In God's Hands

Happy Birthday DAD!!

Yesterday, I spent the day with Mom and Dad. Dad had two doctor appointments as well as several errands to run.

The first appointment was with Dr. Tedesko, the heart surgeon. Dr. Tedesko released Dad meaning that he is no longer on restricted activity, but was advised not to over-do it. Would anyone like to guess what ACTIVITY was on the mind of MOM?

The final appointment was with Dr. Noel. He is the doctor who has been keeping watch on the lesion on Dad's tongue. The removal of that lesion was delayed due to the pre-op findings of the abnormal EKG. In early January, Dad will be scheduled to surgically remove that lesion. The only pre-op this time will be a release from Dr. Baker, Dad's cardiologist. Because of my concern for this abnormal growth on Dad's tongue, I asked if there were any signs of growth since his last visit. Noted sizes indicate that no growth has taken place since that last visit. It remains at 1.2cm.

As always, I enjoyed the time that I was able to share with my parents. Sort of like spending the day with Edith and Archie Bunker; a real, live comedy show. Mom and Dad are people of two opposite speeds and rarely on the same page in thought. I have begun to joke with them asking, "How did you two ever MAKE BABIES?" ----- A sneak peek into our day of comedy --- As I drove, they decided where we would have lunch. At the FINAL moment, they said Picadilly, so I must quickly make the turn (IN LAFAYETTE CHRISTMAS TRAFFIC) to enter Camellia Blvd.

After safely arriving at the restaurant, we progress through the line; Mom is first of the three of us, then myself, then Dad. Just as in their deciding where to eat, Mom suddenly decides that we will sit in the elevated area to the immediate right of the register at the end of the serving line. As I picked up my tray, in the corner of my eye, I saw Mom take the QUICK right turn to that area and I followed. I placed my tray upon the table. I removed the dishes I had chosen (if you know my appetite you know it was NOT only one :)..I looked for Dad who had not yet joined us. I sat and prepared to eat when Mom asked, "Where's Daddy, did he get lost?" I rise from the table to check on him thinking that perhaps he was still in the "limited activity" frame of mind which meant that he shouldn't carry his tray. NOPE. I located him clear across the restaurant. He had placed his tray upon an empty table and was searching for us. I waved to him to direct him to where we had sat. He picked up the tray and I THOUGHT he was right behind me. NOPE. After sitting for a second time, I realized that he had not yet joined us but should have already made it to the table. This time, Mom rises and goes to check on him. When I had turned around to return to the table, he lost me therefore still had not seen where we were sitting.

Ahhh....so now we are all seated. We begin our lunch. What seemed like only two minutes later, Dad asked Mom if she enjoyED her lunch. I glanced over to see a nearly empty plate. She replied to him that, NO, it had not been good. Sure could've fooled me! There were only a few bites remaining on her plate which she had pushed aside AND it had been eaten at superman speed. Hard for one to believe that it was NOT good!

And that my dear readers, was only in a time frame of one hour. I spent a grand total of 9 hours in the comedy ...um...company of my parents. A most enjoyable time, but one that continues to make me think HOW DID THEY EVER MAKE BABIES?

Wow, how time flies!

Did everyone have a nice Thanksgiving?

Today is Nov. 28. I have seen Dad on several occassions since my last post. His back has begun to be better. He began doing some very easy exercises which slowly worked the muscles loose. That seems to have done the trick - until last week. He was in his company pick up truck when he backed into a parked 18-wheeler. There was no damage to the other vehicle, but the rear fender of Dad's truck shows the evidence of his fender bender. When that bender took place, Dad said he immediately felt his back take a jolt. He was pretty sore and stiff, but seems to be doing better now.

He has had a couple of blood pressure readings (with a home monitor) that caused concern. These occured in the early morning hours; shortly after waking. When discussing these with me, he assured me that he would call his cardiologist if they continued. Within of a days of that concern, Mom told me that it turned out the batteries of the monitor needed changing. The indicator did not show up when Dad used the monitor, but did just a few days later.

His cough continues. While he was not smoking, which was immediately following the surgery, that cough showed dramatic improvement. When he began smoking again, the cough returned - in a manner that seems even worse than before. Even with the suggestions of the nurses, doctors, and family who cares, he chose to smoke again. At first it was a lot less than prior to the surgery. Now, it seems that each time I see him he is smoking more frequently. My heart wants him to quit. My own habit of smoking helps me to understand the difficulty in doing so. What a grip that little bitty thing can have on a person's life.

As you pray, pray for Dad and his smoking habit. You can pray for me as well. The harder I try the harder I fall.

Since Dad returned to work, he has been experiencing a back ache. When this did not subside quickly, he phoned the office of his surgeon and discussed this with the nurse. She felt certain that this was not related to the surgery and recommended a visit with his family physician. That appointment was on Nov. 10.

Dad said that Dr. Faulk did not seem to concerned about the back ache. He said that if in a couple of weeks it had not gone away that he should return. In the meantime, prescriptions were given to alleviate the congestion and coughing from the cold that Dad caught recenly.

