Monday, June 25, 2018
We walked a little over a mile this morning. We've been taking our time and today it took us 27 minutes, but we did it.
I had an appointment with my dermatologist in Joplin today, so after we had breakfast and stopped at the Post Office in Branson to pick up our mail, we headed to Springfield, then west on I-44. We arrived in time to eat lunch at Braum's, which I will probably regret later.
While waiting for our food, I sent a text to my stepdad to see if they would mind if we stopped by for a few minutes before my doctor's appointment. They recently moved and are not too far away. It makes it much easier for us to pop in and say hello when we are in Joplin. Verna said to come on by, so after finishing our sandwiches we stopped for about 20 minutes. While we were there my sister Cindy and her granddaughter Kennedy showed up. We got to visit with them too for just a little bit before we had to leave. We made it to the dermatologist just in time for my appointment. As I walked in the door, my cousin Martha Sue was sitting across the room. What a small world? Before I could get done checking in, she was called back for her appointment.
I saw Angie today, a different Physician's Assistant than I normally have. I really liked her. I had two places I wanted her to look at, a mole on my neck and a keratosis on my right side that was located just underneath my bra where the band is constantly rubbing it. She said they were both irritated and she could just take them off. I said, Please, do! They both have been bothering me for awhile and while she thought they were both okay they will test them to be sure.
As I left her office and went to check out, Martha Sue was right in front of me, so once we both took care of our business with the receptionist, we got to visit for a little bit after all. It was good to see her. Last time I saw her I was at Khol's here in Joplin. Lol!
Dean was pretty uncomfortable on the way over and he was not looking forward to the drive back. He finally decided maybe he would go ahead and take some of his pain medication and took one of the pills the doctor prescribed. About half way home, he was feeling much better.
After dinner, we went for a ride. We drove out over Table Rock Dam and made a circle coming back through Hollister. There is a neat overlook along the road and we stopped for a few minutes to enjoy the view over Lake Taneycomo and a beautifully landscaped golf course and condos. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV before calling it a night.
Remember that comment about regretting eating the cheeseburger? I was right! I think I've finally discovered the culprit of the gallbladder issues - fried foods. I've started paying close attention to what I've eaten prior to having pain and so far every single time I've eaten something greasy I end up having the same pain. When I think back to all of the things we ate while in Texas and how much of it was fried it makes sense that I ended up having much worse symptoms while we were still there and immediately after we returned to Kansas. They have slowed almost completely since we've back in Kansas, because I rarely fry anything. Recently I made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, which I made almost every day in Texas, and that night I woke up with the same pain I've had off and on for almost 10 years but never realized it might be due to my gallbladder. Now the cheeseburger, and the same pain in the night. I will make every effort not to fry anything or eat anything fried in the future.
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
This morning we walked almost 1.5 miles in 27 minutes so we really stepped up our game since yesterday morning. Dean had a new step to his walk this morning - just thinking about seeing the doctor later today and having the catheter removed.
I knew we had a letter from Dr. Weston's office in the mail from talking to Lyn at UPS, and I assumed it was information on the recent sonogram I had. However, when we checked it yesterday it wasn't the results, but a bill for the EGD. So, this morning I called to his office to see if I could find out what the results were. Fortunately, the sonogram of my gallbaldder was just fine, but it showed some fatty infiltration into the liver. I wasn't sure what that meant and his receptionist asked if I wanted to make an appointment to visit with him. Since I only have a few days left for my annual health insurance coverage, I made an appointment for Thursday, June 28. I'm not looking forward to making another trip back to Joplin and I know Dean probably won't be either, but since I've met my max out of pocket I hate to wait and I am not sure what fatty infiltration is so I want to find out more about it.
We ate lunch and then left for Springfield about 12:15. Dean's appointment was at the Duncan-Ferrell Building where Dr. Anderson's office is located. As we started in the door, I thought the woman who walked out the door in front of us looked familiar. It was Mary Ann. We had dinner with her and her husband a week or so ago at FD's Grillhouse. We visited for a few minutes and then headed on in for Dean's appointment. First he had to have xrays - a fluoroscopy. The radiologist said he would read it and send it on up to Dr. Anderson's office. Even though Dean's appointment wasn't for almost an hour, we went on up. We didn't have to wait too long before he was called back. An LPN met with him to remove the catheter. He then took us to another room where we waited about 15 minutes before Dr. Anderson arrived. He told us the pathology report was great - no other cancer was found in any of the other tissues. He will need to have a PSA test every three months for a year, then every six months for a year, then annually thereafter. As you can imagine we were thrilled and I know I shed tears of gratitude for our prayers being answered. He wants to see Dean in six weeks. They made his follow-up appointment for July 31 - about five weeks out. Our hope is to leave within a day or two after that to head to New York.
We returned to Bentley around 4pm. After dinner we just chilled (literally, because outside it was steaming hot) for the rest of the evening
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
We walked a little over two miles this morning in just under 19 minutes per mile, a major improvement. Dean didn't miss his buddy Cat (short for catheter) at all today!
I spent most of the morning on paperwork, filing, etc. After getting the mail Monday I needed to take care of some things. I needed to deposit a check from our regular checking account to my Health Savings Account - but wouldn't you know it, of all days the HSA account would not let me do a mobile deposit - so that will have to wait for another day, which means I could not pay the bills we received in the mail on Monday. Maybe later this week!
I called to have our mail forwarded to us again. We are still waiting on a check from our warranty company for work done on Bentley while we were in Texas. I've called them several times now, the last call being Monday. I finally was able to speak to someone who really seemed to want to help me. He found a note in the files that they had re-issued a check to us on June 13, so hopefully we get that soon. I just wish they would have called me to let me know they had reissued it. I decided I was going to wait until all of Dean's surgeries and Dr. appointments were over before I would try and deal with this again. I've been so frustrated with it all I just didn't think I needed the extra stress of it right now.
After lunch, we went to Home Depot to purchase a basin wrench so we could work on our bathroom sink. It started leaking several days ago. I tried to tighten the screws/nuts up but the wrench we had was too big. Dean took a look at it this morning and he couldn't tighten them either. With the basin wrench he was able to get things tightened up, and we now have use of our bathroom sink again. It was a pain without it, but you do what you have to do in order to get by, and it was only a few days.
Thursday, June 28, 2018
We didn't walk this morning since we have to be in Galena by 10:10. We stopped at the office before we left so I could pick up a schedule of this week's activities and to let them know I was expecting a package from Amazon today. We'll pick it up when we get back.
The ride to Galena was pretty hard on Dean. He hates taking the pain medication they gave him, but he finally decided he would take it on the way home and I'm so glad he did. About half way back, he finally was comfortable.
