ the head of their home. The reception was very fun! Ron decided to sample some watermelon, as well as a bite each of potatoes and wedding cake! Most glorious of all...we hoisted "the baby" on his back and joined the newlyweds on the dancefloor! Nothing more than swaying back and forth but what a wonderful testimony of the miracle God has graciously given us!

Sunday morning, Ron got up early enough to join everyone for breakfast. We all met to celebrate Nancy's parent's 60th wedding anniversary. It was also Nancy & Leonard's 35th anniversary. What a great leagacy!

An exhausting weekend for me but a good exhaustion! It was well worth the effort on my part for Ron to be able to share this special weekend with everyone.

Today, he has been released to begin trying foods with the consistency of oatmeal. He can eat very soft vegetables as long as he chews them to the consistencey of mush. This evenings cream of wheat resulted in throwing up :( YUCK.

Tomorrow, we discontinue his steroid injection (YEAH) and begin oral steroids which Dr. Arslanlar hopes to decrease rapidly. He has been on the steroid due to his adrenal failure so we're all anxious to see if the adrenal failure was due to the trauma his body was undergoing or if it is permanent. Already one strike against him since he only has one kidney; thus one adrenal gland.

We still have no clue as to whether or not he will be diabetic; and won't know until he is on full oral nutrition and totally off TPN. Right now, he receives insulin through the TPN and we don't even do blood sugar checks (other than checking it when they do weekly blood draw).

Last but not least, we return to Presbyterian for IR on Friday, along with visits with Dr. Shires and Dr. Arslanlar.

Please pray:
for eating process to progress smoothly
for stomach/intestines to "wake up" and absorb needed nutrients
against bile back-up and bloating
against retching episodes
for smooth transition as we figure out a new schedule (I started back to work today)
for swelling to decrease
totally off TPN

Sorry this is so long...I wanted to make sure I gave those of you who want every detail the satisfaction!

"O Lord my God, You have done many miracles for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. If I tried to recite all Your many wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them." Psalm 40:6 NLT