Tim's Health

I went out to get groceries for the Sunday dinner and birthday cake for Abby.  I also had to go to AC Moore to get some more scrapbooking adhesive.  I also had to stop by Pizza Hut to order food for the work day at church we are having tomorrow.  After I got back home, I had about an hour to put the groceries away, eat and then leave with Tim for his cath care, blood work and doctor's visit.

Tim's visit was normal.  The doctor is surprised that the combination meds are still "working."  That does not mean they are killing the melanoma.  It just means that it is not active.  And even that is not exactly true.  Tim does have a couple of spots that are active and growing some.

There has been a new development with him that I have not discussed because I wanted to make sure the kids knew before I published it on Facebook or here.  A week or so ago I noticed Tim's left hand shaking at the dinner table.  His arm was resting on the edge of the table and his hand was moving back and forth, but he did not seem to be aware of it.  I didn't mention it then.  But, when it kept doing it when we were eating (which is the only time I noticed it) I finally mentioned it to him.  I asked him if he knew his arm and hand were moving back and forth.  He did not.  Then, this past Sunday at lunch he noticed.  He sent a message to the doctor who is in charge of his brain MRI's to let him know what was going on.  The doctor called Tim on Monday (I LOVE this doctor!) and spoke with Tim personally about it.  He asked him what side was being affected.  When Tim told him the left side, he said, "I figured because the hemorrhaging (that was discovered a month ago during an MRI) is located close to the motor control center on the right side of his brain, which controls the left side."  The doctor contacted the neurologist (the one who did the gamma knife procedure a year or so ago) immediately and discussed the situation.  The doctor then called Tim back and said a prescription for Keppar (a seizure medicine) had been called in to the Walmart pharmacy and Tim was to go and pick it up and begin taking it immediately!  WHOA!! That was a little scary!  So, this is the new development that I covet your prayers about.  The movement has not stopped, and one night in bed his left foot was shaking.  So, I don't know if this medicine is to help the shaking or if there is nothing to be done about that, and they are more worried about the possibility of seizures starting.  Anyway, I know most of you who are and have been praying for Tim ever since he first got melanoma are still praying, but please add this to your prayer for him.  We appreciate it so very much!

He will be having another brain MRI in a month.  I am hoping and praying that by that time all of this will be a thing of the past and the hemorrhage will have taken care of itself.  As we were leaving the hospital and while there today, we saw many who have it worse than he does.  And I said to him, "Even with the cancer, God has blessed us so much!"  And He has!  Thank You, Lord!

Here are a few bird photos from today, taken from my craft room.  The last photo is the daily puzzle for today.

The house finch was seen on the suet cake today.  And, just before he flew to the suet cake, he was eating from the thistle seed feeder!  So, I guess I will leave the thistle feeder there for awhile and see if anyone else bites!

Mr. Cardinal usually flies when he sees me looking at him, but he didn't seem to mind today.

I couldn't get a good look, but I believe this was the female blue bird.

There were LOTS of birds on the ground around the feeder today, even the morning dove made an appearance.

I'm pretty sure the morning dove would not be able to land on the feeder because of it's size.  I picture the feeder tilting and all of the seed sliding right out if it did!

This was today's daily puzzle.  I don't do them every day.  Only the ones I like.

And there you have it.  Another short and sweet day.