Dad's Biopsy

Of course, he doesn't remember anything about the procedure. Dr said prostate enlarged and he biopsied the spot he felt on exam and biopsied the entire prostate. We should have results when we go back on 16th. Yesterday he slept all day. Today he's doing great. No pain at all and he worked a good bit out side. Mama doing OK today. Some pain, seems in good spirits today.

Kidney update

Had follow up visit with kidney Dr today. My creatinine levels are almost normal and my Glomerular Filtration rate is increasing --which is good. So I maintain my low sodium, low fat diet. He feels that since my BP is good and low, there is no need at this point to do invasive tests. So next visit is in 4 months. Dad goes for biopsy tomorrow. Praying for good news there.
Mama is fair, has had some medical issues and we're seeing a couple of specialists. She was placed on a different antidepressant---which is a long story----and seems to be in a better frame of mind. It's been a rough week, emotionally, her roommate's son died of cancer and will be buried tomorrow.

Response to Loud's comment

I'm sorry you didn't know, it wasn't a secret, I guess it never came up in conversation and the wedding took front and center for quite a while.
Last year the sisters decided they wanted to go on a cruise and be able to do this without children and grandchildren-- so that they could enjoy visiting with one another; also that it would be good for Mama. I've never been interested in a cruise --I'm too clostrophic; and Dad was never interested. After much debate, we decided to go and so we paid 1/2 on deposit. When Mama had to go in the nursing home, I guess I mentally put it on the back burner. When it came time to pay the final bill, I talked with her Dr and she saw no reason for her not to go.
Toni and Cecil aren't going, their Dr doesn't think it would be good for Cecil. Bobbi and Gordon aren't going. Gordon thinks Bobbi can't handle it. So its Joyce and Charlie, Maxine and Elias, Dad and I: Mama and Candy are rooming together.
It's a 10 day cruise with the Holland America line. We leave from Ft Lauderdale,>Bahamas>Curacao>Aruba>Costa Rica> and Panama Canal. I have mixed feelings, I'm finally getting excited about the trip (so is Dad); of course, the down turn in economy doesn't help matters.
We leave here on Nov 6 and leave Ft Lauderdale on Nov 9; return on Nov 19, we should be home on the 2oth.

Follow up Mama

The Dr saw Mama Monday and didn't find anything unusual and didn't change any of her meds. She looks better and Sunday when I brought her to the house for a while, she seemed to feel better. She spent some time going thru her closet and trying on clothes for the cruise and at 3 o'clock she said she was ready to go back that she needed to rest. Yesterday she was doing well.

I feel better than I've felt in a long time. My BP is staying in range of 110 to 126. When it drops below that, I'm worthless. The diet of course is a bummer. However, we are slowly geting used to the low salt. Our fat as a daily rule isn't that high, just need to keep and eye on the saturated stuff.

Follow up Dr visit

Got good news from kidney specialist. My lab test show that the creatinine level is decreasing but the formula for the stages still shows Stage 3. He still heard the abnormal sounds in my abdominal vessels. He will decide at next visit if I need tests on abdominal blood vessels. I'm totally off fluid and potassium pills. He has me on a low salt and low fat diet.

Mama has had a couple of rough days. Yesterday, she had a headach and was dizzy. I had the nurse check her pressure and it was 210/90. They gave her some extra bp medicine and it came down. She didn't feel like going to church today. I brought her to the house today and she went thru the clothes I'd washed for the cruise. Her pressure was good today. Will try to get her to see Dr tomorrow.

It's Been Awhile since my last post. Time just gets away from me. I have such good intentions. Art classes are going well. Taking a still life class in Tryon and still taking my usual Wed class at the community college. Studio is 99% complete - thanks to wonderful hubby and a neighbors son. I'm teaching 2 classes a week and have 6 students. They are really progressing well.

Another change in our lives. We've been asked to teach the Senior High Sunday School Class. How many young folks of that age will drag them selves out of bed on Sunday morn, after a late Saturday night.? We're not above bribery. We bring food.

NC and SC are totally out of gas. Every gas station we pass has white bags on pumps. Those that have gas have long lines. I didn't go to my art class in Tryon today. Just couldn't justify the gas usage, esp. when we don't know when we'll get more. Just doesn't make sense.

I wasn't overly impressed with the first few visits with kidney specialist. One of my art students works at trauma ICU in Spartanburg and recomended one of the specialists over there. My first visit with second opinion was Thursday. He spent a whole hour with me. The history and physical was the most thorough I can remember having. He certainly found things the other specialist didn't. He also stated that Tylenol was NOT the problem. That it would take huge amounts for that to occur. He felt that my fluid pills could be the problem. Funny how all these years, no other Dr even considered it. So now am on a weaning off process. He found an enlarged thryoid ( he's not worried about that yet). Also not to concerned with elevated parathyroid hormone yet. He listened to arteries in my abdomen --no one's ever done that before---and found abnormal sounds. He said it could mean an obstruction to blood flow to kidney and several things could cause it. At this point, he did more lab work and has requested my records from other specialist. So again it's wait and see. However, much more comfortable with this doctor.

FINAL GPS

MORE GPS

MORE GREENVILLE PICKENS

Obviously, this wasn't their first trip to the races.



Can you tell they were eating choc cake

GREENVILLE PICKENS SPEEDWAY

We had such a great time. Kiddles were able to run around and also see the races.
Doodle intertained her self pre-race
It took two soakings and two washes to get the red dirt out of their clothes.

POOL TIME

Our dear friend was off work Friday and her grandkids were over; she invited us over. Her grandchildren are like little fish and inspired Tommy to try some new things.
As you can see, Doodle likes to do her own thing.