We made it to the Dr.'s office almost right at 10:10. Traffic on I-44 was not too bad except for a travel trailer that we followed for probably 35-40 miles (at least) that kept things slowed down and backed up. He'd pass, then everyone he passed would pass him, and all over again. I finally got the chance to get around him and the rest of the drive wasn't bad. If we were not so tired it would have almost been comical. It reminded me of something you might see in a Chevy Chase movie
We met with Dr. Weston who recently did Dean's colonoscopy and my EGD. I told him I thought I had determined what the cause of the gallbladder issue was and explained about the greasy food. He said that was good and it most likely was the culprit. Based on that he did not think I needed to have another test he was considering - HEDI, I believe it was called. I asked him about the "fatty infiltration into the liver" they had noted after the recent sonogram of my gallbaldder. He said that with a sonogram it's difficult to tell exactly what this means but he had a machine that could give us more detail. Fortunately, after conducting the test in his office, there is no scarring so the amount of fatty infitration is not serious. He said we needed to limit the amount of sugar and fat we eat . We are both trying very hard to watch not only what we eat, but how much we eat. We've both lost weight in the last month and hope to continue that trend. Another wake up call for us about how important it is to take care of ourselves.
We stopped at Golden Coral for lunch. While it's sometimes hard to eat at a buffet at least they have several things we like that are good for you. We both had salads first - which sure helps limit the portions of anything else we eat. I stayed with vegetables and fish for the meal portion and had a small portion of the bread pudding. It is so good and I just can't pass it up. I'd rather pass up a lot of the other yummy foods for fish and veggies in order to have a small portion of the bread pudding. All about choices, right? I have to admit GC has some of the best vegetables of any buffet we've ever tried, and we love their fish too.
Fortunately the ride back to Branson on I-44 was much better than the drive to Joplin. It was right at 3 when we pulled into the office here at Treasure Lake to pick up my package. I finally found an exercise tracker band I thought might work for me. It's probably not quite as good as the fitbit but for $37 versus the $130 I paid for my fitbit, I'm willing to give it a try. I also ordered a mousepad and a hummingbird feeder that we can attach to the window of the RV. We love watching these little birds and have really missed them this summer. I hope we can attract some while we are here.
I started working on this blog post last night when I received a note on Facebook from my friend Kathy asking about Dean. I apologize to all of you for not posting sooner but as you can tell, this week has been pretty busy. I hope things will slow down some now and we can enjoy getting out to do something either here in the park, or somewhere around Branson. Sitting inside all day everyday gets old pretty quick.
Kathy and I had a good conversation via Messenger. We became friends while we were in the 6th grade when her family moved to Chetopa, where her father pastored the First Christian Church. Her family moved after our 8th grade year - same as me, but we've remained in touch throughout the years. I'm so thankful for that. You cannot beat long lasting friendships.
About 8:30 Treasure Lake sent someone around our section of the campground announcing the electric would be off for about an hour while they changed out a transformer. We turned a few things off and left for a ride in the air conditioning of our van. It was still 93-94 degrees outside. We ended up stopping at Dairy Queen where we had a blizzard. It's our first ice cream in almost two weeks so we didn't feel too bad about it. We've been eating a lot of fruit - canteloupe, apples, strawberries, watermelon, etc. I am hoping we can find some fresh peaches soon.
It wasn't long after returning to the campground that we were calling it a night.
I
Travels with Bentley
Bentley - our Heartland Bighorn
Friday, June 29, 2018
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Friday, June 22, 2018 to Sunday, June 24, 2018
Friday, June 22, 2018 to Sunday, June 24, 2018
Friday, June 22, 2018
After our showers this morning we decided to drive over to our friends house where they are having a garage sale to look around. Like I need anything - right? I probably have more than I really need here in Bentley, but I'm not ready to leave anything else behind yet. One thing I do know, is anything else (other than food & toiletries) that comes into Bentley must be a real "NEED" or something else has to "GO". Just because we still have some open space I do not feel the need to get something just for the sake of it.
We did get to visit with our friends for a few minutes before "potential buyers" started showing up. We thought we better scoot so they could make some sales. Joyce told me about a grocery store in Hollister, "Harter House" that has a great meat department, so we stopped there before heading back to Treasure Lake and Bentley. We ended up buying two beautiful rib eye steaks (about a # each); and a slab of pork ribs. Can't wait to try these out.
We made a stop at the Branson Post Office to mail birthday cards to sons Marc and Heath. Sorry guys for being late but I hope you understand. Sure doesn't mean we haven't been thinking of you. I also checked to see if our mail had been delivered from our Pittsburg address - but nothing there yet. Maybe tomorrow?
Speaking of birthdays..... Today is son Heath's birthday! Happy Birthday and I hope you had a great day! Heath is the oldest of our six children (Dean has 4 boys: Heath, Brett, Matt & Jarred and I have a daughter and son: Misti & Marc). Heath is a great husband to Casey, and Dad to three active boys.
Once we returned home we just hung out for the rest of the afternoon. I made Taco Salad for our supper and it was delicious!
Dean spent the evening watching TV - I'm sure glad that he enjoys it enough that it keeps him from going too stir crazy.
I realized that I took lots of pictures of activities during the time I was not posting, so here is a small collection of them:
Dean and Brett had to run to Home Depot in Pittsburg and I stayed at Bentley. Bad storm rolled in, with tornado warnings and I was on the floor praying, asking God to keep me safe. Bentley was rocking pretty good. It passed pretty quickly and I was thanking God for that. It's really loud in Bentley when it rains this hard!
Sure helped us pass the time waiting for Dean's two surgeries!
Saturday, June 23, 2018
After breakfast we headed to the post office, hoping to have mail today, but alas, not yet. Sure hope it's here on Monday. We missed picking it up last week so we've got about 3 weeks of mail to wade through when it finally gets here. I guess it will keep me busy, right?
We came back to Bentley, had some lunch and then we decided to get out and do a little inside walking. Our first stop was at an Antique Store just outside the gates of Treasure Lake Resort. We enjoyed walking through and seeing all of the "treasures". I am looking for an 8x8 or 9x9 glass dish, or a 8x10 glass dish that I can use in the microwave. Of course any time I've been at an antique store/flea market in the past they were everywhere. Now that I want one they seem to be extinct.
From here we headed down the "Yellow Route" bypassing Hwy 76 through the busy part of Branson shows and shops, where we turned south on 165 and hit the Branson Mall. We took our time just walking through and checking out all of the booths. We were tempted on several things but ended up leaving without making any purchases.
Most of all we just enjoyed being out and doing something. We stopped by Bentley for a little while and then we headed over to Phase 3 of Treasure Lake to visit our Escapee friends Gary & Connie. They recently sold their home and are staying here in their motorhome. We had a nice visit with them before making our way back to Bentley for the evening.
