Monday, July 13, 2009

Taking it all a day at a time....

Marc is home and we are so happy to have him here. I think we all can so take a fact like that for granted but I will do everything in my power from this day on not to ever do so again. Without my man here, life is pretty darn sad; for me and for our children.

For the next six or so weeks I am Marc's primary nurse, administering IV twice daily and trying to monitor his daily health habits so that he remain healthy until we cross the next hurdle - his heart surgery. One item on his "to do" list every day is to drink tremendous amounts of water to flush this toxic antibiotic from his body. The doctor wants him to drink about 13-14 eight oz glasses a day. This is probably not easy for most people but for Marc it is really quite an issue (this is said with the utmost sarcasm) Marc is a HORRIBLE water drinker!! I had nicknamed him "the camel" sometime back and I have now become "the camel's" constant NAG to keep him drinking.

This past weekend we celebrated Ethan's birthday again with a family party so that Marc and his folks could share the mischief man's 4th birthday with him. It was nice, although this weekend was quite bittersweet for us. We had a four day cruise that had been planned many moons ago with our dear friends "The P family" and we had to cancel due to this unexpected health crisis. We had really been looking forward to it as well as some adult time together while the kids were in Camp Carnival. It just was not in the cards this year.

I have to admit that I have been feeling quite sad lately. It kinda feels like the deck has been stacked against us and even though I know that this is not true or even fair as many people have it much tougher than we do, it just has been one thing after another for the past 2-3 years. My sister and I were talking about my current state of mind and she made the really good suggestion that every morning after administering Marc's IV that I get out and take a long walk while he is resting and the DD are still sleeping. Of course, exercise is good for body and soul. I started a couple of days ago and it is helping to lift my mood already. Thanks again sweet sister!

We have lots of Doctor's appointments and such over the next couple of weeks so hopefully we will have some more info on what to expect. I think that will help as well. The unknown is so hard.

I must share that Marc has been a real trooper though all of this. He is a great patient. He does what he needs to without complaint. He advocates for himself really well with all of the health professionals which is so important. If you or anyone you know has been ill then you know first hand that you must be very vigilant about your treatments. The health care industry is over burdened and under staffed so mistakes are bound to be made. Marc is really good at making sure that he understands exactly what is being given to him or performed on him. I had never seen this side of him as he had never been ill before but I was so pleased to see him in action.

All I need right now is for Marc to be healthy again. Everything else will come around eventually as long as he is OK and then we can go back to our normal level of good "stress".....now that would be just awesome!

8 comments:

Candy said...

Just wondering if Mark has to stay at home during this time or can he go on with his routine?

Anonymous said...

Hang in there Lori...better things are to come. Marc will get healthy and everything else will follow.
Mindy

Love Letters To China said...

I'm so happy that Marc is home! I know all too well the feelings you are experiencing. This too shall pass and in time will be just a distant glimmer in the horizon. It's amazing how we are tested during times of trouble. You are certainly a very strong woman and should be very proud of yourself!

Hugs!!!

Kelley said...

So glad he's home...I know this is so hard on all of you, but it sounds like you're handling it very well. Hang in there--keeping you in my prayers!

Mary McG in TN said...

You and Marc BOTH need to be advocates for his health issues. The key is research, research, know all that there is to know about his condition. Our favorite sites are mayoclinic.com and webmd.com. You will find wonderful information there.

Chin up! Look back on all the wonderful blessings that you have had and know that this is just a bump in the road.

Vivian M said...

You both will pull out of this stronger and united. I love your sister's suggestion, it is important you make some time for you too!

Vivian M said...

And here is my favorite qoute from Eleanor Roosevelt:
"Women are like tea bags. You never know how strong they really are until you put them in hot water."

Donna said...

Lori, I had no idea any of this was going on as Bloglines dropped your blog for some unknown reason.

My heart goes out to you and Marc as I know this is a difficult time. But I have faith that you'll both come through this stronger for the experience.

I think the hardest part for me would be drinking that much water. I detest water. Can he flavor it with anything to make it go down easier?

Your family is in our thoughts and prayers.

Donna
Our blog: Double Happiness!