Tom Tom can now swim the width of the pool. He has learned to pop his head up and get a breath of air.

CHICKEN WHISPERER

She really can ride the tricycle --- when she wants to!!!!!!!!
They love to catch and hold the chickens. They particularly like to go in the coop and catch the younger chickens. 3 of the older hens disppeared last week, no feathers scattered about, so what ever it was, carried them off. One farmer friend said if there were no feathers around it was probably a hawk. It doesn't seem like a hawk could carriy off full grown fat hens. We have seen foxes around Speckles pasture (not in past 2 years). One of the white younger was missing yesterday. It wasn't on the roost last night. This hen is Scarlet. She's the one that Happy split her breast open and didn't expect her to live. We gave her cat antibiotics twice a day. Needless to say she's a pet.

HOLLYWILD

This is a partial post of zoo. It would only let me upload 5 pix. More will come later. They really enjoyed feeding the baby goats.

In order to feed the Emus, we had to place the crackers on the ledge - apparently they have some powerful beaks.

These are European Fallow Deer. Very small, couldn't have been more that 30"at withers. There were over 200 and they followed the tour bus everywhere.

CHECKING THE BLUEBIRD NEST'S

We like to check the bluebird nests frequently to see how our bluebird population is doing. T&M found a nest in this one.

We'll try this again

Slip and Slide

It's actually hot in Union Mills. Poppy got out the Slip and Slide. Of course the first thing we had to do was run off Elvis. Tom Tom wore himself out. Doodle couldn't get past just walking down it. The concept of running and throwing herself on the ground was totally foreign to her. I think she did lay down in the puddle at the end.

NASCAR #16

One of our neighbors hauls a show car for Nascar Drive, Elliot Sadler, #16 for Stanley Tools. The car was in town this week, so Poppy called to see if we could bring T&M.

Recent Painting

I needed to do a female figurative painting for a show and I had recently come across a photo of Hallie when she was posing for Brasosport Art League in 1999. Needless to stay it was a challenge, cause the body was a puzzle.

Dont have pix yet

Well the kiddles are here in full force and doing very well. The trip was long but they were troupers.
We took them to church yesterday and they went to Childrens church, and all went very well. We remembered to take the back pack ( for crayons and book)
We finally got Doodle on a tricycle; she was just not interested in doing anything that had to pedal. For some reason the pedaling motion with legs is foreign to her.--who coined term "just stomp on it". It made sense to her. She made it to the end of the tear drop.
Tom Tom is riding his bike. He likes to slip back into the tractor, so that he can control the fast coast downhill.
The studio lookes great. The guys did a super job.
Will try to get some good pics today.

A Lot of Catching Up

I can't believe it's been 3 months since I've posted. Time really got away from me/us. The first of March I attended a portrait workshop by Clayton Beck, awesome, awesome. I was intimidated going in - some artist/instructors can be rather arrogant and undiplomatic. So I usually go and keep my mouth shut. There's always one person ( usually a guy) who is a know it all and starts out name dropping and brown nosing. Invariably they are the ones who make the biggest mess. We did live model portrait sketches - each one was 3 hours or less. I was getting a little concerned because he never came by my canvas. He finally walked up behind me and just stood there for about 3 minutes and said nothing. The he said "the only thing you need to do is soften the edges around the mouth", turned around and walked off. So I felt pretty good after that. I learned a lot and plan to attend some more of his workshops - don't think I want to go to China tho.

The family weekend was planned for Easter weekend and as fate would have it, Mom L took a rapid turned for the worse and died the Monday before Easter. We buried her Thursday, it's like she knew all the family would be here. Mouse, Poppy and I were with her until the end. D, T, T's mother and Dav were there also. Hospice was there and absolutely wonderful. It happened a little sooner that we thought it would, but it was such a blessing. She was so clueless and had gotten to the point of not being able to do anything for herself. The nursing home was outstanding and she was truly one of their pets.

The "annual" crawfish boil was great. In addition to the usual family, we invited friends. Tia and Bobbles bought 2 bags of crawfish form Louisiana. Our "daughter" from Atlanta made it and other "daughter", husband and 2 little ones came too. They camped out in the front yard. Such a wonderful ending to a sad week. Truly, there is nothing to compare to family and friends.

Workshop

Wednesday and Thursday I was fortunate enough to be able to attend an art workshop by one of the modern day masters - Clayton Beck. It was about portraits and was awesome. I'm always intimidated when I go to these things, but came away feeling pretty good. I really learned alot, but also realized I have a pretty good knowledge base. I just have to start painting from live models. We had to complete a head portrait in 3 hours, the first day. And do 3 in the second day. Tough, tough , tough. Every part of my body was in pain.

UPDATE ON KIDNEYS

Had my follow up visit with the kidney Dr today. Good news. All tests were negative. So in a nutshell I have Analgesic Nephropathy. Apparently this is becoming more and more prominent with long term use of acetomiophen, Ibuprophen and the NSAIDS (Celebrex, Vioxx,etc). As a rule, kidneys do not regenerate, but after the pains meds are stopped, the damage can sometimes be reversed/and hopefully stopped. My creatinine levels and ratios did improve over a couple of months ago. It's going to take a while to adust to new medication, even though it's straight narcotic, my pain relief is not as effective. I can't tell yet if it's the pain medication or my pain is worse and the Vicodin wouldn't have worked either. The nephrologist said the new medication was a fairly low dose and likely needed to be increased. So all in all, I'm very relieved that it's nothing worse and can at least be managed.