Dean grilled one of the rib eye steaks for dinner tonight (I froze the second one for another time), and I made "Savory Seasoned Rice" and sauted some veggies (yellow squash, zucchini and cauliflower). Delicious!
I found this Savory Seasoned Rice on Pinterest by Glue Sticks and Gumdrops. We love this and I wanted to share it with you.
2 c white rice (or brown, jasmine or wild rice)
4 c water (or as directed on the rice package) I use chicken broth rather than water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped (optional - or at least with me it is)
2 T butter
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. dried rosemary
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
1/2 t. regular salt
1/2 t. seasoned salt
Cook onion & garlic in butter in large saucepan over medium heat until onions are tender and a little brown.
Add rice, water and seasonings.
Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low.
Simmer for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
Let sit 5 minutes, and fluff with a fork before serving.
I usually half this unless I want extra for leftovers; or with another meat dish later in the week. It warms up very well.
Sunday, June 24, 2018
We woke up to rain, followed by even heavier rain and some nasty lightening. The temperatures cooled off which was nice later, when I went out to "empty the tanks" once the rains stopped. What do you mean, empty the tanks? Well, our black water (potty) tank was full and it began burping at us this morning. Dean went out with me to step me through the process. Even though I've done this a couple of times now I still need a little direction once in awhile but honestly it is not near as bad as I thought it would be. Of course, it's easier when you are parked somewhere for awhile when all you have to do is empty the tanks; and you don't have to pick up all of the hoses and such before leaving.
We've just been pretty lazy this morning. I did a few housekeeping things but for the most part we've done nothing. Dean's been enjoying a golf game on TV and I've just been messing around on the computer.
I realized about noon we didn't have anything for lunch, so we drove to Panera Bread, and ordered sandwiches with a salad for Dean and soup for me. We brought it back to Bentley to eat.
Tonight I'm making pork ribs in the Instapot. This is a double first for me - making pork ribs and making them in the Instapot! The recipe is simple enough and about 30-40 minutes top from prep to being done. Then we'll put them on the grill for about 10 minutes to finish them up. I made some loaded deviled eggs and we'll have some baked beans to go with the ribs.
Update: The ribs were very tender and falling off the bones just like the recipe said but I prefer a little sweeter rub than what this was. Even so, they were still quite good.
Friday, June 22, 2018
After our showers this morning we decided to drive over to our friends house where they are having a garage sale to look around. Like I need anything - right? I probably have more than I really need here in Bentley, but I'm not ready to leave anything else behind yet. One thing I do know, is anything else (other than food & toiletries) that comes into Bentley must be a real "NEED" or something else has to "GO". Just because we still have some open space I do not feel the need to get something just for the sake of it.
We did get to visit with our friends for a few minutes before "potential buyers" started showing up. We thought we better scoot so they could make some sales. Joyce told me about a grocery store in Hollister, "Harter House" that has a great meat department, so we stopped there before heading back to Treasure Lake and Bentley. We ended up buying two beautiful rib eye steaks (about a # each); and a slab of pork ribs. Can't wait to try these out.
We made a stop at the Branson Post Office to mail birthday cards to sons Marc and Heath. Sorry guys for being late but I hope you understand. Sure doesn't mean we haven't been thinking of you. I also checked to see if our mail had been delivered from our Pittsburg address - but nothing there yet. Maybe tomorrow?
Speaking of birthdays..... Today is son Heath's birthday! Happy Birthday and I hope you had a great day! Heath is the oldest of our six children (Dean has 4 boys: Heath, Brett, Matt & Jarred and I have a daughter and son: Misti & Marc). Heath is a great husband to Casey, and Dad to three active boys.
Once we returned home we just hung out for the rest of the afternoon. I made Taco Salad for our supper and it was delicious!
Dean spent the evening watching TV - I'm sure glad that he enjoys it enough that it keeps him from going too stir crazy.
I realized that I took lots of pictures of activities during the time I was not posting, so here is a small collection of them:
May 19 - We moved the RV to Son Brett's house for a few days so Dean could do a few projects on Bentley.
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| Looking off to the west from where Bentley was sitting after the storm. |
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| Dacy & Tucker - we were all having BBQ for dinner. |
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| Barton County Courthouse on the square in downtown Lamar, MO |
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| Brett took us to the new ice cream shop in downtown Lamar. It was pretty good! |
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| A boy and his dog! |
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| Views from the back porch. I could enjoy morning sunrises here. |
Kamron & Jaxson spent the day with us May 23.
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| Visiting Aunt Cindy |
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| Group picture |
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| Jaxson thought he could pull sister off the loveseat - it didn't happen! |
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| Posing for Nana! |
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| Playing outside before it gets too hot! |
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| May 28 - Avenue of Flags in Oswego - Dean and I helped this year for our first time and we enjoyed it so much. I hope we are home each year in the future over Memorial Day to assist. There was a great turnout both to put them up and to take them down. What a system they have. It was a great experience! |
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| May 30 - Veteran's Memorial in Downtown Branson, MO |
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| May 31 - The Ferris Wheel (originally was at the Navy Pier in Chicago) on the Strip in Branson. Notice the crowd at Andy's) We really wanted to stop for ice cream but passed when we saw that bunch! |
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| One of the many friendly turkeys located at Treasure Lake Resort In Branson. (June 1) |
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| Cousin Steve Blackledge frying fish for our Blackledge-Duncan Family Reunion - June 3 |
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| Oldest grandson, Logan; Me; Dean; Daughter Misti; and Oldest granddaughter Haleigh at our Family Reunion - June 3 |
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| As we approached Branson for our 1 week stay while going to Dr. Appointments. |
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| Another picture as we drive into Branson - just love the views around here. |
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| June 7 - Attended Jaxson's T-ball game in Parsons. He is pointing at his Dad and Papa - they both had one of Marc's Sawshack Redemption Hats on! Hey, you guys have the same hats - he said!! |
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| Nana and Jaxson |
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| Posing before the game |
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| Man, he hit that ball! Good job Jaxson. |
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| Our evening project on Jun 7 - following Jaxson's ballgame - replacing the microwave in Bentley. |
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| I LOVE IT!!!! While I thought this would be difficult it was so easy and didn't take us long at all to do. |
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| Delivering "Lori's Sugar Cookies" to Kamron & Jaxson. Oh how we've missed these. Thanks Lori for offering these to us who loved visiting you for so many years. What a treat!!!!! By the way Logan, Haleigh & Misti; Dacy, Tucker & Renae; and my sisters Cindy, Crystal and Jody loved them too! Still have a few frozen to deliver soon, I hope! |
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| Dean and son Brett at Cox Hospital - June 18 - waiting for Dean to be called back to sugery. |
Sure helped us pass the time waiting for Dean's two surgeries!