When I asked Dad about the backache, he said that it started shortly after returning to work It had not bothered him at all prior to that. Riding/driving is something that aggrevates his back. He has also noticed that when he is less that attentive to his posture, his back will bother him more. He said that he is almost certain it is muscular. He met up with a friend of the family who is a nurse and she agreed. She said that it could very well be a muscle that was pulled due to coughing.

With all that Dad has been through in the past couple of months, my prayer is that this is quickly healed. He is anxious to return to his normal stamina and put all of the health issues behind him.

Each year, on All Souls Day, St. Peter's parish remembers their recently deceased parishioners by presenting their family members with a small gift in their memory. On Nov. 2, a small group of our family gathered at St. Peter's Church to receive that gift in memory of Grandma Foreman. The Mass was said in its normal format with the exception of the short presentation of gifts immediately following the homily.

The church was solemn. The people were revenant. The pains felt when losing a loved one to death were evident. As I looked around, I saw families whom had buried loved ones in January. We had done so in April. Some had done so as recently as a few weeks ago. As I looked into the faces of those present, I realized that the pain that was so fresh in my heart was also fresh in theirs. It didn't matter how long ago, or how recently, we joined our hearts as one in memory of those who are no longer with us.

During the Mass, I recalled the numerous times that I had seen my grandmother enter the church - always in her quickly paced steps. I recalled as a young girl how she would occasionally pick me up to assist her in doing some cleaning in the church. I recalled her being a Eucharistic minister. I recalled her stepping up to the altar in reverence to prepare for the Mass and her passing a little wink at us as though she were saying, "See, it's good to serve the Lord." It was almost as though she would step onto the altar at any moment to do that once more, but then I glanced over at the pew that had once been her place to sit during Mass. Although that pew could have been filled with other people, it will always look empty to me.

Going back to St. Peter's church will never be the same. Driving down the road in front of her home will never be the same. Going back to her home will never be the same. Christmas will never be the same. No holiday will ever be the same. Our lives have changed because one whom we love has passed from this life and entered into eternal life.

Each day that dawns, opens a new page in life. Each day that ends brings the close of a chapter from the past. As the chapters close, we learn to live with the events on those pages, and sometimes we return to them for a brief visit. No new page will ever return to us those that we miss so dearly, but as we turn the new pages we can hope that the sadness that fills our hearts today will one day be replaced with hope. Hope that we "shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." (Isaiah 35:10)

We arrived at the hospital on Monday around 6:30 AM for the removal of the foreign object. The normal admitting processes took place and then we waited for his turn to be called. The waiting took far longer than the actual procedure did. The time of waiting turned out to be somewhere near four hours. The procedure took less than 15 minutes.

When all was done, the surgeon came to share the results with Mom and I. The foreign object that was removed from the skin on Dad's chest turned out to be a piece of the wiring that was used in the by-pass surgery. It was a piece about one inch long. I asked where this might have come from and was concerned that perhaps the wiring had broke. He said that he felt that the wire was still secure; no concern there, but was not sure how to explain the small piece coming to the surface of the skin. Our conversation ended with a chuckle after I said, "We'll just chalk it up as the usual unusual Roland kind of stuff."

The incision was small enough that no stitches were needed. He returns to the doctor in a few weeks for a follow up visit so they can make sure that the skin is healing.

Walking into a hospital knowing that someone whom you love deeply will be having surgery is never a comforting occasion. The feelings that I had the first time that Dad was going into surgery can never be put into words. The fears of the unknown, yet the gratitude for the blockages being detected in time to be corrected sort of run into one another making a jumble of emotions that are hard to sort through. On Monday, entering the hospital with Dad's minor procedure ahead of him was still a time for concern because of my care for him. Being able to drive the car up to the exit door and bring him home that very day was a time of excitement and a time worthy of praises to our God in heaven.

Dad continues to do well. During his first week back at work, there was a cold virus spreading around his work place. That very first weekend, he woke to find that the cold had attacked him as well. He had the sniffles, frequent nose blowing, and coughing that everyone else had. This tired him and may have set his recuperating time back just a bit, but he is back on the mend and kicking up every bit of dust that he possibly can.

Dad visited with his surgeon and cardiologist last week. He was given the go ahead to return to work in a 'light duty' sort of way. He was also told that due to his breast bone still having some non-fusion areas, he should do no lifting for another two months. While being examined by the surgeon, he saw the pack of cigarettes in Dad's front shirt pocked. The surgeon's words were, "You're killing me! You're ruining my reputation! What will people say about ME when you have to return to surgery for the same procedure? Do you want to have to go through all of this AGAIN?"

As we exited the doctor's office, Dad joked with me by saying that it was my fault he'd been caught. It was his intention to leave the cigarettes in the vehicle, but I had already locked the doors which did not allow him to do so.

He returned to work on Monday, October 16. I spoke to him in the evening hours on Wednesday. He said that he was a little surprised at how he was not as tired as he had anticipated he would be with returning to work.

He has a follow up visit scheduled with his surgeon in December and with his cardiologist in February. During those visits, hopefully he will be given the go-ahead to see about the growth in his mouth which was the reason for the EKG which saved his life.

