Eventful weekend, new adventure, lots to be thankful for!

I'm afraid this will not be a short post.  We had quite an eventful weekend, as some of you already know.  But first I want to go back to last Wednesday morning when I was so delighted to see sunshine!!  I truly felt like we had not had a sunny morning in ages, and I was so delighted to see this!

On Thursday my Valentines gift for Dick was delivered and I was so excited!  I had seen an ad on FB for this the previous Sunday and ordered it with our specific information on it.  And here it is!

Yes, 1966!  I was still 14 when I eavesdropped on a conversation between the director of Manheim Area Chorus (of which I was a member) and my dad (pastoral advisor for the chorus) one August evening.  I sat in the stairway so I could listen to what they were talking about.  I heard Merv, the director, say, "We're getting some new young guys this year.  Stauffer boys.  Dick and Bob Stauffer."  I sat there thinking, "Hmmm, I wonder what they look like by now?"  I remembered hearing about them in grade school from one of my classmates who went to church with them. 

So when I went to the first practice (which I'm assuming was Monday, September 12, because we always practiced on Monday evenings, and I'm sure we did not practice on Labor Day, the 5th), I was very aware that I would be seeing the new guys.  Of course I tried to act like I didn't even notice them sitting on the back bench as I walked front, chatting with some of my girlfriends.   Dick vividly remembers watching me walk front and wondering who SHE was, hahaha!  And the rest is history!  

Friday was Jeremy's 40th birthday!   His birth was such a happy event because the other two kids were old enough (Anthony was 3 1/2, Lisa was 6) to look forward to his birth and were able to hold him soon afterward.  He was born at home.  40 years ago.  Good grief!  We must be getting old!  Here's a collage I made for his birthday post.  I think he was about two weeks old on the one picture, and the other was taken the last time we were together for the weekend in DC in October.  

Unfortunately there were other things front and center this past Friday.  You may remember that I had started my January 29 post talking about Dick's ongoing struggle with getting over a cold and with tiredness since November.  He was prescribed another round of antibiotics at that time, and he did pretty much get rid of the cold and coughing within the next week or so.  

However, he still did not feel well.  He was so very tired all the time, he was losing weight without trying to, he had to urinate so often, needing to get up four times a night, his mouth was so terribly, terribly dry, and he fell a few times too.   The tiredness and frequent urination had us thinking that maybe prostate cancer was the culprit.  

So last Wednesday he sent messages to both our primary care physician and also his oncologist telling them that he really needed to get some answers.  

On Thursday he noticed that more blood work had been ordered, so in the afternoon he left work early and went to do the blood work.  They also wanted a urine sample.   

We went to choir practice that evening and we did pray for him during our prayer time at the beginning.  But for the first time ever, he was too tired to play bass guitar during our praise team practice, which we always have right after choir practice.  

That night Dick's phone rang around midnight!  He keeps his volume really loud.  I had just gone to sleep and was so annoyed that someone would try to call at that hour of the night!  He stopped the call and went right back to sleep.  I was thinking, "It's bad enough that he has to have his sleep interrupted so often to go to the bathroom, and now someone calls him in the middle of the night!!"  

The next morning before he went to work I remembered that phone call and asked to look at the number.  I noticed that is was a Danville number, which is where Geisinger is.  All our medical phone calls, even here is State College, show up as Danville numbers.  Hmmmm.  

Later in the morning I got a phone call from a Geisinger number and answered it, of course.  The caller told me that she was trying to reach Dick, but he was not answering his phone.  She said she has critical lab results that she needs to talk with him about.  She wondered if I could reach him.  So I called Bastian where he works and told him to check his phone and call Geisinger back.  When I heard from him later he was on his way to the ER!!!  They had told him that his blood sugar was extremely elevated and it was very important that he goes immediately.   We were like, what????

So I got myself looking decent (hadn't even showered yet) and headed there too.  Suddenly everything was beginning to make sense.  While we were thinking cancer, we had not even considered diabetes as the reason for some of his symptoms.  When he got to the ER his blood sugar was 730 (should be 100)!  And his A1C was 12 (should be 5 or 6).  When I started looking up blood sugar numbers I could not believe what I was finding.  We are so fortunate that nothing worse had happened while his blood sugar was so outrageously high!! 

He was admitted to the hospital so they could work at getting things regulated.  He was already starting to feel better after he was hooked up to an IV and insulin.  By evening he was cracking jokes and enjoying conversations with his roommate, who also liked to talk.  

The worst part was not being allowed to have anything but ice chips all day long.  He was so hungry. They had said they wanted his blood sugar below 200 before he could eat.  How we rejoiced when at 8:30 PM his number was 160 and they brought him FOOD and a Power Ade Zero!!

On Saturday morning I went to Wegmans for groceries before going to the hospital.  I took a long, long time as I googled sugar-free everything.   I tried not to look at all the wonderful breads and goodies in their bakery.  

We found out that afternoon, when the doctor came by, that he would be staying another night.  Because of his high A1C, he would be needing to start out with insulin injections, and they needed time to teach him to do that.  We were really disappointed.  