Saturday, June 23, 2018
After breakfast we headed to the post office, hoping to have mail today, but alas, not yet. Sure hope it's here on Monday. We missed picking it up last week so we've got about 3 weeks of mail to wade through when it finally gets here. I guess it will keep me busy, right?
We came back to Bentley, had some lunch and then we decided to get out and do a little inside walking. Our first stop was at an Antique Store just outside the gates of Treasure Lake Resort. We enjoyed walking through and seeing all of the "treasures". I am looking for an 8x8 or 9x9 glass dish, or a 8x10 glass dish that I can use in the microwave. Of course any time I've been at an antique store/flea market in the past they were everywhere. Now that I want one they seem to be extinct.
From here we headed down the "Yellow Route" bypassing Hwy 76 through the busy part of Branson shows and shops, where we turned south on 165 and hit the Branson Mall. We took our time just walking through and checking out all of the booths. We were tempted on several things but ended up leaving without making any purchases.
Most of all we just enjoyed being out and doing something. We stopped by Bentley for a little while and then we headed over to Phase 3 of Treasure Lake to visit our Escapee friends Gary & Connie. They recently sold their home and are staying here in their motorhome. We had a nice visit with them before making our way back to Bentley for the evening.
Dean grilled one of the rib eye steaks for dinner tonight (I froze the second one for another time), and I made "Savory Seasoned Rice" and sauted some veggies (yellow squash, zucchini and cauliflower). Delicious!
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| Pefect Meal! |
I found this Savory Seasoned Rice on Pinterest by Glue Sticks and Gumdrops. We love this and I wanted to share it with you.
2 c white rice (or brown, jasmine or wild rice)
4 c water (or as directed on the rice package) I use chicken broth rather than water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped (optional - or at least with me it is)
2 T butter
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. dried rosemary
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
1/2 t. regular salt
1/2 t. seasoned salt
Cook onion & garlic in butter in large saucepan over medium heat until onions are tender and a little brown.
Add rice, water and seasonings.
Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low.
Simmer for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
Let sit 5 minutes, and fluff with a fork before serving.
I usually half this unless I want extra for leftovers; or with another meat dish later in the week. It warms up very well.
Sunday, June 24, 2018
We woke up to rain, followed by even heavier rain and some nasty lightening. The temperatures cooled off which was nice later, when I went out to "empty the tanks" once the rains stopped. What do you mean, empty the tanks? Well, our black water (potty) tank was full and it began burping at us this morning. Dean went out with me to step me through the process. Even though I've done this a couple of times now I still need a little direction once in awhile but honestly it is not near as bad as I thought it would be. Of course, it's easier when you are parked somewhere for awhile when all you have to do is empty the tanks; and you don't have to pick up all of the hoses and such before leaving.
We've just been pretty lazy this morning. I did a few housekeeping things but for the most part we've done nothing. Dean's been enjoying a golf game on TV and I've just been messing around on the computer.
I realized about noon we didn't have anything for lunch, so we drove to Panera Bread, and ordered sandwiches with a salad for Dean and soup for me. We brought it back to Bentley to eat.
Tonight I'm making pork ribs in the Instapot. This is a double first for me - making pork ribs and making them in the Instapot! The recipe is simple enough and about 30-40 minutes top from prep to being done. Then we'll put them on the grill for about 10 minutes to finish them up. I made some loaded deviled eggs and we'll have some baked beans to go with the ribs.
Update: The ribs were very tender and falling off the bones just like the recipe said but I prefer a little sweeter rub than what this was. Even so, they were still quite good.
Friday, June 22, 2018
Sunday, June 17, 2018 to Thursday, June 21, 2018
Sunday, June 17, 2018 to Wednesday, June 21, 2018
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Today is moving day from Hillside RV Park in Oswego, KS to Treasure Lake Resort in Branson, MO where we will be parked for at least 3-4 weeks, maybe 5. Dean's surgery is Monday, June 18th. We know we will remain in Branson until Dr. Anderson releases him to pull the rig. He has a follow-up appointment with Dr. Vorheis on July 23. We are not sure if we will remain in Branson until then or not. We may return to Oswego for awhile before returning to Branson for the last follow up appointments with doctors before we head east to see our son and his family in New York. We have finally decided to quit trying to make plans on when to leave and just wait to make plans once the final doctor appointments are over. The original route we planned to take has been scrapped, and we will now follow a pretty straight route to get to Matt's, with several stops along the way. We talked about rushing once we got the chance to go, but have decided we just need to slow down and we'll get there when we can. This life is supposed to be about slowing down and enjoying each and every day. Rushing all of the time is stressful for both of us and we want to be relaxed and enjoy our time with the kids once we get there. That's more important!
We decided I would drive the van and lead the way to Branson. We will be making quite a few trips back and forth to Springfield, and once Dean has his one week checkup, we know we will want to do a few things here in Branson. I think we'll save on fuel purchases by using the van versus the truck and even though I don't mind driving the truck, I prefer driving the van. We are in the process of making a decision whether to sell the van or not. We really do not have anywhere to store it for long periods of time while we are traveling, we don't want it sitting out since it's almost always been garaged and we really don't use it except when we are in Oswego. I have enough family in Oswego that if I had to have a vehicle to use if Dean was using the truck, I could probably find someone to either take me or let me use one of theirs. Since we are together most of the time, I don't imagine that would happen often, and knowing I won't have it, we could arrange our schedules around that for the most part.
Misti stopped by this morning to wish Dean a Happy Father's Day and we had a nice visit with her before she left for church. We left the park around 10.
I had to stop to use the restroom once we reached Springfield. Dean didn't need to stop so he went on, arriving at Treasure Lake just a few minutes before I pulled in. (I stopped at Freddie's to use the restroom and decided I'd get something to drink. When I went to pay the young man waiting on me asked if that was all I was having. When I said yes, he said it's on me. Wow, that's the first time that has ever happened to me. I thanked him and said God Bless You - he said, The same to you. I need to pass this on when I have the opportunity.)
At the office we paid for a 3 week stay, parked the truck and Bentley in the overflow parking, then took the van to find a site. Fortunately we found someplace that worked perfect for us, especially since we have two vehicles. It is a pull through site which is always a big plus in Dean's book, with room to park the truck behind us, and enough room for at least two cars to park in front. It is a really wide site. When you register the office gives you a card to place on the numbered post at your site, so before we went back to get Bentley we did just that, so it wouldn't be taken by someone else while we were gone.
Once we had Bentley parked Dean set up outside and I got to work setting up the inside. Dean is on an all liquid diet today due to his upcoming surgery tomorrow. I made him Campbell's chicken and noodle soup - he drank the broth and I ate the noodles. Misti sells Advocare products including protein shake mixes. I had purchased chocolate peanut butter ones from her awhile back. Dean had one for breakfast and another tonight for supper and it really helped him make it through the day.