Having said that, I recall a conversation that I had with Uncle Bob. As he and I visited and shared our concerns for Dad after learning that the EKG detected some concerning abnormalities, he said to me (I'll summarize)...that maybe God was working things in ways to keep Dad with us for a longer time; maybe something needed attention that would have otherwise gone undetected. WOW! Was he right!!! With the blockages that were detected during the angiogram....well, we all know what COULD have happened.

I am often disgruntled by the news reports on studies conducted to help us be smarter in our lifestyles. One will report that we should not eat too much fish because of the mercury content. Later we learn that eating fish in moderation is actually OK. Don't eat eggs...well...just not too many eggs. Though disgruntling at times, I am grateful to God for helping the world of medicine become able to detect those life threatening ailments and providing ways to correct them.

May God grant to every doctor and nurse an almighty knowledge and loving compassion for each of their patients and their families so that they can continue to "take care of God's fools"; a phrase Dad used recently.

We continue to learn new things throughout our lives. Creating a web site is something that has always amazed me, so I have embarked on a new journey. My new journey is exploring and learning how to create a web site. I am attempting to do so in a way that is free. As I began this new journey, I thought that my goal might be impossible. I am learning that there are many resources available, at no cost, which will allow me to pursue my goal. It is a work in progress, but as soon as it is presentable I will share it with you.

May we all be open minded to the new journeys that God has placed on the path we call life. May those new journeys always be traveled in the glory of Him who brings us to them.

Coming back to this category brings back much of the pains in my heart that I have been attempting to heal. As we all know, Grandma Foreman's earthly life ended and she joined Our Lord and Grandpa Foreman on April 1, 2006. So many emotions flooding all at once. To recall her last day with us, the relief of her no longer suffering and being prodded with this needle and that needle, our final moments with her, the immediate moments following her last breath, the funeral home, the legal matters, the seperation of personal properties at the house......the emotional ride has been one I hope to never experience again. I can hope, but know that each time someone I love departs from earth and goes into eternal life, the same emotional ride will return.

I return to this category today because yesterday was the day that we normally wished her HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Mom phoned me during the day asking if I knew what day it was. Yes, I knew. The thoughts were like tons of weight upon my heart. Oh, how I wish I could have called her one more time. As Mom and I talked, she recalled some of those times; memories of her being worried as Hurricane Rita approached and her ride to Alabama during the evacuation. Then, we can't help but laugh as our thoughts turn to her, today, in Heaven. Of course, none of us know exactly what we are capable of doing once we reach that eternal life, but if she has been able to have her way, I am sure that she has been stirring up whatever "dust" might be around. I am sure that there is one heck of a vegetable garden and flowers, too. I am sure they are enjoying some of that strongly brewed coffee that she enjoyed making and serving. I am sure that those around her have gained a couple of pounds from her tasty cooking. No, we do not know exactly what is taking place up there, but it sure is fun to think that she is making her way around, with the most lively spirit I've ever known, telling stories, feeding others food and laughter, and watching down upon us while insisting that God bless us all - with finger pointed and hands on her hips.

Happy Birthday, Grandma Foreman. I am a day late with this message, just as I always was a day late in calling to share those wishes in person. It brings joy to my heart knowing that you have celebrated it once again with Grandpa Foreman, whom you missed so, and Our Almighty Father.

Time may heal our heart from the pain in losing you, but time will never erase the wonderful memories that we all have in our hearts.

Just a little note to let you all know that Dad's healing process continues to go well. Yesterday, (Friday, Sept. 22) he had Andy pick him up around the 10AM hour. He joined Andy and other workers for lunch at Andy's shop. From there, one of the workers drove him down to the 193 Dock at Klondike (Dad's work location). He spent some time there and then headed back home. He arrived home somewhere around the 3PM hour.

I spoke to him later in the evening. He said that it felt good to get out and about, but that he was tired from that outing. Being tired after what he has endured in surgery and recover is to be expected, but I think that he would like to quicken the process. Taking it easy is new for him.

Last Saturday, Dad supervised as Scott worked in their yard. They worked up a patch of garden and planted some seeds. Dad was excited to share with Scott that the seeds have begun to sprout. He is anxious for Scott to take a look at them.

Mom has an appointment with the chiropractor on Monday. When she phoned Friday, she said that the hurting was really bad. She wasn't sure if the change in weather had something to do with it, but felt that a visit to the chiropractor might help her along. They will drive here to meet me and then I will drive them to Abbeville for that appointment. She did really well in driving prior to Dad's surgery. The surgeon had given him the "no driving" prescription. Dad had many loose ends to tie up with his work. He made Mom do the driving. They even went to Lafayette for the before surgery blood work. I guess her fear of driving and her inability to conquer that fear is something that I may never fully understand. I often remind her of the many times that she drove 18-wheelers in the past and now has issues with driving to Gueydan, or here, or Abbeville, or anywhere.

Feel free to check here for an update to Dad's recovery. I will try to share one now and again.

I would also like to continue with regular blog posts, just haven't been able to spare the time to do so in the recent weeks.

If you have questions about Dad's surgery or recovery, feel free to email me with them. You can send them to my personal email address. If you do not have that address, you may send them to cgs.ingodshands@yahoo.com.