Sam and the kids were planning to come up for the weekend, so they came by the hospital first and hung out for a while.  Then they went out for dinner.  When I left the hospital, Dick was eager to watch wresting on TV - Penn State vs Ohio State. 

Later in the evening when we were all at our house (all but Grandpa, of course) Bianca wanted to share her big piece of chocolate cake with me.  How could I refuse?  I do absolutely plan to eat pretty much the way Dick will have to eat from now on, but I know there will be times....   But she also had a little container of veggies and dip that they had brought along, and she wanted me to eat that with her too.  We were cracking up.  When we were eating the cake I had said that we were in chocolate heaven.  Then later she was saying that we were in veggie heaven.  Hahaha!

Sammy was sleepy and went to bed early.  He had been sick the past week.  He's always such a night owl.  So Bianca had some Daddy/daughter time.  Is that not the cutest picture?

On Sunday morning we all went to the service at GBRV.  My choir missed having Dick in it, but they did great anyway.  I was disappointed afterward that I didn't think to have Sam video the choir song for him.  I did get this picture. 

We did not go to Calvary's service afterward, but to the hospital instead.  Dick was feeling great and was very ready to go home.  The kids and I took lots of walks around the hospital on several different floors.  I took them one at a time while the other one played games on my phone.  Not a whole lot to do in an overcrowded hospital room.  

After a while the doctor came by and gave Dick the good news that he would be going home!

Sam and the kids left to go to our house then, taking my van.  (Dick's truck was in the parking lot too, since he had driven himself to the ER on Friday morning.)   There was no school Monday due to the Presidents Day holiday, so they were able stay an extra night. 

Dick and I had fun getting to know his roommate and wife better while we waited for Dick to be officially discharged.   We found out they they also go to Calvary to church.  They go to the 9 AM service, so we never see them.  It will be fun to look for them if we ever get there early enough to see the 9 AM people leaving.  

From the hospital we went right to the Walmart Pharmacy.  Whew!!  Talk about sticker shock!  We have high hopes that with careful eating Dick will not need to be on insulin more than a few months.  

And then we were finally home!  Dick was feeling so much better!  It was wonderful!  We had chili and all the fixin's for dinner.  (I had made a big pot of chili on Saturday evening.)  I was hoping Anthony and Lori and the boys could come over for dinner too, but Anthony had been sick with a sore throat for several days, and Lori had some shopping to do. 

We had "game night."  First we played many rounds of Memory.  Those children killed us!!  I could not believe their vivid memory and the way they could put together match after match!!  I decided I should start playing it all by myself just to improve my memory!  Or maybe Dick and I could do that in our spare time, lol!  

Then the kids and I played Life.  Sammy ended up filthy rich.  Bianca quit after a while because all she wanted was to fill up her car with babies, and she just never landed on the right spaces to make that happen.  She was absolutely in tears of despair when Sammy landed on a space that gave him twins - TWICE!!  Sounds like LIFE, right?

On Monday morning Dick went back to work!  I got up to help prepare him a suitable breakfast and lunch. Checking his blood sugar, recording the number,  and giving himself a shot of insulin is a new routine added to his mornings. 

Sammy wanted to play Monopoly with me.  What a crazy game.  We just could not succeed.  We kept landing on our own properties, thus no rental income.  Too many times I passed "go" earning my $200 salary, only to land on the income tax space, which meant $200 due. UGH!!  That also sounds like LIFE, right?

Bianca was getting antsy, and there was glorious sunshine outside, so we decided it was time for a walk around the neighborhood.  Wow!!!  What a perfectly beautiful day to be outside!  

This little playground is close to our house.  

After our walk Sam and the kids gathered all their things together and got on their way back to Duncannon.  

I made some delicious corn muffins to go with the chili I would be giving to Anthony and Lori for their dinner.  When Lori and I met at Hunter's school parking lot, we had about 15 minutes for some catching up, then I needed to be on my way to my piano student's home.  As I drove there I realized with GREAT JOY that this was the first Monday this winter that there was still daylight at 6:05 PM!!

On Tuesday we had a beautiful delivery - this arrangement from GBRV!  What a lovely addition to our kitchen table!

So we're on a new adventure here.  Dick's blood sugar is great so far.  Of course, we are aware that this is with the help of insulin, which we are hoping he will not need long term.   Tomorrow he has an appointment with our primary care physician, and she will be setting Dick up with a diabetes specialist.  I will leave my Bible study at Calvary early so that I can also be at the appointment.   

For anyone wondering, it IS a genetic issue for him, which we were told is the biggest factor.  His dad has lived with diabetes for many years, as did his dad's brother Clarence.  Apparently Clarence's son Dave (same age as Dick) also has it, and Dick's brother Bob is "pre-diabetic" and watching his very closely.  

Last evening son-in-law George called and gave us suggestions of websites to check out and phone calls to make.  One of his suggestions was to call Humana, our Medicare drug insurance.  So today it occurred to me that Dick might not have the time at work to make that call, so I voice texted him.  I soon got such a good laugh out of our conversation.  I guess Siri thinks I must have it in for someone, hahahaha!

Well, this is long enough!!  And I have other things to do besides sitting here writing.  Have a good rest of the week!