Monday, June 18, 2018
We left Treasure Lake around 8 this morning and arrived at Cox Hospital South about 8:45. Dean has several family members arriving and we wanted to be sure to see them before he goes to the Surgery Prep room. It was about 9 or a little after when Joyce (sister), Marie & Jerry (sister & her husband) were walking toward the front door. His brother Larry & wife Sandi arrived a short time later. Brett and Misti both arrived a little before 10, when we expected Dean to be called back for surgery prep. Dean checked in for surgery about 9:30 or so. We waited quite a while before a lady walked up and asked us if we had a pager and if it had gone off. Yes we did and no it had not gone off. She asked the name and come to find out Dean had a defective pager - they had been trying to page him. We headed back to his surgical prep room. We had sufficient time there for most everyone to come back to see him before they took him to surgery.
Dr. Anderson said the surgery would be about 2 hours long, and shortly after the two hours passed he came out to see us and let us know things went well. Just shy of two hours later a young lady came to tell me he had been taken to his room. When we got there, I knocked on the door and went in. Dean was awake but not very coherent. We had the same conversation over and over, reminding me a little bit of the movie Groundhog Day. What a relief the next morning when he asked me the same questions for the last time. While I knew it was the medicine talking it was a bit disconcerting to hear him ask me every 30 minutes or so the same questions over and over.
Fortunately, Dean had a private room this time, and we both had a good night's sleep.
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
When Dean's nurse came in this morning to take his vitals, about 4 am, Dean was glad to find out I was in the room with him - asleep on the couch. He could not see me and thought he was alone, and wasn't even sure where he was, thinking he might still be in recovery.
I knew all was well when he started asking for something to eat! Thank you God for taking care of my husband...and he really has.
Dr. Anderson stopped a little before 8. He told Dean he would see him on Tuesday, June 26. He is to stop downstairs from his office to have an x-ray before coming up for his appointment. He said they sent samples to pathology but he thinks he will be fine. He has to wear a catheter until the appointment on Tuesday. Dr. Anderson said it was fine to walk as much as he wanted as it would be good for him. After having lunch, we were released to head home a little before 1.
We went for a walk later in the day, making a quick stop to visit with friends Frank and Joyce, who are parked a row over from us. They have been wonderful, checking on us to see if we need anything.
Today is my son, Marc's birthday. What a blessing he has been to me. It's hard to believe my kids are grown with kids of their own and doing such great things. Many of you follow Marc's Facebook Page - Sawshack Redemption where he posts pictures of many wood products he makes for sale. I am so proud of him, for the husband and father he is, for the work he does and for doing such a great job of checking in on me and Dean regularly. I love you Marc!
A little later there was a knock at the door. When I answered it there was a woman standing there who looked very familiar but I could not place her. She had noticed our Labette County tag and originally being from the area she decided to just say hello. Well, to make a long story short, I'm so glad she did. She was a sister to our former neighbor down the street, Lee; and, I had visited with her and her husband many times while I was working for the City of Oswego when they purchased property in town and were thinking of building a new home there. No wonder Marilyn looked so familiar. She walked back over to their Excel 5th wheel (that they purchased from the same dealer we purchased our Heartland from) to get her husband, Bill. Dean came out and we set at our picnic table for an hour or more where we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. It sure helped the evening pass. Thanks again Bill and Marilyn for stopping by. It was great to see both of you again!
During our conversation we told them about our Escapees camping club and encouraged them to join, and we sure hope to see them at a future rally or casual campout.
We called it a night about 10:30.
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Today was pretty quiet. We walked a bit this morning, and again later in the day. For the most part Dean watched TV and I spent some time doing laundry and cooking.
It started raining not too long after our walk and rained almost the entire day.
Later in the day, around 4:30 or so, and after the rain stopped, we went for a ride just to get Dean outside for awhile. I had called our UPS mail service yesterday in Pittsburg, KS to have our mail sent to the Branson post office via General Delivery. We decided to see where it was located and then drove on to Hollister to drive through the "older" downtown area just to check out what shops are there today. It's been many years since we had driven by. There were a few changes. I just love the architecture of the buildings there.
We have received a few phone calls with folks checking on Dean and several comments on Facebook or Messenger asking how he was getting along. We do appreciate each and everyone of you who has said prayers for Dean and I as we have gone through this trial in our lives. Your prayers and thoughts have been so helpful to us and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are very pleased with how he is doing and know this will all pass soon and we will return to our everyday life.
Thursday, June 21, 2018
We made a trip to Walmart today - partly because we needed a few things, but again just a chance to get out. We took our time walking through the store, looking for things on the list before finally heading back to Bentley.
What a beautiful day it was today, as it was much cooler with a nice breeze. We set outside for a short while. Dean is still doing good but wasn't feeling quite up to par today. He watched a number of shows on TV and later in the afternoon I walked over to Frank and Joyce's motorhome to visit for awhile. Joyce and I set outside and it was so refreshing to be out of doors with a cool breeze, and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
Dean was feeling much better when I returned. I fixed dinner and then we watched a movie, "The Mountain Between Us" which was pretty good. We ended up purchasing one moth of Internet services from Treasure Lake so we could stream movies from various Internet apps like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, etc, saving our hotspot for writing the blog and downloading pictures .... now I just need to take some pictures to share!
Another day passes with Dean feeling better everyday. Thanks be to God for his healing and his love for us.
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Today is moving day from Hillside RV Park in Oswego, KS to Treasure Lake Resort in Branson, MO where we will be parked for at least 3-4 weeks, maybe 5. Dean's surgery is Monday, June 18th. We know we will remain in Branson until Dr. Anderson releases him to pull the rig. He has a follow-up appointment with Dr. Vorheis on July 23. We are not sure if we will remain in Branson until then or not. We may return to Oswego for awhile before returning to Branson for the last follow up appointments with doctors before we head east to see our son and his family in New York. We have finally decided to quit trying to make plans on when to leave and just wait to make plans once the final doctor appointments are over. The original route we planned to take has been scrapped, and we will now follow a pretty straight route to get to Matt's, with several stops along the way. We talked about rushing once we got the chance to go, but have decided we just need to slow down and we'll get there when we can. This life is supposed to be about slowing down and enjoying each and every day. Rushing all of the time is stressful for both of us and we want to be relaxed and enjoy our time with the kids once we get there. That's more important!
We decided I would drive the van and lead the way to Branson. We will be making quite a few trips back and forth to Springfield, and once Dean has his one week checkup, we know we will want to do a few things here in Branson. I think we'll save on fuel purchases by using the van versus the truck and even though I don't mind driving the truck, I prefer driving the van. We are in the process of making a decision whether to sell the van or not. We really do not have anywhere to store it for long periods of time while we are traveling, we don't want it sitting out since it's almost always been garaged and we really don't use it except when we are in Oswego. I have enough family in Oswego that if I had to have a vehicle to use if Dean was using the truck, I could probably find someone to either take me or let me use one of theirs. Since we are together most of the time, I don't imagine that would happen often, and knowing I won't have it, we could arrange our schedules around that for the most part.
Misti stopped by this morning to wish Dean a Happy Father's Day and we had a nice visit with her before she left for church. We left the park around 10.
I had to stop to use the restroom once we reached Springfield. Dean didn't need to stop so he went on, arriving at Treasure Lake just a few minutes before I pulled in. (I stopped at Freddie's to use the restroom and decided I'd get something to drink. When I went to pay the young man waiting on me asked if that was all I was having. When I said yes, he said it's on me. Wow, that's the first time that has ever happened to me. I thanked him and said God Bless You - he said, The same to you. I need to pass this on when I have the opportunity.)
At the office we paid for a 3 week stay, parked the truck and Bentley in the overflow parking, then took the van to find a site. Fortunately we found someplace that worked perfect for us, especially since we have two vehicles. It is a pull through site which is always a big plus in Dean's book, with room to park the truck behind us, and enough room for at least two cars to park in front. It is a really wide site. When you register the office gives you a card to place on the numbered post at your site, so before we went back to get Bentley we did just that, so it wouldn't be taken by someone else while we were gone.
Once we had Bentley parked Dean set up outside and I got to work setting up the inside. Dean is on an all liquid diet today due to his upcoming surgery tomorrow. I made him Campbell's chicken and noodle soup - he drank the broth and I ate the noodles. Misti sells Advocare products including protein shake mixes. I had purchased chocolate peanut butter ones from her awhile back. Dean had one for breakfast and another tonight for supper and it really helped him make it through the day.
Monday, June 18, 2018
We left Treasure Lake around 8 this morning and arrived at Cox Hospital South about 8:45. Dean has several family members arriving and we wanted to be sure to see them before he goes to the Surgery Prep room. It was about 9 or a little after when Joyce (sister), Marie & Jerry (sister & her husband) were walking toward the front door. His brother Larry & wife Sandi arrived a short time later. Brett and Misti both arrived a little before 10, when we expected Dean to be called back for surgery prep. Dean checked in for surgery about 9:30 or so. We waited quite a while before a lady walked up and asked us if we had a pager and if it had gone off. Yes we did and no it had not gone off. She asked the name and come to find out Dean had a defective pager - they had been trying to page him. We headed back to his surgical prep room. We had sufficient time there for most everyone to come back to see him before they took him to surgery.
Dr. Anderson said the surgery would be about 2 hours long, and shortly after the two hours passed he came out to see us and let us know things went well. Just shy of two hours later a young lady came to tell me he had been taken to his room. When we got there, I knocked on the door and went in. Dean was awake but not very coherent. We had the same conversation over and over, reminding me a little bit of the movie Groundhog Day. What a relief the next morning when he asked me the same questions for the last time. While I knew it was the medicine talking it was a bit disconcerting to hear him ask me every 30 minutes or so the same questions over and over.
Fortunately, Dean had a private room this time, and we both had a good night's sleep.
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
When Dean's nurse came in this morning to take his vitals, about 4 am, Dean was glad to find out I was in the room with him - asleep on the couch. He could not see me and thought he was alone, and wasn't even sure where he was, thinking he might still be in recovery.
I knew all was well when he started asking for something to eat! Thank you God for taking care of my husband...and he really has.
Dr. Anderson stopped a little before 8. He told Dean he would see him on Tuesday, June 26. He is to stop downstairs from his office to have an x-ray before coming up for his appointment. He said they sent samples to pathology but he thinks he will be fine. He has to wear a catheter until the appointment on Tuesday. Dr. Anderson said it was fine to walk as much as he wanted as it would be good for him. After having lunch, we were released to head home a little before 1.
We went for a walk later in the day, making a quick stop to visit with friends Frank and Joyce, who are parked a row over from us. They have been wonderful, checking on us to see if we need anything.
Today is my son, Marc's birthday. What a blessing he has been to me. It's hard to believe my kids are grown with kids of their own and doing such great things. Many of you follow Marc's Facebook Page - Sawshack Redemption where he posts pictures of many wood products he makes for sale. I am so proud of him, for the husband and father he is, for the work he does and for doing such a great job of checking in on me and Dean regularly. I love you Marc!
A little later there was a knock at the door. When I answered it there was a woman standing there who looked very familiar but I could not place her. She had noticed our Labette County tag and originally being from the area she decided to just say hello. Well, to make a long story short, I'm so glad she did. She was a sister to our former neighbor down the street, Lee; and, I had visited with her and her husband many times while I was working for the City of Oswego when they purchased property in town and were thinking of building a new home there. No wonder Marilyn looked so familiar. She walked back over to their Excel 5th wheel (that they purchased from the same dealer we purchased our Heartland from) to get her husband, Bill. Dean came out and we set at our picnic table for an hour or more where we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. It sure helped the evening pass. Thanks again Bill and Marilyn for stopping by. It was great to see both of you again!
During our conversation we told them about our Escapees camping club and encouraged them to join, and we sure hope to see them at a future rally or casual campout.
We called it a night about 10:30.
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Today was pretty quiet. We walked a bit this morning, and again later in the day. For the most part Dean watched TV and I spent some time doing laundry and cooking.
It started raining not too long after our walk and rained almost the entire day.
Later in the day, around 4:30 or so, and after the rain stopped, we went for a ride just to get Dean outside for awhile. I had called our UPS mail service yesterday in Pittsburg, KS to have our mail sent to the Branson post office via General Delivery. We decided to see where it was located and then drove on to Hollister to drive through the "older" downtown area just to check out what shops are there today. It's been many years since we had driven by. There were a few changes. I just love the architecture of the buildings there.
We have received a few phone calls with folks checking on Dean and several comments on Facebook or Messenger asking how he was getting along. We do appreciate each and everyone of you who has said prayers for Dean and I as we have gone through this trial in our lives. Your prayers and thoughts have been so helpful to us and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are very pleased with how he is doing and know this will all pass soon and we will return to our everyday life.
Thursday, June 21, 2018
We made a trip to Walmart today - partly because we needed a few things, but again just a chance to get out. We took our time walking through the store, looking for things on the list before finally heading back to Bentley.
What a beautiful day it was today, as it was much cooler with a nice breeze. We set outside for a short while. Dean is still doing good but wasn't feeling quite up to par today. He watched a number of shows on TV and later in the afternoon I walked over to Frank and Joyce's motorhome to visit for awhile. Joyce and I set outside and it was so refreshing to be out of doors with a cool breeze, and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
Dean was feeling much better when I returned. I fixed dinner and then we watched a movie, "The Mountain Between Us" which was pretty good. We ended up purchasing one moth of Internet services from Treasure Lake so we could stream movies from various Internet apps like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, etc, saving our hotspot for writing the blog and downloading pictures .... now I just need to take some pictures to share!
Another day passes with Dean feeling better everyday. Thanks be to God for his healing and his love for us.
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Saturday, May 19, 2018 to June 16, 2018
Saturday, May 19, 2018 to Saturday, June 16, 2018
Many day to day things have happened since May 18 but I'm only going to focus on a portion of that time. I've not written much because we received some news in mid-April that simply put, really upset our day to day life. At the time neither of us were ready to talk about it except to each other and immediate family members, but now that we've had time, Dean has told me it's okay to share it with all of you as well.
Shortly before we left for Texas, we had physicals and some routine tests with our doctor. When the results of Dean's PSA (prostate) test came back it was 4.1, which is slightly above the range they really want to watch it. The doctor wanted him to have a follow up test while we were in Texas, which he did, and it came back at 4.3. They called us and recommended he have a biopsy when we returned to Kansas. Dean agreed and our primary care physician set up the appointment with Dr. Frogge, a urologist in Joplin, MO for April 9th.
On April 16th, we had a follow up visit with Dr. Frogge to go over the results of the biopsy, expecting to be told all was well and they would continue to watch it through regular PSA tests. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Instead we learned Dean had prostate cancer. Fortunately, it was caught early. After discussing the options, Dean asked Dr. Frogge what he would do in his case and he suggested that we talk with a urologist and an oncologist before making a decision.
Dr. Frogge's office set up two appointments for us. One was with a urologist, Dr. David Anderson, in Springfield on May 10, who performs "Robotic assist laparoscopic radical prostatectomy" - in other words removes the prostate through laparoscopic surgery; and the second appointment was the following day on May 11 with Dr. Myers in Pittsburg, an oncologist, to discuss various options of radiation. When we met with Dr. Anderson, Dean asked if we could go ahead an set an appointment for surgery, and if he decided radiation to be a better option, could he cancel it and they said yes. We were given a surgery date of June 1. He kept the appointment with the oncologist so we could hear what he had to say before making a final decision. My girlfriend who is a nurse, and whose husband also had prostate cancer suggested when we meet with the urologist that we ask about tests to see if the cancer might have spread, and Dr. Anderson agreed to order both a bone scan and a CT scan. After weighing both of his two options for treatment, Dean chose to move forward with the surgery.
On May 25, we spent the day in Springfield, MO having the bone scan and a CT scan, and pre-registering at the hospital (1 1/2 hour meeting) for the laparoscopic surgery on June 1. It was truly an all day event but amazingly everybody was right on time, or early, at each appointment we had.
Again, we expected nothing to show up in the tests - however, what the tests showed were really surprising. The CT scan showed Dean had an abdominal aorta aneurysm and the veins in his upper legs had plaque buildup. Dr. Anderson's office called us the day after Memorial Day, May 29, and advised he would not do the surgery until Dean saw a vascular surgeon.
We were shocked, but so grateful we were able to get an appointment so quickly with the vascular surgeon for June 1. He showed us the CT Scan and it was a mess. The aneurysm was 4 mm in size and while they typically do not do surgery until it is 5 mm, since the laparoscopic surgery for the prostate would be in or near this area and with the plaque in his veins the vascular surgeon thought he should have it repaired before having the prostate surgery.
We were back in Springfield on June 5 for another surgery pre-registration at Cox Hopsital for the repair of the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.
On June 12, we got up very early (4:00 am) and headed to Cox Hospital in Springfield, MO where he had Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Endograft Repair. The surgery was a total success. He spent one night in the hospital and we were back in our RV in Oswego the following afternoon. Unfortunately, it was a long night at the hospital. He had a roommate who was in quite a bit of pain and had his TV on all night. Needless to say we had a good nap after we made it home! We were thankful Dean had no pain from his surgery and was feeling great immediately afterwards. The doctor told me after the surgery he did not know how he was not having pain in his legs from the amount of plaque and junk he had. I've always said Dean is like an old plow horse, he just keeps going. I'm so thankful they found this and it has been repaired.
He will have the Robotic assist laparoscopic radical prostatectomy on June 18 in Springfield. It will also require only an overnight stay at the hospital.
At this point I have to say, God had to have his hand in these appointments. It's not unusual to wait weeks or even months to get an appointment - his were scheduled so quickly we felt we were constantly on the run, and they have consistently kept things moving from day 1. We are so thankful for that - first to God who we feel orchestrated it, but also to the staff at both doctors' offices and the hospital. We have been provided with excellent care everywhere we've been in the Cox system.
We are heading to Branson Sunday morning, June 17 for a 3-5 week stay at Treasure Lake RV Resort. We are a member of the park and therefore only pay a nightly rate of $8 to park our RV there, it's only about 35 minutes from the hospital in Springfield, and since we will need to make at least 3-4 follow up visits with both doctors during that period it makes sense to stay here. Dean will not be able to drive at all the first week, and we are not sure when he will be released to drive the truck or pull the rig, so it's easier to just stay close by until he's given the okay. It could be as early as 3 weeks after the surgery to 4-5 weeks after. We have several friends in the area and there is quite a bit to do, so we hope it will keep us somewhat busy during this downtime in our life. Treasure Lake has entertainment at their clubhouse almost every evening and we enjoy attending those. We also enjoy the walking trail in the park and utilize it most mornings when we are there.
We've been able to get back to almost daily walking even though it's getting pretty warm in the mornings now. We enjoy being outside and getting the exercise.
We would appreciate your prayers as Dean undergoes this second surgery. We will be praying for God to direct the surgeon in each step he must take, that there will be no long term side effects, and that he recovers quickly and completely.
I have to say that we are so thankful to Jesus Christ, Our Savior for all he has done for us. While we do not understand it all we do know if he had not been diagnosed with prostate cancer, we would not have thought to even ask about testing and without the testing we would not have been aware of the aneurysm and the need for stints in his legs. God has been so good and we are so thankful for his loving care. Again, we cannot praise him enough for all he has done for us! And as I mentioned before, we give him thanks for how quickly everything has fell into place, with the scheduling of appointments, testing and surgeries.
While I am way behind on writing the blog, we have been so busy with doctor visits, trying to get in visits with family, dealing with paperwork related to both surgeries, dealing with insurance, etc. doing some projects around the RV (to keep us busy when we did have any down time), etc. that I would not have had much time to blog anyway. It was too hard for me to write unless sharing the whole story, but it just wasn't mine to tell until Dean agreed. So now that I have been able to share our journey of the past couple of months, I hope to return to daily or weekly posts.
Thank you so much to everyone who follows along. We are anxious to get back to our travels and at this point we see no reason that will not happen sometime toward the end of July or first of August. We still plan to head to New York to meet our newest grandson, Samuel and visit his family, and do a little traveling in a few New England states. It won't be as extensive as we originally planned, but that's okay, we are able to go and we are doing it together. That's what is important!
Many day to day things have happened since May 18 but I'm only going to focus on a portion of that time. I've not written much because we received some news in mid-April that simply put, really upset our day to day life. At the time neither of us were ready to talk about it except to each other and immediate family members, but now that we've had time, Dean has told me it's okay to share it with all of you as well.
Shortly before we left for Texas, we had physicals and some routine tests with our doctor. When the results of Dean's PSA (prostate) test came back it was 4.1, which is slightly above the range they really want to watch it. The doctor wanted him to have a follow up test while we were in Texas, which he did, and it came back at 4.3. They called us and recommended he have a biopsy when we returned to Kansas. Dean agreed and our primary care physician set up the appointment with Dr. Frogge, a urologist in Joplin, MO for April 9th.
On April 16th, we had a follow up visit with Dr. Frogge to go over the results of the biopsy, expecting to be told all was well and they would continue to watch it through regular PSA tests. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Instead we learned Dean had prostate cancer. Fortunately, it was caught early. After discussing the options, Dean asked Dr. Frogge what he would do in his case and he suggested that we talk with a urologist and an oncologist before making a decision.
Dr. Frogge's office set up two appointments for us. One was with a urologist, Dr. David Anderson, in Springfield on May 10, who performs "Robotic assist laparoscopic radical prostatectomy" - in other words removes the prostate through laparoscopic surgery; and the second appointment was the following day on May 11 with Dr. Myers in Pittsburg, an oncologist, to discuss various options of radiation. When we met with Dr. Anderson, Dean asked if we could go ahead an set an appointment for surgery, and if he decided radiation to be a better option, could he cancel it and they said yes. We were given a surgery date of June 1. He kept the appointment with the oncologist so we could hear what he had to say before making a final decision. My girlfriend who is a nurse, and whose husband also had prostate cancer suggested when we meet with the urologist that we ask about tests to see if the cancer might have spread, and Dr. Anderson agreed to order both a bone scan and a CT scan. After weighing both of his two options for treatment, Dean chose to move forward with the surgery.
On May 25, we spent the day in Springfield, MO having the bone scan and a CT scan, and pre-registering at the hospital (1 1/2 hour meeting) for the laparoscopic surgery on June 1. It was truly an all day event but amazingly everybody was right on time, or early, at each appointment we had.
Again, we expected nothing to show up in the tests - however, what the tests showed were really surprising. The CT scan showed Dean had an abdominal aorta aneurysm and the veins in his upper legs had plaque buildup. Dr. Anderson's office called us the day after Memorial Day, May 29, and advised he would not do the surgery until Dean saw a vascular surgeon.
We were shocked, but so grateful we were able to get an appointment so quickly with the vascular surgeon for June 1. He showed us the CT Scan and it was a mess. The aneurysm was 4 mm in size and while they typically do not do surgery until it is 5 mm, since the laparoscopic surgery for the prostate would be in or near this area and with the plaque in his veins the vascular surgeon thought he should have it repaired before having the prostate surgery.
We were back in Springfield on June 5 for another surgery pre-registration at Cox Hopsital for the repair of the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.
On June 12, we got up very early (4:00 am) and headed to Cox Hospital in Springfield, MO where he had Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Endograft Repair. The surgery was a total success. He spent one night in the hospital and we were back in our RV in Oswego the following afternoon. Unfortunately, it was a long night at the hospital. He had a roommate who was in quite a bit of pain and had his TV on all night. Needless to say we had a good nap after we made it home! We were thankful Dean had no pain from his surgery and was feeling great immediately afterwards. The doctor told me after the surgery he did not know how he was not having pain in his legs from the amount of plaque and junk he had. I've always said Dean is like an old plow horse, he just keeps going. I'm so thankful they found this and it has been repaired.
He will have the Robotic assist laparoscopic radical prostatectomy on June 18 in Springfield. It will also require only an overnight stay at the hospital.
At this point I have to say, God had to have his hand in these appointments. It's not unusual to wait weeks or even months to get an appointment - his were scheduled so quickly we felt we were constantly on the run, and they have consistently kept things moving from day 1. We are so thankful for that - first to God who we feel orchestrated it, but also to the staff at both doctors' offices and the hospital. We have been provided with excellent care everywhere we've been in the Cox system.
We are heading to Branson Sunday morning, June 17 for a 3-5 week stay at Treasure Lake RV Resort. We are a member of the park and therefore only pay a nightly rate of $8 to park our RV there, it's only about 35 minutes from the hospital in Springfield, and since we will need to make at least 3-4 follow up visits with both doctors during that period it makes sense to stay here. Dean will not be able to drive at all the first week, and we are not sure when he will be released to drive the truck or pull the rig, so it's easier to just stay close by until he's given the okay. It could be as early as 3 weeks after the surgery to 4-5 weeks after. We have several friends in the area and there is quite a bit to do, so we hope it will keep us somewhat busy during this downtime in our life. Treasure Lake has entertainment at their clubhouse almost every evening and we enjoy attending those. We also enjoy the walking trail in the park and utilize it most mornings when we are there.
We've been able to get back to almost daily walking even though it's getting pretty warm in the mornings now. We enjoy being outside and getting the exercise.
We would appreciate your prayers as Dean undergoes this second surgery. We will be praying for God to direct the surgeon in each step he must take, that there will be no long term side effects, and that he recovers quickly and completely.
I have to say that we are so thankful to Jesus Christ, Our Savior for all he has done for us. While we do not understand it all we do know if he had not been diagnosed with prostate cancer, we would not have thought to even ask about testing and without the testing we would not have been aware of the aneurysm and the need for stints in his legs. God has been so good and we are so thankful for his loving care. Again, we cannot praise him enough for all he has done for us! And as I mentioned before, we give him thanks for how quickly everything has fell into place, with the scheduling of appointments, testing and surgeries.
While I am way behind on writing the blog, we have been so busy with doctor visits, trying to get in visits with family, dealing with paperwork related to both surgeries, dealing with insurance, etc. doing some projects around the RV (to keep us busy when we did have any down time), etc. that I would not have had much time to blog anyway. It was too hard for me to write unless sharing the whole story, but it just wasn't mine to tell until Dean agreed. So now that I have been able to share our journey of the past couple of months, I hope to return to daily or weekly posts.
Thank you so much to everyone who follows along. We are anxious to get back to our travels and at this point we see no reason that will not happen sometime toward the end of July or first of August. We still plan to head to New York to meet our newest grandson, Samuel and visit his family, and do a little traveling in a few New England states. It won't be as extensive as we originally planned, but that's okay, we are able to go and we are doing it together. That's what is important!
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